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Distinct Mixing Regimes in Shallow Cumulus Clouds
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  • Yael Arieli,
  • Eshkol Eytan,
  • Orit Altaratz,
  • Alexander Khain,
  • Ilan Koren
Yael Arieli
Weizmann Institute of Science
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Eshkol Eytan
University of Colorado Boulder
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Orit Altaratz
Weizmann Inst.
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Alexander Khain
Hebrew University in Jerusalem
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Ilan Koren
Weizmann Institute of Science

Corresponding Author:ilan.koren@weizmann.ac.il

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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.