Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2245
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2245
22 Aug 2024
 | 22 Aug 2024

Co-variability drives the inverted-V sensitivity between liquid water path and droplet concentrations

Tom Goren, Goutam Chourdhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy

Abstract. Many studies using climatological data of liquid water path (LWP) and droplet concentration (Nd) find an inverted-V relationship, where LWP increases and then decreases with Nd. Our findings suggest that while these LWP responses to changes in Nd align with proposed causal mechanisms, such as entrainment evaporation feedback and precipitation suppression, the inverted-V is primarily driven by the co-variability between LWP and Nd. This co-variability arises from meteorological conditions and microphysical processes, each independently affecting LWP and Nd in opposite directions. We further demonstrate that the inverted-V relationship reflects the climatological evolution of Stratocumulus clouds (Sc). Therefore, background anthropogenic changes in Nd should, in principle, be manifested in changes across the entire Sc climatology along its evolution. Instantaneous LWP response to Nd derived from ship tracks, or other similar natural experiments, may therefore not accurately represent the climatological LWP response. This is because the local perturbations in Nd may not align with the plausible natural co-variability between LWP and Nd, which varies depending on the cloud state along the Sc evolution.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

21 Mar 2025
Co-variability drives the inverted-V sensitivity between liquid water path and droplet concentrations
Tom Goren, Goutam Choudhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3413–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tom Goren, Goutam Chourdhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Anonymous Referee #1, 31 Aug 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Sep 2024
  • AC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Tom Goren, 14 Nov 2024

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Anonymous Referee #1, 31 Aug 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Sep 2024
  • AC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2245', Tom Goren, 14 Nov 2024

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Tom Goren on behalf of the Authors (14 Nov 2024)  Author's response   Manuscript 
EF by Anna Glados (15 Nov 2024)  Author's tracked changes 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (27 Nov 2024) by Matthew Christensen
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (01 Dec 2024)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (16 Jan 2025) by Matthew Christensen
AR by Tom Goren on behalf of the Authors (21 Jan 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (22 Jan 2025) by Matthew Christensen
AR by Tom Goren on behalf of the Authors (22 Jan 2025)

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

21 Mar 2025
Co-variability drives the inverted-V sensitivity between liquid water path and droplet concentrations
Tom Goren, Goutam Choudhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3413–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025, 2025
Short summary
Tom Goren, Goutam Chourdhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy
Tom Goren, Goutam Chourdhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy

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Short summary
Many studies have identified an inverted-V relationship between liquid water path (LWP) and droplet concentration (Nd), where LWP increases and then decreases with Nd. Using satellite observations and meteorological data, we demonstrate that the inverted-V primarily reflects co-variability between LWP and Nd. We suggest taking a holistic approach that considers this co-variability when assessing the climatological sensitivity of LWP to anthropogenic aerosols.
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