Research Topic: Tropical tropopause layer (TTL) cirrus

I study the life cycle of TTL cirrus using a numerical model. Absorption of radiation by ice crystals, ice nucleation, diffusional growth and sedimentation, and the dynamics induced by the radiative heating in TTL cirrus are solved explicitly in the model. The interaction between these processes explains the persistence of TTL cirrus over a period of several days and the potential of these clouds to dehydrate the surrounding environment.

Publications

• Dinh, T. and D. R. Durran, 2011, A hybrid bin scheme to solve the condensation/evaporation equation using a cubic distribution function. Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 11, 21631-21654, doi:10.5194/acpd-11-21631-2011.
• Dinh, T., D. R. Durran, and T. Ackerman, 2010, Maintenance of tropical tropopause layer cirrus. J. Geophys. Res., 115, D02104, doi:10.1029/2009JD012735.
• Durran, D. R., T. Dinh, M. Ammerman, and T. Ackerman, 2009, The mesoscale dynamics of thin tropical tropopause cirrus. J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 2859-2873.

Movies for ATMS 591 Project