Process / pipelineCloud microphysics theory
Köhler Theory
Köhler theory is a foundational framework in cloud microphysics that predicts the equilibrium supersaturation required for an aerosol particle of given size and composition to grow into a cloud droplet. Published in 1936 by Hilding Köhler, it combines the Kelvin effect (vapor pressure enhancement over curved surfaces) with the Raoult effect (vapor pressure depression from dissolved solute) to explain cloud droplet formation.
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Sources
- Köhler, H. (1936). The nucleus in and the growth of hygroscopic droplets. Transactions of the Faraday Society, 32, 1152-1161. DOI: 10.1039/TF9363201152 ↗
- Pruppacher, H. R., & Klett, J. D. (1997). Microphysics of Clouds and Precipitation (2nd ed.). Kluwer Academic Publishers. link ↗