scholarly journals Towards Unifying the Planetary Boundary Layer and Shallow Convection in CAM5 with the Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Approach

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin J. Kurowski ◽  
Heidar Th. Thrastarson ◽  
Kay Suselj ◽  
Joao Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Numerical Representation ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Vertical Fluxes ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model

The modular structure of the boundary layer and convection parameterizations in atmospheric models have long been affecting the numerical representation of subgrid-scale motions and their mutual interactions. A promising alternative, the eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux approach (EDMF), has the potential for unifying the existing formulations into a consistent scheme and improving some of the long-standing issues. This study documents a step towards developing such a unified approach by implementing a stochastic multi-plume EDMF scheme into the Community Atmosphere Model (Version 5.0). Its performance in single-column mode is evaluated against the control parameterization and large-eddy simulation (LES) for two benchmark cases: marine and continental shallow convection. Overall, the results for the two parameterizations agree well with each other and with LES in terms of mean profiles of moist conserved variables and their vertical fluxes, as well as the updraft properties. However, systematic differences between the two schemes, especially for transient continental convection, are also documented. Using EDMF helps improve some of the parameterized features of shallow convection. In particular, for the highest tested vertical resolution, the EDMF cloud base and top heights and the vertical fluxes of energy and water are remarkably close to LES.

scholarly journals Eddy Diffusivity/Mass Flux and Shallow Cumulus Boundary Layer: An Updraft PDF Multiple Mass Flux Scheme

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1513-1533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Sušelj ◽  
João Teixeira ◽  
Georgios Matheou
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Boundary Layer Turbulence ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Shallow Cumulus ◽  
Base Closure

Abstract In this study, the eddy diffusivity/mass flux (EDMF) approach is used to combine parameterizations of nonprecipitating moist convection and boundary layer turbulence. The novel aspect of this EDMF version is the use of a probability density function (PDF) to describe the moist updraft characteristics. A single bulk dry updraft is initialized at the surface and integrated vertically. At each model level, the possibility of condensation within the updraft is considered based on the PDF of updraft moist conserved variables. If the updraft partially condenses, it is split into moist and dry updrafts, which are henceforth integrated separately. The procedure is repeated at each of the model levels above. The single bulk updraft ends up branching into numerous moist and dry updrafts. With this new approach, the need to define a cloud-base closure is circumvented. This new version of EDMF is implemented in a single-column model (SCM) and evaluated using large-eddy simulation (LES) results for the Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (BOMEX) representing steady-state convection over ocean and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) case representing time-varying convection over land. The new EDMF scheme is able to represent the properties of shallow cumulus and turbulent fluxes in cumulus-topped boundary layers realistically. The parameterized updraft properties partly account for the behavior of the tail of the PDF of moist conserved variables. It is shown that the scheme is not particularly sensitive to the vertical resolution of the SCM or the main model parameters.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Stochastic Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Parameterization into the Navy Global Environmental Model

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1374-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Sušelj ◽  
Timothy F. Hogan ◽  
João Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Environmental Model ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Current Implementation ◽  
Flux Parameterization

Abstract A unified boundary layer and shallow convection parameterization based on a stochastic eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux (EDMF) approach is implemented and tested in the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM). The primary goals of this work are to improve the representation of convectively driven boundary layers and the coupling between the boundary layer and cumulus regions. Within the EDMF framework the subgrid vertical fluxes are calculated as a sum of an eddy-diffusivity part, which in the current implementation is based on the approach developed by Louis in the late 1970s, and a stochastic mass-flux parameterization. The mass-flux parameterization is a model for both dry and moist convective thermals. Dry thermals, which represent surface-forced coherent structures in a flow, provide countergradient mixing in the boundary layer and, if conditions permit, are the roots for moist thermals. Moist thermals represent shallow convective clouds. The new parameterization implemented in a single-column model (SCM) version of NAVGEM is shown to be able to realistically simulate a variety of dry and moist convective cases. The NAVGEM SCM results are validated against large-eddy-simulation results. The skill of NAVGEM as a global weather forecasting model is considerably improved with the new EDMF parameterization. The EDMF parameterization became part of the operational NAVGEM in November 2013.

scholarly journals Performance of an Eddy Diffusivity–Mass Flux Scheme for Shallow Cumulus Boundary Layers

2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (7) ◽  
pp. 2895-2912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne M. Angevine ◽  
Hongli Jiang ◽  
Thorsten Mauritsen
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Cloud Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Shallow Cumulus ◽  
Lower Cloud ◽  
Boundary Layer Scheme

Abstract Comparisons between single-column (SCM) simulations with the total energy–mass flux boundary layer scheme (TEMF) and large-eddy simulations (LES) are shown for four cases from the Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) 2006 field experiment in the vicinity of Houston, Texas. The SCM simulations were run with initial soundings and surface forcing identical to those in the LES, providing a clean comparison with the boundary layer scheme isolated from any other influences. Good agreement is found in the simulated vertical transport and resulting moisture profiles. Notable differences are seen in the cloud base and in the distribution of moisture between the lower and upper cloud layer. By the end of the simulations, TEMF has dried the subcloud layer and moistened the lower cloud layer more than LES. TEMF gives more realistic profiles for shallow cumulus conditions than traditional boundary layer schemes, which have no transport above the dry convective boundary layer. Changes to the formulation and its parameters from previous publications are discussed.

scholarly journals A Probabilistic Bulk Model of Coupled Mixed Layer and Convection. Part II: Shallow Convection Case

2013 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1557-1576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Gentine ◽  
Alan K. Betts ◽  
Benjamin R. Lintner ◽  
Kirsten L. Findell ◽  
Chiel C. van Heerwaarden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Layer Growth ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Convection Boundary Layer ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Entrainment Velocity ◽  
Convective Inhibition

Abstract The probabilistic bulk convection model (PBCM) developed in a companion paper is here extended to shallow nonprecipitating convection. The PBCM unifies the clear-sky and shallow convection boundary layer regimes by obtaining mixed-layer growth, cloud fraction, and convective inhibition from a single parameterization based on physical principles. The evolution of the shallow convection PBCM is based on the statistical distribution of the surface thermodynamic state of convective plumes. The entrainment velocity of the mixed layer is related to the mass flux of the updrafts overshooting the dry inversion capping the mixed layer. The updrafts overcoming the convective inhibition generate active cloud-base mass flux, which is the boundary condition for the shallow cumulus scheme. The subcloud-layer entrainment velocity is directly coupled to the cloud-base mass flux through the distribution of vertical velocity and fractional cover of the updrafts. Comparisons of the PBCM against large-eddy simulations from the Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (BOMEX) and from the Southern Great Plains Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) facility demonstrate good agreement in terms of thermodynamic structure, cloud-base mass flux, and cloud top. The equilibrium between the cloud-base mass flux and rate of growth of the mixed layer determines the equilibrium convective inhibition and cloud cover. This process is an important new insight on the coupling between the mixed-layer and cumulus dynamics. Given its relative simplicity and transparency, the PBCM represents a powerful tool for developing process-based understanding and intuition about the physical processes involved in boundary layer–convection interactions, as well as a test bed for diagnosing and validating shallow convection parameterizations.

scholarly journals TKE-Based Moist Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-Flux (EDMF) Parameterization for Vertical Turbulent Mixing

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 869-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongil Han ◽  
Christopher S. Bretherton
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Height Anomaly ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Turbulent Eddies ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Medium Range Forecast ◽  
Unstable Boundary Layer

Abstract A new turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)-based moist eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF) vertical turbulence mixing scheme (EDMF-TKE) is developed, where the nonlocal transport by large turbulent eddies is represented by a mass-flux (MF) scheme while the local transport by small turbulent eddies is represented by an eddy-diffusivity (ED) scheme, which is given by a function of a prognostic TKE. In the scheme, an MF approach is employed for the stratocumulus-top-driven downdrafts as well as for the thermals in the daytime unstable boundary layer. The scheme includes parameterizations for enhanced buoyancy due to moist adiabatic processes in condensation and for TKE interaction with cumulus convection. A scale-aware parameterization is proposed for the grid sizes where the large turbulent eddies are partially resolved. The single-column model (SCM) tests show that both the EDMF-TKE and the current operational NCEP GFS hybrid EDMF scheme (EDMF-CTL) simulate a daytime dry-convective boundary layer well and agree with a benchmark large-eddy simulation (LES). For a marine stratocumulus-topped boundary layer case, the EDMF-TKE better simulates the liquid water and wind speed profiles than the EDMF-CTL compared to the LES. For a stable boundary layer (SBL) case, the EDMF-TKE also agrees better with the LES than the EDMF-CTL, although it tends to produce a deeper SBL compared to the LES. On the other hand, three-dimensional medium-range forecast experiments show that the EDMF-TKE slightly improves forecast skill in the 500-hPa height anomaly correlation and wind vector, while it has a neutral impact on precipitation forecasts over the continental United States.

scholarly journals Nature versus Nurture in Shallow Convection

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 1655-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Romps ◽  
Zhiming Kuang
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Cloud Properties ◽  
Nature Versus Nurture ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Single Set

Abstract Tracers are used in a large-eddy simulation of shallow convection to show that stochastic entrainment (and not cloud-base properties) determines the fate of convecting parcels. The tracers are used to diagnose the correlations between a parcel’s state above the cloud base and both the parcel’s state at the cloud base and its entrainment history. The correlation with the cloud-base state goes to zero a few hundred meters above the cloud base. On the other hand, correlations between a parcel’s state and its net entrainment are large. Evidence is found that the entrainment events may be described as a stochastic Poisson process. A parcel model is constructed with stochastic entrainment that is able to replicate the mean and standard deviation of cloud properties. Turning off cloud-base variability has little effect on the results, which suggests that stochastic mass-flux models may be initialized with a single set of properties. The success of the stochastic parcel model suggests that it holds promise as the framework for a convective parameterization.

scholarly journals Investigating the Scale Adaptivity of a Size-Filtered Mass Flux Parameterization in the Gray Zone of Shallow Cumulus Convection

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 1195-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren Brast ◽  
Vera Schemann ◽  
Roel A. J. Neggers
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flux ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Parameterization Scheme ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
Gray Zone ◽  
Cumulus Clouds ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Shallow Cumulus

Abstract In this study, the scale adaptivity of a new parameterization scheme for shallow cumulus clouds in the gray zone is investigated. The eddy diffusivity/multiple mass flux [ED(MF)n] scheme is a bin-macrophysics scheme in which subgrid transport is formulated in terms of discretized size densities. While scale adaptivity in the ED component is achieved using a pragmatic blending approach, the MF component is filtered such that only the transport by plumes smaller than the grid size is maintained. For testing, ED(MF)n is implemented into a large-eddy simulation (LES) model, replacing the original subgrid scheme for turbulent transport. LES thus plays the role of a nonhydrostatic testing ground, which can be run at different resolutions to study the behavior of the parameterization scheme in the boundary layer gray zone. In this range, convective cumulus clouds are partially resolved. The authors find that for quasi-equilibrium marine subtropical conditions at high resolutions, the clouds and the turbulent transport are predominantly resolved by the LES. This partitioning changes toward coarser resolutions, with the representation of shallow cumulus clouds gradually becoming completely carried by the ED(MF)n. The way the partitioning changes with grid spacing matches the behavior diagnosed in coarse-grained LES fields, suggesting that some scale adaptivity is captured. Sensitivity studies show that the scale adaptivity of the ED closure is important and that the location of the gray zone is found to be moderately sensitive to some model constants.

scholarly journals Transport and chemical transformations influenced by shallow cumulus over land

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 8811-8849
Author(s):  
J. Vilà-Guerau de Arellano ◽  
S.-W. Kim ◽  
M. C. Barth ◽  
E. G. Patton
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Cloud Layer ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Chemical Transformations ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Shallow Cumulus ◽  
Photolysis Rates ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract. The distribution and evolution of reactive species in a boundary layer characterized by the presence of shallow cumulus over land is studied by means of two large-eddy simulation models: the NCAR and WUR codes. The study focuses on two physical processes that can influence the chemistry: the enhancement of the vertical transport by the buoyant convection associated with cloud formation and the perturbation of the photolysis rates below, in and above the clouds. It is shown that the dilution of the reactant mixing ratio caused by the deepening of the atmospheric boundary layer is an important process and that it can decrease reactant mixing ratios by 10 to 50 percent compared to very similar conditions but with no cloud formation. Additionally, clouds transport chemical species to higher elevations in the boundary layer compared to the case with no clouds which influences the reactant mixing ratios of the nocturnal residual layers following the collapse of the daytime boundary layer. Estimates of the rate of reactant transport based on the calculation of the integrated flux divergence range from to −0.2 ppb hr−1 to −1 ppb hr−1, indicating a net loss of sub-cloud layer air transported into the cloud layer. A comparison of this flux to a parameterized mass flux shows good agreement in mid-cloud, but at cloud base the parameterization underestimates the mass flux. Scattering of radiation by cloud drops perturbs photolysis rates. It is found that these perturbed photolysis rates substantially (10–40%) affect mixing ratios locally (spatially and temporally), but have little effect on mixing ratios averaged over space and time. We find that the ultraviolet radiance perturbation becomes more important for chemical transformations that react with a similar order time scale as the turbulent transport in clouds. Finally, the detailed intercomparison of the LES results shows very good agreement between the two codes when considering the evolution of the reactant mean, flux and (co-)variance vertical profiles.

Observed Boundary Layer Controls on Shallow Cumulus at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 2235-2255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil P. Lareau ◽  
Yunyan Zhang ◽  
Stephen A. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Southern Great Plains ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Shallow Cumulus ◽  
In Situ Sensors

Abstract The boundary layer controls on shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection are examined using a suite of remote and in situ sensors at ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP). A key instrument in the study is a Doppler lidar that measures vertical velocity in the CBL and along cloud base. Using a sample of 138 ShCu days, the composite structure of the ShCu CBL is examined, revealing increased vertical velocity (VV) variance during periods of medium cloud cover and higher VV skewness on ShCu days than on clear-sky days. The subcloud circulations of 1791 individual cumuli are also examined. From these data, we show that cloud-base updrafts, normalized by convective velocity, vary as a function of updraft width normalized by CBL depth. It is also found that 63% of clouds have positive cloud-base mass flux and are linked to coherent updrafts extending over the depth of the CBL. In contrast, negative mass flux clouds lack coherent subcloud updrafts. Both sets of clouds possess narrow downdrafts extending from the cloud edges into the subcloud layer. These downdrafts are also present adjacent to cloud-free updrafts, suggesting they are mechanical in origin. The cloud-base updraft data are subsequently combined with observations of convective inhibition to form dimensionless “cloud inhibition” (CI) parameters. Updraft fraction and liquid water path are shown to vary inversely with CI, a finding consistent with CIN-based closures used in convective parameterizations. However, we also demonstrate a limited link between CBL vertical velocity variance and cloud-base updrafts, suggesting that additional factors, including updraft width, are necessary predictors for cloud-base updrafts.

scholarly journals A Novel Framework for Evaluating and Improving Parameterized Subtropical Marine Boundary Layer Cloudiness

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (9) ◽  
pp. 3241-3260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Smalley ◽  
Kay Sušelj ◽  
Matthew Lebsock ◽  
Joao Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Mass Flux ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Joint Probability ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Lower Tropospheric Stability

AbstractA single-column model (SCM) is used to simulate a variety of environmental conditions between Los Angeles, California, and Hawaii in order to identify physical elements of parameterizations that are required to reproduce the observed behavior of marine boundary layer (MBL) cloudiness. The SCM is composed of the JPL eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux (EDMF) mixing formulation and the RRTMG radiation model. Model forcings are provided by the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA2). Simulated low cloud cover (LCC), rain rate, albedo, and liquid water path are compared to collocated pixel-level observations from A-Train satellites. This framework ensures that the JPL EDMF is able to simulate a continuum of real-world conditions. First, the JPL EDMF is shown to reproduce the observed mean LCC as a function of lower-tropospheric stability. Joint probability distributions of lower-tropospheric cloud fraction, height, and lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) show that the JPL EDMF improves upon its MERRA2 input but struggles to match the frequency of observed intermediate-range LCC. We then illustrate the physical roles of plume lateral entrainment and eddy-diffusivity mixing length in producing a realistic behavior of LCC as a function of LTS. In low-LTS conditions, LCC is mostly sensitive to the ability of convection to mix moist air out of the MBL. In high-LTS conditions, LCC is also sensitive to the turbulent mixing of free-tropospheric air into the MBL. In the intermediate LTS regime typical of stratocumulus–cumulus transition there is proportional sensitivity to both mixing mechanisms, emphasizing the utility of a combined eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux approach for representing mixing processes.

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