Project
Turbulent cloud microphysics
Clouds are almost always present in our everyday life. Still, there are many unknowns regarding clouds and how the cloud droplets or ice crystals react to environmental conditions.
This project looks inside the clouds at how turbulence, the irregular fluctuations in the moving air, affects cloud microphysical properties like the size and number of cloud droplets. With a better understanding of the interactions between turbulence and cloud microphysics, we will be able to improve the simulation of clouds in weather and climate models.
Turbulent motions can affect cloud microphysics in several ways: For instance, small scale turbulent motions may significantly enhance chances of droplets to collide and thus grow. On the other hand, turbulent motions on larger scales can provide different environmental conditions for cloud particles to grow, thus allowing a larger size range of droplets to develop. We strive to better understand these interplays to better predict how clouds develop and when they might start to rain.
This project will make direct measurements using the unique turbulent wind tunnel LACIS-T, which allows to study the behaviour of cloud droplets in a defined turbulent environment. The observations will be combined with computational fluid dynamics simulations, using the OpenFOAM package. These large eddy simulations help to setup the experiments and and also guide the interpretation of the observations. Besides the measurements, one part of the project will further develop the model microphysics.