Journal Article

PreJuSER-22399

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Aerosol observations and growth rates downwind of the anvil of a deep tropical thunderstorm

Waddicor, D. A. ; Vaughan, G. ; Choularton, T. W. ; Bower, K. N. ; Coe, H. ; Gallagher, M. ; Williams, P. I. ; Flynn, M. ; Volz-Thomas, A.FZJ* ; Pätz, H.-W.FZJ* ; Isaac, P. ; Hacker, J. ; Arnold, F. ; Schlager, H. ; Whiteway, J. A.

2012
EGU Katlenburg-Lindau

This record in other databases:    

Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/7544  doi:10.5194/acp-12-6157-2012

Abstract: We present a case study of Aitken and accumulation mode aerosol observed downwind of the anvil of a deep tropical thunderstorm. The measurements were made by condensation nuclei counters flown on the Egrett high-altitude aircraft from Darwin during the ACTIVE campaign, in monsoon conditions producing widespread convection over land and ocean. Maximum measured concentrations of aerosol with diameter greater than 10 nm were 25 000 cm(-3) (STP). By calculating back-trajectories from the observations, and projecting onto infrared satellite images, the time since the air exited cloud was estimated. In this way a time scale of about 3 hours was derived for the Aitken aerosol concentration to reach its peak. We examine the hypothesis that the growth in aerosol concentrations can be explained by production of sulphuric acid from SO2 followed by particle nucleation and coagulation. Estimates of the sulphuric acid production rate show that the observations are only consistent with this hypothesis if the particles coagulate to sizes > 10 nm much more quickly than is suggested by current theory. Alternatively, other condensible gases (possibly organic) drive the growth of aerosol particles in the TTL.

Keyword(s): J

Note: We thank the pilots and ground crew of the Egrett and Dornier aircraft for ensuring a successful campaign, and to Peter May and the staff of the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) Regional Centre in Darwin for their support in forecasting and logistics. We thank also Marcel Berg and Norbert Houben for maintenance of the CO instrument, and the Royal Australian Air Force for hosting the aircraft experiment. Olivier Dessens provided the OH estimates from the p-TOMCAT model. Finally, we thank the UK Natural Environment Research Council (Grant NE/C512688/1) and NERC Airborne Remote Sensing Facility for supporting ACTIVE. DW is a NERC-supported research student.

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Troposphäre (IEK-8)

Research Program(s):

1. Atmosphäre und Klima (P23)

Appears in the scientific report 2012

---

Database coverage:
; ; ; ; Current Contents - Social and Behavioral Sciences ; JCR ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection

---