3.) Results
Fig. 2: One 2x2 plot of the shallow cumulus clouds (time vs. w = @ 1 bin below cloud base and @ cloud center, just left and right) showing completely different situations: a) cloud with very narrow subsiding shell (accelerating), b) cloud with rather broader subsiding shell (decelerating), c) cloud with no updrafts below base (dissolving), d) ??? This plots shows that the methodology principally works. However, it is important to calculate here the distance to cloud front or back rim in meters.
Fig. 3: 2x3 plot showing w as funtion of distance to front and back rim of the cloud and as a function of height related to cloud base. Maybe the double plots shown in the project presentation can be combined to one, so that the velocity below cloud base is also shown? Then we would reduce this figure to a multi-plot of 3 figures above eachother a) (top) all clouds, b(middle) accelerating and decelerating clouds, c(bottom) dissolving clouds. Question from my side: why is actually the "all clouds" plolt showing the subsiding shell so much nicer?
Fig. 4: Show sub-sets of data analysis; still have to produce the analyses here.. We were thinking of classifying the subsiding shell as a function of a) adiabaticity - is the subsiding shell stronger and more narrow when the cloud is still more adiabatic in the beginning of it's lifetime (i.e. LWP from MWR is close to LWPad)? LWPad can be calculated by assuming cloud base temperature and cloud depth - this would be the maximum LWP you can expect. b) cloud depth - is cloud vertical extent related to the strength of the subsiding shell?
Additional questions to discuss & answer
- Can we find an objective way to described the width of the subsiding shell in a quantitative way? Such a metric would allow model comparisons in a more easy way.
- IWV (integrated vapor fluctuations associated to subsiding shell (MWR highly enough resolved?)
- Do LES show similar signatures (LASSO - link via Andy Vogelmann)? Specifically concerning the assymetries between front and back rim?
4.) Summary and Outlook