scholarly journals Evaluation of the atmospheric transport in a GCM using radon measurements: sensitivity to cumulus convection parameterization

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2085-2127
Author(s):  
K. Zhang ◽  
H. Wan ◽  
M. Zhang ◽  
B. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Surface Concentration ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Convection Parameterization

Abstract. The radioactive species radon (222Rn) has long been used as a test tracer for the numerical simulation of large scale transport processes. In this study, radon transport experiments are carried out using an atmospheric GCM with a finite-difference dynamical core, the van Leer type FFSL advection algorithm and two state-of-the-art cumulus convection parameterization schemes. Measurements of surface concentration and vertical distribution of radon collected from literature are used as references in model evaluation. The simulated radon concentrations using both convection schemes turn out to be consistent with earlier studies with many other models. Comparison with measurements indicates that at the locations where significant seasonal variations are observed in reality, the model can reproduce both the monthly mean surface radon concentration and the annual cycle quite well. At those sites where the seasonal variation is not large, the model is able to give a correct magnitude of the annual mean. In East Asia, where radon simulations are rarely reported in literature, detailed analysis shows that our results compare reasonably well with the observations. The most evident changes caused by the use of a different convection scheme are found in the vertical distribution of the tracer. The scheme associated with a weaker upward transport gives higher radon concentration up to about 6 km above the surface, and lower values in higher altitudes. In the lower part of the atmosphere results from this scheme does not agree as well with the measurements as the other scheme. Differences from 6 km to the model top are even larger, although we are not yet able to tell which simulation is better due to the lack of observations at such high altitudes.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the atmospheric transport in a GCM using radon measurements: sensitivity to cumulus convection parameterization

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 2811-2832 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Zhang ◽  
H. Wan ◽  
M. Zhang ◽  
B. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Surface Concentration ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Convection Parameterization

Abstract. The radioactive species radon (222Rn) has long been used as a test tracer for the numerical simulation of large scale transport processes. In this study, radon transport experiments are carried out using an atmospheric GCM with a finite-difference dynamical core, the van Leer type FFSL advection algorithm, and two state-of-the-art cumulus convection parameterization schemes. Measurements of surface concentration and vertical distribution of radon collected from the literature are used as references in model evaluation. The simulated radon concentrations using both convection schemes turn out to be consistent with earlier studies with many other models. Comparison with measurements indicates that at the locations where significant seasonal variations are observed in reality, the model can reproduce both the monthly mean surface radon concentration and the annual cycle quite well. At those sites where the seasonal variation is not large, the model is able to give a correct magnitude of the annual mean. In East Asia, where radon simulations are rarely reported in the literature, detailed analysis shows that our results compare reasonably well with the observations. The most evident changes caused by the use of a different convection scheme are found in the vertical distribution of the tracer. The scheme associated with weaker upward transport gives higher radon concentration up to about 6 km above the surface, and lower values in higher altitudes. In the lower part of the atmosphere results from this scheme does not agree as well with the measurements as the other scheme. Differences from 6 km to the model top are even larger, although we are not yet able to tell which simulation is better due to the lack of observations at such high altitudes.

scholarly journals The Role of Large-Scale Feedbacks in Cumulus Convection Parameter Estimation

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 4099-4119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Li ◽  
Shaoqing Zhang ◽  
Zhengyu Liu ◽  
Xiaosong Yang ◽  
Anthony Rosati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parameter Estimation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
State Variables ◽  
Climate Drift ◽  
Convection Parameterization ◽  
Convection Parameter

Abstract Uncertainty in cumulus convection parameterization is one of the most important causes of model climate drift through interactions between large-scale background and local convection that use empirically set parameters. Without addressing the large-scale feedback, the calibrated parameter values within a convection scheme are usually not optimal for a climate model. This study first designs a multiple-column atmospheric model that includes large-scale feedbacks for cumulus convection and then explores the role of large-scale feedbacks in cumulus convection parameter estimation using an ensemble filter. The performance of convection parameter estimation with or without the presence of large-scale feedback is examined. It is found that including large-scale feedbacks in cumulus convection parameter estimation can significantly improve the estimation quality. This is because large-scale feedbacks help transform local convection uncertainties into global climate sensitivities, and including these feedbacks enhances the statistical representation of the relationship between parameters and state variables. The results of this study provide insights for further understanding of climate drift induced from imperfect cumulus convection parameterization, which may help improve climate modeling.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Performance of Cumulus Convection Parameterization Schemes in Regional Climate Modeling System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sridhara Nayak ◽  
Suman Maity
Keyword(s):  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Convection Scheme ◽  
Parameterization Schemes ◽  
Global Precipitation Climatology Centre ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Convection Parameterization

In this study, we explored the performance of the cumulus convection parameterization schemes of Regional Climate Modeling System (RegCM) towards the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) of a catastrophic year through various numerical experiments conducted with different convection schemes (Kuo, Grell amd MIT) in RegCM. The model is integrated at 60KM horizontal resolution over Indian region and forced with NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. The simulated temperature at 2m and the wind at 10m are validated against the forced data and the total precipitation is compared with the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) observations. We find that the simulation with MIT convection scheme is close to the GPCC data and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. Our results with three convection schemes suggest that the RegCM with MIT convection scheme successfully simulated some characteristics of ISM of a catastrophic year and may be further examined with more number of convection schemes to customize which convection scheme is much better.

Convectively Coupled Equatorial Wave Simulations Using the ECMWF IFS and the NOAA GFS Cumulus Convection Schemes in the NOAA GFS Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (11) ◽  
pp. 4005-4025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Bengtsson ◽  
Juliana Dias ◽  
Maria Gehne ◽  
Peter Bechtold ◽  
Jeffrey Whitaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Convection Scheme ◽  
Equatorial Wave ◽  
Gfs Model ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Tropical Wave ◽  
Consistent Treatment ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Moisture Profiles

Abstract There is a longstanding challenge in numerical weather and climate prediction to accurately model tropical wave variability, including convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs) and the Madden–Julian oscillation. For subseasonal prediction, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) has been shown to be superior to the NOAA Global Forecast System (GFS) in simulating tropical variability, suggesting that the ECMWF model is better at simulating the interaction between cumulus convection and the large-scale tropical circulation. In this study, we experiment with the cumulus convection scheme of the ECMWF IFS in a research version of the GFS to understand which aspects of the IFS cumulus convection scheme outperform those of the GFS convection scheme in the tropics. We show that the IFS cumulus convection scheme produces significantly different tropical moisture and temperature tendency profiles from those simulated by the GFS convection scheme when it is coupled with other physics schemes in the GFS physics package. We show that a consistent treatment of the interaction between parameterized convective plumes in the GFS planetary boundary layer (PBL) and the IFS convection scheme is required for the GFS to replicate the tropical temperature and moisture profiles simulated by the IFS model. The GFS model with the IFS convection scheme, and the consistent treatment between the convection and PBL schemes, produces much more organized convection in the tropics, and generates tropical waves that propagate more coherently than the GFS in its default configuration due to better simulated interaction between low-level convergence and precipitation.

scholarly journals A Convection Parameterization for Low-CAPE Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (12) ◽  
pp. 4917-4941
Author(s):  
Ron McTaggart-Cowan ◽  
Paul A. Vaillancourt ◽  
Leo Separovic ◽  
Shawn Corvec ◽  
Ayrton Zadra
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Convective Available Potential Energy ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Cumulus Convection ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Flux Parameterization ◽  
Convection Schemes ◽  
Convection Parameterization

AbstractNumerical models that are unable to resolve moist convection in the atmosphere employ physical parameterizations to represent the effects of the associated processes on the resolved-scale state. Most of these schemes are designed to represent the dominant class of cumulus convection that is driven by latent heat release in a conditionally unstable profile with a surplus of convective available potential energy (CAPE). However, an important subset of events occurs in low-CAPE environments in which potential and symmetric instabilities can sustain moist convective motions. Convection schemes that are dependent on the presence of CAPE are unable to depict accurately the effects of cumulus convection in these cases. A mass-flux parameterization is developed to represent such events, with triggering and closure components that are specifically designed to depict subgrid-scale convection in low-CAPE profiles. Case studies show that the scheme eliminates the “bull’s-eyes” in precipitation guidance that develop in the absence of parameterized convection, and that it can represent the initiation of elevated convection that organizes squall-line structure. The introduction of the parameterization leads to significant improvements in the quality of quantitative precipitation forecasts, including a large reduction in the frequency of spurious heavy-precipitation events predicted by the model. An evaluation of surface and upper-air guidance shows that the scheme systematically improves the model solution in the warm season, a result that suggests that the parameterization is capable of accurately representing the effects of moist convection in a range of low-CAPE environments.

scholarly journals Measurement of flow velocity profiles in tank structures using the prototype device OCM Pro LR

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Klepiszewski ◽  
M. Teufel ◽  
S. Seiffert ◽  
E. Henry
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Treatment Efficiency ◽  
Cleaning Efficiency ◽  
Cfd Modelling ◽  
Ultrasonic Signals ◽  
Cfd Models

Generally, studies investigating the treatment efficiency of tank structures for storm water or waste water treatment observe pollutant flows in connection with conditions of hydraulic loading. Further investigations evaluate internal processes in tank structures using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling or lab scale tests. As flow paths inside of tank structures have a considerable influence on the treatment efficiency, flow velocity profile (FVP) measurements can provide a possibility to calibrate CFD models and contribute to a better understanding of pollutant transport processes in these structures. This study focuses on tests carried out with the prototype FVP measurement device OCM Pro LR by NIVUS in a sedimentation tank with combined sewer overflow (CSO) situated in Petange, Luxembourg. The OCM Pro LR measurement system analyses the echo of ultrasonic signals of different flow depths to get a detailed FVP. A comparison of flow velocity measured by OCM Pro LR with a vane measurement showed good conformity. The FVPs measured by OCM Pro LR point out shortcut flows within the tank structure during CSO events, which could cause a reduction of the cleaning efficiency of the structure. The results prove the applicability of FVP measurements in large-scale structures.

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