Inhomogeneous Mixing in Lagrangian Cloud Models: Effects on the Production of Precipitation Embryos

Abstract

Although small-scale turbulent mixing at cloud edge has substantial effects on the microphysics of clouds, most models do not represent these processes explicitly, or parameterize them rather crudely. This study presents a first use of the linear eddy model (LEM) to represent unresolved turbulent mixing at the subgrid scale (SGS) of large-eddy simulations (LESs) with a coupled Lagrangian cloud model (LCM). The method utilizes Lagrangian particles to provide the trajectory of air masses within LES grid boxes, while the LEM is used to redistribute these air masses among the Lagrangian particles based on the local features of turbulence, allowing for the appropriate representation of inhomogeneous to homogeneous SGS mixing. The new approach has the salutary effect of mitigating spurious supersaturations. At low turbulence intensities, as found in the early stages of an idealized bubble cloud simulation, cloud-edge SGS mixing tends to be inhomogeneous and the new approach is shown to be essential for the production of raindrop embryos. At higher turbulence intensities, as found in a field of shallow cumulus, SGS mixing tends to be more homogeneous and the new approach does not significantly alter the results, indicating that a grid spacing of 20 m may be sufficient to resolve all relevant scales of inhomogeneous mixing. In both cases, droplet in-cloud residence times are important for the production of precipitation embryos in the absence of small-scale inhomogeneous mixing, either naturally due to strong turbulence or artificially as a result of coarse resolution or by not using the LEM as an SGS model.