Showing papers on "Microphysics published in 2007"

A New Two-Moment Bulk Stratiform Cloud Microphysics Scheme in the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 3 (CAM3). Part I: Description and Numerical Tests

Abstract: A new two-moment stratiform cloud microphysics scheme in a general circulation model is described. Prognostic variables include cloud droplet and cloud ice mass mixing ratios and number concentrations. The scheme treats several microphysical processes, including hydrometeor collection, condensation/ evaporation, freezing, melting, and sedimentation. The activation of droplets on aerosol is physically based and coupled to a subgrid vertical velocity. Unique aspects of the scheme, relative to existing two-moment schemes developed for general circulation models, are the diagnostic treatment of rain and snow number concentration and mixing ratio and the explicit treatment of subgrid cloud water variability for calculation of the microphysical process rates. Numerical aspects of the scheme are described in detail using idealized one-dimensional offline tests of the microphysics. Sensitivity of the scheme to time step, vertical resolution, and numerical method for diagnostic precipitation is investigated over a range of conditions. It is found that, in general, two substeps are required for numerical stability and reasonably small time truncation errors using a time step of 20 min; however, substepping is only required for the precipitation microphysical processes rather than the entire scheme. A new numerical approach for the diagnostic rain and snow produces reasonable results compared to a benchmark simulation, especially at low vertical resolution. Part II of this study details results of the scheme in single-column and global simulations, including comparison with observations.

Urban Aerosol Impacts on Downwind Convective Storms

Abstract: The impacts of urban-enhanced aerosol concentrations on convective storm development and precipitation over and downwind of St. Louis, Missouri, are investigated. This is achieved through the use of a cloud-resolving mesoscale model, in which sophisticated land use processes and aerosol microphysics are both incorporated. The results indicate that urban-forced convergence downwind of the city, rather than the presence of greater aerosol concentrations, determines whether storms actually develop in the downwind region. Once convection is initiated, urban-enhanced aerosols can exert a significant effect on the dynamics, microphysics, and precipitation produced by these storms. The model results indicate, however, that the response to urban-enhanced aerosol depends on the background concentrations of aerosols; a weaker response occurs with increasing background aerosol concentrations. The effects of aerosols influence the rate and amount of liquid water and ice produced within these storms, the accu...

Role of atmospheric aerosol concentration on deep convective precipitation: Cloud‐resolving model simulations

Abstract: Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 20011. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds NRC [2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect, is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. ln this paper, a cloud-resolving model (CRM) with detailed spectral-bin microphysics was used to examine the effect of aerosols on three different deep convective cloud systems that developed in different geographic locations: South Florida, Oklahoma and the Central Pacific. In all three cases, rain reaches the ground earlier for the low CCN (clean) case. Rain suppression is also evident in all three cases with high CCN (dirty) case. However, this suppression only occurs during the first hour of the simulations. During the mature stages of the simulations, the effects of increasing aerosol concentration range from rain suppression in the Oklahoma case, to almost no effect in the Florida case, to rain enhancement in the Pacific case. These results show the complexity of aerosol interactions with convection.

Ice properties of single-layer stratocumulus during the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment: 2. Model results

Abstract: [1] Measurements from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's 2004 Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) provide a unique opportunity to study poorly understood ice formation processes in mixed-phase stratocumulus. Using meteorological, aerosol, and ice nucleus measurements to initialize large-eddy simulations with size-resolved microphysics, we compare predicted liquid and ice mass, number, and size distribution with observations from a typical flight. We find that ambient ice nuclei appear insufficient by a few orders of magnitude to explain observed ice, consistent with past literature. We also find that two processes previously hypothesized to explain the discrepancy, shatter of freezing drops and fragmentation during ice-ice collisions, were not significant sources of ice based on parameterizations from existing studies. After surveying other mechanisms that have been hypothesized to explain ice formation in mixed-phase clouds generally, we find two that may be strong enough: (1) formation of ice nuclei from drop evaporation residuals, a process suggested by sparse and limited measurements to date, and (2) drop freezing during evaporation, a process suggested only by inference at this time. The first mechanism can better explain the persistence of mixed-phase conditions in simulations of less vigorous stratus observed during the Beaufort Arctic Storms Experiment (BASE). We consider conditions under which emission of nuclei from the ocean surface or activation through cloud-phase chemistry could provide alternative explanations for M-PACE observations. Additional process-oriented measurements are suggested to distinguish among ice formation mechanisms in future field studies.

Comparison of Bulk and Bin Warm-Rain Microphysics Models Using a Kinematic Framework

Abstract: This paper discusses the development and testing of a bulk warm-rain microphysics model that is capable of addressing the impact of atmospheric aerosols on ice-free clouds. Similarly to previous two-moment bulk schemes, this model predicts the mixing ratios and number concentrations of cloud droplets and drizzle/ raindrops. The key elements of the model are the relatively sophisticated cloud droplet activation scheme and a comprehensive treatment of the collision–coalescence mechanism. For the latter, three previously published schemes are selected and tested, with a detailed (bin) microphysics model providing the benchmark. The unique aspect of these tests is that they are performed using a two-dimensional prescribed-flow (kinematic) framework, where both advective transport and gravitational sedimentation are included. Two quasi-idealized test cases are used, the first mimicking a single large eddy in a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer and the second representing a single shallow convective cloud. These types of clouds are thought to be the key in the indirect aerosol effect on climate. Two different aerosol loadings are considered for each case, corresponding to either pristine or polluted environments. In general, all three collision– coalescence schemes seem to capture key features of the bin model simulations (e.g., cloud depth, droplet number concentration, cloud water path, effective radius, precipitation rate, etc.) for the polluted and pristine environments, but there are detailed differences. Two of the collision–coalescence schemes require specification of the width of the cloud droplet spectrum, and model results show significant sensitivity to the specification of the width parameter. Sensitivity tests indicate that a one-moment version of the bulk model for drizzle/rain, which predicts rain/drizzle mixing ratio but not number concentration, produces significant errors relative to the bin model.

An Approach for Convective Parameterization with Memory: Separating Microphysics and Transport in Grid-Scale Equations

Abstract: An approach for convective parameterization is presented here, in which grid-scale budget equations of parameterization use separate microphysics and transport terms. This separation is used both as a way to introduce into the parameterization a more explicit causal link between all involved processes and as a vehicle for an easier representation of the memory of convective cells. The equations of parameterization become closer to those of convection-resolving models [cloud-system-resolving models (CSRMs) and large-eddy simulations (LESs)], facilitating parameterization development and validation processes versus a detailed budget of these high-resolution models. The new Microphysics and Transport Convective Scheme (MTCS) equations are presented and discussed. A first version of a convective scheme based on these equations is tested within a single-column framework. The results obtained with the new scheme are close to those of traditional ones in very moist convective cases [like the Global Atmo...

Testing the Fixed Anvil Temperature Hypothesis in a Cloud-Resolving Model

Abstract: Using cloud-resolving simulations of tropical radiative–convective equilibrium, it is shown that the anvil temperature changes by less than 0.5 K with a 2-K change in SST, lending support to the fixed anvil temperature (FAT) hypothesis. The results suggest that for plausible ozone profiles, a decrease in the air’s emission capability instead of ozone heating shall remain the control on the detrainment level, and the FAT hypothesis should hold. The anvil temperature also remains unchanged with other changes in the system such as the doubled CO2 mixing ratio, doubled stratospheric water vapor concentration, and dynamical cooling due to the Brewer–Dobson circulations. The results are robust when a different microphysics scheme is used.

Super-Droplet Method for the Numerical Simulation of Clouds and Precipitation: a Particle-Based Microphysics Model Coupled with Non-hydrostatic Model

Abstract: A novel simulation model of cloud microphysics is developed, which is named Super-Droplet Method (SDM). SDM enables accurate calculation of cloud microphysics with reasonable cost in computation. A simple SDM for warm rain, which incorporates sedimentation, condensation/evaporation, stochastic coalescence, is developed. The methodology to couple SDM and a non-hydrostatic model is also developed. It is confirmed that the result of our Monte Carlo scheme for the coalescence of super-droplets agrees fairly well with the solution of stochastic coalescence equation. A preliminary simulation of a shallow maritime cumulus formation initiated by a warm bubble is presented to demonstrate the practicality of SDM. Further discussions are devoted for the extension and the computational efficiency of SDM to incorporate various properties of clouds, such as, several types of ice crystals, several sorts of soluble/insoluble CCNs, their chemical reactions, electrification, and the breakup of droplets. It is suggested that the computational cost of SDM becomes lower than spectral (bin) method when the number of attributes $d$ becomes larger than some critical value, which may be $2\sim4$.

The Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS). Part I: Model Description and Simulation of the Vapor Deposition Process

Abstract: This paper describes the Spectral Ice Habit Prediction System (SHIPS), which represents a continuous-property approach to microphysics simulation in an Eulerian cloud-resolving model (CRM). A two-moment hybrid-bin method is adopted to predict the solid hydrometeor distribution, where the distribution is divided into the mass bins with a simple mass distribution inside each bin. Each bin is characterized by a single representative ice crystal habit and the type of solid hydrometeor. These characteristics are diagnosed based on a series of particle property variables (PPVs) of solid hydrometeors that reflect the history of microphysical processes and the mixing between bins and air parcels in space. Thus, SHIPS allows solid hydrometeors to evolve characteristics and size distribution based on their movement through a cloud. SHIPS was installed into the University of Wisconsin-Nonhydrostatic Modeling System (UW-NMS) and tested for ice nucleation and vapor deposition processes. Two-dimensional ideali...

Sensitivity of the MM5 mesoscale model to physical parameterizations for regional climate studies: Annual cycle

Abstract: We present an analysis of the sensitivity to different physical parameterizations of a high-resolution simulation of the MM5 mesoscale model over the Iberian Peninsula. Several (16) 5-year runs of the MM5 model with varying parameterizations of microphysics, cumulus, planetary boundary layer and longwave radiation have been carried out. The results have been extensively compared with observational precipitation and surface temperature data. The parameterization uncertainty has also been compared with that related to the boundary conditions and the varying observational data sets. The annual cycles of precipitation and surface temperature are well reproduced. The summer season presents the largest deviations, with a 5 K cold bias in the southeast and noticeable precipitation errors over mountain areas. The cold bias seems to be related to the surface, probably because of the excessive moisture availability of the five-layer soil scheme used. No parameterization combination was found to perform best in simulating both precipitation and surface temperature in every season and subregion. The Kain-Fritsch cumulus scheme was found to produce unrealistically high summer precipitation. The longwave radiation parameterizations tested were found to have little impact on our target variables. Other factors, such as the choice of boundary conditions, have an impact on the results as large as the selection of parameterizations. The range of variability in the MM5 physics ensemble is of the same order of magnitude as the observational uncertainty, except in summer, when it is larger and probably related to the inaccuracy of the model to reproduce the summer precipitation over the area.

Impact of cloud microphysics on hurricane track forecasts

Abstract: [1] Simulations of Hurricane Rita (2005) at operational resolutions (30 and 12 km) reveal significant track sensitivity to cloud microphysical details, rivaling variation seen in the National Hurricane Center's multi-model consensus forecast. Microphysics appears to directly or indirectly modulate vortex characteristics including size and winds at large radius and possibly other factors involved in hurricane motion. Idealized simulations made at higher (3 km) resolution help isolate the microphysical influence.

An Evaluation of Microphysics Fields from Mesoscale Model Simulations of Tropical Cyclones. Part I: Comparisons with Observations

Abstract: This study presents a framework for comparing hydrometeor and vertical velocity fields from mesoscale model simulations of tropical cyclones with observations of these fields from a variety of platforms. The framework is based on the Yuter and Houze constant frequency by altitude diagram (CFAD) technique, along with a new hurricane partitioning technique, to compare the statistics of vertical motion and reflectivity fields and hydrometeor concentrations from two datasets: one consisting of airborne radar retrievals and microphysical probe measurements collected from tropical cyclone aircraft flights over many years, and another consisting of cloud-scale (1.67-km grid length) tropical cyclone simulations using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5). Such comparisons of the microphysics fields can identify biases in the simulations that may lead to an identification of deficiencies in the modeling system, such as the formula...

The Influence of Time-Dependent Melting on the Dynamics and Precipitation Production in Maritime and Continental Storm Clouds

Abstract: Simulations of one maritime and four continental observed cases of deep convection are performed with the Hebrew University Cloud Model that has spectral bin microphysics. The maritime case is from observations made on 18 September 1974 during the Global Atmospheric Research Program’s Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE). The continental storm cases are those of summertime Texas clouds observed on 13 August 1999, and green-ocean, smoky, and pyro-clouds observed during the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia–Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall, and Climate (LBA–SMOCC) campaign on 1–4 October 2002. Simulations have been performed for these cases with a detailed melting scheme. This scheme allows calculation of liquid water fraction within each mass bin for the melting of graupel, hail, snowflakes, and crystals, as well as alteration of the sedimentation velocity of ice particles in the course of their melting. The results obtained with the detailed melting scheme are compared with ...

Sensitivity of Cloud-Resolving Simulations of Warm-Season Convection to Cloud Microphysics Parameterizations

Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of cloud microphysics parameterizations on simulations of warm-season precipitation at convection-permitting grid spacing. The objective is to assess the sensitivity of summertime convection predictions to the bulk microphysics parameterizations (BMPs) at fine-grid spacings applicable to the next generation of operational numerical weather prediction models. Four microphysical parameterization schemes are compared: simple ice (Dudhia), four-class mixed phase (Reisner et al.), Goddard five-class mixed phase (Tao and Simpson), and five-class mixed phase with graupel (Reisner et al.). The experimentation involves a 7-day episode (3–9 July 2003) of U.S. midsummer convection under moderate large-scale forcing. Overall, the precipitation coherency manifested as eastward-moving organized convection in the lee of the Rockies is insensitive to the choice of the microphysics schemes, and the latent heating profiles are also largely comparable among the BMPs. The upper-le...

Toward elucidating the microstructure of warm rainfall: a survey

Abstract: [1] Quantitative measurement, estimation, and prediction of precipitation remains one of the grand challenges in the hydrological and atmospheric sciences with far-reaching implications across the natural sciences. Although the roots of current research activity in this topic go back to the beginning of the twentieth century, advances in radar technology and in numerical modeling have provided the impetus for prolific research in the area of cloud and precipitation physics over the last 50 years. As radar rainfall measurements progressively became the staple of hydrometeorological observing systems, cloud and precipitation microphysics emerged as increasingly preeminent areas of research. Here we present a synthesis of the state of the science with respect to the physical dynamics of hydrometeors and, specifically, the transient processes that affect the temporal evolution of rainfall microstructure and that are directly relevant to the quantitative interpretation of radar rainfall measurements and explicit numerical simulations. The focus of our survey is on raindrop morphodynamics (equilibrium raindrop shape and raindrop oscillations), drop-drop interactions (bounce, coalescence, and breakup), and the dynamical evolution of raindrop size distributions in precipitating clouds.

Proposed large-scale modelling of the transient features of a downburst outflow

Abstract: A preceding companion article introduced the slot jet approach for large-scale quasi-steady modelling of a downburst outflow. This article extends the approach to model the time-dependent features of the outflow. A two-dimensional slot jet with an actuated gate produces a gust with a dominant roll vortex. Two designs for the gate mechanism are investigated. Hot-wire anemometry velocity histories and profiles are presented. As well, a three-dimensional, subcloud numerical model is used to approximate the downdraft microphysics, and to compute stationary and translating outflows at high resolution. The evolution of the horizontal and vertical velocity components is examined. Comparison of the present experimental and numerical results with field observations is encouraging.

General relativistic simulations of pasive-magneto-rotational core collapse with microphysics

Abstract: This paper presents results from axisymmetric simulations of magneto-rotational stellar core collapse to neutron stars in general relativity using the passive field approximation for the magnetic field. These simulations are performed using a new general relativistic numerical code specifically designed to study this astrophysical scenario. The code is based on the conformally-flat approximation of Einstein's field equations and conservative formulations of the magneto-hydrodynamics equations. The code has been recently upgraded to incorporate a tabulated, microphysical equation of state and an approximate deleptonization scheme. This allows us to perform the most realistic simulations of magneto-rotational core collapse to date, which are compared with simulations employing a simplified (hybrid) equation of state, widely used in the relativistic core collapse community. Furthermore, state-of-the-art (unmagnetized) initial models from stellar evolution are used. In general, stellar evolution models predict weak magnetic fields in the progenitors, which justifies our simplification of performing the computations under the approach that we call the passive field approximation for the magnetic field. Our results show that for the core collapse models with microphysics the saturation of the magnetic field cannot be reached within dynamical time scales by winding up the poloidal magnetic field into a toroidal one. We estimate the effect of other amplification mechanisms including the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) and several types of dynamos.

Aircraft measurements of solar and infrared radiation and the microphysics of cirrus cloud

Abstract: Profiles of the upward and downward solar and infrared flux densities and of the downward beam radiance at 11 μm are reported for six cirrus cloud decks over Socorro, New Mexico. the data are used to derive empirical relations between vertical ice-water path (obtained from simultaneously measured particlesize distributions) and solar absorptance, solar albedo, broad-band infrared flux emittance and the 11μm beam emittance. As a guide, for ice-water paths of about 75 gm−2 where the infrared emittances are approaching unity, the solar albedo is about 0.4, the solar absorptance is of the order of 0.15 and the geometrical thicknesses are between 1.5 and 2.5 km. Within an individual cloud there is little variation of particle size distribution with height, but the geometrically thicker clouds favour large particles. No icecrystal shape information is available, but the observed relation between albedo and emittance suggests that theoretical treatment of cirrus ice particles as ‘cylinders’ is better than treatment as ‘equivalent spheres’.

Convective–stratiform rainfall separation by cloud content

Abstract: [1] A method is proposed to separate the convective component of the precipitation from the remainder based on threshold values of vertically integrated content of ice clouds (ice water path, IWP), water clouds (liquid water path, LWP), and their ratio (cloud ratio) These cloud variables can be retrieved from satellite measurements and are physically linked to the cloud microphysics as demonstrated by an analysis of simulated cloud microphysics budgets in a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model subject to the imposed forcing from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) Our analysis suggests that rainfall can be designated convective when the corresponding value of cloud ratio 255 mm The remaining grids are classified as mixed and stratiform when the corresponding range of cloud ratio is 02–10 and greater than 1, respectively The method is evaluated by the vertical velocity (w) data The frequency distribution of w shows that w in the convective region has a wide distribution of w, with maximum values exceeding 15 m s−1 In the designated stratiform region, the distribution is narrow, with absolute values of w confined within 5 m s−1 The statistics of w and the budgets of cloud microphysics are consistent with corresponding physical characteristics of the convective and stratiform regions of precipitation The consideration of features like fractional cloud covers, rainrates, w profiles, and the corresponding wave response leads us to regard the mixed and stratiform regions as the non-convective region

Electric Fields, Cloud Microphysics, and Reflectivity in Anvils of Florida Thunderstorms

Abstract: A coordinated aircraft - radar project that investigated the electric fields, cloud microphysics and radar reflectivity of thunderstorm anvils near Kennedy Space Center is described. Measurements from two cases illustrate the extensive nature of the microphysics and electric field observations. As the aircraft flew from the edges of anvils into the interior, electric fields very frequently increased abruptly from approx.1 to >10 kV/m even though the particle concentrations and radar reflectivity increased smoothly. The abrupt increase in field usually occurred when the aircraft entered regions with a reflectivity of 10 to 15 dBZ. It is suggested that the abrupt increase in electric field may be because the charge advection from the storm core did not occur across the entire breadth of the anvil and was not constant in time. Screening layers were not detected near the edges of the anvils. Some long-lived anvils showed subsequent enhancement of electric field and reflectivity and growth of particles, which if localized, might be a factor in explaining the abrupt change of field in some cases. Comparisons of electric field magnitude with particle concentration or reflectivity for a combined data set that included all anvil measurements showed a threshold behavior. When the average reflectivity, such as in a 3-km cube, was less than approximately 5 dBZ, the electric field magnitude was <3 kV/m. Based on these findings, the Volume Averaged Height Integrated Radar Reflectivity (VAHIRR) is now being used by NASA, the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration in new Lightning Launch Commit Criteria as a diagnostic for high electric fields in anvils.

Microphysical and Radiative Effects of Ice Clouds on Tropical Equilibrium States: A Two-Dimensional Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

Abstract: The microphysical and radiative effects of ice clouds on tropical equilibrium states are investigated based on three two-dimensional cloud-resolving simulations imposed by zero vertical velocity and time-invariant zonal wind and sea surface temperature. An experiment without ice microphysics (ice microphysical and radiative effects; C00), another experiment without ice radiative effects (CI0), and the control experiment (CIR) are carried out. The model with cyclic lateral boundaries is integrated for 40 days to reach equilibrium states in all experiments. CI0 produces a colder and drier equilibrium state than CIR and C00 do through generating a larger IR cooling, a larger vapor condensation rate, and consuming a larger amount of water vapor. A larger surface rain rate occurs in CI0 than in CIR and C00. The ice radiative effects on thermodynamic equilibrium states are stronger than the ice microphysical effects so that the exclusion of ice microphysics yields a colder and drier equilibrium state i...

Evaluation of a global aerosol microphysics model against size-resolved particle statistics in the marine atmosphere

Abstract: A statistical synthesis of marine aerosol measurements from experiments in four different oceans is used to evaluate a global aerosol microphysics model (GLOMAP). We compare the model against observed size resolved particle concentrations, probability distributions, and the temporal persistence of different size particles. We attempt to explain the observed sub-micrometre size distributions in terms of sulfate and sea spray and quantify the possible contributions of anthropogenic sulfate and carbonaceous material to the number and mass distribution. The model predicts a bimodal size distribution that agrees well with observations as a grand average over all regions, but there are large regional differences. Notably, observed Aitken mode number concentrations are more than a factor 10 higher than in the model for the N Atlantic but a factor 7 lower than the model in the NW Pacific. We also find that modelled Aitken mode and accumulation mode geometric mean diameters are generally smaller in the model by 10–30%. Comparison with observed free tropospheric Aitken mode distributions suggests that the model underpredicts growth of these particles during descent to the marine boundary layer (MBL). Recent observations of a substantial organic component of free tropospheric aerosol could explain this discrepancy. We find that anthropogenic continental material makes a substantial contribution to N Atlantic MBL aerosol, with typically 60–90% of sulfate across the particle size range coming from anthropogenic sources, even if we analyse air that has spent an average of >120 h away from land. However, anthropogenic primary black carbon and organic carbon particles (at the emission size and quantity assumed here) do not explain the large discrepancies in Aitken mode number. Several explanations for the discrepancy are suggested. The lack of lower atmospheric particle formation in the model may explain low N Atlantic particle concentrations. However, the observed and modelled particle persistence at Cape Grim in the Southern Ocean, does not reveal a diurnal cycle consistent with a photochemically driven local particle source. We also show that a physically based cloud drop activation scheme better explains the observed change in accumulation mode geometric mean diameter with particle number.

An analysis of the regulation of tropical tropospheric water vapor

Abstract: [1] We use a simple trajectory model to investigate the mechanisms that regulate mid- and upper-tropospheric humidity. Our model advects water passively and contains no microphysics other than the requirement that water vapor is immediately removed so as to prevent the relative humidity from ever exceeding 100%. We demonstrate that our model accurately reproduces H2O measurements made by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. Our results show that, given the large-scale circulation of the troposphere, detailed microphysics need not be included in order to accurately simulate H2O. We have also identified three preferred regions where air parcels in the mid and upper troposphere experience their final dehydration. The first is in the equatorial upper troposphere and is associated with convective outflow at the top of the tropical Hadley circulation. Final dehydration of air that detrains at potential temperature θ above ∼340 K (∼10 km) predominantly occurs here. The other two regions are found at lower altitudes in the midlatitudes of both hemispheres and are associated with dehydration during isentropic excursions to midlatitudes. Final dehydration of air that detrains at θ below ∼340 K predominantly occurs here. Finally, we analyze the water budget of the dry eastern Pacific subtropics and find that dehydration in both the equatorial upper troposphere and the midlatitudes contribute to the dryness there.

A high-resolution simulation of microphysics and electrification in an idealized hurricane-like vortex

Abstract: Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning bursts in the eyewall of mature tropical cyclones (TCs) are believed to be good indicators of imminent intensification of these systems. While numerous well-documented observational cases exist in the literature, no modeling studies of the electrification processes within TCs have previously been conducted. At present, little is known about the evolution of charge regions and lightning activity in mature TCs. Towards this goal, a numerical cloud model featuring a 12-class bulk microphysics scheme with electrification and lightning processes is utilized to investigate the evolution of the microphysics fields and subsequent electrical activity in an idealized hurricane-like vortex.

Utilization of spectral bin microphysics and bulk parameterization schemes to simulate the cloud structure and precipitation in a mesoscale rain event

Abstract: [1] Sea breeze convection in Florida on 27 July 1991, accompanied by squall line formation, was simulated using MM5 with various microphysical schemes, including the Hebrew University spectral (bin) microphysics (SBM) and three recently developed bulk model parameterizations. The bulk schemes are the Seifert full two-moment scheme (FTMS), the Reisner-Thompson two-moment ice scheme (TMIS), and the Thompson two-moment ice scheme. The results were evaluated using observed rainfall and radar reflectivity, including radar derived contour frequency with altitude diagrams (CFAD). The SBM simulated quite well the time evolution of average and maximum rainfall amounts. A comparison of a CFAD derived from observations and CFADs derived from model calculated radar reflectivity suggests that the SBM simulates the three-dimensional structure of squall line convection and stratiform mixed phase cloud more realistically than the bulk parameterization schemes. However, the Thompson scheme shows a qualitative improvement over the other bulk parameterization schemes in the simulation of the three-dimensional structure of the squall line as indicated by comparison of its CFAD with the observed. All of the new bulk models simulate precipitation better than the earlier bulk parameterization schemes, but each still produces too much precipitation during too short periods of time and underestimates the area covered by stratiform clouds.

Scattering of Ice Particles at Microwave Frequencies: A Physically Based Parameterization

Abstract: This paper presents a new, purely physical approach to simulate ice-particle scattering at microwave frequencies. Temperature-dependent ice particle size distributions measured by aircraft in midlatitude frontal systems are used to represent the distribution of precipitation-sized frozen hydrometeors above the freezing level through derived radar reflectivity–snow water content (Z–M) relationships. The discrete dipole approximation is employed to calculate optical properties of selected types of idealized nonspherical ice particles (hexagonal columns, four-arm rosettes, and six-arm rosettes). Based on those assumptions, passive microwave optical properties are calculated using radar observations from Gotland Island in the Baltic Sea. These forward-simulated brightness temperatures are compared with observed data from both the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B). Results show that the new ice scattering/microphysics model is able to g...

Observed and simulated microphysical composition of arctic clouds: Data properties and model validation

Abstract: [1] Data from two different sensors measuring ice particles were combined to establish an improved data series for ice water content. Together with liquid water measurements this new data set was used to evaluate arctic cloud properties, simulated with a state-of-the-art mesoscale atmospheric model. Dependent on the method used for comparison, the mean cloud fraction was found to lie between 51 and 58% in the observations and 53% in the simulations. The hit rate for the total water content was estimated to be between 65 and 71% and the systematic error to a few percent. On the basis of in-cloud observations only, the model was able to reproduce cloudy conditions in 74% of the data points. On the other hand, the model underestimated the occurrence of the liquid phase by about 80% and slightly overestimated the occurrence of the ice phase. Also, in the temperature range from 255 K to 230 K, where considerable amounts of supercooled water were observed, the model failed to produce the liquid phase. Our results confirm the previous finding that despite high forecast skill with respect to cloudy or cloud-free events, the model underpredicts the occurrence of liquid phase in arctic clouds. This shortcoming will have a large influence on precipitation forecasts, as well as on climate predictions. Despite some improvements in recent years, more research is needed to improve the parameterization of arctic cloud properties in fine-scale weather prediction models. For climate models, which have to employ a much cruder parameterization of the microphysics, we face a number of challenges.

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

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 f...

Ice hydrometeor microphysical assumptions in radiative transfer models at AMSU-B frequencies

Abstract: Comparisons between two radiative transfer models, ARTS and RTTOV, showed that results in the presence of scattering from ice hydrometeors are highly dependent on assumptions made about the ice microphysics, specifically the size distribution and the density of the ice particles. This paper presents the results of a comparison study between a number of different treatments for the ice microphysics in RTTOV. Of the approaches considered, the combination of a size-dependent density (larger ice particles are less dense) and a size distribution treatment based on the cloud temperature and ice water content give the best approximation for the cases examined. Further work is planned in other regimes to see if this approach can be applied more widely. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society