| Small-scale mixing between cloudy air and unsaturated clear air is investigated in numerical simulations and in laboratory cloud chamber. Despite substantial differences in physical conditions and some differences in resolved scales of motion, results of both studies indicate that small-scale turbulence generated through cloud-clear air interfacial mixing is highly anisotropic. The reason is small-scale production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) by buoyancy forces. Evaporative cooling of cloud droplets at the cloud-clear air interface is the main cause of buoyancy fluctuations. The second one is microscale transport of liquid water due to the gravitational sedimentation of cloud droplets, resulting in uneven liquid water load. |
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