Rain In Cumulus Over The Ocean Research Articles

Large‐eddy simulations of drizzling shallow cumuli using a turbulence‐aware autoconversion parametrization

AbstractTurbulence in clouds enhances collision between cloud droplets, which is critical to drizzle formation in shallow cumulus clouds. In this study, we develop an autoconversion parametrization that considers the turbulence‐induced collision enhancement (TICE) obtained from a particle trajectory model. We implement the developed parametrization to a large‐eddy simulation model and simulate the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) case to investigate the effects of TICE on shallow cumulus clouds and their sensitivities to the cloud droplet number concentration and horizontal grid resolution. TICE significantly increases the autoconversion rate, leading to large increases in the accretion rate, rainwater path and surface rain rate. The simulations of shallow cumulus clouds are highly sensitive to the cloud droplet number concentration and horizontal grid resolution, and the inclusion of TICE overall reduces the sensitivities. For example, the large rainwater path and surface rain rate that appear when cloud droplet number concentration is relatively low are reduced by TICE, whereas the very small rainwater path and surface rain rate that appear when cloud droplet number concentration is relatively high are increased by TICE. Comparisons with two other TICE‐aware parametrizations based on direct numerical simulation results of droplet collisions in turbulence show that there are substantial differences in TICE effects for different parametrizations, which implies a large uncertainty in simulating turbulent clouds. Among the three parametrizations, the parametrization developed in this study shows intermediate TICE‐induced increases in rainwater path and surface rain rate.

Evaluation of a Lagrangian advection scheme for cloud droplet diffusion growth with a maritime shallow cumulus cloud case

A Lagrangian advection scheme (LAS) for solving cloud drop diffusion growth was previously proposed (in 2020) and validated with simulations of cloud droplet spectra with a one-and-a-half dimensional (1.5D) cloud bin model for a deep convection case. The simulation results were improved with the new scheme over the original Eulerian scheme. In the present study, the authors simulated rain embryo formation with the LAS for a maritime shallow cumulus cloud case from the RICO (Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean) campaign. The model used to simulate the case was the same 1.5D cloud bin model coupled with the LAS. Comparing the model simulation results with aircraft observation data, the authors conclude that both the general microphysical properties and the detailed cloud droplet spectra are well captured. The LAS is robust and reliable for the simulation of rain embryo formation. 摘要 云滴凝结增长的拉格朗日平流方案(LAS)于2020年提出, 并通过一维半(1.5D)分档云模式模拟深对流个例得到验证. 相比原先的欧拉平流方案, 新方案的使用改进了模拟结果. 本研究中, 我们进行了海洋性浅积云雨胚形成的个例模拟研究, 个例取自RICO (Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean) 外场试验. 浅积云个例的模拟同样使用耦合了LAS的1.5D分档云模式. 对比飞机观测数据, 我们认为模拟结果较好的刻画了积云的总体微物理特征和精细的云滴谱分布, 利用LAS模拟雨胚形成是合理可信的.

Cumulus Cloud and Drizzle Microphysics Relationships With Complete CCN Spectra

AbstractComparisons of high‐resolution extended range CCN spectra measured at 100 m altitude with cloud and drizzle microphysics in the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) aircraft field project are presented. CCN concentrations, NCCN, active at supersaturations, S, >0.1% showed positive relationships with cloud droplet concentrations, Nc, measured at intermediate (606–976 m) and very high altitudes (1,763–3,699 m). These correlation coefficients, R, progressively increased with S while the two‐tailed probabilities, P2, progressively decreased with S to < 10−6 at 1.6%S. More important were the positive relationships between NCCN active at S < 0.1% and drizzle drop concentrations, Nd, at high (977–1,662 m), very high and high‐very high altitudes combined (977–3,699 m). All of these relationships were consistent for eight different cloud liquid water content, Lc, thresholds (for Nc) and Lc bins (for Nd) ranging from 0.0002 to 0.3 g/m3. Negative relationships between CCN modality and low altitude (76–475 m) cloudiness coupled with no relationship of NCCN active at any S with Nc of these low clouds indicated a cloud effect on ambient aerosol. This is a demonstration of clouds causing bimodal aerosol.

Comparing ground‐based observations and a large‐eddy simulation of shallow cumuli by isolating the main controlling factors of the mass flux distribution

AbstractThe distribution of mass flux at the cloud base has long been thought to be independent of large‐scale forcing. However, recent idealized modelling studies have revealed its dependence on some large‐scale conditions. Such dependence makes it possible to isolate the observed large‐scale conditions, which are similar to those in large‐eddy simulations (LES), in order to compare the observed and modelled mass flux distributions. In this study, we derive for the first time the distribution of the cloud‐base mass flux among individual shallow cumuli from ground‐based observations at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO) and compare it with the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) LES case study. The procedure of cloud sampling in LES mimics the pointwise measurement procedure at the BCO to provide a mass flux metric that is directly comparable with observations. We find a difference between the mass flux distribution observed during the year 2017 at the BCO and the distribution modelled by LES that is comparable to the seasonal changes in the observed distribution. This difference between the observed and modelled distributions is diminished and an extremely good match is found by subsampling the measurements under a similar horizontal wind distribution and area‐averaged surface Bowen ratio to those modelled in LES. This provides confidence in our observational method and shows that LES produces realistic clouds that are comparable to those observed in nature under the same large‐scale conditions. We also confirm that the stronger horizontal winds and higher Bowen ratios in our case study shift the distributions to higher mass flux values, which is coincident with clouds of larger horizontal areas and not with stronger updrafts.

Effects of aerosol in simulations of realistic shallow cumulus cloud fields in a large domain

Abstract. Previous study of shallow convection has generally suffered from having to balance domain size with resolution, resulting in high-resolution studies which do not capture large-scale behaviour of the cloud fields. In this work we hope to go some way towards addressing this by carrying out cloud-resolving simulations on large domains. Simulations of trade wind cumulus are carried out using the Met Office Unified Model (UM), based on a case study from the Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign. The UM is run with a nested domain of 500 km with 500 m resolution, in order to capture the large-scale behaviour of the cloud field, and with a double-moment interactive microphysics scheme. Simulations are run using baseline aerosol profiles based on observations from RICO, which are then perturbed. We find that the aerosol perturbations result in changes to the convective behaviour of the cloud field, with higher aerosol leading to an increase (decrease) in the number of deeper (shallower) clouds. However, despite this deepening, there is little increase in the frequency of higher rain rates. This is in contrast to the findings of previous work making use of idealised simulation setups. In further contrast, we find that increasing aerosol results in a persistent increase in domain mean liquid water path and decrease in precipitation, with little impact on cloud fraction.

LES study of microphysical variability bias in shallow cumulus

Abstract. Subgrid-scale (SGS) variability of cloud microphysical variables over the mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) model has been evaluated by means of joint probability distribution functions (JPDFs). The latter were obtained using dynamically balanced Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model dataset from a case of marine trade cumulus initialized with soundings from Rain in Cumulus Over the Ocean (RICO) field project. Bias in autoconversion and accretion rates from different formulations of the JPDFs was analyzed. Approximating the 2-D PDF using a generic (fixed-in-time), but variable-in-height JPDFs give an acceptable level of accuracy, whereas neglecting the SGS variability altogether results in a substantial underestimate of the grid-mean total conversion rate and producing negative bias in rain water. Nevertheless the total effect on rain formation may be uncertain in the long run due to the fact that the negative bias in rain water may be counterbalanced by the positive bias in cloud water. Consequently, the overall effect of SGS neglect needs to be investigated in direct simulations with a NWP model.

A PDF-Based Formulation of Microphysical Variability in Cumulus Congestus Clouds*

Abstract Calculating unbiased microphysical process rates over mesoscale model grid volumes necessitates knowledge of the subgrid-scale (SGS) distribution of variables, typically represented as probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the prognostic variables. In the 2014 Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences paper by Kogan and Mechem, they employed large-eddy simulation of Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) trade cumulus to develop PDFs and joint PDFs of cloud water, rainwater, and droplet concentration. In this paper, the approach of Kogan and Mechem is extended to deeper, precipitating cumulus congestus clouds as represented by a simulation based on conditions from the TOGA COARE field campaign. The fidelity of various PDF approximations was assessed by evaluating errors in estimating autoconversion and accretion rates. The dependence of the PDF shape on grid-mean variables is much stronger in congestus clouds than in shallow cumulus. The PDFs obtained from the TOGA COARE simulations for the calculation of accretion rates may be applied to both shallow and congestus cumulus clouds. However, applying the TOGA COARE PDFs to calculate autoconversion rates introduces unacceptably large errors in shallow cumulus clouds, thus precluding the use of a “universal” PDF formulation for both cloud types.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Stratified Turbulence. Part II: Application of the Stretched-Vortex Model to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Abstract The buoyancy-adjusted stretched-vortex subgrid-scale (SGS) model is assessed for a number of large-eddy simulations (LESs) corresponding to diverse atmospheric boundary layer conditions. The cases considered are free convection, a moderately stable boundary layer [first Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS)] case, shallow cumulus [Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (BOMEX)], shallow precipitating cumulus [Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO)] and nocturnal stratocumulus [Second Dynamics and Chemistry of the Marine Stratocumulus (DYCOMS-II) field study RF01]. An identical LES setup, including advection discretization and SGS model parameters, is used for all cases, which is a stringent test on the ability of LES to accurately capture diverse conditions without any flow-adjustable parameters. The LES predictions agree well with observations and previously reported model results. A grid-resolution convergence study is carried out, and for all cases the mean profiles exhibit good grid-resolution independence, even for resolutions that are typically considered coarse. Second-order statistics, for example, variances, converge at finer resolutions compared to domain means. The simulations show that 90% of the turbulent kinetic energy (at each level) must be resolved to obtain sufficiently converged mean profiles. This empirical convergence criterion can be used as a guide in designing future LES runs.

Characteristics of the raindrop distributions in RICO shallow cumulus

Abstract. The physical properties of rain spectra are generally modeled using an analytical distribution. It is common for the gamma distribution and, to a lesser extent, the lognormal distribution to be used. The majority of studies in the literature focusing on the characterization of raindrop distribution are based on deep convective cloud observations, mostly at ground level. This study focuses on shallow-cumulus rain distributions throughout the depth of the cloud layer and subcloud layer using airborne in situ measurements made with both the Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) Optical Array Probe 260X (OAP-260-X) and the PMS two-Dimensional Precipitation (2DP) instruments during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field experiment. Sampled spectra analyzed on the scale of large-eddy simulation resolution (100 m) are found to be relatively broad, with values of the shape parameter – υ for the gamma law and σg for the lognormal law – on the order of 1–3 and 1.5–2, respectively. The dependence of the shape parameters on the main rain variables (number concentration, water content, mean volume diameter, sedimentation fluxes and radar reflectivity) is examined, and a parameterization of the shape parameters υ and σg as a function of a power law of the rainwater content and raindrop number concentration is proposed.

On clocks and clouds

Abstract. Cumulus clouds exhibit a life cycle that consists of (a) the growth phase (increasing size, most notably in the vertical direction); (b) the mature phase (growth ceases; any precipitation that develops is strongest during this period); and (c) the dissipation phase (cloud dissipates because of precipitation and/or entrainment; no more dynamical support). Although radar can track clouds over time and give some sense of the age of a cloud, most aircraft in situ measurements lack temporal context. We use large eddy simulations of trade wind cumulus cloud fields from cases during the Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (BOMEX) and Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) campaigns to demonstrate a potential cumulus cloud "clock." We find that the volume-averaged total water mixing ratio rt is a useful cloud clock for the 12 clouds studied. A cloud's initial rt is set by the subcloud mixed-layer mean rt and decreases monotonically from the initial value due primarily to entrainment. The clock is insensitive to aerosol loading, environmental sounding and extrinsic cloud properties such as lifetime and volume. In some cases (more commonly for larger clouds), multiple pulses of buoyancy occur, which complicate the cumulus clock by replenishing rt. The clock is most effectively used to classify clouds by life phase.

Low‐altitude summer/winter microphysics, dynamics, and CCN spectra of northeastern Caribbean small cumuli, and comparisons with stratus

AbstractLow‐altitude cloud microphysics and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra are presented and analyzed from two cumulus cloud aircraft field campaigns, Ice in Clouds Experiment‐Tropical (ICE‐T) and Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO), in the same eastern Caribbean location at opposite seasons. These are further compared with two previously analyzed stratus cloud aircraft campaigns off the central California coast, Physics of Stratocumulus Tops (POST) and Marine Stratus/Stratocumulus Experiment (MASE). Multiple regression analysis predictions of cloud droplet concentrations (Nc) based on CCN spectra, NCCN(S) where S is supersaturation, compared much better with measured Nc than single NCCN‐Nc regressions in both cumulus projects. The addition of vertical velocity (W) to the single and multiple regressions showed small improvements. For RICO the multiple regression correlations were also superior to previous adiabatic model predictions of Nc also based on NCCN(S) and mean W. More adiabatic cloud parcels with considerably higher Nc, liquid water contents, and W showed only slightly better correlations than flight‐averaged Nc of all low clouds. Results show the value of more extensive CCN spectra and the relative unimportance of W variations for determining Nc, in these Caribbean cumuli. The fact that flight‐averaged Nc of all low cloud data was almost as well correlated with NCCN(S) as were Nc of more adiabatic cloud parcels indicates that entrainment did not significantly perturb CCN‐Nc relationships. As should be expected higher cloud S were determined for the cumulus clouds than for the stratus clouds. Suppression of cloud S by higher NCCN that had previously been observed in stratus was observed in ICE‐T but not in RICO where the NCCN range may have been too low for cloud S suppression. But ICE‐T and POST even showed this S suppression over the same limited NCCN range as RICO (< 200 cm−3).

Comment on “Cloud droplet spectral width relationship to CCN spectra and vertical velocity” by Hudson et al.

Hudson et al. [2012, hereafter H12] have lately shown that the standard deviation (σ) of droplet size distributions was inversely related to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration at 1% supersaturation (NCCN) for the in situ aircraft measurements collected during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) project. Using adiabatic parcel model simulations for various values of updraft velocity (w), they further reported a tendency for the σ -N CCN correlation to change signs from positive to negative as w increases beyond a certain value. The analysis of σ -N CCN correlation and its dependence on w certainly add new understanding of dispersion effect (e.g., Liu and Daum, 2002, LD02 hereafter; Liu et al., 2006b, LDY06 hereafter) and imply that like the more widely known aerosol effect on cloud droplet number concentration (N), dispersion effect may exhibit aerosol-limited and w-limited regimes such that dispersion effect can either diminish or enhance the cooling of number effect, depending on the regimes. However, there appears to be some misunderstanding/misinterpretation of LD02 and LDY06 concerning the use of relative dispersion as a measure of spectral width. Furthermore, our examination of the data reported in Table 1 of H12 shows that there is a positive correlation between NCCN and w, and thus it cannot be ruled out that the observed negative σ -N CCN correlation is a manifestation of the covariation in w, or arises from the indirect effect of aerosol on cloud dynamics, or a combination of both. Below these points are detailed.

Reply to comment by Yangang Liu et al. on “Cloud droplet spectral width relationship to CCN spectra and vertical velocity”

Reply to comment by Yangang Liu et al. on “Cloud droplet spectral width relationship to CCN spectra and vertical velocity”

A Revised Conceptual Model of the Tropical Marine Boundary Layer. Part I: Statistical Characterization of the Variability Inherent in the Wintertime Trade Wind Regime over the Western Tropical Atlantic

Abstract This paper investigates wintertime tropical marine boundary layer (TMBL) statistical characteristics over the western North Atlantic using the complete set of island-launched soundings from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) experiment. The soundings are subdivided into undisturbed and disturbed classifications using two discriminators: 1) dates chosen by Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud System Studies (GCSS) investigators to construct the mean RICO sounding and 2) daily average rain rates. A wide range of relative humidity (RH) values was observed between the surface and 8.0 km. At 2.0 km, half the RH values were within 56%–89%; at 4.0 km, half were within 13%–61%. The rain-rate method of separating disturbed and undisturbed soundings appears more meaningful than the GCSS method. The median RH for disturbed conditions using the rain-rate method showed moister conditions from the surface to 8.0 km, with maximum RH differences of 30%–40%. Moist air generally extended higher on disturbed than undisturbed days. Based on equivalent potential temperature, wind direction, and RH analyses, the most common altitude marking the TMBL top was about 4.0 km. Temperature inversions (over both 50- and 350-m intervals) were observed at every altitude above 1.2 km; there were no dominant inversion heights and most of the inversions were weak. Wind direction analyses indicated that winds within the TMBL originated from more tropical latitudes on disturbed days. The analyses herein suggest that the RICO profile used to initialize many model simulations of this environment represents only a small subset of the broad range of possible conditions characterizing the wintertime trades.

Aerosol Size Distribution, Particle Concentration, and Optical Property Variability near Caribbean Trade Cumulus Clouds: Isolating Effects of Vertical Transport and Cloud Processing from Humidification Using Aircraft Measurements

Abstract This paper examines the effect of trade wind cumulus clouds on aerosol properties in the near-cloud environment using data from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) campaign. Aerosol size distributions, particle concentrations, and optical properties are examined as a function of altitude and distance from cloud, at ambient relative humidity (RH) and adjusted to a constant RH to isolate effects of humidification from other processes. The cloud humidity halo extended about 1500–2000 m from the cloud edge, with no clear altitude dependence on horizontal extent over an altitude range of 600–1700 m. The combined effects of vertical transport of aerosol by clouds and cloud processing contributed to the modification of aerosol size distributions within the clouds' humidity halos, particularly close to the cloud boundaries. Backscatter at 532 nm, calculated from the aerosol properties, exhibited no distinguishable trend with altitude within 400 m of cloud edges, increased toward lower altitudes beyond 400 m, and decreased away from cloud boundaries at all altitudes. The mean aerosol diameter was found to rapidly decline from 0.8 to 0.4 μm from near the cloud boundary to the boundary of the humidity halo. Aerosol optical depth at 532 nm within the layer between 600 and 1700 m increased near exponentially from 0.02 to 0.2 toward the cloud boundaries within the humidity halo. These trends agreed qualitatively with past space-based lidar measurements of trade wind cloud margins, although quantitative differences were noted that likely arose from different sampling strategies and other factors.

A Revised Conceptual Model of the Tropical Marine Boundary Layer. Part II: Detecting Relative Humidity Layers Using Bragg Scattering from S-Band Radar

Abstract Persistent layers of enhanced equivalent radar reflectivity factor and reduced spectral width were commonly observed within cloud-free regions of the tropical marine boundary layer (TMBL) with the National Center for Atmospheric Research S-Pol radar during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign. Bragg scattering is shown to be the primary source of these layers. Two mechanisms are proposed to explain the Bragg scattering layers (BSLs), the first involving turbulent mixing and the second involving detrainment and evaporation of cloudy air. These mechanisms imply that BSLs should exist in layers with tops (bases) defined by local relative humidity (RH) minima (maxima). The relationship between BSLs and RH is explored. An equation for the vertical gradient of radio refractivity N is derived, and a scale analysis is used to demonstrate the close relationship between vertical RH and N gradients. This is tested using the derived radar BSL boundary altitudes, 131 surface-based soundings, and 34 sets of about six near-coincident, aircraft-released dropsondes. First, dropsonde data are used to quantify the finescale variability of the RH field. Then, within limits imposed by this variability, altitudes of tops (bases) of radar BSLs are shown to agree with altitudes of RH minima (maxima). These findings imply that S-band radars can be used to track the vertical profile of RH variations as a function of time and height, that the vertical RH profile of the TMBL is highly variable over horizontal scales as small as 60 km, and that BSLs are a persistent, coherent feature that delineate aspects of TMBL mesoscale structure.

Large-Eddy Simulations of Trade Wind Cumuli Using Particle-Based Microphysics with Monte Carlo Coalescence

Abstract A series of simulations employing the superdroplet method (SDM) for representing aerosol, cloud, and rain microphysics in large-eddy simulations (LES) is discussed. The particle-based formulation treats all particles in the same way, subjecting them to condensational growth and evaporation, transport of the particles by the flow, gravitational settling, and collisional growth. SDM features a Monte Carlo–type numerical scheme for representing the collision and coalescence process. All processes combined cover representation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation, drizzle formation by autoconversion, accretion of cloud droplets, self-collection of raindrops, and precipitation, including aerosol wet deposition. The model setup used in the study is based on observations from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field project. Cloud and rain droplet size spectra obtained in the simulations are discussed in context of previously published analyses of aircraft observations carried out during RICO. The analysis covers height-resolved statistics of simulated cloud microphysical parameters such as droplet number concentration, effective radius, and parameters describing the width of the cloud droplet size spectrum. A reasonable agreement with measurements is found for several of the discussed parameters. The sensitivity of the results to the grid resolution of the LES, as well as to the sampling density of the probabilistic Monte Carlo–type model, is explored.

Effect of Aerosol on Cloud–Environment Interactions in Trade Cumulus

Abstract This study examines the role of aerosol in mediating interactions between a warm trade cumulus cloud system and the environment that spawns it. Numerical simulations of the observed and well-studied Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field experiment are performed. The results draw on simulations of 34-h duration so as to avoid conclusions based on transients. Simulations show that, on average, aerosol-perturbed clouds are initially deeper and more vigorous but that after about 14 h there is a reversal in this trend, and unperturbed clouds deepen relative to the perturbed clouds. Differences in cloud depth are about 100 m, and differences in vertical velocity variance are about 30%. After about 20 h, most cloud fields are statistically similar with the exception of rain rate and optical depth, which are lower and higher, respectively, in the high-aerosol conditions. By sampling the model output at various points in the cloud system evolution, the mechanisms responsible for the initial differences and then convergence of most of the cloud field properties are addressed. Sensitivity tests indicate that responses are driven primarily by temperature profiles, rather than by humidity profiles, and that the general trend to homogenization of the bulk cloud field properties is robust for different forcings. Finally, the paper shows that even transient aerosol perturbations may endure beyond the duration of the perturbation itself, provided they persist long enough. Short-duration aerosol perturbations are unlikely to have much influence on the system.

The production of warm rain in shallow maritime cumulus clouds

AbstractThe problem of the production of warm rain by collision and coalescence has been studied for over half a century and several processes have been suggested to explain the observed production, which is more rapid than generally possible with models. A straightforward scenario in relatively shallow maritime cumulus clouds is one where cloud drops simply grow by condensation and coalescence, with no appeal to enhancement due to entrainment or turbulence or indeed the presence of giant and ultragiant aerosols that may exist in the boundary layer. However, it is difficult in a field experiment to measure the concentrations of aerosols and the time evolution of the droplet size distribution or reflectivity in individual clouds. The Rain in Cumulus Over the Ocean (RICO) field experiment overcame some of these difficulties due to the abundance of clouds and the statistical sampling strategy at all significant altitudes. In this article, we present the results of the rate of increase in the radar reflectivity in a couple of cases. Comparisons with a cloud model strongly suggest that the development of warm rain can be explained using the observed aerosol distribution alone. Sensitivity studies suggested that giant and ultragiant aerosols were unimportant for the production of rain in these clouds. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society

Cloud droplet spectral width relationship to CCN spectra and vertical velocity

Cloud droplet spectral width (standard deviation; sigma; σ) was inversely related to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations (NCCN) in the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) project. This was determined from thorough comparisons between flight‐averaged NCCNand microphysics of the lowest altitude cloud passes of 17 RICO flights. Adiabatic model predictions of droplet spectra based on complete below cloud CCN spectra and within‐cloud vertical velocity (W) showed good agreement with measured droplet concentrations and mean diameter (MD) butσ predictions were only weakly correlated with measured σ. Significantly better σ predictions were obtained for mixtures of droplet spectra for distributions of W that were measured in each flight. Adiabatic model predictions for various W applied uniformly to all RICO flights displayed a trend of correlation coefficients (R) for σ‐NCCN plotted against W that changed from positive to negative with increasing W. The σ‐NCCN positive R range at low W corresponds to previous results in stratus clouds where it has been suggested that albedo calculations that include σ reduce the indirect aerosol effect (IAE). The σ‐NCCN negative R range of higher W corresponds to more convective clouds such as RICO where albedo calculations that include σ thus might seem to augment IAE.