Aerosol effect on the land-ocean contrast in thunderstorm electrification and lightning frequency

Abstract

Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the effect of aerosol on microphysical, electrification and lightning frequency in thunderstorm clouds. A two-dimensional (2-D) cumulus model with electrification and lightning process is used to investigate the difference of electrification and lightning process between continental and maritime thunderclouds. The results show that in the developing stage higher concentration aerosol in continental thundercloud leads to more cloud droplets and stronger updraft in continental thundercloud than in maritime thundercloud. The continental thundercloud with more ice particles production and larger size of graupel has stronger charge separation rate than that in maritime thundercloud. However, in the dissipation stage, the enhancement of cloud water content consumption lead to a lower cloud water content in continental thundercloud, leading weaker charge separation rate than that in maritime thundercloud. In addition, ice mass flux enhancement in continental thundercloud results in stronger lightning production. The continental thundercloud produces lightning frequency 1.5 times higher than maritime thundercloud.