Cloud Detrainment

Cloud detrainment describes the export of condensate and moist air from convective plumes into the surrounding atmosphere.

This process affects mid-level humidity, cloud-top structure, and the redistribution of heat and moisture away from convective cores.

In parameterized models, detrainment assumptions influence cloud fraction, precipitation efficiency, and radiation responses.

See also: Cumulus convection schemes, convective rain, Convective cloud fraction