Relationships between cloud microphysics and environments of the aerosol 2nd indirect effect extracted from satellite observations and numerical models

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25610142
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Meteorology/Physical oceanography/Hydrology
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: KAWAMOTO Kazuaki 長崎大学, 水産・環境科学総合研究科(環境), 教授 (10353450)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TSUBOKI Kazuhisa 名古屋大学, 宇宙地球環境研究所, 教授 (90222140)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 雲物理 / 衛星リモートセンシング / エアロゾル間接効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Following results on cloud characteristics were obtained through data from active and passive satellite sensors together with numerical meteorological model outpus. To investigate the effect of water temperature change in the East China Sea on the cloud internal structure, clouds over the Kuroshio current (hereafter, On-Kuroshio) and around the Kuroshio current (hereafter, Off-Kuroshio) were compared. Then precipitating clouds were geometrically thicker for On-Kuroshio remarkably. Moreover, rain intensity inside clouds increased from the bottom to middle parts for On-Kuroshio. On the other hand, On-Kuroshio clouds had a heating rate of 2-4K/day in the bottom to middle parts. This values is somewhat low compared to sensible/latent heats, but it was suggested that the heating rate was an important factor to change the temperature.

Free Research Field

大気物理学