Geophysical Research Letters (Jan 2023)

Vertical Dependency of Aerosol Impacts on Local Scale Convective Precipitation

  • Yue Sun,
  • Yuan Wang,
  • Chuanfeng Zhao,
  • Yue Zhou,
  • Yikun Yang,
  • Xingchuan Yang,
  • Hao Fan,
  • Xin Zhao,
  • Jie Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102186
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 50, no. 2
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Abstract Aerosol effects on convective precipitation is critical for understanding human impacts on extreme weather and the hydrological cycle. However, even their signs and magnitude remain debatable. In particular, aerosol effects on vertical structure of precipitation have not been systematically examined yet. Combining 6‐year space‐borne and ground‐based observations over the North China Plain, we show a boomerang‐shape aerosol effect on the top height of convective precipitation, from invigoration to suppression. Further analyses reveal that the aerosols play distinct effects on precipitation rate at different layers. Particularly, near surface precipitation rate shows no significant responses to aerosol and precipitation‐top height due to strong evaporation. The competition of energy between released from condensation and freezing and absorbed by evaporation contributes to different responses of precipitation‐top height to aerosol and can explain the boomerang‐shape aerosol effect.

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