scholarly journals Mean Structure and Diurnal Cycle of Southeast Atlantic Boundary Layer Clouds: Insights from Satellite Observations and Multiscale Modeling Framework Simulations

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 324-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Painemal ◽  
Kuan-Man Xu ◽  
Anning Cheng ◽  
Patrick Minnis ◽  
Rabindra Palikonda
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Multiscale Modeling ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Boundary Layer Clouds ◽  
Mean Structure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Multiscale Modeling Framework

Abstract The mean structure and diurnal cycle of southeast (SE) Atlantic boundary layer clouds are described with satellite observations and multiscale modeling framework (MMF) simulations during austral spring (September–November). Hourly resolution cloud fraction (CF) and cloud-top height (HT) are retrieved from Meteosat-9 radiances using modified Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) algorithms, whereas liquid water path (LWP) is from the University of Wisconsin microwave satellite climatology. The MMF simulations use a 2D cloud-resolving model (CRM) that contains an advanced third-order turbulence closure to explicitly simulate cloud physical processes in every grid column of a general circulation model. The model accurately reproduces the marine stratocumulus spatial extent and cloud cover. The mean cloud cover spatial variability in the model is primarily explained by the boundary layer decoupling strength, whereas a boundary layer shoaling accounts for a coastal decrease in CF. Moreover, the core of the stratocumulus cloud deck is concomitant with the location of the strongest temperature inversion. Although the model reproduces the observed westward boundary layer deepening and the spatial variability of LWP, it overestimates LWP by 50%. Diurnal cycles of HT, CF, and LWP from satellites and the model have the same phase, with maxima during the early morning and minima near 1500 local solar time, which suggests that the diurnal cycle is driven primarily by solar heating. Comparisons with the SE Pacific cloud deck indicate that the observed amplitude of the diurnal cycle is modest over the SE Atlantic, with a shallower boundary layer as well. The model qualitatively reproduces these interregime differences.

scholarly journals Robust Nocturnal and Early Morning Summer Rainfall Peaks over Continental East Asia in a Global Multiscale Modeling Framework

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Haoming Chen ◽  
Dan Wang
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Multiscale Modeling ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Atmospheric Modeling ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Multiscale Modeling Framework

The diurnal cycle of convection and precipitation is an important atmospheric feature. It also poses a great challenge to global numerical atmospheric modeling. Over continental East Asia, most global models cannot well capture the nocturnal and early morning peaks of summer rainfall. This problem may lead to dry biases and limit the modeling skills. This study investigates this problem using a global multiscale modeling framework (Super-Parameterized CAM5; SPCAM5). The nocturnal and early morning peaks, which are almost absent in CAM5 and a coarser-resolution SPCAM5, can be successfully captured by SPCAM5 with a moderate increase in the horizontal resolution. On the lee side of the Tibetan Plateau, SPCAM5 generates robust eastward propagating rainfall signals, which correspond to the moving convective systems, as revealed by the heating and drying profiles. Over the eastern plain of China, the early morning peaks become more evident, corresponding to a stratiform-type heating structure in the midlevel. A sensitivity experiment with altered grid-scale forcing also suggests the important preconditioning role of the vertical moisture advection in regulating the early morning peaks. These results highlight the added value of representing multiscale processes to the successful simulation of the diurnal cycle over continental East Asia.

Evaluation of the Simulated Interannual and Subseasonal Variability in an AMIP-Style Simulation Using the CSU Multiscale Modeling Framework

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marat Khairoutdinov ◽  
Charlotte DeMott ◽  
David Randall
Keyword(s):  
Multiscale Modeling ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Subseasonal Variability ◽  
Cloud Water Content ◽  
Velocity Variance ◽  
Stratocumulus Clouds ◽  
Cloud Effect ◽  
Multiscale Modeling Framework

Abstract The Colorado State University (CSU) Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) is a new type of general circulation model (GCM) that replaces the conventional parameterizations of convection, clouds, and boundary layer with a cloud-resolving model (CRM) embedded into each grid column. The MMF has been used to perform a 19-yr-long Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project–style simulation using the 1985–2004 sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice distributions as prescribed boundary conditions. Particular focus has been given to the simulation of the interannual and subseasonal variability. The annual mean climatology is generally well simulated. Prominent biases include excessive precipitation associated with the Indian and Asian monsoon seasons, precipitation deficits west of the Maritime Continent and over Amazonia, shortwave cloud effect biases west of the subtropical continents due to insufficient stratocumulus clouds, and longwave cloud effect biases due to overestimation of high cloud amounts, especially in the tropics. The geographical pattern of the seasonal cycle of precipitation is well reproduced, although the seasonal variance is considerably overestimated mostly because of the excessive monsoon precipitation mentioned above. The MMF does a good job of reproducing the interannual variability in terms of the spatial structure and magnitude of major anomalies associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The subseasonal variability of tropical climate associated with the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and equatorially trapped waves are particular strengths of the simulation. The wavenumber–frequency power spectra of the simulated outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), precipitation rate, and zonal wind at 200 and 850 mb for time scales in the range of 2–96 days compare very well to the spectra derived from observations, and show a robust MJO and Kelvin and Rossby waves with phase speeds similar to those observed. The geographical patterns of the MJO and Kelvin wave–filtered OLR variance for summer and winter seasons are well simulated; however, the variances tend to be overestimated by as much as 50%. The observed seasonal and interannual variations of the strength of the MJO are also well reproduced. The physical realism of the simulated marine stratocumulus clouds is demonstrated by an analysis of the composite diurnal cycle of cloud water content, longwave (IR) cooling, vertical velocity variance, rainfall, and subcloud vertical velocity skewness. The relationships between vertical velocity variance, IR cooling, and negative skewness all suggest that, despite the coarse numerical grid of the CRM, the simulated clouds behave in a manner consistent with the understanding of the stratocumulus dynamics. In the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition zone, the diurnal cycle of the inversion layer as simulated by the MMF also bears a remarkable resemblance to in situ observations. It is demonstrated that in spite of the coarse spacing of the CRM grid used in the current version of MMF, the bulk of vertical transport of water in the MMF is carried out by the circulations explicitly represented on the CRM grid rather than by the CRM’s subgrid-scale parameterization.

scholarly journals Evaluating Low-Cloud Simulation from an Upgraded Multiscale Modeling Framework Model. Part II: Seasonal Variations over the Eastern Pacific

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 5741-5760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Man Xu ◽  
Anning Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Multiscale Modeling ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Cloud Amount ◽  
Eastern Pacific ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Low Clouds ◽  
Multiscale Modeling Framework

Abstract The eastern Pacific is a climatologically important region. Conventional coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation models produce positive sea surface temperature biases of 2–5 K in this region because of insufficient stratocumulus clouds. In this study, a global multiscale modeling framework (MMF), which replaces traditional cloud parameterizations with a 2D cloud-resolving model (CRM) in each atmospheric column, is used to examine the seasonal variations of this Pacific region. The CRM component contains an advanced third-order turbulence closure, helping it to better simulate boundary layer turbulence and low-level clouds. Compared to available satellite observations of cloud amount, liquid water path, cloud radiative effects, and precipitation, this MMF produces realistic seasonal variations of the eastern Pacific region, although there are some disagreements in the exact location of maximum cloudiness centers in the Peruvian region and the intensity of ITCZ precipitation. Analyses of profile- and subcloud-based decoupling measures reveal very small amplitudes of seasonal variations in the decoupling strength in the subtropics except for those regions off the subtropical coasts where the decoupling measures suggest that the boundary layers should be well coupled in all four seasons. In the Peruvian and Californian regions, the seasonal variations of low clouds are related to those in the boundary layer height and the strength of inversion. Factors that influence the boundary layer and the inversion, such as solar incident radiation, subcloud-layer turbulent mixing, and large-scale subsidence, can collectively explain the seasonal variations of low clouds rather than the deepening–warming mechanism of Bretherton and Wyant cited in earlier studies.

scholarly journals Mind the gap – Part 1: Accurately locating warm marine boundary layer clouds and precipitation using spaceborne radars

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2363-2379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katia Lamer ◽  
Pavlos Kollias ◽  
Alessandro Battaglia ◽  
Simon Preval
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Short Pulse ◽  
Pulse Mode ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Boundary Layer Clouds ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Eastern North Atlantic ◽  
Long Pulse

Abstract. Ground-based radar observations show that, over the eastern North Atlantic, 50 % of warm marine boundary layer (WMBL) hydrometeors occur below 1.2 km and have reflectivities of < −17 dBZ, thus making their detection from space susceptible to the extent of surface clutter and radar sensitivity. Surface clutter limits the ability of the CloudSat cloud profiling radar (CPR) to observe the true cloud base in ∼52 % of the cloudy columns it detects and true virga base in ∼80 %, meaning the CloudSat CPR often provides an incomplete view of even the clouds it does detect. Using forward simulations, we determine that a 250 m resolution radar would most accurately capture the boundaries of WMBL clouds and precipitation; that being said, because of sensitivity limitations, such a radar would suffer from cloud cover biases similar to those of the CloudSat CPR. Observations and forward simulations indicate that the CloudSat CPR fails to detect 29 %–43 % of the cloudy columns detected by ground-based sensors. Out of all configurations tested, the 7 dB more sensitive EarthCARE CPR performs best (only missing 9.0 % of cloudy columns) indicating that improving radar sensitivity is more important than decreasing the vertical extent of surface clutter for measuring cloud cover. However, because 50 % of WMBL systems are thinner than 400 m, they tend to be artificially stretched by long sensitive radar pulses, hence the EarthCARE CPR overestimation of cloud top height and hydrometeor fraction. Thus, it is recommended that the next generation of space-borne radars targeting WMBL science should operate interlaced pulse modes including both a highly sensitive long-pulse mode and a less sensitive but clutter-limiting short-pulse mode.

scholarly journals Diurnal Coupling in the Tropical Oceans of CCSM3

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2347-2365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gokhan Danabasoglu ◽  
William G. Large ◽  
Joseph J. Tribbia ◽  
Peter R. Gent ◽  
Bruce P. Briegleb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Upper Ocean ◽  
Solar Forcing ◽  
Layer Depth ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
Tropical Oceans ◽  
Ocean Coupling ◽  
Coupling Interval ◽  
The Mean

Abstract New features that may affect the behavior of the upper ocean in the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) are described. In particular, the addition of an idealized diurnal cycle of solar forcing where the daily mean solar radiation received in each daily coupling interval is distributed over 12 daylight hours is evaluated. The motivation for this simple diurnal cycle is to improve the behavior of the upper ocean, relative to the constant forcing over each day of previous CCSM versions. Both 1- and 3-h coupling intervals are also considered as possible alternatives that explicitly resolve the diurnal cycle of solar forcing. The most prominent and robust effects of all these diurnal cycles are found in the tropical oceans, especially in the Pacific. Here, the mean equatorial sea surface temperature (SST) is warmed by as much as 1°C, in better agreement with observations, and the mean boundary layer depth is reduced. Simple rectification of the diurnal cycle explains about half of the shallowing, but less than 0.1°C of the warming. The atmospheric response to prescribed warm SST anomalies of about 1°C displays a very different heat flux signature. The implication, yet to be verified, is that large-scale air–sea coupling is a prime mechanism for amplifying the rectified, daily averaged SST signals seen by the atmosphere. Although the use of upper-layer temperature for SST in CCSM3 underestimates the diurnal cycle of SST, many of the essential characteristics of diurnal cycling within the equatorial ocean are reproduced, including boundary layer depth, currents, and the parameterized vertical heat and momentum fluxes associated with deep-cycle turbulence. The conclusion is that the implementation of an idealized diurnal cycle of solar forcing may make more frequent ocean coupling and its computational complications unnecessary as improvements to the air–sea coupling in CCSM3 continue. A caveat here is that more frequent ocean coupling tends to reduce the long-term cooling trends typical of CCSM3 by heating already too warm ocean depths, but longer integrations are needed to determine robust features. A clear result is that the absence of diurnal solar forcing of the ocean has several undesirable consequences in CCSM3, including too large ENSO variability, much too cold Pacific equatorial SST, and no deep-cycle turbulence.

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