Abstract
Understanding the nature of mixing between cloudy air and its
surroundings is an important and yet, open question. In this research,
we use high-resolution (10m) bin-microphysics LES of a cumulus cloud,
together with a Lagrangian passive tracer tracking method, to study
mixing. We analyze the passive tracers as a function of their
trajectories and the thermodynamic conditions they undergo inside and
outside the cloud. Three main mixing regimes (core, periphery, and skin)
are identified, each determining a subset of tracers with similar
trajectories. These mixing regimes can be observed throughout the
cloud’s lifetime. At the dissipation stage, a fourth regime is
identified: cloud-top entrainment followed by downdrafts.