THE VARIABILITY OF THE WATER CONTENTS OF TROPICAL CUMULI

Abstract

Continuous measurements of liquid-water content have been used to determine the magnitude of cloud water and its distribution in tropical cumuli. The average water content for a cloud penetration was always less than the amount computed for an air parcel ascending moist adiabatically from cloud base with no water loss. However, many clouds were found to have regions in which the measured liquid-water content exceeded the computed. The data show that the magnitude of the water content was correlated to the vertical displacement from cloud base and to the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the cloud. Cloud water was found to be unevenly distributed in a horizontal plane through the cloud. The location of the area of greatest water concentration appears to be related to the external wind field.