Aerosol Effects on Idealized Supercell Thunderstorms in Different Environments

Abstract

Abstract Idealized supercell thunderstorms are simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model at 15 cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations (100–10 000 cm−3) using four environmental soundings with different low-level relative humidity (RH) and vertical wind shear values. The Morrison microphysics scheme is used with explicit prediction of cloud droplet number concentration and a variable shape parameter for the raindrop size distribution (results from simulations with a fixed shape parameter are also presented). Changes in the microphysical process rates with CCN concentration are negligible beyond CCN ≈ 3000 cm−3. Changes in cold pool characteristics with CCN concentration are nonmonotonic and highly dependent on the environmental conditions. In moist conditions with moderate vertical wind shear, the cold pool area is nearly constant with respect to CCN concentration, while the area is reduced by 84% and 22% in the soundings with dry RH and large vertical wind shear, respectively. With the exception of the dry RH sounding, domain-averaged precipitation peaks between 500 and 5000 cm−3, after which it remains constant or slowly decreases. For the dry RH sounding, the domain-averaged precipitation monotonically decreases with CCN concentration. Accumulated precipitation is enhanced (by up to 25 mm) in the most polluted cases near the updrafts, except for the dry RH sounding. The different responses for moist and dry soundings are mostly due to increased (decreased) low-level latent cooling from melting hail (evaporating rain) with increasing CCN concentration in the moist soundings. This compensating effect does not exist when the low-level RH is dry.