Summary
Out information from the limited amount of observations about the capture of airborne particles by cloud and precipitation drops reveals that this complex scavenging phenomenon depends on various, the dropletparticle collisions simultaneously driving micromechanisms. Theoretical models attempt to treat these processes in combination.
A major task of the study reported here was to describe the responsible scavenging interactions as part of a microdynamical simulation model for particle and drop size spectra. Using for this purpose the theory of nonlinear stochastic collisions we show that key properties (such as size dependence, relaxation, etc.) associated with particle scavenging are predicted satisfactorily with meteorologically representative input data.
Zusammenfassung
Die aus Beobachtungen gewinnbare Information über das Einfangen von luftgetragenen Teilchen durch Wolken- und Niederschlagstropfen zeigt klar, daß dieses komplexe Auswaschphänomen von mehreren, gemeinsam für die Tropfen-Teilchenkoflisionen verantwortlichen Mikromechanismen abhängt. In theoretischen Modellen versucht man, diese Prozesse kombiniert zu behandeln.
Kernpunkt der theoretischen Untersuchungen, die hier vorgestellt werden, war es, die verantwortlichen Wechselwirkungen in einem mikrodynamischen Simulationsmodell für Größenspektren von Teilchen und Tropfen zu beschreiben. Hierfür wurde die entsprechende Theorie nichtlinearer stochastischer Kollisionen verwendet. Die Rechnungen liefern, daß wichtige Eigenschaften (wie Größenabhängigkeit, Relaxation usw.), die mit dem Teilchenauswaschvorgang zusammenhängen, bei Annahme meteorologisch repräsentativer Eingabedaten zufriedenstellend bestimmt werden können.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ayers GP (1982) The chemical composition of precipitation: A southern hemisphere perspective. In: Goldberg ED (ed) Atmospheric chemistry. Dahlem Workshop Reports, Springer, Berlin, pp 41–56
Beard KV (1976) Terminal velocity and shape of cloud and precipitation drops aloft. J Atm Sci 33: 851–864
Berry EX, Reinhardt RL (1974) An analysis of cloud drop growth by collection: Part I. Double distributions. J Atm Sci 31: 1814–1824
Carstens JC, Martin JJ (1983) A comparison of incloud scavenging by Brownian diffusion and thermo- and diffusiophoresis. Precipitation Scavenging, Dry Deposition and Resuspension, Vol I Elsevier, pp 529–540
Facy L (1960) Les mécanismes naturels de lessivage de l'atmosphère. Pure and Appl Geophys 46: 201–215
Fitzgerald JW (1983) Dependence of the supersaturation spectrum of CCN on aerosol size distribution and composition. J Atm Sci 30: 628–634
Greenfield SM (1957) Rain scavenging of radioactive particle matter from the atmosphere. J Met 14: 115–125
Grover SN, Pruppacher HR, Hamielec AE (1977) A numerical determination of the efficiency with which spherical aerosol particles collide with spherical water drops due-to inertial impaction and phoretic and electric forces. J Atm Sci 34: 1655–1663
Hall WD (1980) A detailed microphysical model within a two-dimensional dynamical framework: Model description and preliminary results. J Atm Sci 37: 2486–2507
Herbert F (1978) A theoretical model to describe the motion of aerosol particles due to the combined action of inertia, Brownian diffusion and phoretic and electric forces. J Atm Sci 35: 1744–1750
Herbert F (1981) On the flux and collision mechanism of scavenging process of atmospheric aerosol particles. In: Herbert F (ed) Atmospheric trace constituents. Vieweg, Braunschweig, pp 117–128.
Herbert F, Roos M, Beheng KD (1983) Ein Modell-experiment zum Auswaschen von Teilchen durch Wolken- und Regentropfen. Met Rdsch 36: 130–134
Herbert F (1986) CCN-equilibrium theory. Met Rdsch 39: 82–87
Jiusto JE, Lala GG (1981) CCN-supersaturation spectra slopes (k). 3. Intern Cloud Condens Nuclei Workshop, NASA Conf Publ 2212, Reno, pp 64–68
Junge C, McLaren E (1971) Relationship of cloud nuclei spectra to aerosol size distribution and composition. J Atm Sci 28: 382–390
Leong KH, Beard KV, Ochs III HT (1982) Laboratory measurements of particle capture by evaporating cloud drops. J Atm Sci 39: 1130–1140
Martin JJ, Wang PK, Pruppacher HR, Pitter RL (1981) A numerical study of the effect of electric charges on the efficiency with which planar ice crystals collect supercooled cloud drops. J Atm Sci 38: 2462–2469
Radke LF, Hobbs PV, Eltgroth MW (1980) Scavenging of aerosol particles by precipitation. J Appl Met 19: 715–722
Slinn WGN, Hales JM (1971) A reevaluation of the role of thermophoresis as a mechanism of in- and below-cloud scavenging. J Atm Sci 28: 1465–1471
Srivastava RC (1971) Size distribution of raindrops generated by their breakup and coalescence. J Atm Sci 28: 410–415
Takahashi T (1973) Measurements of electric charge on cloud drops, drizzle drops and rain drops. Rev Geophys Space Phys 11: 903–924
Twomey S, Woichiechowski TA (1969) Observation of the geographical variation of cloud nuclei. J Atm Sci 26: 684–688
Wang PK, Pruppacher HR (1977) An experimental determination of the efficiency with which aerosol particles are collected by water drops in subsaturated air. J Atm Sci 34: 1664–1669
Wang PK, Grover SN, Pruppacher HR (1978) On the effect of electric charges on the seavenging of aerosol particles by clouds and small raindrops. J Atm Sci 35: 1735–1743
Young KC (1974) The role of contact nucleation in ice phase initiation in clouds. J Atm Sci 31: 768–776
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
With 5 Figures
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Herbert, F., Beheng, K.D. Scavenging of airborne particles by collision with water drops —model studies on the combined effect of essential microdynamic mechanisms. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 35, 201–211 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01041812
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01041812