CloudMicrophysics.jl
March 18, 2026 · View on GitHub
CloudMicrophysics.jl provides a library of cloud microphysics and aerosol parameterizations for the CliMA Earth System Model. It implements bulk microphysics schemes for cloud formation, precipitation, and aerosol processes, designed for high-performance climate simulations.
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Quick Start
Installation
using Pkg
Pkg.add("CloudMicrophysics")
Pkg.add("ClimaParams")
Basic Usage
import CloudMicrophysics as CM
import CloudMicrophysics.Microphysics1M as CM1
import CloudMicrophysics.Parameters as CMP
# Create microphysics parameters
rain = CMP.Rain(Float64)
vel = CMP.Blk1MVelType(Float64).rain
# Compute rain terminal velocity
ρ = 1.2 # air density [kg/m³]
q_rai = 1e-3 # rain specific content [kg/kg]
v_term = CM1.terminal_velocity(rain, vel, ρ, q_rai)
Running tests locally
# Load additional packages needed for tests
julia --project=test
# Enter Package Manager and develop locally
julia>]
pkg> dev .
pkg> instantiate
# Run the tests
julia> include("test/runtests.jl")
Key Features
🌧️ Bulk Microphysics Schemes
- 0-moment scheme: Simple precipitation removal
- 1-moment scheme: Marshall-Palmer distributions for rain and snow
- 2-moment scheme: Seifert & Beheng (2006) with mass and number concentration
- P3 scheme: Predicted particle properties for ice
🧊 Ice Nucleation
- Heterogeneous nucleation: Deposition, immersion freezing (ABIFM)
- Homogeneous nucleation: Koop et al. (2000) parameterization
- INP distributions: Frostenberg et al. (2023)
💨 Aerosol Processes
- Aerosol activation: Abdul-Razzak & Ghan (2000) parameterization
- Aerosol nucleation: H₂SO₄ and organic nucleation pathways
- Aerosol model: Modal distributions with κ-Köhler theory
⚡ High Performance
- Type-stable and GPU-compatible (CUDA.jl, AMDGPU.jl)
- AD-compatible (ForwardDiff.jl) for differentiable physics
- Optimized for minimal allocations
Documentation
- Getting Started - Installation and first steps
- API Reference - Detailed function documentation
- Microphysics Schemes - Scheme descriptions
Integration with Climate Models
CloudMicrophysics.jl is used throughout the CliMA ecosystem:
- ClimaAtmos - Atmospheric model
- KinematicDriver - 1D/2D kinematic framework
- Thermodynamics - Moist thermodynamics
Getting Help
For questions, check the documentation or open an issue on GitHub.