scholarly journals A Study of the Response of Deep Tropical Clouds to Large-Scale Thermodynamic Forcings. Part II: Sensitivities to Microphysics, Radiation, and Surface Fluxes

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 869-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Johnson ◽  
W-K. Tao ◽  
J. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Mass Fluxes ◽  
Toga Coare ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Thermodynamics And Dynamics ◽  
Microphysical Processes

Abstract The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is used to examine the sensitivities of multiday 2D simulations of deep tropical convection to surface fluxes, interactive radiation, and ice microphysical processes. The simulations incorporate large-scale temperature, moisture, and momentum forcings, from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) for the period 19–27 December 1992. This study shows that, when surface fluxes are eliminated, the mean simulated atmosphere is much cooler and drier, convection and CAPE are much weaker, precipitation is less, and low-level to midlevel cloudiness is much greater. Surface fluxes using the TOGA COARE flux algorithm are weaker than with the aerodynamic formulation, but closer to the observed fluxes. In addition, trends similar to those noted above for the case without surface fluxes are produced for the TOGA COARE flux case, albeit to a much lesser extent. The elimination of shortwave and longwave radiation is found to have only minimal effects on the mean thermodynamics, convection, and precipitation. However, exclusion of radiation in the model does have a significant impact on cloud temperatures and structure above 200 mb. The removal of ice microphysical processes produces major changes in the structure of the clouds. Much of the liquid water is transported to the upper levels of the troposphere and evaporates, resulting in less mean total surface precipitation. The precipitation primarily occurs in regions of narrow, but intense, convective rainfall bands. The elimination of melting processes (diabatic cooling and conversions to rain) leads to greater (ice) hydrometeor mass below the 0°C level and reduced latent cooling. This, along with weaker vertical cloud mass fluxes, produces a much warmer and moister boundary layer, and a greater mean CAPE. Finally, the elimination of the graupel species has only a small impact on mean total precipitation, thermodynamics, and dynamics of the simulation, but does produce much greater snow mass just above the melting layer.

scholarly journals Regional Simulation of the October and November MJO Events Observed during the CINDY/DYNAMO Field Campaign at Gray Zone Resolution

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 2097-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuguang Wang ◽  
Adam H. Sobel ◽  
Fuqing Zhang ◽  
Y. Qiang Sun ◽  
Ying Yue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Active Phase ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Surface Precipitation

Abstract This study investigates the October and November MJO events observed during the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011 (CINDY)/Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign through cloud-permitting numerical simulations. The simulations are compared to multiple observational datasets. The control simulation at 9-km horizontal grid spacing captures the slow eastward progression of both the October and November MJO events in surface precipitation, outgoing longwave radiation, zonal wind, humidity, and large-scale vertical motion. The vertical motion shows weak ascent in the leading edge of the MJO envelope, followed by deep ascent during the peak precipitation stage and trailed by a broad second baroclinic mode structure with ascent in the upper troposphere and descent in the lower troposphere. Both the simulation and the observations also show slow northward propagation components and tropical cyclone–like vortices after the passage of the MJO active phase. Comparison with synthesized observations from the northern sounding array shows that the model simulates the passage of the two MJO events over the sounding array region well. Sensitivity experiments to SST indicate that daily SST plays an important role for the November MJO event, but much less so for the October event. Analysis of the moist static energy (MSE) budget shows that both advection and diabatic processes (i.e., surface fluxes and radiation) contribute to the development of the positive MSE anomaly in the active phase, but their contributions differ by how much they lead the precipitation peak. In comparison to the observational datasets used here, the model simulation may have a stronger surface flux feedback and a weaker radiative feedback. The normalized gross moist stability in the simulations shows an increase from near-zero values to ~0.8 during the active phase, similar to what is found in the observational datasets.

scholarly journals On interpreting studies of tracer transport by deep cumulus convection and its effects on atmospheric chemistry

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (20) ◽  
pp. 6037-6050 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Lawrence ◽  
M. Salzmann
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Convective Transport ◽  
Advective Transport ◽  
Tracer Transport ◽  
Transport Models ◽  
Mass Fluxes ◽  
Split Treatment ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. Global chemistry-transport models (CTMs) and chemistry-GCMs (CGCMs) generally simulate vertical tracer transport by deep convection separately from the advective transport by the mean winds, even though a component of the mean transport, for instance in the Hadley and Walker cells, occurs in deep convective updrafts. This split treatment of vertical transport has various implications for CTM simulations. In particular, it has led to a misinterpretation of several sensitivity simulations in previous studies in which the parameterized convective transport of one or more tracers is neglected. We describe this issue in terms of simulated fluxes and fractions of these fluxes representing various physical and non-physical processes. We then show that there is a significant overlap between the convective and large-scale mean advective vertical air mass fluxes in the CTM MATCH, and discuss the implications which this has for interpreting previous and future sensitivity simulations, as well as briefly noting other related implications such as numerical diffusion.

scholarly journals Effects of Liquid Phase Cloud Microphysical Processes in Mixed Phase Cumulus Clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqi Xu ◽  
Chunsong Lu ◽  
Yangang Liu ◽  
Wenhua Gao ◽  
Yuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Phase Precipitation ◽  
Physical Reason ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Skill Scores ◽  
Microphysical Processes

Abstract. Overprediction of precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau is often found in numerical simulations, which is thought to be related to coarse grid sizes or inaccurate large-scale forcing. In addition to confirming the important role of model grid sizes, this study shows that liquid-phase precipitation parameterization is another key culprit, and underlying physical mechanisms are revealed. A typical summer plateau precipitation event is simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model by introducing different parameterizations of liquid-phase microphysical processes into the commonly used Morrison scheme, including autoconversion, accretion, and entrainment-mixing mechanisms. All simulations can reproduce the general spatial distribution and temporal variation of precipitation. The precipitation in the high-resolution domain is less overpredicted than in the low-resolution domain. The accretion process plays more important roles than other liquid-phase processes in simulating precipitation. Employing the accretion parameterization considering raindrop size makes the total surface precipitation closest to the observation which is supported by the Heidke skill scores. The physical reason is that this accretion parameterization can suppress fake accretion and liquid-phase precipitation when cloud droplets are too small to initiate precipitation.

A Study of Aerosol Impacts on Clouds and Precipitation Development in a Large Winter Cyclone

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (10) ◽  
pp. 3636-3658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Thompson ◽  
Trude Eidhammer
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Effects ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Forecast Error ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Cloud Droplet ◽  
Aircraft Icing ◽  
Cloud Droplets ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Observational Uncertainty

Abstract Aerosols influence cloud and precipitation development in complex ways due to myriad feedbacks at a variety of scales from individual clouds through entire storm systems. This paper describes the implementation, testing, and results of a newly modified bulk microphysical parameterization with explicit cloud droplet nucleation and ice activation by aerosols. Idealized tests and a high-resolution, convection-permitting, continental-scale, 72-h simulation with five sensitivity experiments showed that increased aerosol number concentration results in more numerous cloud droplets of overall smaller size and delays precipitation development. Furthermore, the smaller droplet sizes cause the expected increased cloud albedo effect and more subtle longwave radiation effects. Although increased aerosols generally hindered the warm-rain processes, regions of mixed-phase clouds were impacted in slightly unexpected ways with more precipitation falling north of a synoptic-scale warm front. Aerosol impacts to regions of light precipitation, less than approximately 2.5 mm h−1, were far greater than impacts to regions with higher precipitation rates. Comparisons of model forecasts with five different aerosol states versus surface precipitation measurements revealed that even a large-scale storm system with nearly a thousand observing locations did not indicate which experiment produced a more correct final forecast, indicating a need for far longer-duration simulations due to the magnitude of both model forecast error and observational uncertainty. Last, since aerosols affect cloud and precipitation phase and amount, there are resulting implications to a variety of end-user applications such as surface sensible weather and aircraft icing.

scholarly journals A Bulk Turbulent Air–Sea Flux Algorithm for High-Wind, Spray Conditions

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1581-1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar L. Andreas ◽  
P. Ola G. Persson ◽  
Jeffrey E. Hare
Keyword(s):  
Latent Heat ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Flux ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
High Wind ◽  
Molecular Processes ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The Mean ◽  
High Winds

Abstract Sensible and latent heat can cross the air–sea interface by two routes: as interfacial fluxes controlled by molecular processes right at the interface, and as spray fluxes from the surface of sea spray droplets. Once the 10-m wind speed over the ocean reaches approximately 11–13 m s−1, the spray sensible and latent heat fluxes become significant fractions (i.e., 10% or greater) of the corresponding interfacial fluxes. The analysis here establishes that result by combining the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) version 2.6 bulk interfacial flux algorithm with a microphysical spray model to partition measured heat fluxes from two good high-wind datasets into spray and interfacial flux contributions. The measurements come from the Humidity Exchange over the Sea (HEXOS) experiment and the Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Tracks Experiment (FASTEX); wind speeds in these two datasets span 5 to 20 m s−1. After the measured heat fluxes are separated into spray and interfacial contributions, the spray fluxes are used to develop a fast spray flux algorithm to combine with the COARE version 2.6 interfacial flux algorithm in a unified turbulent surface flux algorithm for use in large-scale and ocean storm models. A sensitivity analysis of the spray and interfacial components of this unified flux algorithm demonstrates how the two component fluxes scale differently with the mean meteorological variables and why they must therefore be parameterized separately in models intended to treat air–sea fluxes in high winds.

scholarly journals Fluctuations in an Equilibrium Convective Ensemble. Part I: Theoretical Formulation

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 1996-2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
George C. Craig ◽  
Brenda G. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Cumulus Clouds ◽  
Theoretical Formulation ◽  
Mass Fluxes ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Cloud Resolving Model ◽  
Total Mass Flux ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Convective Cells

Abstract To provide a theoretical basis for stochastic parameterization of cumulus convection, the equilibrium fluctuations of a field of cumulus clouds under homogeneous large-scale forcing are derived statistically, using the Gibbs canonical ensemble from statistical mechanics. In the limit of noninteracting convective cells, the statistics of these convective fluctuations can be written in terms of the large-scale, externally constrained properties of the system. Using this framework, the probability density function of individual cloud mass fluxes is shown to be exponential. An analytical expression for the distribution function of total mass flux over a region of given size is also derived, and the variance of this distribution is found to be inversely related to the mean number of clouds in the ensemble. In a companion paper, these theoretical predictions are tested against cloud resolving model data.

scholarly journals On interpreting studies of tracer transport by deep cumulus convection and its effects on atmospheric chemistry

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 12163-12195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Lawrence ◽  
M. Salzmann
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Convective Transport ◽  
Advective Transport ◽  
Tracer Transport ◽  
Transport Models ◽  
Mass Fluxes ◽  
Split Treatment ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. Global chemistry-transport models (CTMs) and chemistry-GCMs (CGCMs) generally simulate vertical tracer transport by deep convection separately from the advective transport by the mean winds, even though a component of the mean transport, for instance in the Hadley and Walker cells, occurs in deep convective updrafts. This split treatment of vertical transport has various implications for CTM simulations. In particular, it has led to a misinterpretation of several sensitivity simulations in previous studies in which the parameterized convective transport of one or more tracers is neglected. We describe this issue in terms of simulated fluxes and fractions of these fluxes representing various physical and non-physical processes. We then show that there is a significant overlap between the convective and large-scale mean advective vertical air mass fluxes in the CTM MATCH, and discuss the implications which this has for interpreting previous and future sensitivity simulations, as well as briefly noting other related implications such as numerical diffusion.

scholarly journals Topographic Effects on the Luzon Diurnal Cycle during the BSISO

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily M. Riley Dellaripa ◽  
Eric D. Maloney ◽  
Benjamin A. Toms ◽  
Stephen M. Saleeby ◽  
Susan C. van den Heever
Keyword(s):  
South China Sea ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Topographic Effects ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Amplitude Increase ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Induced Changes

Abstract Cloud-resolving simulations are used to evaluate the importance of topography to the diurnal cycle (DC) of precipitation (DCP) over Luzon, Philippines, and surrounding ocean during the July–August 2016 boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) event. Composites of surface precipitation for each 30-min time increment during the day are made to determine the mean DCP. The mean DCP is computed separately for suppressed and active BSISO conditions and compared across three simulations with varying topography—flat, true, and doubled topographic height. The magnitude of the topographic height helps to dictate the timing, intensity, and location of diurnal precipitation over and near Luzon. For example, the mean DCP in the true topography run peaks 1.5 h later, is broader by 1 h, and has a 9% larger amplitude during active conditions relative to suppressed conditions. By contrast, the flat run mean DCP is earlier and narrower by 0.5 h with a 5% smaller amplitude during active conditions versus suppressed conditions. Within the suppressed or active BSISO conditions, the mean DCP peak and amplitude increase as the topographic height increases. The presence of elevated topography focuses precipitation over the coastal mountains during suppressed conditions, while dictating which side of the domain (i.e., east Luzon and the Philippine Sea vs west Luzon and the South China Sea) more precipitation occurs in during active conditions. These topographic-induced changes are discussed in terms of mechanical and thermodynamic forcing differences between the two large-scale BSISO regimes for the three runs.

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.

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