Data · dataset · 2026
Observations of the width of cloud droplet spectra in stratocumulus
Listed in National Center for Atmospheric Research
This paper discusses in-situ aircraft observations of cloud microphysics in eight cases of marine stratocumulus investigated during the Second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE2) in the eastern subtropical Atlantic.
Description
The emphasis is on the spectral width of cloud droplet spectra, an important parameter affecting radiative properties of clouds and the development of drizzle and rain. For a given flight (i.e., for given characteristics of the cloud condensation nuclei, CCN), local droplet concentration varies considerably.
The standard deviation of the cloud droplet spectra, Ï, is typically in the range of 1 to 2 μm. It does not vary systematically between maritime and polluted clouds, and shows a surprisingly small difference between near-adiabatic and diluted cloud samples. The relative dispersion d, the ratio between Ï and the mean radius inline equation is between 0.1 and 0.4.
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In agreement with previous studies, larger values are typically associated with polluted clouds, mostly because such clouds have smaller droplets. For all flights, d either decreases with height or does not change significantly. Based on these observations, a simple parameterization of the relative dispersion d is proposed.
Links
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- Publisher page n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7639q1k ↗
documentation · download · from data ucar edu
Where it is published
- data.ucar.edu /dataset/observations-of-the-width-of-cloud-droplet-spectra-in-… ↗
National Center for Atmospheric Research dataset page
landing page · from data ucar edu
Catalogue records · 1
- CKAN API data.ucar.edu/api/3/action/package_show?id=ceb55c4d-2752-4277-b53a-2392bd698… ↗
metadata API · from data ucar edu
Topics
- From keywords
- Earth & Environmental Science · Ocean & Atmospheric Science
Provenance · 1 source records, 7 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Center for Atmospheric Research | ceb55c4d-2752-4277-b53a-2392bd6981ac | 11 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:ocean-atmospheric | mapping · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | |
| created_date | source · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | |
| description | source · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | /notes |
| publication_date | source · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 | /title |
| updated_date | source · data ucar edu | connector:data_ucar_edu@1.0.0 |