Holographic measurements of inhomogeneous cloud mixing at the centimeter scale

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aab0751
• Publication Date: 2015-10-01T18:14:33Z
• Authors: Madeline A. Beals; Jacob P. Fugal; Raymond A. Shaw; Jiang Lu; Scott M. Spuler; Jeffrey L. Stith
• Keywords: Centimeter

Optical properties and precipitation efficiency of atmospheric clouds are largely determined by turbulent mixing with their environment. When cloud liquid water is reduced upon mixing, droplets may evaporate uniformly across the population or, in other extreme, a subset completely, leaving remaining drops unaffected. Here, we use airborne holographic imaging to visualize spatial structure droplet size distribution at smallest scales, thereby observing response entrainment clear air. The measurements reveal that inhomogeneous, sharp transitions between air persisting dissipative scales (<1 centimeter). local fluctuates strongly number density but nearly unchanging mean diameter.