The vertical velocity and air mass flux in convective clouds are statistically analyzed using aircraft in-situ data collected from three field campaigns: High-Plains Cumulus (HiCu) conducted over the mid-latitude High Plains, COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) conducted in a mid-latitude coastal area, and Ice in Clouds Experiment-Tropical (ICE-T), conducted over a tropical ocean. This study yields the following results. (1) Small-scale updrafts and downdrafts (< 500 m in diameter) are frequently observed in the three field campaigns, and they make important contributions to the total air mass flux. (2) The probability density functions (PDFs) of the vertical velocity are exponentially distributed. For updrafts, the PDFs of the vertical velocity are broader in ICE-T and COPE than in HiCu; for downdrafts, the PDFs of the vertical velocity are broader in HiCu and COPE than in ICE-T. (3) Vertical velocity profiles show that updrafts are stronger in ICE-T and COPE than in HiCu, and downdrafts are stronger in HiCu and COPE than in ICE-T. (4) The PDFs of the air mass flux are exponentially distributed as well. The maximum air mass flux in updrafts is of the order 104 kg m−1 s−1. The air mass flux in the downdrafts is typically a few times smaller in magnitude than that in the updrafts.
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Yang et al. (2016) studied this question.