Scavenging of aerosol particles by rain in a cloud resolving model

S. Berthet (1) , M. Leriche (1) , Jean-Pierre Pinty (1) , J. Cuesta (2) , G. Pigeon (3)

1 LAERO - Laboratoire d'aérologie
2 LMD - Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539)
3 CNRM - Centre national de recherches météorologiques

We describe a below-cloud scavenging module of aerosol particles by raindrops for use in a three-dimensional mesoscale cloud resolving model. The rate of particle removal is computed by integrating the scavenging efficiency over the aerosol particle and the drop size distributions. Here the numerical integration is performed accurately with a Gauss quadrature algorithm. The efficiency of the scavenging module is partially confirmed with experimental data. More interestingly, it is illustrated by two numerical experiments: the simulation of a forced convective circulation in a tropical cloudy boundary layer and a two-dimensional simulation of an African squall line. The results show a very selective wet removal of the aerosol particles which clearly depends on the mode radius, the width and the vertical profile of concentration. Furthermore, the squall line case shows the importance of resolving internal circulations to redistribute layers of aerosol particles in order to improve estimates of particle removal by below-cloud scavenging.

Mots clés: Below cloud scavenging; Collision efficiency; Gauss quadratures; Aerosol transport simulations

Domaines: Physique Atmosphérique et Océanique [physics.ao-ph]

S. Berthet, M. Leriche, Jean-Pierre Pinty, J. Cuesta, G. Pigeon. Scavenging of aerosol particles by rain in a cloud resolving model. Atmospheric Research, 2010, 96 (2-3), pp.325-336. ⟨10.1016/j.atmosres.2009.09.015⟩. ⟨hal-00519461⟩