Research Projects

Clouds, which are dilute and disperse suspensions of droplets in moist air, significantly influence Earth's energy budget and hydrological cycle. Warm clouds, which constitute about 30% of Earth's surface area, can counteract warming induced by greenhouse gases. Marine stratocumulus clouds can offset warming if their albedo increases by ~6%. The fundamental physics of warm cloud microphysics are well established, but uncertainties propagate as scale increases, causing the largest uncertainties in predicting future climate. Key physical processes controlling the radiative properties of clouds include radiative driving, turbulence, surface fluxes, latent heat release, and entrainment. Entrainment, which involves the mixing of moist air with dry air in the free troposphere, is the most uncertain. Quantifying the type of homogenization is crucial as it significantly influences the radiative properties and evolution of clouds to precipitation embryos. To overcome limitations in remote sensing techniques, large eddy simulations (LES) models are the best solution. Currently, most LES models use the Eulerian bulk and bin approach for parametrizing cloud microphysics and thermodynamic variables. However, recent studies suggest that cloud modelling based on the Lagrangian particle-based approach can overcome these disadvantages and simulate the interaction between aerosol and cloud particles. The proposed study aims to unravel the effect of mixing in polluted warm clouds using a Lagrangian cloud model.