Abstract
Abstract The aerosols that influence the initiation and amount of precipitation are cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), giant CCN, and ice nuclei. Aerosols are ever-present, their properties are variable, and their abundance is dynamic. Therefore, the extent of their impact on the outcome of meteorological contexts that are favorable for rain are difficult to specify. Rainfall can generate aerosols. Those of biological origin that are generated after rainfall can accumulate in a persistent manner over several weeks. Based on a recently developed index of rainfall feedback that focuses on persistent feedback effects and that represents the a priori sensitivity of rainfall to aerosols— of biological origin in particular—we mapped the intensity and patterns of rainfall feedback at 1,250 sites in the western United States where 100-year daily rainfall data were available and where drought is critically severe. This map reveals trends in feedback related to orographic context, geographical location, and season, among other trends. We describe an open-access tool (http://w3.avignon.inra.fr/rainfallfeedback/index.html) for mapping rainfall feedback on a planetary scale to provide a framework for future research to generate hypotheses and to establish rationale to choose field sites for experimentation. This will contribute to the long-term goal of developing a robust understanding of specific and contextual aerosol effects on rainfall applicable to forecasting and to land-use management.
Highlights
Augustin-Bauditz, S., and Coauthors, 2015: The immersion freezing behavior of mineral dust particles mixed with biological substances
This compelling history successfully weaves science, historical accounts, and social analyses to create a comprehensive picture of the most powerful and devastating hurricane to hit New England to date
Summary
The reason for focusing on the western United States was based on the recent water restrictions due to drought, and on the particular topography that fosters processes of precipitation formation due to large-scale synoptic patterns and water vapor transport, and the influence of a multitude of regional and long-range transported aerosol sources, orography, and a combination of land surface vegetation and urban development (Creamean et al 2015; Guan et al 2012; Hayhoe et al 2004; Pandey et al 1999; Ralph et al 2013; Rauber 1992; Rosenfeld et al 2008) These maps and the associated data are freely available at http://w3.avignon.inra.fr /rainfallfeedback/index.html, a site that provides instructions for making maps of additional sites in other regions around the world.
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