A study of the source of entrained air in Montana cumuli

Abstract

The measurements were made in clouds ranging from small cumuli a few kilometers deep to a large supercell system. Previous results have indicated that the source of entrained air in continental cumuli is generally above the flight level, often near cloud top. The results reported here, however, suggest that the source of entrained air is close to, or slightly above, the observation level of the aircraft, even when the aircraft descends through different levels in the cloud. The results are consistent with the idea that the most buoyant mixed parcels may continue with the general ascent. -from Authors