Keynote Talk: Tropical cloud properties as a function of regime

Data collected at Darwin are used to discuss the macro and microphysical properties of deep convective clouds as a function of different meteorological regimes. Cloud properties are estimated from vertically pointing MMCR and MPL data as well as scanning polarimetric radar data. Measured microphysical properties include estimates of cirrus and anvil ice concentrations and effective diameter while the polarimetric radar provides rain drop size distribution estimates (paramaterised here by Nw and D0 from an assumed Normalized Gamma distribution). Data are sorted by the large scale regime (e.g. monsoon versus suppressed conditions), as well as background thermodynamic regime and a boundary layer aerosol content. Clear variations in cloud depth and vertical velocities measured by dual Doppler analysis are seen in monsoon and break regimes and these measurably affect the cloud microphysical properties.