National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Publication Abstracts

Ackerman et al. 1993

Ackerman, A.S., O.B. Toon, and P.V. Hobbs, 1993: Dissipation of marine stratiform clouds and collapse of the marine boundary layer due to the depletion of cloud condensation nuclei by clouds. Science, 262, 226-229, doi:10.1126/science.262.5131.226.

When the production of cloud condensation nuclei in the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer is low enough, droplet collisions can reduce concentrations of cloud droplet numbers to extremely low values. At low droplet concentrations a cloud layer can become so optically thin that cloud-top radiative cooling cannot drive vertical mixing. Under these conditions, model simulations indicate that the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer collapses to a shallow fog layer. Through this mechanism, marine stratiform clouds may limit their own lifetimes.

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Export citation: [ BibTeX ] [ RIS ]

@article{ac08000d,
  author={Ackerman, A. S. and Toon, O. B. and Hobbs, P. V.},
  title={Dissipation of marine stratiform clouds and collapse of the marine boundary layer due to the depletion of cloud condensation nuclei by clouds},
  year={1993},
  journal={Science},
  volume={262},
  pages={226--229},
  doi={10.1126/science.262.5131.226},
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ac08000d
AU  - Ackerman, A. S.
AU  - Toon, O. B.
AU  - Hobbs, P. V.
PY  - 1993
TI  - Dissipation of marine stratiform clouds and collapse of the marine boundary layer due to the depletion of cloud condensation nuclei by clouds
JA  - Science
JO  - Science
VL  - 262
SP  - 226
EP  - 229
DO  - 10.1126/science.262.5131.226
ER  -

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