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Impact of CCN on mixing line structure over the peninsular Indian region

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Abstract

In the present study, a conventional mixing line analysis is applied to the Indian post monsoon boundary layer, characterized by shallow clouds. Characteristics of a ‘double mixing line’ are investigated with airborne observations and large eddy simulations (LES). The unique aspect of the study is the use of cloud microphysical information together with the traditional mixing line analysis incorporating moist-adiabatic conserved parameters such as equivalent potential temperature (θE) and total water mixing ratio (qT). The LES results showed that the double mixing line structure strengthened in cloudy regions, compared to the cloud-free regions. The increasing cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration has impacted the double mixing line structure of the cloud-free environment by reducing the θE. This increase in CCN also reduced the environmental mixing line through cooling and moistening by the evaporation of droplets near the cloud base. The joint probability density function of cloud base turbulence fields of water vapour and cloud droplet number concentration showed indications of the moistening through downward moving air parcels.

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Acknowledgements

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the CAIPEEX experiment is fully funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, New Delhi. We acknowledge the contribution of several of our colleagues in their dedicated help with data and the CAIPEEX experiment. The simulations are carried out by the High-Performance Computing System (HPCS) of IITM, Pune. Giovanni website https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov is acknowledged for the MERRA data and the image (figure 2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune, 411 008, India

    Neelam Malap, T V Prabha, S Bera & Bipin Kumar

  2. Department of Atmospheric and Space Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India

    Neelam Malap & A Karipot

Authors
  1. Neelam Malap
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  2. T V Prabha
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  3. S Bera
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  4. Bipin Kumar
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  5. A Karipot
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Contributions

Neelam Malap and T V Prabha: Conceptualization, large eddy simulation, data analysis and writing manuscript. S Bera: Data analysis and editing manuscript. Bipin Kumar and A Karipot: Editing manuscript.

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Correspondence to Neelam Malap.

Additional information

Communicated by P A Francis

Appendix

Appendix

Figure A1
figure a

Conceptual diagram illustrating the mixing line (inset with various processes such as radiative cooling/heating, rainfall/evaporation and turbulent mixing) and the double mixing line with conserved parameter diagram.

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Malap, N., Prabha, T.V., Bera, S. et al. Impact of CCN on mixing line structure over the peninsular Indian region. J Earth Syst Sci 131, 241 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-022-01994-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-022-01994-y

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