Dynamics of the Shallow Meridional Circulation around Intertropical Convergence Zones

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 2262-2285 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Nolan ◽  
Chidong Zhang ◽  
Shu-hua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Meridional Circulation ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Convective Heating ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
East Pacific

Abstract The generally accepted view of the meridional circulation in the tropical east Pacific is that of a single deep overturning cell driven by deep convective heating in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), similar to the zonal mean Hadley circulation. However, recent observations of the atmosphere from the tropical eastern Pacific have called this view into question. In several independent datasets, significant meridional return flows out of the ITCZ region were observed, not only at high altitudes, but also at low altitudes, just above the atmospheric boundary layer. This paper presents a theory and idealized simulations to understand the causes and dynamics of this shallow meridional circulation (SMC). Fundamentally, the SMC can be seen as a large-scale sea-breeze circulation driven by sea surface temperature gradients when deep convection is absent in the ITCZ region. A simple model of this circulation is presented. Using observed values, the sea-breeze model shows that the pressure gradient above the boundary can indeed reverse, leading to the pressure force that drives the shallow return flow out of the ITCZ. The Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF) is used to simulate an idealized Hadley circulation driven by moist convection in a tropical channel. The SMC is reproduced, with reasonable similarity to the circulation observed in the east Pacific. The simulations confirm that the SMC is driven by a reversal of the pressure gradient above the boundary layer, and that the return flow is strongest when deep convection is absent in the ITCZ, and weakest when deep convection is active. The model also shows that moisture transport out of the ITCZ region is far greater in the low-level shallow return flow than in the high-altitude return flow associated with the deep overturning, and that a budget for water transport in and out of the ITCZ region is grossly incomplete without it. Much of the moisture carried in the shallow return flow is recycled into the boundary layer, but does not appear to contribute to enhanced cloudiness in the subtropical stratocumulus poleward of the ITCZ.

scholarly journals Diurnal Preconditioning of Subtropical Coastal Convective Storm Environments

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (9) ◽  
pp. 3839-3859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua S. Soderholm ◽  
Hamish A. McGowan ◽  
Harald Richter ◽  
Kevin Walsh ◽  
Tony Wedd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Convective Storm ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Mesoscale Convective ◽  
Supercell Storms

Boundary layer evolution in response to diurnal forcing is manifested at the mesobeta and smaller scales of the atmosphere. Because this variability resides on subsynoptic scales, the potential influence upon convective storm environments is often not captured in coarse observational and modeling datasets, particularly for complex physical settings such as coastal regions. A detailed observational analysis of diurnally forced preconditioning for convective storm environments of South East Queensland, Australia (SEQ), during the Coastal Convective Interactions Experiment (2013–15) is presented. The observations used include surface-based measurements, aerological soundings, and dual-polarization Doppler radar. The sea-breeze circulation was found to be the dominant influence; however, profile modification by the coastward advection of the continental boundary layer was found to be an essential mechanism for favorable preconditioning of deep convection. This includes 1) enhanced moisture in the city of Brisbane, potentiality due to an urban heat island–enhanced land–sea thermal contrast, 2) significant afternoon warming and moistening above the sea breeze resulting from the advection of the inland convective boundary layer coastward under prevailing westerly flow coupled with the sea-breeze return flow, and 3) substantial variations in near-surface moisture likely associated with topography and land use. For the 27 November 2014 Brisbane hailstorm, which caused damages exceeding $1.5 billion Australian dollars (AUD), the three introduced diurnal preconditioning processes are shown to favor a mesoscale convective environment supportive of large hailstone growth. The hybrid high-precipitation supercell storm mode noted for this event and previous similar events in SEQ is hypothesized to be more sensitive to variations in near-surface and boundary layer instability in contrast to contemporary supercell storms.

scholarly journals Dynamics of the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the East Pacific

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 582-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Raymond ◽  
Christopher S. Bretherton ◽  
John Molinari
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layer Flow ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Intertropical Convergence Zone ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Layer Flow ◽  
Sst Gradient

Abstract The dynamical factors controlling the mean state and variability of the east Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and the associated cross-equatorial boundary layer flow are investigated using observations from the East Pacific Investigation of Climate (EPIC2001) project. The tropical east Pacific exhibits a southerly boundary layer flow that terminates in the ITCZ. This flow is induced by the strong meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the region. Away from the equator and from deep convection, it is reasonably well described on a day-to-day basis by an extended Ekman balance model. Variability in the strength and northward extent of this flow is caused by variations in free-tropospheric pressure gradients that either reinforce or oppose the pressure gradient associated with the SST gradient. These free-tropospheric gradients are caused by easterly waves, tropical cyclones, and the Madden–Julian oscillation. Convergence in the boundary layer flow is often assumed to be responsible for destabilizing the atmosphere to deep convection. An alternative hypothesis is that enhanced total surface heat fluxes associated with high SSTs and strong winds act to produce the necessary destabilization. Analysis of the moist entropy budget of the planetary boundary layer shows that, on average, surface fluxes generate over twice the destabilization produced by boundary layer convergence in the east Pacific ITCZ.

Structure of the Madden–Julian Oscillation in the Superparameterized CAM

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 3277-3296 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Benedict ◽  
David A. Randall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Atmospheric Model ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Time Structures

Abstract The detailed dynamic and thermodynamic space–time structures of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) as simulated by the superparameterized Community Atmosphere Model version 3.0 (SP-CAM) are analyzed. Superparameterization involves substituting conventional boundary layer, moist convection, and cloud parameterizations with a configuration of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) embedded in each general circulation model (GCM) grid cell. Unlike most GCMs that implement conventional parameterizations, the SP-CAM displays robust atmospheric variability on intraseasonal space and time (30–60 days) scales. The authors examine a 19-yr SP-CAM simulation based on the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project protocol, forced by prescribed sea surface temperatures. Overall, the space–time structures of MJO convective disturbances are very well represented in the SP-CAM. Compared to observations, the model produces a similar vertical progression of increased moisture, warmth, and heating from the boundary layer to the upper troposphere as deep convection matures. Additionally, important advective and convective processes in the SP-CAM compare favorably with those in observations. A deficiency of the SP-CAM is that simulated convective intensity organized on intraseasonal space–time scales is overestimated, particularly in the west Pacific. These simulated convective biases are likely due to several factors including unrealistic boundary layer interactions, a lack of weakening of the simulated disturbance over the Maritime Continent, and mean state differences.

A Numerical Study of the Evolving Convective Boundary Layer and Orographic Circulation around the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona. Part I: Circulation without Deep Convection

2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
pp. 1902-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Cory Demko ◽  
Bart Geerts
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Warm Anomaly ◽  
Orographic Convection ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Santa Catalina Mountains

Abstract The daytime evolution of the thermally forced boundary layer (BL) circulation over an isolated mountain, about 30 km in diameter and 2 km high, is examined by means of numerical simulations validated with data collected in the Cumulus Photogrammetric, In Situ, and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO) field campaign. Two cases are presented, one remains cloud free in the simulations, and the second produces orographic convection just deep enough to yield a trace of precipitation. The Weather Research and Forecasting version 3 simulations, at a resolution of 1 km, compare well with CuPIDO observations. The simulations reveal a solenoidal circulation mostly contained within the convective BL, but this circulation and especially its upper-level return flow branch are not immediately apparent since they are overwhelmed by BL thermals. A warm anomaly forms over the high terrain during the day, but it is rather shallow and does not extend over the depth of the convective BL, which bulges over the mountain. Low-level mountain-scale convergence (MSC), driven by an anabatic pressure gradient, deepens during the day. Even relatively shallow and relatively small cumulus convection can temporarily overwhelm surface MSC by cloud shading and convective downdraft dynamics. In the evening drainage flow develops near the surface before the anabatic forcing ceases, and anabatic flow is still present in the residual mixed layer, decoupled from the surface. The interaction of the boundary layer circulation with deep orographic convection is examined in Part II of this study.

scholarly journals Low-level Mesoscale and Cloud-scale Interactions Promoting Deep Convection Initiation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. Marquis ◽  
Adam C. Varble ◽  
Paul Robinson ◽  
T. Connor. Nelson ◽  
Katja Friedrich
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Deep Moist Convection ◽  
Convection Initiation

AbstractData from scanning radars, radiosondes, and vertical profilers deployed during three field campaigns are analyzed to study interactions between cloud-scale updrafts associated with initiating deep moist convection and the surrounding environment. Three cases are analyzed in which the radar networks permitted dual-Doppler wind retrievals in clear air preceding and during the onset of surface precipitation. These observations capture the evolution of: i) the mesoscale and boundary layer flow, and ii) low-level updrafts associated with deep moist convection initiation (CI) events yielding sustained or short-lived precipitating storms.The elimination of convective inhibition did not distinguish between sustained and unsustained CI events, though the vertical distribution of convective available potential energy may have played a role. The clearest signal differentiating the initiation of sustained versus unsustained precipitating deep convection was the depth of the low-level horizontal wind convergence associated with the mesoscale flow feature triggering CI, a sharp surface wind shift boundary or orographic upslope flow. The depth of the boundary layer relative to the height of the LFC failed to be a consistent indicator of CI potential. Widths of the earliest detectable low-level updrafts associated with sustained precipitating deep convection were ~3-5 km, larger than updrafts associated with surrounding boundary layer turbulence (~1-3-km wide). It is hypothesized that updrafts of this larger size are important for initiating cells to survive the destructive effects of buoyancy dilution via entrainment.

scholarly journals Diurnal cycle of precipitation and near-surface atmospheric conditions over the maritime continent: land–sea contrast and impacts of ambient winds in cloud-permitting simulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuntao Wei ◽  
Zhaoxia Pu
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Maritime Continent ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Near Surface

AbstractA set of cloud-permitting-scale numerical simulations during January–February 2018 is used to examine the diurnal cycle (DC) of precipitation and near-surface variables (e.g., 2 m temperature, 10 m wind and convergence) over the Indo-Pacific Maritime Continent under the impacts of shore-orthogonal ambient winds (SOAWs). It is found that the DC of these variables and their variabilities of daily maxima, minima, and diurnal amplitudes vary over land, sea, and coastal regions. Among all variables, the DC of precipitation has the highest linear correlation with near-surface convergence (near-surface temperature) over coastal (noncoastal) regions. The correlations among the DCs of precipitation, wind, and heating are greater over the ocean than over land. Sine curves can model accurately the DCs of most variables over the ocean, but not over land. SOAWs act to influence the DC mainly by affecting the diurnal amplitude of the considered variables, with DC being stronger under more strengthened offshore SOAWs, though variable dependence and regional variability exist. Composite analysis over Sumatra reveals that under weak SOAWs, shallow clouds are dominant and cause a pre-moistening effect, supporting shallow-to-deep convection transition. A sea breeze circulation (SBC) with return flow aloft can develop rapidly. Cold pools are better able to trigger new updrafts and contribute to the upscale growth and inland migration of deep convection. In addition, warm gravity waves can propagate upward throughout the troposphere, thereby supporting a strong DC. In contrast, under strong SOAWs, both shallow and middle-high clouds prevail and persist throughout the day. The evolution of moistening and SBC is reduced, leading to weak variation in vertical motion and rainwater confined to the boundary layer. Large-scale winds, moisture, and convection are discussed to interpret how strong SOAWs affect the DC of Sumatra.

TRMM-Observed Shallow versus Deep Convection in the Eastern Pacific Related to Large-Scale Circulations in Reanalysis Datasets

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (14) ◽  
pp. 5575-5592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chie Yokoyama ◽  
Edward J. Zipser ◽  
Chuntao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Vertical Structure ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Radar Echo ◽  
Circulation Structure

Abstract Over the eastern Pacific, recent studies have shown that a shallow large-scale meridional circulation with its return flow just above the boundary layer coexists with a deep Hadley circulation. This study examines how the vertical structure of large-scale circulations is related to satellite-observed individual precipitation properties over the eastern Pacific in boreal autumn. Three reanalysis datasets are used to describe differences in their behavior. The results are compared among reanalyses and three distinctly different convection periods, which are defined according to their radar echo depths. Shallow and deep circulations are shown to often coexist for each of the three periods, resulting in the multicell circulation structure. Deep (shallow) circulations preferentially appear in the mostly deep (shallow) convection period of radar echo depths. Thus, depth of convection basically corresponds to which circulation branch is dominant. This anticipated relationship between the circulation structure and depths of convection is common in all three reanalyses. Notable differences among reanalyses are found in the mid- to upper troposphere in either the time-mean state or the composite analysis based on the convection periods. Reanalyses have large variations in characteristics associated with deep circulations such as the upper-tropospheric divergence and outflows and the midlevel inflows, which are consistent with their different profiles of latent heating in the mid- to upper troposphere. On the other hand, discrepancies in shallow circulations and shallow convection are also found, but they are not as large as those in deep ones.

scholarly journals Local Impact of Stochastic Shallow Convection on Clouds and Precipitation in the Tropical Atlantic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Sakradzija ◽  
Fabian Senf ◽  
Leonhard Scheck ◽  
Maike Ahlgrimm ◽  
Daniel Klocke
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Convective Heating ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Convection Scheme ◽  
Local Boundary ◽  
Local Impact

<p>Local impact of a stochastic shallow convection scheme on clouds and precipitation is tested in a case study over the tropical Atlantic on 20th December 2013 using the Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic Model (ICON) of the German Weather Service. ICON is used at a grid resolution of 2.5 km and is tested in several configurations that differ in their treatment of shallow convection. Two versions of a scale-aware stochastic shallow convection scheme are compared to the operational deterministic scheme and a case with no representation of shallow convection. The model is evaluated by comparing synthetically generated irradiance data for both visible and infrared wavelengths against actual satellite observations. The experimental approach is designed to distinguish the local effects of parameterized shallow convection (or lack thereof) within the trades versus the ITCZ. <br>The stochastic cases prove to be superior in reproducing low-level cloud cover, deep convection and its organization, as well as the distribution of precipitation in the tropical Atlantic ITCZ. In these cases, convective heating in the subcloud layer is substantial, boundary layer depth is increased as a result of the heating, while evaporation is enhanced at the expense of sensible heat flux at the ocean’s surface. The stochastic case where subgrid shallow convection is deactivated below the resolved deep updrafts shows that local boundary-layer convection is crucial for a better representation of deep convection. Based on these results, our study points to a necessity to further develop parameterizations of shallow convection for the use at the convection-permitting resolutions and to assuredly include them in weather and climate modelling efforts. </p>

scholarly journals Assessing the Vertical Latent Heating Structure of the East Pacific ITCZ Using the CloudSat CPR and TRMM PR

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 2563-2577 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Huaman ◽  
C. Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Meridional Circulation ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Hadley Cell ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
East Pacific ◽  
Trmm Pr ◽  
Heating Profiles

In the east Pacific (EP) intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) latent heating retrievals suggest a top-heavy structure; however, light precipitation and its associated low-level heating are underestimated by the PR. This study uses stratiform and deep convective precipitation from the TRMM PR and shallow precipitation from the more sensitive CloudSat radar to assess the seasonal latent heating structure in the EP ITCZ (130°–90°W) for 1998–2014. This study also uses reanalyses (MERRA-2, ERA-Interim, and NCEP–NCAR) to analyze the meridional circulation linked to variations in ITCZ heating. The TRMM/ CloudSat heating profiles suggest a distinct seasonality. During DJF, latent heating peaks at 800 hPa because of the predominance of shallow convection and rises to 700 hPa during MAM as the contribution from deep convective rain increases. During JJA and SON, stratiform precipitation increases and the latent heating has a double peak at 700 and 400 hPa. Additionally, the EP ITCZ heating has a meridional slope throughout most of the year as a result of the prevalence of shallow (deep) convection in the southern (northern) part of the ITCZ. While the reanalyses agree that the most bottom-heavy heating occurs in DJF and the most top-heavy heating occurs in JJA, they underestimate heating aloft compared to the satellite retrievals throughout the year and show varying ability in representing the shallow meridional circulation and deeper Hadley cell overturning.

Comments on “Preconditioning Deep Convection with Cumulus Congestus”

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 3689-3690 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
Moisture Convergence ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Moisture Flux Convergence ◽  
Deep Moist Convection ◽  
Cumulus Congestus ◽  
Convection Initiation ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract The hypothesis that cumulus congestus clouds in the tropics moisten dry layers above the boundary layer and promote the formation of deep moist convection was tested by Hohenegger and Stevens. This comment asks whether their hypothesis is also true for cumulus congestus clouds and deep moist convection in the midlatitudes. This comment also requests clarification on how their expression for moisture convergence is calculated and used in their article, especially in light of previous studies showing that moisture flux convergence is a less-than-adequate diagnostic for convection initiation and that deep moist convection requires sufficient lift and instability, in addition to sufficient moisture.

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