Impact of high- and low-vorticity turbulence on cloud–environment mixing and cloud microphysics processes

Abstract. Turbulent mixing of dry air affects the evolution cloud droplet size spectrum via various mechanisms. In a turbulent cloud, high- and low-vorticity regions coexist, inertial clustering droplets can occur in regions. The nonuniformity spatial distribution number droplets, variable vertical velocity vortical structures, dilution by entrainment/mixing may result supersaturation variability, which condensation evaporation processes. To untangle processes involved phenomena, 3D direct numerical simulation followed evaporation/condensation submeter-sized cubed domain consisting large was performed this study. analysis focused on thermodynamic microphysical characteristics flow impact vorticity generation flows microphysics is illustrated.