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Electroscavenging of Condensation and Ice-Forming Nuclei

WMO Cloud Modeling Workshop, Hamburg, 12-16 July, 2004. Electroscavenging of Condensation and Ice-Forming Nuclei. Brian A. Tinsley University of Texas at Dallas Tinsley@UTDallas.edu. Ionosphere-earth current density, Jz, charging clouds Global cloud cover response to Jz at HCS crossings

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Electroscavenging of Condensation and Ice-Forming Nuclei

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  1. WMO Cloud Modeling Workshop, Hamburg, 12-16 July, 2004 Electroscavenging of Condensation and Ice-Forming Nuclei Brian A. Tinsley University of Texas at Dallas Tinsley@UTDallas.edu

  2. Ionosphere-earth current density, Jz, charging clouds Global cloud cover response to Jz at HCS crossings Atmospheric transparency response to Jz at HCS crossings Atmospheric vorticity response to Jz at HCS crossings Implications of these and other observations Electro-repulsion may reduce CCN scavenging loss rate Electroscavenging of IFN may increase contact ice nucleation rate Ion-mediated nucleation may produce CCN, assisted by space charge dependent on Jz Conclusions Outline

  3. Production of space charge at cloud boundaries by downward ionosphere/earth current density Jz Flow of Jz through conductivity gradients produces space charge (difference between concentrations of positive and negative ions). Charge attaches to aerosols and droplets: affects microphysical interactions.

  4. Observed Droplet Charges s

  5. Cloud Cover Responses to Jz Decreases at HCS Crossings 1991-1994 From Kniveton and Tinsley, in press, J. Geophys Res., 2004

  6. Latitude Variation of Jz (and Ez near surface) Percentage change in Jz (shaded) for Forbush decrease of 35% at high latitudes and 12% at low latitudes, for longitude 72.5 °E. Generators are assumed constant current. From Sapkota and Vareshneya, (1990).

  7. Cloud Cover responses to Jz decreases at HCS Crossings 1991-1994 Shading is dignificant at 95% level. From Kniveton and Tinsley, in press, J. Geophys. Res., 2004

  8. Extinction by Aerosols at HCS Crossings Upper panel: Years of low stratospheric aerosol loading. Lower panel: El Chicon years of high stratospheric aerosol loading. From Roldugin and Tinsley, J. Atmos. Solar Terr. Phys. in press.

  9. VAI response to Solar Wind, Relativistic Electron Fux (and Jz) Decreases

  10. Implications of Observations • The responses to Jz changes at HCS crossings take place in the absence of significant cosmic ray (CR) flux changes. • Similar responses of cloud cover, atmospheric transparency, and vorticity are found with CR changes, on day-to-day and decadal time scales. • It may be that the Jz changes produced by the CR are more important for cloud microphysics than the ion concentration changes produced by the CR

  11. EFFECT OF ELECTROSCAVENGING ON TRAJECTORIES(Short range image force)

  12. Long-range Electro-repulsion Reduces Losses of CCN from Phoretic and Brownian Scavenging Variation of collision efficiency for droplets of radius 3m, 5m, and 12m, with charge on CCN of 1e-10e. Curves for 0e are for phoretic scavenging with 98% RH. Upper three curves are for like charges on CCN and droplet. Lower three curves are for unlike charges.

  13. Effectiveness of Long-range Electro-repulsion in Reducing Scavenging of CCN by Phoretic Forces and Brownian Diffusion CCN from gas phase conversion are mostly between about .03m and .10m in radius, with the distribution falling rapidly with increasing radius. The higher mobility of the smaller CCN for a given electrical force ensures that the long-range electrical repulsion prevents the CCN from being carried by the flow or phoretic forces or Brownian diffusion close enough to the droplet to be captured. The scavenging rate is reduced below the Brownian and phoretic rates. Thus increasing electric charge increases the smaller CCN concentrations. (Tinsley et al., Atmospheric Research 59-60, 115-135, 2001).

  14. Electroscavenging for Contact Ice Nucleation Variation of collision efficiency for droplets of radius 10m, 15m, and 20m, with charge on IFN of 1e – 20e. Curves for 0e are for phoretic scavenging with 98% RH. Upper three curves are for like charges on IFN and droplet. Lower three curves are for unlike charges.

  15. Charges on Aerosol Particles The theory of charging of monodispersive aerosols in the presence of space charge , where  = (n+ - n- + S+ - S- )e, yields values for equilibrium charges on aerosol particles that increase with . More accurately, charging depends on x, where x = (n++)/(n--). Here n+ and n-are the positive and negative air ion concentrations, and + and -are their respective mobilities. S+ and S- are the summed concentrations of charged aerosol particles and droplets. For a plausible x = 0.3 at cloud base we have: ~70% of CCN of radius 0.05mhave mean charge –1e ~80% of CCN of radius 0.1 mhave mean charge -2e ~80% of CCN of radius 0.2 mhave mean charge –4e Time dependent effects of flow of charge into cloud with Jz can drive x further from unity, and increase the mean aerosol charges. Also evaporation of charged droplets gives very high charges for aerosols.

  16. One possibility for growth of ultrafine aerosol to CCN size (mass increase ~1000) is in the layers of space charge and volatiles near evaporating clouds. Tinsley and Yu, Geophysical Monograph 141, 2004

  17. Ion-Mediated Nucleation of Ultrafine Aersol Nucleation in 3 hours for a 20% increase in ionizing flux. From Yu, JGR, 2002, overlaid by Kazil & Lovejoy, Dec. 2003 AGU

  18. Conclusions Layer clouds accumulate enough charge at cloud tops and cloud bases to affect microphysics. Electroscavenging increases collection efficiencies of IFN (larger aerosol particles collected by larger droplets) through the short range image attractive force. For cloud top temperatures just below freezing and broad droplet size distributions, electroscavenging causing contact ice nucleation appears to be competitive with deposition nucleation. Long range electro-repulsion reduces the losses of CCN (smaller particles) from phoretic or Brownian scavenging. This is with like charges on CCN and droplet and for clouds with narrow droplet size distributions and smaller droplets. Parameterisation of these effects is needed for use in macroscopic cloud models

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