Corrected TOGA COARE Sounding Humidity Data: Impact on Diagnosed Properties of Convection and Climate over the Warm Pool

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2370-2384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Ciesielski ◽  
Richard H. Johnson ◽  
Patrick T. Haertel ◽  
Junhong Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Model ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
Corrected Data ◽  
The Difference

Abstract This study reports on the humidity corrections in the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) upper-air sounding dataset and their impact on diagnosed properties of convection and climate over the warm pool. During COARE, sounding data were collected from 29 sites with Vaisala-manufactured systems and 13 sites with VIZ-manufactured systems. A recent publication has documented the characteristics of the humidity errors at the Vaisala sites and a procedure to correct them. This study extends that work by describing the nature of the VIZ humidity errors and their correction scheme. The corrections, which are largest in lower-tropospheric levels, generally increase the moisture in the Vaisala sondes and decrease it in the VIZ sondes. Use of the corrected humidity data gives a much different perspective on the characteristics of convection during COARE. For example, application of a simple cloud model shows that the peak in convective mass flux shifts from about 8°N with the uncorrected data to just south of the equator with corrected data, which agrees better with the diagnosed vertical motion and observed rainfall. Also, with uncorrected data the difference in mean convective available potential energy (CAPE) between Vaisala and VIZ sites is over 700 J kg−1; with the correction, both CAPEs are around ∼1300 J kg−1, which is consistent with a generally uniform warm pool SST field. These results suggest that the intensity and location of convection would differ significantly in model simulations with humidity-corrected data, and that the difficulties which the reanalysis products had in reproducing the observed rainfall during COARE may be due to the sonde humidity biases. The humidity-corrected data appear to have a beneficial impact on budget-derived estimates of rainfall and radiative heating rate, such that revised estimates show better agreement with those from independent sources.

scholarly journals A climatology of tropical wind shear produced by clustering wind profiles from a climate model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Muetzelfedt ◽  
Robert S. Plant ◽  
Peter A. Clark ◽  
Alison J. Stirling ◽  
Steven J. Woolnough
Keyword(s):  
Principal Components ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Model Output ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
Climate Model Output ◽  
Wind Profiles

Abstract. A procedure for producing a climatology of tropical wind shear from climate-model output is presented. The procedure is designed to find grid columns in the model where the organization of convection may be present. The climate-model output consists of east–west and north–south wind profiles at 20 equally spaced pressure levels from 1000 hPa to 50 hPa, and the Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) as diagnosed by the model’s Convection Parametrization Scheme (CPS). The procedure begins by filtering the wind profiles based on their maximum shear, and on a CAPE threshold of 100 J kg−1. The filtered profiles are normalized using the maximum wind speed at each pressure level, and rotated to align the wind at 850 hPa. From each of the filtered profiles, a sample has been produced with 40 dimensions (20 for each wind direction). The number of dimensions is reduced by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), where the requirement is that 90 % of the variance must be explained by the principal components. This requires keeping the first seven leading principal components. The samples, as represented by their principal components, can then be clustered using the K-Means Clustering Algorithm (KMCA). 10 clusters are chosen to represent the samples, and the median of each cluster defines a Representative Wind Profile (RWP) – a profile that represents the shear conditions of the wind profiles produced by the climate model. The RWPs are analysed, first in terms of their vertical structure, and then in terms of their geographical and temporal distributions. We find that the RWPs have some features often associated with the organization of convection, such as low-level and mid-level shear. Some of the RWPs can be matched with wind profiles taken from case studies of organization of convection, such as squall lines seen in Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere, Coupled Atmosphere Ocean Research Experiment (TOGA–COARE). The RWPs’ geographical distributions show that each RWP occurs preferentially in certain regions. Six of the RWPs occur preferentially over land, while three occur preferentially over oceans. The temporal distribution of RWPs shows that they occur preferentially at certain times of the year, with the distributions having mainly one or two modes. Their geographical and temporal distributions are compared with those seen in previous studies of organized convection, and some broad and specific similarities are noted. By performing the analysis on climate-model output, we lay the foundations for the development of the representation of shear-induced organization in a CPS. This would use the same methodology to diagnose where the organization of convection occurs, and modify the CPS in an appropriate manner to represent it.

scholarly journals Transition between Suppressed and Active Phases of Intraseasonal Oscillations in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 5519-5530 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Agudelo ◽  
J. A. Curry ◽  
C. D. Hoyos ◽  
P. J. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Diagnostic Study ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillations

Abstract Intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) are important large-amplitude and large-scale elements of the tropical Indo-Pacific climate with time scales in the 20–60-day period range, during which time they modulate higher-frequency tropical weather. Despite their importance, the ISO is poorly simulated and predicted by numerical models. A joint diagnostic and modeling study of the ISO is conducted, concentrating on the period between the suppressed and active (referred to as the “transition”) period that is hypothesized to be the defining stage for the development of the intraseasonal mode and the component that is most poorly simulated. The diagnostic study uses data from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). It is found that during the transition period, the ocean and the atmosphere undergo gradual but large-scale and high-amplitude changes, especially the moistening of the lower troposphere caused jointly by the anomalously warm sea surface temperature arising from minimal cloud and low winds during the suppressed phase and the large-scale subsidence that inhibits the formation of locally deep convection. Using a cloud classification scheme based on microwave and infrared satellite data, it is observed that midtop (cloud with a top in the middle troposphere) nonprecipitating clouds are a direct response of the low-level moisture buildup. To investigate the sensitivity of ISO simulations to the transitional phase, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) coupled ocean–atmosphere climate model is used. The ECMWF was run serially in predictive ensemble mode (five members) for 30-day periods starting from 1 December 1992 to 30 January 1993, encompassing the ISO occurring in late December. Predictability of the active convective period of the ISO is poor when initialized before the transitional phases of the ISO. However, when initialized with the correct lower-tropospheric moisture field, predictability increases substantially, although the model convective parameterization appears to trigger convection too quickly without allowing an adequate buildup of convective available potential energy during the transition period.

Nonlinear Dynamics and Regional Variations in the MJO Skeleton

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 3053-3071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Majda ◽  
Samuel N. Stechmann
Keyword(s):  
Nonlinear Dynamics ◽  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Phase Speed ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
Convective Momentum Transport ◽  
Fundamental Mechanism

Abstract A minimal, nonlinear oscillator model is analyzed for the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) “skeleton” (i.e., its fundamental features on intraseasonal/planetary scales), which includes the following: (i) a slow eastward phase speed of roughly 5 m s−1, (ii) a peculiar dispersion relation with dω/dk ≈ 0, and (iii) a horizontal quadrupole vortex structure. Originally proposed in recent work by the authors, the fundamental mechanism involves neutrally stable interactions between (i) planetary-scale, lower-tropospheric moisture anomalies and (ii) the envelope of subplanetary-scale, convection/wave activity. Here, the model’s nonlinear dynamics are analyzed in a series of numerical experiments, using either a uniform sea surface temperature (SST) or a warm-pool SST. With a uniform SST, the results show significant variations in the number, strength, and/or locations of MJO events, including, for example, cases of a strong MJO event followed by a weaker MJO event, similar to the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). With a warm-pool SST, MJO events often begin as standing oscillations and then propagate slowly eastward across the warm pool, a behavior imitating MJOs in nature. While displaying the fundamental features of the MJO skeleton, these MJO events had significant variations in their lifetimes and regional extents, and they displayed intense, irregular fluctuations in their amplitudes. The model reproduces all of these features of the MJO skeleton without including mechanisms for the MJO’s “muscle,” such as refined vertical structure and upscale convective momentum transport from subplanetary-scale convection/waves. Besides these numerical experiments, it is also shown that the nonlinear model conserves a total energy that includes a contribution from the convective activity.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Extratropical Cyclones That Cause Tornadoes in Italy: A Preliminary Study

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Eigo Tochimoto ◽  
Mario Marcello Miglietta ◽  
Leonardo Bagaglini ◽  
Roberto Ingrosso ◽  
Hiroshi Niino
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Extratropical Cyclones ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Strong Evaporation

Characteristics of extratropical cyclones that cause tornadoes in Italy are investigated. Tornadoes between 2007 and 2016 are analyzed, and statistical analysis of the associated cyclone structures and environments is performed using the JRA-55 reanalysis. Tornadoes are distributed sporadically around the cyclone location within a window of 10° × 10°. The difference in the cyclone tracks partially explains the seasonal variability in the distribution of tornadoes. The highest number of tornadoes occur south of the cyclone centers, mainly in the warm sector, while a few are observed along the cold front. Composite mesoscale parameters are examined to identify the environmental conditions associated with tornadoes in different seasons. Potential instability is favorable to tornado development in autumn. The highest convective available potential energy (CAPE) in this season is associated with relatively high-temperature and humidity at low-levels, mainly due to the strong evaporation over the warm Mediterranean Sea. Upper-level potential vorticity (PV) anomalies and the associated cold air reduce the static stability above the cyclone center, mainly in spring and winter. On average, the values of CAPE are lower than for US tornadoes and comparable with those occurring in Japan, while storm relative helicity (SREH) is comparable with US tornadoes and higher than Japanese tornadoes, indicating that the environmental conditions for Italian tornadoes have peculiar characteristics. Overall, the conditions emerging in this study are close to the high-shear, low-CAPE environments typical of cool-season tornadoes in the Southeastern US.

scholarly journals Are elevated moist layers a blind spot for hyperspectral infrared sounders? A model study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 7025-7044
Author(s):  
Marc Prange ◽  
Manfred Brath ◽  
Stefan A. Buehler
Keyword(s):  
Heating Rate ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Optimal Estimation ◽  
Forecast Model ◽  
Temperature Inversion ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Reference Dataset ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
New Framework

Abstract. The ability of the hyperspectral satellite-based passive infrared (IR) instrument IASI to resolve elevated moist layers (EMLs) within the free troposphere is investigated. EMLs are strong moisture anomalies with significant impact on the radiative heating rate profile and typically coupled to freezing level detrainment from convective cells in the tropics. A previous case study by Stevens et al. (2017) indicated inherent deficiencies of passive satellite-based remote sensing instruments in resolving an EML. In this work, we first put the findings of Stevens et al. (2017) into the context of other retrieval case studies of EML-like structures, showing that such structures can in principle be retrieved, but retrievability depends on the retrieval method and the exact retrieval setup. To approach a first more systematic analysis of EML retrievability, we introduce our own basic optimal estimation (OEM) retrieval, which for the purpose of this study is based on forward-modelled (synthetic) clear-sky observations. By applying the OEM retrieval to the same EML case as Stevens et al. (2017), we find that a lack of independent temperature information can significantly deteriorate the humidity retrieval due to a strong temperature inversion at the EML top. However, we show that by employing a wider spectral range of the hyperspectral IR observation, this issue can be avoided and EMLs can generally be resolved. We introduce a new framework for the identification and characterization of moisture anomalies, a subset of which are EMLs, to specifically quantify the retrieval's ability to capture moisture anomalies. The new framework is applied to 1288 synthetic retrievals of tropical ocean short-range forecast model atmospheres, allowing for a direct statistical comparison of moisture anomalies between the retrieval and the reference dataset. With our basic OEM retrieval, we find that retrieved moisture anomalies are on average 17 % weaker and 15 % thicker than their true counterparts. We attribute this to the retrieval smoothing error and the fact that rather weak and narrow moisture anomalies are most frequently missed by the retrieval. Smoothing is found to also constrain the magnitude of local heating rate extremes associated with moisture anomalies, particularly for the strongest anomalies that are found in the lower to mid troposphere. In total, about 80 % of moisture anomalies in the reference dataset are found by the retrieval. Below 5 km altitude, this fraction is only of the order of 52 %. We conclude that the retrieval of lower- to mid-tropospheric moisture anomalies, in particular of EMLs, is possible when the anomaly is sufficiently strong and its thickness is at least of the order of about 1.5 km. This study sets the methodological basis for more comprehensively investigating EMLs based on real hyperspectral IR observations and their operational products in the future.

The Effect of Hydrometeors on MSU/AMSU Temperature Observations over the Tropical Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1141-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid A. Pahlavan ◽  
Qiang Fu ◽  
John M. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Regression Coefficient ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Tropospheric Temperature ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Microwave Sounding Unit ◽  
Mean Fields ◽  
Microwave Sounding ◽  
Temperature Observations ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Grid Points

AbstractThe temperature of Earth’s atmosphere has been monitored continuously since late 1978 by the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) flown on polar-orbiting weather satellites. It is well known that these measurements are affected by the scattering and emission from hydrometeors, including cloud water, precipitation, and ice particles. In this study the hydrometeor effects on MSU/AMSU temperature observations are investigated by comparing satellite-observed temperature of the middle troposphere (TMT) with synthetic TMT constructed using temperature fields from ECMWF Interim [ERA-Interim (ERA-I)]. Precipitation data have been used to estimate how much of the difference between these two TMT fields is due to hydrometeor contamination effects. It is shown that there exists a robust linear proportionality between TMT deficit (i.e., the measured TMT minus the synthetic TMT) and precipitation at individual grid points in monthly mean fields. The linear correlation is even stronger in the annual mean and seasonally varying climatology and also in the spatial pattern of ENSO-related anomalies. The linear regression coefficient obtained in all of these analyses is virtually identical: −0.042 K (mm day−1)−1. The channel that senses lower-tropospheric temperature (TLT) is more sensitive to precipitation than the TMT channel: the regression coefficient is −0.059 K (mm day−1)−1. It is shown that correcting the TMT or TLT monthly anomalies by removing the hydrometeor contamination does not significantly influence estimates of tropical mean temperature trends, but it could affect the pattern of temperature trend over the tropical oceans.

Radar Measurement of Rainfall with and without Polarimetry

2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1929-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlton W. Ulbrich ◽  
David Atlas
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Convective Storms ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
Median Volume ◽  
Raindrop Size ◽  
Differential Reflectivity ◽  
R Relation

Abstract Raindrop size distributions (DSDs) for tropical convective storms are used to examine the relationships between the parameters of a gamma DSD, with special emphasis on their variation with the stage of the storm. Such a distinction has rarely been made before. Several storms from a variety of tropical locations are divided into storm stages according to the temporal dependence of their reflectivity factor Z, rainfall rate R, and median volume diameter D0. In most cases it is found that the DSD parameter D0 is approximately constant in time during the convective, or C, stage, which leads to a Z–R relation of the form Z = AR, that is, a linear relationship between Z and R. This finding implies the existence of equilibrium DSDs during the C stage. The convective stage is sometimes marked by pulsations in draft strength so that D0, R, and Z and associated values of the shape parameter μ decrease in a quasi-transition stage before increasing once more. Theoretical relations between the differential reflectivity ZDR and the ratio Z/R as functions of the DSD parameter μ are derived by assuming a gamma DSD and an accurate raindrop fall speed law. It is found that data derived from disdrometer observations lie along a μ = 5 isopleth for tropical continental C stages (Puerto Rico and Brazil) and along a μ = 12 isopleth for tropical maritime C stages [Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE)]. Small values of μ that occur in the weak updraft intervals do not impact the rainfall measurements because they correspond to relatively small R. The latter features imply that the measurement of rainfall for the convective stages can be performed with standard polarimetry involving only two measurables rather than three, provided knowledge of μ is available a priori. A new rain parameter diagram is presented in which isopleths of the generalized number concentration and D0 are superimposed on the Z–R plot. It is proposed that it is possible to estimate D0 from climatological and observable storm structural features, which, with Z, provide estimates of R. Such an approach is necessary for use with conventional radars until polarimetric radars are more widely available.

scholarly journals Light absorption by marine cyanobacteria affects tropical climate mean state and variability

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1283-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Paulsen ◽  
Tatiana Ilyina ◽  
Johann H. Jungclaus ◽  
Katharina D. Six ◽  
Irene Stemmler
Keyword(s):  
Light Absorption ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Tropical Climate ◽  
Climate System ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Marine Cyanobacteria ◽  
Tropical Ocean

Abstract. Observations indicate that positively buoyant marine cyanobacteria, which are abundant throughout the tropical and subtropical ocean, have a strong local heating effect due to light absorption at the ocean surface. How these local changes in radiative heating affect the climate system on the large scale is unclear. We use the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM), include light absorption by cyanobacteria, and find a considerable cooling effect on tropical sea surface temperature (SST) in the order of 0.5 K on a climatological timescale. This cooling is caused by local shading of subtropical subsurface water by cyanobacteria that is upwelled at the Equator and in eastern boundary upwelling systems. Implications for the climate system include a westward shift of the Walker circulation and a weakening of the Hadley circulation. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle of SST is increased in large parts of the tropical ocean by up to 25 %, and the tropical Pacific interannual variability is enhanced by approx. 20 %. This study emphasizes the sensitivity of the tropical climate system to light absorption by cyanobacteria due to its regulative effect on tropical SST. Generally, including phytoplankton-dependent light attenuation instead of a globally uniform attenuation depth improves some of the major model temperature biases, indicating the relevance of taking this biophysical feedback into account in climate models.

scholarly journals Ice injected into the tropopause by deep convection – Part 1: In the austral convective tropics

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 6459-6479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris-Amata Dion ◽  
Philippe Ricaud ◽  
Peter Haynes ◽  
Fabien Carminati ◽  
Thibaut Dauhut
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapour ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Linear Coefficient ◽  
Tropical Tropopause Layer ◽  
Tropical Tropopause ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Ice Water

Abstract. The contribution of deep convection to the amount of water vapour and ice in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) from the tropical upper troposphere (UT; around 146 hPa) to the tropopause level (TL; around 100 hPa) is investigated. Ice water content (IWC) and water vapour (WV) measured in the UT and the TL by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS; Version 4.2) are compared to the precipitation (Prec) measured by the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM; Version 007). The two datasets, gridded within 2∘ × 2∘ horizontal bins, have been analysed during the austral convective season, December, January, and February (DJF), from 2004 to 2017. MLS observations are performed at 01:30 and 13:30 local solar time, whilst the Prec dataset is constructed with a time resolution of 1 h. The new contribution of this study is to provide a much more detailed picture of the diurnal variation of ice than is provided by the very limited (two per day) MLS observations. Firstly, we show that IWC represents 70 % and 50 % of the total water in the tropical UT and TL, respectively, and that Prec is spatially highly correlated with IWC in the UT (Pearson's linear coefficient R=0.7). We propose a method that uses Prec as a proxy for deep convection bringing ice up to the UT and TL during the growing stage of convection, in order to estimate the amount of ice injected into the UT and the TL, respectively. We validate the method using ice measurements from the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) during the period DJF 2009–2010. Next, the diurnal cycle of injection of IWC into the UT and the TL by deep convection is calculated by the difference between the maximum and the minimum in the estimated diurnal cycle of IWC in these layers and over selected convective zones. Six tropical highly convective zones have been chosen: South America, South Africa, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Maritime Continent region, split into land (MariCont-L) and ocean (MariCont-O). IWC injection is found to be 2.73 and 0.41 mg m−3 over tropical land in the UT and TL, respectively, and 0.60 and 0.13 mg m−3 over tropical ocean in the UT and TL, respectively. The MariCont-L region has the greatest ice injection in both the UT and TL (3.34 and 0.42–0.56 mg m−3, respectively). The MariCont-O region has less ice injection than MariCont-L (0.91 mg m−3 in the UT and 0.16–0.34 mg m−3 in TL) but has the highest diurnal minimum value of IWC in the TL (0.34–0.37 mg m−3) among all oceanic zones.

scholarly journals Changes of the Boreal Winter Hadley Circulation in the NCEP–NCAR and ECMWF Reanalyses: A Comparative Study

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5191-5200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Song ◽  
Minghua Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Tropical Western Pacific ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Static Energy

Abstract Both the ECMWF and the NCEP–NCAR reanalyses show a strengthening of the atmospheric Hadley circulation in boreal winter over the last 50 years, but the intensification is much stronger in the ECMWF than in the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. This study focuses on the difference of these trends in the two reanalyses. It is shown that trends in the Hadley circulation in the two reanalyses differ mainly over the tropical western Pacific. This difference is found to be consistent with respective trends of the atmospheric transport of moist static energy, longwave cloud radiative forcing, and upper-level clouds in the two reanalyses. Two independent datasets of upper-level cloud cover and sea level pressure from ship-based measurements are then used to evaluate the reanalyses over the tropical western Pacific. They are found to be more consistent with the trends in the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis than those in the ECMWF reanalysis. The results suggest a weakening of the vertical motion associated with the Hadley circulation in the tropical western Pacific.

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