Abstract

Some climate research challenges stem from a limited understanding of the critical factors that govern the life cycle of cumulus clouds. These factors influence the initiation and the various mixing processes that occur during cloud life cycles. To illuminate these processes, we concentrate on cloud-cloud interactions, particularly the behaviors of neighboring clouds during the development of convective cloud systems. Utilizing both realistic and idealized large-eddy simulations (LES), we address the scientific question of how the growth and decay patterns of cumulus clouds are affected by the presence of other nearby clouds. Through realistic LES simulations over land, we discovered that clouds tend to grow while their neighboring clouds grow more slowly or dissipate, as indicated by statistical analysis. This suggests a potential competitive relationship when clouds are in close proximity. We also examine these relationships within the trade wind clouds over tropical ocean. In the context of idealized LES simulations, we examine the factors that influence the competitive strength between two neighboring clouds, including aerosols, the distance between the clouds, and the strength of surface forcings. Gaining an understanding of these processes provides insights into how cloud-cloud interactions modulate the evolution of cloud populations and how this evolution might be incorporated into future cumulus parameterizations.