A Numerical Study of Urban Aerosol Impacts on Clouds and Precipitation

Abstract

Abstract The impacts of urban aerosols on clouds and precipitation are investigated using a spectral (bin) microphysics cloud model. For this purpose, extensive numerical experiments with various aerosol concentrations are performed under different environmental moisture conditions. To take into account the urban heat island and urban air pollution, it is considered that there is low-level heating in the urban area and that the aerosol concentration in the urban area is higher than that in the surrounding rural area. Simulation results show that a low-level updraft induced by the urban heat island leads to the formation of a low-level cloud and then a deep convective cloud downwind of the urban area. The onset of precipitation produced by the low-level cloud is delayed at higher aerosol concentrations. This is because when the aerosol concentration is high, a narrow drop size distribution results in a suppressed collision–coalescence process and hence in late raindrop formation. However, after the deep convective cloud develops, a higher aerosol concentration generally leads to the development of a stronger convective cloud. This is mainly due to increased release of latent heat resulting from the enhanced condensation process with increasing aerosol concentration. The low collision efficiency of smaller cloud drops and the resulting stronger updraft at higher aerosol concentrations result in higher liquid water content at higher levels, leading to the enhanced riming process to produce large ice particles. The melting of a larger amount of hail leads to precipitation enhancement downwind of the urban area with increasing urban aerosol concentration in all moisture environments considered.