scholarly journals Momentum Flux Spectrum of Convective Gravity Waves. Part I: An Update of a Parameterization Using Mesoscale Simulations

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Joo Choi ◽  
Hye-Yeong Chun

Abstract The convective source and momentum flux spectra of a parameterization of convective gravity wave drag (GWDC) are validated in a three-dimensional spectral space using mesoscale numerical simulations for various ideal and real convective storms. From this, two important free parameters included in the GWDC parameterization—the moving speed of the convective source and the wave propagation direction—are determined. In the numerical simulations, the convective source spectrum shows nearly isotropic features in terms of magnitude, and its primary peak in any azimuthal direction occurs at a phase speed that equals the moving speed of the convective source in the same direction. It is found that the moving speed of the convective source is closely correlated with the basic-state wind averaged below 700 hPa (u700 and υ700). When the analytic convective source spectrum of the parameterization is calculated using the moving speed of the convective source as determined by u700 and υ700, its shape in all storm cases agrees with that from the simulation. The momentum flux spectrum at launch level (cloud top) is also calculated using the basic-state conditions and the moving speed of the convective source as determined by u700 and υ700. A comparison between the parameterization and simulation results shows that the parameterization reproduces the momentum flux spectrum from the simulation reasonably well. In the parameterization, two wave propagation directions of 45° (northeast and southwest) and 135° (northwest and southeast) best represent the momentum flux spectra from the simulations integrated over all directions when the minimum number of wave propagation directions is required for computational efficiency.

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 557-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Yeong Chun ◽  
Hyun-Joo Choi ◽  
In-Sun Song

Abstract In the present study, the authors propose a way to include a nonlinear forcing effect on the momentum flux spectrum of convectively forced internal gravity waves using a nondimensional numerical model (NDM) in a two-dimensional framework. In NDM, the nonlinear forcing is represented by nonlinear advection terms multiplied by the nonlinearity factor (NF) of the thermally induced internal gravity waves for a given specified diabatic forcing. It was found that the magnitudes of the waves and resultant momentum flux above the specified forcing decrease with increasing NF due to cancellation between the two forcing mechanisms. Using the momentum flux spectrum obtained by the NDM simulations with various NFs, a scale factor for the momentum flux, normalized by the momentum flux induced by diabatic forcing alone, is formulated as a function of NF. Inclusion of the nonlinear forcing effect into current convective gravity wave drag (GWD) parameterizations, which consider diabatic forcing alone by multiplying the cloud-top momentum flux spectrum by the scale factor, is proposed. An updated convective GWD parameterization using the scale factor is implemented into the NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). The 10-yr simulation results, compared with those by the original convective GWD parameterization considering diabatic forcing alone, showed that the magnitude of the zonal-mean cloud-top momentum flux is reduced for wide range of phase speed spectrum by about 10%, except in the middle latitude storm-track regions where the cloud-top momentum flux is amplified. The zonal drag forcing is determined largely by the wave propagation condition under the reduced magnitude of the cloud-top momentum flux, and its magnitude decreases in many regions, but there are several areas of increasing drag forcing, especially in the tropical upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
In-Sun Song ◽  
Hye-Yeong Chun

Abstract The phase-speed spectrum of momentum flux by convectively forced internal gravity waves is analytically formulated in two- and three-dimensional frameworks. For this, a three-layer atmosphere that has a constant vertical wind shear in the lowest layer, a uniform wind above, and piecewise constant buoyancy frequency in a forcing region and above is considered. The wave momentum flux at cloud top is determined by the spectral combination of a wave-filtering and resonance factor and diabatic forcing. The wave-filtering and resonance factor that is determined by the basic-state wind and stability and the vertical configuration of forcing restricts the effectiveness of the forcing, and thus only a part of the forcing spectrum can be used for generating gravity waves that propagate above cumulus clouds. The spectral distribution of the wave momentum flux is largely determined by the wave-filtering and resonance factor, but the magnitude of the momentum flux varies significantly according to spatial and time scales and moving speed of the forcing. The wave momentum flux formulation in the two-dimensional framework is extended to the three-dimensional framework. The three-dimensional momentum flux formulation is similar to the two-dimensional one except that the wave propagation in various horizontal directions and the three-dimensionality of forcing are allowed. The wave momentum flux spectrum formulated in this study is validated using mesoscale numerical model results and can reproduce the overall spectral structure and magnitude of the wave momentum flux spectra induced by numerically simulated mesoscale convective systems reasonably well.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1637-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. I. Lehmann ◽  
Y.-H. Kim ◽  
P. Preusse ◽  
H.-Y. Chun ◽  
M. Ern ◽  
...  

Abstract. Convective gravity wave (GW) sources are spatially localized and emit at the same time waves with a wide spectrum of phase speeds. Any wave analysis therefore compromises between spectral and spatial resolution. Future satellite borne limb imagers will for a first time provide real 3-D volumes of observations. These volumes will be however limited which will impose further constraints on the analysis technique. In this study a three dimensional few-wave approach fitting sinusoidal waves to limited 3-D volumes is introduced. The method is applied to simulated GWs above typhoon Ewiniar and GW momentum flux is estimated from temperature fluctuations. Phase speed spectra as well as average profiles of positive, negative and net momentum fluxes are compared to momentum flux estimated by Fourier transform as well as spatial averaging of wind fluctuations. The results agree within 10–20%. The few-wave method can also reveal the spatial orientation of the GWs with respect to the source. The relevance of the results for different types of measurements as well as its applicability to model data is discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1763-1793
Author(s):  
C. I. Lehmann ◽  
Y.-H. Kim ◽  
P. Preusse ◽  
H.-Y. Chun ◽  
M. Ern ◽  
...  

Abstract. Convective gravity wave (GW) sources are spatially localized and emit at the same time waves with a wide spectrum of phase speeds. Any wave analysis therefore compromises between spectral and spatial resolution. Future satellite borne limb imagers will for a first time provide real 3d volumes of observations. These volumes will be however limited which will impose further constraints on the analysis technique. In this study a three dimensional few-wave appoach fitting sinusoidal waves to limited 3-D volumes is introduced. The method is applied to simulated GWs above typhoon Ewiniar and GW momentum flux is estimated from temperature fluctuations. Phase speed spectra as well as average profiles of positive, negative and net momentum fluxes are compared to momentum flux estimated by Fourier transform as well as spatial averaging of wind fluctuations. The results agree within 10–20%. The few-wave method can also reveal the spatial orientation of the GWs with respect to the source. The relevance of the results for different types of measurements as well as its applicability to model data is discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 2260-2278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Eckermann ◽  
John Lindeman ◽  
Dave Broutman ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Zafer Boybeyi

Abstract Fully nonlinear mesoscale model simulations are used to investigate the momentum fluxes of gravity waves that emerge at a “far-field” height of 6 km from steady unsheared flow over both an axisymmetric and elliptical obstacle for nondimensional mountain heights ĥm = Fr−1 in the range 0.1–5, where Fr is the surface Froude number. Fourier- and Hilbert-transform diagnostics of model output yield local estimates of phase-averaged momentum flux, while area integrals of momentum flux quantify the amount of surface pressure drag that translates into far-field gravity waves, referred to here as the “wave drag” component. Estimates of surface and wave drag are compared to parameterization predictions and theory. Surface dynamics transition from linear to high-drag (wave breaking) states at critical inverse Froude numbers Frc−1 predicted to within 10% by transform relations. Wave drag peaks at Frc−1 < ĥm ≲ 2, where for the elliptical obstacle both surface and wave drag vacillate owing to cyclical buildup and breakdown of waves. For the axisymmetric obstacle, this occurs only at ĥm = 1.2. At ĥm ≳ 2–3 vacillation abates and normalized pressure drag assumes a common normalized form for both obstacles that varies approximately as ĥm−1.3. Wave drag in this range asymptotes to a constant absolute value that, despite its theoretical shortcomings, is predicted to within 10%–40% by an analytical relation based on linear clipped-obstacle drag for a Sheppard-based prediction of dividing streamline height. Constant wave drag at ĥm ∼ 2–5 arises despite large variations with ĥm in the three-dimensional morphology of the local wave momentum fluxes. Specific implications of these results for the parameterization of subgrid-scale orographic drag in global climate and weather models are discussed.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (10) ◽  
pp. 3723-3734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Joo Choi ◽  
Hye-Yeong Chun ◽  
In-Sun Song

Abstract Characteristics of convectively forced gravity waves are investigated through ensemble numerical simulations for various ideal and real convective storms. For ideal storm cases, single-cell-, multicell-, and supercell-type storms are considered, and for real cases, convection events observed during the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) and in Indonesia are used. For each storm case, wave perturbations and the momentum flux spectrum of convective gravity waves in a control simulation with nonlinearity and cloud microphysical processes are compared with those in quasi-linear dry simulations forced by either diabatic forcing or nonlinear forcing obtained from the control simulation. In any case, gravity waves in the control simulation cannot be represented well by wave perturbations induced by a single forcing. However, when both diabatic and nonlinear forcing terms are considered, the gravity waves and their momentum flux spectrum become comparable to those in the control simulation, because of cancellation between wave perturbations by two forcing terms. These results confirm that the two forcing mechanisms of convective gravity waves proposed by previous studies based on a single convective event can be applied generally to various types of convective storms. This suggests that nonlinear forcing, as well as diabatic forcing, should be considered appropriately in parameterizations of convectively forced gravity waves.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 2286-2308 ◽  
Author(s):  
In-Sun Song ◽  
Hye-Yeong Chun ◽  
Rolando R. Garcia ◽  
Byron A. Boville

Abstract Impacts of a spectral parameterization of gravity wave drag (GWD) induced by cumulus convection (GWDC) in the NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM1b) are investigated. In the spectral GWDC parameterization, reference wave momentum flux spectrum is launched at cloud top and analytically calculated based on the physical properties of convection and the large-scale flow. The cloud-top wave momentum flux is strong mainly in the Tropics and midlatitude storm-track regions, and exhibits anisotropy and spatiotemporal variability. The anisotropy and variability are determined by the distributions and variations of convective activities, the moving speed of convection, and horizontal wind and stability in convection regions. Zonal-mean zonal GWDC has a maximum of 13–27 (37–50) m s−1 day−1 in the mesosphere in January (July). Impacts of GWDC on zonal wind appear mainly in the low to midlatitudes of the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. In these regions, biases of zonal wind with respect to observation are reduced more than 50% through the GWDC process. In contrast to zonal wind, impacts of GWDC on temperature occur mainly in the mid- to high latitudes. Through the analysis of forcing terms in the zonal wind and temperature equations, it is found that impacts of GWDC result from interaction among wave forcing terms (resolved wave forcing, parameterized background GWD, and GWDC) and meridional circulations induced by the wave forcing terms. With regard to tropical variability, when GWDC is included, the model produces the stratospheric semiannual oscillation with more realistic amplitude and structure and stronger interannual variabilities in the lower stratosphere. These enhanced variabilities are caused by resolved wave forcing and meridional circulations.


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