Overview of the development of the Aerosol Loading Interface for Cloud microphysics In Simulation (ALICIS)

Abstract

This review summarizes the scientific background of and past/prospective update strategies for the development of the Aerosol Loading Interface for Cloud microphysics In Simulation (ALICIS). ALICIS provides a novel approach for coupling downscaled mesoscale cloud-resolving simulations to large-scale aerosol-transport simulations. Realistic aerosol loading, including spatio-temporal aerosol variations and particle-size spectra, is implemented in the cloud-resolving simulations. Prior studies employing ALICIS have demonstrated how the interface introduction significantly improves the reproducibility of the simulated microphysical cloud structure through better representation of aerosol effects on cloud.