Description:
Knowledge concerning trade wind cumulus, one of the most dominant cloud types
on the planet, has become increasingly important when considering global issues such as climate change due to their potential influence on the Earth’s energy budget. In this project, using data from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) experiment, it was observed that the origin of the air mass in which these clouds form affects the type of particles found in the air, which subsequently has an effect on the drop concentration of those clouds. Higher particle concentrations follow from more polluted areas, and more particles often indicate an increased number of cloud droplets. Later analysis of data from RICO will examine the effects of the particle composition on these clouds.