Role of Aerosol in Precipitation: Key Issue in Climate Research and Predication

Abstract

Aerosols are the crucial element that influence water cycle and radiation budget. They are responsible for cloud formation to take place and they also absorbs solar radiation coming towards earth surface and by these processes aerosols also effect climate on earth. As the aerosols are responsible for cloud formation, research is being performed how these aerosol results can be extended towards precipitation and to generate an aerosol cloud precipitation relationship. However, the problem faced is lack of understanding of the different mechanism responsible for precipitation. Research work is being performed by atmospheric and climatic communities in order to understand mechanism and to remove uncertainties related to the prediction of climate. In this article, past efforts are reviewed and current understanding on the effect of aerosols on precipitation are summarized. Aerosols effect on precipitation can be analyzed by (a) theoretical approaches that helps in understanding cloud micro physics, (b) observation data and (c) numerical models simulations. There are few differences between results obtained by ground based observational data (the data obtained through satellites) and numerical data (obtained through cloud models) that are also discussed.

The article discusses the following topics: theories explaining the effect of aerosol over cloud micro physics and precipitation, evidence of aerosols effecting the precipitation obtained from observations, aerosols effecting cloud formation and cloud dynamics through large scale analysis, cloud resolving models and simulations, results from numerical models over global scale. Lastly future research areas for understanding aerosol cloud precipitation relationship has also suggested.