07/11/2005
New Model of Raindrop Formation Developed
Summary
Scientists funded by the Office of Science s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program have developed a new way of mathematically modeling the formation of raindrops in clouds. The new model will improve understanding of the Earth’s climate, cloud formation and movement, and the effect on rainfall of small airborne particles called aerosols. The new model was developed because current climate models lack a physical basis for mathematically representing the initial step in the formation of raindrops, which is used in simulating cloud activity and global climate patterns. “Size truncation effect, threshold behavior, and a new type of auto conversion parameterization” GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 32, L11811, doi:10.1029/2005GL022636, 2005