近日，美国太平洋西北国家实验室Aaron Wang团队报道了在对流云室中产生层积云云顶。该项研究成果发表在2026年3月12日出版的《美国科学院院刊》杂志上。
层积云覆盖的边界层在调节日常天气和地球能量平衡中起着至关重要的作用。层积云云顶的夹卷过程直接影响云的持续时间、降水特征及辐射特性，但由于现场观测和数值模拟分辨率的不足，学界对此机制的理解仍十分有限。最近提出的对流云室通过精细控制侧壁温度的设计，为实验室条件下探索这一机制提供了独特契机。
研究组通过数值模拟证明，该装置能产生模拟层积云夹卷界面的云顶结构。结果表明：通过冷却侧壁下部并加热底部表面可形成稳态云层，而保持上部侧壁和顶面温度高于底部则能构建云顶逆温层。云室内的湍流动能剖面及其收支特征与对流边界层高度吻合，并可观测到云顶附近的非均匀混合现象。这些发现显著提升了建设高耸对流云室的科学价值。
附：英文原文
Title: Generating a stratocumulus-like cloud top in a convection-cloud chamber
Author: Wang, Aaron, Yang, Fan, Ovchinnikov, Mikhail, K. Krueger, Steven, Shaw, Raymond A.
Issue&Volume: 2026-3-12
Abstract: Stratocumulus-topped boundary layers play a crucial role in influencing daily weather and earth energy balance. Entrainment at the stratocumulus cloud top affects the cloud’s lifetime, precipitation, and radiative properties, but our understanding remains limited due to the lack of resolution in both field observations and numerical simulations. A recently proposed convection-cloud chamber with detailed control of sidewall temperatures can provide a unique opportunity to explore this mechanism in a laboratory setting. In this work, we use numerical simulations to demonstrate that this design can produce a cloud top that mimics the entrainment interfacial layer in a stratocumulus cloud. Our results show that a steady-state cloud can be formed by cooling the lower portions of the sidewalls and warming the bottom surface, while a temperature inversion at the cloud top can be generated by keeping the upper sidewalls and top surface warmer than the bottom. The turbulent kinetic energy profile and budget are similar to those found in a convective boundary layer, and inhomogeneous mixing near the cloud top can be observed. These findings significantly enhance the scientific value of constructing the tall convection-cloud chamber.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2519791123
Source: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2519791123