Aerosol activation in marine stratocumulus clouds: 2. Köhler and parcel theory closure studies

Abstract

Aerosol properties and vertical velocities relevant to cloud droplet concentrations in marine stratocumulus clouds are presented. Data were collected at a coastal surface site, and on an aircraft that flew north (upwind) of the surface site during the CLOUDYCOLUMN portion of the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE‐2). In a closure study we compare observations, from five study days, and predictions based on Köhler and parcel theory. Measured and predicted cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) do agree after accounting for differences between the mobility equivalent ( D me ) and sphere equivalent ( D se ) diameters, but only when considering results from two study days unaffected by continental pollution. After applying the D me − D se correction, cloud droplet concentration closure was also achieved, or nearly achieved, on three study days. Discrepancies between predicted and measured CCN, or between predicted and measured droplet concentration, were always in the direction of predicted values being larger than that measured. Although theoretical studies do specify scenarios where droplet concentration and CCN overestimation can occur, the observed disparities may also be due to multiple and poorly characterized experimental biases.