title: Kinetic potential and barrier crossing: a model for warm cloud drizzle formation.
abstract: The kinetic potential of nucleation theory is used to describe droplet growth processes in a cloud. Drizzle formation is identified as a statistical barrier-crossing phenomenon that transforms cloud droplets to drizzle size with a rate dependent on turbulent diffusion, droplet collection, and size distribution. Steady-state and transient drizzle rates are calculated for typical cloud conditions. We find drizzle more likely under transient conditions. The model quantifies an important indirect effect of aerosols on climate-drizzle suppression in clouds of higher droplet concentration.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Sciences Department, Atmospheric Sciences Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McGraw
authors.forename: Yangang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu