scholarly journals Ice injected into the tropopause by deep convection – Part 2: Over the Maritime Continent

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris-Amata Dion ◽  
Cyrille Dallet ◽  
Philippe Ricaud ◽  
Fabien Carminati ◽  
Peter Haynes ◽  
...  

Abstract. The amount of ice injected up to the tropical tropopause layer has a strong radiative impact on climate. In the tropics, the Maritime Continent (MariCont) region presents the largest injection of ice by deep convection into the upper troposphere (UT) and tropopause level (TL) (from results presented in the companion paper Part 1). This study focuses on the MariCont region and aims to assess the processes, the areas and the diurnal amount and duration of ice injected by deep convection over islands and over seas using a 2° × 2° horizontal resolution during the austral convective season of December, January and February. The model presented in the companion paper is used to estimate the amount of ice injected (∆IWC) up to the TL by combining ice water content (IWC) measured twice a day in tropical UT and TL by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS; Version 4.2), from 2004 to 2017, and precipitation (Prec) measurement from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM; Version 007) at high temporal resolution (1 hour). The horizontal distribution of ∆IWC estimated from Prec (∆IWCPrec) is presented at 2° × 2° horizontal resolution over the MariCont. ∆IWC is also evaluated by using the number of lightnings (Flash) from the TRMM-LIS instrument (Lightning Imaging Sensor, from 2004 to 2015 at 1-h and 0.25° × 0.25° resolutions). ∆IWCPrec and ∆IWC estimated from Flash (∆IWCFlash) are compared to ∆IWC estimated from the ERA5 reanalyses (∆IWCERA5) degrading the vertical resolution to that of MLS observations (). Our study shows that, while the diurnal cycles of Prec and Flash are consistent to each other in timing and phase over lands and different over offshore and coastal areas of the MariCont, the observational ∆IWC range between ∆IWCPrec and ∆IWCFlash is small (to within 4–20 % over land and to within 6–50 % over ocean) in the UT and TL. The reanalysis ∆IWC range between ∆IWCERA5 and has been also found to be small in the UT (22–32 %) but large in the TL (68–71 %), highlighting the stronger impact of the vertical resolution on the TL than in the UT. Combining observational and reanalysis ∆IWC ranges, the total ∆IWC range is estimated in the UT between 4.17 and 9.97 mg m−3 (20 % of variability per study zone) over land and between 0.35 and 4.37 mg m−3 (30 % of variability per study zone) over sea, and, in the TL, between 0.63 and 3.65 mg m−3 (70 % of variability per study zone) over land and between 0.04 and 0.74 mg m−3 (80 % of variability per study zone) over sea. Finally, from IWCERA5, Prec and Flash, this study highlights (1) ∆IWC over land has been found larger than ∆IWC over sea, and (2) the Java Island is the area of the largest ∆IWC in the UT (7.89–8.72 mg m−3 daily mean).

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 2191-2210
Author(s):  
Iris-Amata Dion ◽  
Cyrille Dallet ◽  
Philippe Ricaud ◽  
Fabien Carminati ◽  
Thibaut Dauhut ◽  
...  

Abstract. The amount of ice injected into the tropical tropopause layer has a strong radiative impact on climate. A companion paper (Part 1) used the amplitude of the diurnal cycle of ice water content (IWC) as an estimate of ice injection by deep convection, showed that the Maritime Continent (MariCont) region provides the largest injection to the upper troposphere (UT; 146 hPa) and to the tropopause level (TL; 100 hPa). This study focuses on the MariCont region and extends that approach to assess the processes, the areas and the diurnal amount and duration of ice injected over islands and over seas during the austral convective season. The model presented in the companion paper is again used to estimate the amount of ice injected (ΔIWC) by combining ice water content (IWC) measured twice a day by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS; Version 4.2) from 2004 to 2017 and precipitation (Prec) measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM; Version 007) binned at high temporal resolution (1 h). The horizontal distribution of ΔIWC estimated from Prec (ΔIWCPrec) is presented at 2∘×2∘ horizontal resolution over the MariCont. ΔIWC is also evaluated by using the number of lightning events (Flash) from the TRMM-LIS instrument (Lightning Imaging Sensor, from 2004 to 2015 at 1 h and 0.25∘ × 0.25∘ resolution). ΔIWCPrec and ΔIWC estimated from Flash (ΔIWCFlash) are compared to ΔIWC estimated from the ERA5 reanalyses (ΔIWCERA5) with the vertical resolution degraded to that of MLS observations (ΔIWCERA5). Our study shows that the diurnal cycles of Prec and Flash are consistent with each other in phase over land but different over offshore and coastal areas of the MariCont. The observational ΔIWC range between ΔIWCPrec and ΔIWCFlash, interpreted as the uncertainty of our model in estimating the amount of ice injected, is smaller over land (where ΔIWCPrec and ΔIWCFlash agree to within 22 %) than over ocean (where differences are up to 71 %) in the UT and TL. The impact of the MLS vertical resolution on the estimation of ΔIWC is greater in the TL (difference between ΔIWCERA5 and 〈ΔIWCERA5〉 of 32 % to 139 %, depending on the study zone) than in the UT (difference of 9 % to 33 %). Considering all the methods, in the UT, estimates of ΔIWC span 4.2 to 10.0 mg m−3 over land and 0.4 to 4.4 mg m−3 over sea, and in the TL estimates of ΔIWC span 0.5 to 3.9 mg m−3 over land and 0.1 to 0.7 mg m−3 over sea. Finally, based on IWC from MLS and ERA5, Prec and Flash, this study highlights that (1) at both levels, ΔIWC estimated over land can be more than twice that estimated over sea and (2) small islands with high topography present the largest ΔIWC (e.g., island of Java).


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 6467-6486 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Frey ◽  
R. Schofield ◽  
P. Hoor ◽  
D. Kunkel ◽  
F. Ravegnani ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this study we examine the simulated downward transport and mixing of stratospheric air into the upper tropical troposphere as observed on a research flight during the SCOUT-O3 campaign in connection with a deep convective system. We use the Advanced Research Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model with a horizontal resolution of 333 m to examine this downward transport. The simulation reproduces the deep convective system, its timing and overshooting altitudes reasonably well compared to radar and aircraft observations. Passive tracers initialised at pre-storm times indicate the downward transport of air from the stratosphere to the upper troposphere as well as upward transport from the boundary layer into the cloud anvils and overshooting tops. For example, a passive ozone tracer (i.e. a tracer not undergoing chemical processing) shows an enhancement in the upper troposphere of up to about 30 ppbv locally in the cloud, while the in situ measurements show an increase of 50 ppbv. However, the passive carbon monoxide tracer exhibits an increase, while the observations show a decrease of about 10 ppbv, indicative of an erroneous model representation of the transport processes in the tropical tropopause layer. Furthermore, it could point to insufficient entrainment and detrainment in the model. The simulation shows a general moistening of air in the lower stratosphere, but it also exhibits local dehydration features. Here we use the model to explain the processes causing the transport and also expose areas of inconsistencies between the model and observations.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bossuet ◽  
M. Déqué ◽  
D. Cariolle

Abstract. Systematic westerly biases in the southern hemisphere wintertime flow and easterly equatorial biases are experienced in the Météo-France climate model. These biases are found to be much reduced when a simple parameterization is introduced to take into account the vertical momentum transfer through the gravity waves excited by deep convection. These waves are quasi-stationary in the frame of reference moving with convection and they propagate vertically to higher levels in the atmosphere, where they may exert a significant deceleration of the mean flow at levels where dissipation occurs. Sixty-day experiments have been performed from a multiyear simulation with the standard 31 levels for a summer and a winter month, and with a T42 horizontal resolution. The impact of this parameterization on the integration of the model is found to be generally positive, with a significant deceleration in the westerly stratospheric jet and with a reduction of the easterly equatorial bias. The sensitivity of the Météo-France climate model to vertical resolution is also investigated by increasing the number of vertical levels, without moving the top of the model. The vertical resolution is increased up to 41 levels, using two kinds of level distribution. For the first, the increase in vertical resolution concerns especially the troposphere (with 22 levels in the troposphere), and the second treats the whole atmosphere in a homogeneous way (with 15 levels in the troposphere); the standard version of 31 levels has 10 levels in the troposphere. A comparison is made between the dynamical aspects of the simulations. The zonal wind and precipitation are presented and compared for each resolution. A positive impact is found with the finer tropospheric resolution on the precipitation in the mid-latitudes and on the westerly stratospheric jet, but the general impact on the model climate is weak, the physical parameterizations used appear to be mostly independent to the vertical resolution.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics · Convective processes · Waves and tides


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 591-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Evan ◽  
M. Joan Alexander ◽  
Jimy Dudhia

Abstract A 2-day inertia–gravity wave (IGW) was observed in high-resolution radiosonde soundings of horizontal wind and temperature taken during the 2006 Tropical Warm Pool–International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) experiment in the Darwin area. The wave was observed in the stratosphere above Darwin from 28 January to 5 February. A similar wave event is observed in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational data. A comparison between the characteristics of the IGW derived with the ECMWF data to the properties of the wave derived with the radiosonde data shows that the ECMWF data capture similar structure for this 2-day wave event but with a larger vertical wavelength. A reverse ray-tracing method is used to localize the source region. Using ECMWF data to define the atmospheric background conditions and wave properties observed in the soundings, it is found that the 2-day wave event originated from deep convection in the Indonesian region around 20 January. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) modeling system is used to complement the ECMWF data to assess the influence of vertical resolution and initial conditions on the wave structure. The model domain is configured as a tropical channel and the ECMWF analyses provide the north/south boundaries and initial conditions. WRF is used with the same horizontal resolution (40 km) as the operational ECMWF in 2006 while using a finer vertical grid spacing than ECMWF. The model is run from 18 January to 11 February to cover the wave life cycle. Different experiments are also performed to determine the sensitivity of the wave structure to cumulus schemes, initial conditions, and vertical resolution. The 2-day wave properties resulting from the WRF experiments are compared to those retrieved from the radiosonde data and from the ECMWF analyses. It is demonstrated that higher vertical resolution would be required for ECMWF to accurately resolve the vertical structure of the wave and its effect on the middle-atmospheric circulation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1041-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Frey ◽  
R. Schofield ◽  
P. Hoor ◽  
D. Kunkel ◽  
F. Ravegnani ◽  
...  

Abstract. In this study we examine the simulated downward transport and mixing of stratospheric air into the upper tropical troposphere as observed on a research flight during the SCOUT-O3 campaign in connection to a deep convective system. We use the Advanced Research Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model with a horizontal resolution of 333 m to examine this downward transport. The simulation reproduces the deep convective system, its timing and overshooting altitudes reasonably well compared to radar and aircraft observations. Passive tracers initialised at pre-storm times indicate the downward transport of air from the stratosphere to the upper troposphere as well as upward transport from the boundary layer into the cloud anvils and overshooting tops. For example, a passive ozone tracer (i.e. a tracer not undergoing chemical processing) shows an enhancement in the upper troposphere of up to about 30 ppbv locally in the cloud, while the in situ measurements show an increase of 50 ppbv. However, the passive carbon monoxide tracer exhibits an increase, while the observations show a decrease of about 10 ppbv, indicative of an erroneous model representation of the transport processes in the tropical tropopause layer. Furthermore, it could point to insufficient entrainment and detrainment in the model. The simulation shows a general moistening of air in the lower stratosphere but it also exhibits local dehydration features. Here we use the model to explain the processes causing the transport and also expose areas of inconsistencies between the model and observations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 517-531
Author(s):  
Daria Kuznetsova ◽  
Thibaut Dauhut ◽  
Jean-Pierre Chaboureau

Abstract The passage of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) over the Indian Ocean and the Maritime Continent is investigated during the episode of 23–30 November 2011. A Meso-NH convection-permitting simulation with a horizontal grid spacing of 4 km is examined. The simulation reproduces the MJO signal correctly, showing the eastward propagation of the primary rain activity. The atmospheric overturning is analyzed using the isentropic method, which separates the ascending air with high equivalent potential temperature from the subsiding air with low equivalent potential temperature. Three key circulations are found. The first two circulations are a tropospheric deep circulation spanning from the surface to an altitude of 14 km and an overshoot circulation within the tropical tropopause layer. As expected for circulations associated with deep convection, their intensities, as well as their diabatic tendencies, increase during the active phase of the MJO, while their entrainment rates decrease. The third circulation is characterized by a rising of air with low equivalent potential temperature in the lower free troposphere. The intensity of the circulation, as well as its depth, varies with the MJO activity. During the suppressed phase, this circulation is associated with a dry air intrusion from the subtropical region into the tropical band and shows a strong drying of the lower to middle troposphere.


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 711
Author(s):  
Lakemariam Worku ◽  
Ademe Mekonnen ◽  
Carl Schreck

The impacts of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), Kelvin waves, and Equatorial Rossby (ER) waves on the diurnal cycle of rainfall and types of deep convection over the Maritime Continent are investigated using rainfall from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis and Infrared Weather States (IR–WS) data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. In an absolute sense, the MJO produced its strongest modulations of rainfall and organized deep convection over the islands, when and where convection is already strongest. The MJO actually has a greater percentage modulation over the coasts and seas, but it does not affect weaker diurnal cycle there. Isolated deep convection was also more prevalent over land during the suppressed phase, while organized deep convection dominated the enhanced phase, consistent with past work. This study uniquely examined the effects of Kelvin and ER waves on rainfall, convection, and their diurnal cycles over the Maritime Continent. The modulation of convection by Kelvin waves closely mirrored that by the MJO, although the Kelvin wave convection continued farther into the decreasing phase. The signals for ER waves were also similar but less distinct. An improved understanding of how these waves interact with convection could lead to improved subseasonal forecast skill.


2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1119-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H. Ruppert ◽  
Xingchao Chen ◽  
Fuqing Zhang

Abstract Long-lived, zonally propagating diurnal rainfall disturbances are a highly pronounced and common feature in the Maritime Continent (MC). A recent study argues that these disturbances can be explained as diurnally phase-locked gravity waves. Here we explore the origins of these waves through regional cloud-permitting numerical model experiments. The gravity waves are reproduced and isolated in the model framework through the combined use of realistic geography and diurnally cyclic lateral boundary conditions representative of both characteristic easterly and westerly background zonal flow regimes. These flow regimes are characteristic of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) suppressed and active phase in the MC, respectively. Tests are conducted wherein Borneo, Sumatra, or both islands and/or their orography are removed. These tests imply that the diurnal gravity waves are excited and maintained directly by latent heating from the vigorous mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that form nocturnally in both Borneo and Sumatra. Removing orography has only a secondary impact on both the MCSs and the gravity waves, implying that it is not critical to these waves. We therefore hypothesize that diurnal gravity waves are fundamentally driven by mesoscale organized deep convection, and are only sensitive to orography to the measure that the convection is affected by the orography and its mesoscale flows. Factor separation further reveals that the nonlinear interaction of synchronized diurnal cycles in Sumatra and Borneo slightly amplifies this gravity wave mode compared to if either island existed in isolation. This nonlinear feedback appears most prominently at longitudes directly between the two islands.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 3902-3930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungsu Park

Abstract The author develops a unified convection scheme (UNICON) that parameterizes relative (i.e., with respect to the grid-mean vertical flow) subgrid vertical transport by nonlocal asymmetric turbulent eddies. UNICON is a process-based model of subgrid convective plumes and mesoscale organized flow without relying on any quasi-equilibrium assumptions such as convective available potential energy (CAPE) or convective inhibition (CIN) closures. In combination with a relative subgrid vertical transport scheme by local symmetric turbulent eddies and a grid-scale advection scheme, UNICON simulates vertical transport of water species and conservative scalars without double counting at any horizontal resolution. UNICON simulates all dry–moist, forced–free, and shallow–deep convection within a single framework in a seamless, consistent, and unified way. It diagnoses the vertical profiles of the macrophysics (fractional area, plume radius, and number density) as well as the microphysics (production and evaporation rates of convective precipitation) and the dynamics (mass flux and vertical velocity) of multiple convective updraft and downdraft plumes. UNICON also prognoses subgrid cold pool and mesoscale organized flow within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) that is forced by evaporation of convective precipitation and accompanying convective downdrafts but damped by surface flux and entrainment at the PBL top. The combined subgrid parameterization of diagnostic convective updraft and downdraft plumes, prognostic subgrid mesoscale organized flow, and the feedback among them remedies the weakness of conventional quasi-steady diagnostic plume models—the lack of plume memory across the time step—allowing UNICON to successfully simulate various transitional phenomena associated with convection (e.g., the diurnal cycle of precipitation and the Madden–Julian oscillation).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hella Garny ◽  
Simone Dietmüller ◽  
Roland Eichinger ◽  
Aman Gupta ◽  
Marianna Linz

<p>The stratospheric transport circulation, or Brewer-Dobson Circulation (BDC), is often conceptually seperated into advection along the residual circulation and two-way mixing. In particular the latter part has recently been found to exert a strong influence on inter-model differences of mean age of Air (AoA), a common measure of the BDC. However, the precise reason for model differences in two-way mixing remains unknown, as many model<br>components in multi-model projects differ. One component that likely plays an important role is model resolution, both vertically and horizontally. To analyse this aspect, we carried out a set of simulations with identical and constant year 2000 climate forcing varying the spectral horizontal<br>resolution (T31,T42,T63,T85) and the number of vertical levels (L31,L47,L90). We find that increasing the vertical resolution leads to an increase in mean AoA. Most of this change can be attributed to aging by mixing. The mixing efficiency, defined as the ratio of isentropic mixing strength and the diabatic circulation, shows the same dependency on vertical resolution. While horizontal resolution changes do not systematically change mean AoA, we do<br>find a systematic decrease in the mixing efficiency with increasing horizontal resolution. Non-systematic changes in the residual circulation partly compensate the mixing efficiency changes, leading to the non-systematic mean AoA changes. The mixing efficiency changes with vertical and horizontal resolution are consistent with expectations on the effects of numerical dispersion on mean AoA. To further investigate the most relevant regions of mixing differences, we analyse height-resolved mixing efficiency differences. Overall, this work will help to shed light on the underlying reasons for the large biases of climate models in simulating stratospheric transport.</p>


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