Data supporting “High-resolution lidar observations of sedimentation-induced size sorting of droplets near a laboratory cloud top”

Authors

Fan Yang, Brookhaven National LaboratoryFollow
Yong Meng Sua, Stevens Institute of TechnologyFollow
Zipei Zheng, Stevens Institute of TechnologyFollow
Jesse Anderson, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Hamed F. Sadi, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Jae Min Yeom, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Suryadey P. Singh, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Pei Hou, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Will Cantrell, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Ernie R. Lewis, Brookhaven National LaboratoryFollow
Alexander Kostinski, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Raymond Shaw, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Document Type

Data

Publication Date

11-10-2025

Abstract

Cloud optical properties and precipitation, which are crucial to weather and climate, are strongly influenced by cloud microphysical properties that are still poorly understood. Here, we develop a high-resolution time-correlated single-photon-counting lidar and apply it to observe cloud microphysical properties at one-centimeter range resolution in a convection chamber under well-controlled conditions. Together with concurrent in-situ measurements and theoretical analysis, our lidar observations indicate that although turbulent mixing tends to homogenize the cloud in the bulk region, entrainment and sedimentation cause inhomogeneities in droplet concentrations near the cloud top. Specifically, the topmost region is directly affected by entrainment, and lidar profiles show clear evidence of entrained air and detrained cloud filament. The transition region below exhibits vertical size sorting of cloud droplets caused by sedimentation. Our results suggest that using a single sedimentation velocity for all cloud droplets, as is done in many atmospheric models, overlooks key physics relevant to the microphysical structure near the cloud top. Our conceptual model used to describe these measurements can serve as a step towards improving the current modeling of processes in the cloud top region.

Comments

Department of Energy Office of Science grant number DE-SC0012704 National Science Foundation grant number AGS-2133229 and AGS-2217182 Simons Foundation grant number PD-Grant-01249402

Recommended Citation

Yang, F., Sua, Y., Zheng, Z., Anderson, J., Sadi, H. F., Yeom, J., Singh, S. P., Hou, P., Cantrell, W., Lewis, E. R., Kostinski, A., & Shaw, R. (2025). Data supporting “High-resolution lidar observations of sedimentation-induced size sorting of droplets near a laboratory cloud top”.
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/all-datasets/63