scholarly journals Sensitivity of a Cloud-Resolving Model to Bulk and Explicit Bin Microphysical Schemes. Part I: Comparisons

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaowen Li ◽  
Wei-Kuo Tao ◽  
Alexander P. Khain ◽  
Joanne Simpson ◽  
Daniel E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Stratiform Region ◽  
Storm Flow ◽  
Cloud Resolving Model ◽  
Storm Dynamics ◽  
Convective Cells ◽  
Heating Profiles

Abstract A two-dimensional cloud-resolving model is used to study the sensitivities of two microphysical schemes, a bulk scheme and an explicit spectral bin scheme, in simulating a midlatitude summertime squall line [Preliminary Regional Experiment for Storm-Scale Operational and Research Meteorology (PRE-STORM), 10–11 June 1985]. In this first part of a two-part paper, the developing and mature stages of simulated storms are compared in detail. Some variables observed during the field campaign are also presented for validation. It is found that both schemes agree well with each other, and also with published observations and retrievals, in terms of storm structures and evolution, average storm flow patterns, pressure and temperature perturbations, and total heating profiles. The bin scheme is able to produce a much more extensive and homogeneous stratiform region, which compares better with observations. However, instantaneous fields and high temporal resolution analyses show distinct characteristics in the two simulations. During the mature stage, the bulk simulation produces a multicell storm with convective cells embedded in its stratiform region. Its leading convection also shows a distinct life cycle (strong evolution). In contrast, the bin simulation produces a unicell storm with little temporal variation in its leading cell regeneration (weak evolution). More detailed, high-resolution observations are needed to validate and, perhaps, generalize these model results. Interactions between the cloud microphysics and storm dynamics that produce the sensitivities described here are discussed in detail in Part II of this paper.

Impact of Cloud Microphysics on the Development of Trailing Stratiform Precipitation in a Simulated Squall Line: Comparison of One- and Two-Moment Schemes

2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 991-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Morrison ◽  
G. Thompson ◽  
V. Tatarskii
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Cloud Droplets ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Stratiform Region ◽  
Stratiform Precipitation ◽  
The One ◽  
Cloud Ice

Abstract A new two-moment cloud microphysics scheme predicting the mixing ratios and number concentrations of five species (i.e., cloud droplets, cloud ice, snow, rain, and graupel) has been implemented into the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). This scheme is used to investigate the formation and evolution of trailing stratiform precipitation in an idealized two-dimensional squall line. Results are compared to those using a one-moment version of the scheme that predicts only the mixing ratios of the species, and diagnoses the number concentrations from the specified size distribution intercept parameter and predicted mixing ratio. The overall structure of the storm is similar using either the one- or two-moment schemes, although there are notable differences. The two-moment (2-M) scheme produces a widespread region of trailing stratiform precipitation within several hours of the storm formation. In contrast, there is negligible trailing stratiform precipitation using the one-moment (1-M) scheme. The primary reason for this difference are reduced rain evaporation rates in 2-M compared to 1-M in the trailing stratiform region, leading directly to greater rain mixing ratios and surface rainfall rates. Second, increased rain evaporation rates in 2-M compared to 1-M in the convective region at midlevels result in weaker convective updraft cells and increased midlevel detrainment and flux of positively buoyant air from the convective into the stratiform region. This flux is in turn associated with a stronger mesoscale updraft in the stratiform region and enhanced ice growth rates. The reduced (increased) rates of rain evaporation in the stratiform (convective) regions in 2-M are associated with differences in the predicted rain size distribution intercept parameter (which was specified as a constant in 1-M) between the two regions. This variability is consistent with surface disdrometer measurements in previous studies that show a rapid decrease of the rain intercept parameter during the transition from convective to stratiform rainfall.

scholarly journals Comparison of Raindrop Size Distributions in a Midlatitude Continental Squall Line during Different Stages as Measured by Parsivel over East China

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 2097-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongsheng Zhang ◽  
Yun Zhang ◽  
Hongrang He ◽  
Yanqiong Xie ◽  
Qingwei Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
East China ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Stratiform Region ◽  
Raindrop Size ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Rain Rates

AbstractThe characteristics of raindrop size distributions (DSDs) during a midlatitude continental squall line on 30 July 2014 in east China are studied, and the different life stages are observed by OTT second-generation Particle Size Velocity (Parsivel2) disdrometers at Chuzhou during the mature stage and Nanjing during the declining stage. The observed rainfall is classified into convective line, transition, and stratiform regions based on the structure of the radar reflectivity Z and rainfall intensity R. The results show that the DSD characteristics of the different precipitation types and different squall-line stages are very different. The convective center has the largest number concentration and quantity of large drops corresponding to the highest rain rate; the rain rates in the trailing edge and stratiform regions are similar, although a lower concentration of small drops is present in the latter. Between the two stages, the drop size and number concentration for the convective center decrease, although the leading edge during the declining stage has more numerous larger drops; the number concentration is similar in the stratiform rainfall, but the drops become much smaller. For the normalized distribution, the scaled spectra for the convective center are closer to an exponential distribution, and the μ value during the declining stage is larger than that during the mature stage for the stratiform region and similar during both stages for the convective center. The declining stage has a larger exponent b and smaller coefficient A in the Z–R relationship based on fits for the entire dataset. Moreover, the R(ZH, ZDR) estimator is more accurate than that when using the Z–R relation algorithm.

Sensitivity of a Cloud-Resolving Model to Bulk and Explicit Bin Microphysical Schemes. Part II: Cloud Microphysics and Storm Dynamics Interactions

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaowen Li ◽  
Wei-Kuo Tao ◽  
Alexander P. Khain ◽  
Joanne Simpson ◽  
Daniel E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Wind Shear ◽  
Evaporation Rate ◽  
Mesoscale Convective System ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Convective System ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Stratiform Region ◽  
Sensitivity Tests ◽  
Storm Dynamics

Abstract Part I of this paper compares two simulations, one using a bulk and the other a detailed bin microphysical scheme, of a long-lasting, continental mesoscale convective system with leading convection and trailing stratiform region. Diagnostic studies and sensitivity tests are carried out in Part II to explain the simulated contrasts in the spatial and temporal variations by the two microphysical schemes and to understand the interactions between cloud microphysics and storm dynamics. It is found that the fixed raindrop size distribution in the bulk scheme artificially enhances rain evaporation rate and produces a stronger near-surface cool pool compared with the bin simulation. In the bulk simulation, cool pool circulation dominates the near-surface environmental wind shear in contrast to the near-balance between cool pool and wind shear in the bin simulation. This is the main reason for the contrasting quasi-steady states simulated in Part I. Sensitivity tests also show that large amounts of fast-falling hail produced in the original bulk scheme not only result in a narrow trailing stratiform region but also act to further exacerbate the strong cool pool simulated in the bulk parameterization. An empirical formula for a correction factor, r(qr) = 0.11qr−1.27 + 0.98, is developed to correct the overestimation of rain evaporation in the bulk model, where r is the ratio of the rain evaporation rate between the bulk and bin simulations and qr(g kg−1) is the rain mixing ratio. This formula offers a practical fix for the simple bulk scheme in rain evaporation parameterization.

Tracking a Long-Lasting Outer Tropical Cyclone Rainband: Origin and Convective Transformation

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (10) ◽  
pp. 3267-3283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Ku Yu ◽  
Che-Yu Lin ◽  
Jhang-Shuo Luo
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Inner Core ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Dynamical Interaction ◽  
Cold Pools

Abstract This study used radar and surface observations to track a long-lasting outer tropical cyclone rainband (TCR) of Typhoon Jangmi (2008) over a considerable period of time (~10 h) from its formative to mature stage. Detailed analyses of these unique observations indicate that the TCR was initiated on the eastern side of the typhoon at a radial distance of ~190 km as it detached from the upwind segment of a stratiform rainband located close to the inner-core boundary. The outer rainband, as it propagated cyclonically outward, underwent a prominent convective transformation from generally stratiform precipitation during the earlier period to highly organized, convective precipitation during its mature stage. The transformation was accompanied by a clear trend of surface kinematics and thermodynamics toward squall-line-like features. The observed intensification of the rainband was not simply related to the spatial variation of the ambient CAPE or potential instability; instead, the dynamical interaction between the prerainband vertical shear and cold pools, with progression toward increasingly optimal conditions over time, provides a reasonable explanation for the temporal alternation of the precipitation intensity. The increasing intensity of cold pools was suggested to play an essential role in the convective transformation for the rainband. The propagation characteristics of the studied TCR were distinctly different from those of wave disturbances frequently documented within the cores of tropical cyclones; however, they were consistent with the theoretically predicted propagation of convectively generated cold pools. The convective transformation, as documented in the present case, is anticipated to be one of the fundamental processes determining the evolving and structural nature of outer TCRs.

scholarly journals Cloud‐resolving model intercomparison of an MC3E squall line case: Part I—Convective updrafts

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (17) ◽  
pp. 9351-9378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiwen Fan ◽  
Bin Han ◽  
Adam Varble ◽  
Hugh Morrison ◽  
Kirk North ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squall Line ◽  
Model Intercomparison ◽  
Cloud Resolving Model ◽  
Case Part

scholarly journals Cloud‐Resolving Model Intercomparison of an MC3E Squall Line Case: Part II. Stratiform Precipitation Properties

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 1090-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Han ◽  
Jiwen Fan ◽  
Adam Varble ◽  
Hugh Morrison ◽  
Christopher R. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squall Line ◽  
Model Intercomparison ◽  
Stratiform Precipitation ◽  
Cloud Resolving Model ◽  
Case Part

scholarly journals Tropical deep convective life cycle: Cb-anvil cloud microphysics from high-altitude aircraft observations

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 13223-13240 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Frey ◽  
S. Borrmann ◽  
F. Fierli ◽  
R. Weigel ◽  
V. Mitev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
Convective System ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Tropical Tropopause ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds

Abstract. The case study presented here focuses on the life cycle of clouds in the anvil region of a tropical deep convective system. During the SCOUT-O3 campaign from Darwin, Northern Australia, the Hector storm system has been probed by the Geophysica high-altitude aircraft. Clouds were observed by in situ particle probes, a backscatter sonde, and a miniature lidar. Additionally, aerosol number concentrations have been measured. On 30 November 2005 a double flight took place and Hector was probed throughout its life cycle in its developing, mature, and dissipating stage. The two flights were four hours apart and focused on the anvil region of Hector in altitudes between 10.5 and 18.8 km (i.e. above 350 K potential temperature). Trajectory calculations, satellite imagery, and ozone measurements have been used to ensure that the same cloud air masses have been probed in both flights. The size distributions derived from the measurements show a change not only with increasing altitude but also with the evolution of Hector. Clearly different cloud to aerosol particle ratios as well as varying ice crystal morphology have been found for the different development stages of Hector, indicating different freezing mechanisms. The development phase exhibits the smallest ice particles (up to 300 μm) with a rather uniform morphology. This is indicative for rapid glaciation during Hector's development. Sizes of ice crystals are largest in the mature stage (larger than 1.6 mm) and even exceed those of some continental tropical deep convective clouds, also in their number concentrations. The backscatter properties and particle images show a change in ice crystal shape from the developing phase to rimed and aggregated particles in the mature and dissipating stages; the specific shape of particles in the developing phase cannot be distinguished from the measurements. Although optically thin, the clouds in the dissipating stage have a large vertical extent (roughly 6 km) and persist for at least 6 h. Thus, the anvils of these high-reaching deep convective clouds have a high potential for affecting the tropical tropopause layer by modifying the humidity and radiative budget, as well as for providing favourable conditions for subvisible cirrus formation. The involved processes may also influence the amount of water vapour that ultimately reaches the stratosphere in the tropics.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effects of Microphysical Scheme on Convective and Stratiform Characteristics in a Mei-Yu Rainfall Combining WRF Simulation and Field Campaign Observations

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Lin Liu ◽  
Chunze Lin ◽  
Yongqing Bai ◽  
Dengxin He
Keyword(s):  
Wrf Model ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Double Moment ◽  
Storm Dynamics ◽  
Precipitation Structure ◽  
Upper Level

Microphysics parameterization becomes increasingly important as the model grid spacing increases toward convection-resolving scales. Using observations from a field campaign for Mei-Yu rainfall in China, four bulk cloud microphysics schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model were evaluated with respect to their ability to simulate precipitation, structure, and cloud microphysical properties over convective and stratiform regimes. These are the Thompson (THOM), Morrison graupel/hail (MOR_G/H), Stony Brook University (SBU_YLIN), and WRF double-moment six-class microphysics graupel/hail (WDM6_G/H). All schemes were able to predict the rain band but underestimated the total precipitation by 23%–35%. This is mainly attributed to the underestimation of stratiform precipitation and overestimation of convective rain. For the vertical distribution of radar reflectivity, many problems remain, such as lower reflectivity values aloft in both convective and stratiform regions and higher reflectivity values at middle level. Each bulk scheme has its advantages and shortcomings for different cloud regimes. Overall, the discrepancies between model output and observations mostly exist in the midlevel to upper level, which results from the inability of the model to accurately represent the particle size distribution, ice processes, and storm dynamics. Further observations from major field campaigns and more detailed evaluation are still necessary.

scholarly journals The Cloud-resolving model Radar SIMulator (CR-SIM) Version 3.3: description and applications of a virtual observatory

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1975-1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariko Oue ◽  
Aleksandra Tatarevic ◽  
Pavlos Kollias ◽  
Dié Wang ◽  
Kwangmin Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Virtual Observatory ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Cloud Resolving Model ◽  
Radar Simulator

Abstract. Ground-based observatories use multisensor observations to characterize cloud and precipitation properties. One of the challenges is how to design strategies to best use these observations to understand these properties and evaluate weather and climate models. This paper introduces the Cloud-resolving model Radar SIMulator (CR-SIM), which uses output from high-resolution cloud-resolving models (CRMs) to emulate multiwavelength, zenith-pointing, and scanning radar observables and multisensor (radar and lidar) products. CR-SIM allows for direct comparison between an atmospheric model simulation and remote-sensing products using a forward-modeling framework consistent with the microphysical assumptions used in the atmospheric model. CR-SIM has the flexibility to easily incorporate additional microphysical modules, such as microphysical schemes and scattering calculations, and expand the applications to simulate multisensor retrieval products. In this paper, we present several applications of CR-SIM for evaluating the representativeness of cloud microphysics and dynamics in a CRM, quantifying uncertainties in radar–lidar integrated cloud products and multi-Doppler wind retrievals, and optimizing radar sampling strategy using observing system simulation experiments. These applications demonstrate CR-SIM as a virtual observatory operator on high-resolution model output for a consistent comparison between model results and observations to aid interpretation of the differences and improve understanding of the representativeness errors due to the sampling limitations of the ground-based measurements. CR-SIM is licensed under the GNU GPL package and both the software and the user guide are publicly available to the scientific community.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document