Idealized studies of local controls of aerosol-cloud-rainfall interactions in multilayer precipitating systems

Activation, condensation, lateral entrainment, collision-coalescence and collision-breakup processes are investigated using a cloud parcel model coupled to a stochastic rain-shaft model to elucidate aerosol-cloud- interactions (ACIs) in mechanically and thermally forced localized updrafts within regional multi-layered cloud systems. The goal is to characterize the sub-grid scale variability of precipitation microphysics a low levels in complex terrain. Environmental conditions used as initial and boundary conditions for the parcel model are derived from high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations in the Andes and in the Southern Appalachians during IPHEx. Model simulations are evaluated against ground-based observations and remote sensing products, in particular the vertical structure of cloud and precipitation radars (e.g., DPR on GPM, and CPR on CloudSat).