Yael Arieli is a PhD student in the group of Prof. Ilan Koren in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She received her BSc in Physics and Geophysics from Tel Aviv University and continued to an MSc and direct PhD track at the Weizmann Institute.
Yael’s research focuses on cloud physics, with a particular interest in mixing and microphysical processes in shallow cumulus clouds. In her work, she improves and uses cloud-resolving numerical models to study how clouds interact with their environment and how aerosol-cloud interactions influence cloud development and precipitation. Her recent research has shown that Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) recycling can significantly affect cloud precipitation, as well as the vertical and size distributions of aerosols in the atmosphere. Since shallow cumulus clouds remain a major source of uncertainty in weather and climate predictions, Yael’s work aims to improve the understanding and representation of these clouds in atmospheric models.