scholarly journals Unified parameterization of the planetary boundary layer and shallow convection with a higher-order turbulence closure in the community atmosphere model: single column experiments

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1743-1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Bogenschutz ◽  
A. Gettelman ◽  
H. Morrison ◽  
V. E. Larson ◽  
D. P. Schanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model ◽  
Single Column ◽  
Atmosphere Model ◽  
Similar Accuracy

Abstract. This paper describes the coupling of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 5 with a unified multi-variate probability density function (PDF) parameterization, Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB). CLUBB replaces the planetary boundary layer (PBL), shallow convection, and cloud macrophysics schemes in CAM5 with a higher-order turbulence closure based on an assumed PDF. Comparisons of single-column versions of CAM5 and CAM-CLUBB are provided in this paper for several boundary layer regimes. As compared to Large Eddy Simulations (LES), CAM-CLUBB and CAM5 simulate marine stratocumulus regimes with similar accuracy. For shallow convective regimes, CAM-CLUBB improves the representation of cloud cover and liquid water path (LWP). In addition, for shallow convection CAM-CLUBB offers better fidelity for sub-grid scale vertical velocity, which is an important input for aerosol activation. Finally, CAM-CLUBB results are more robust to changes in vertical and temporal resolution when compared to CAM5.

scholarly journals Unified parameterization of the planetary boundary layer and shallow convection with a higher-order turbulence closure in the Community Atmosphere Model: single-column experiments

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1407-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Bogenschutz ◽  
A. Gettelman ◽  
H. Morrison ◽  
V. E. Larson ◽  
D. P. Schanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Planetary Boundary Layer ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Liquid Water Path ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model ◽  
Single Column ◽  
Atmosphere Model ◽  
Similar Accuracy

Abstract. This paper describes the coupling of the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 5 with a unified multi-variate probability density function (PDF) parameterization, Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB). CLUBB replaces the planetary boundary layer (PBL), shallow convection, and cloud macrophysics schemes in CAM5 with a higher-order turbulence closure based on an assumed PDF. Comparisons of single-column versions of CAM5 and CAM-CLUBB are provided in this paper for several boundary layer regimes. As compared to large eddy simulations (LESs), CAM-CLUBB and CAM5 simulate marine stratocumulus regimes with similar accuracy. For shallow convective regimes, CAM-CLUBB improves the representation of cloud cover and liquid water path (LWP). In addition, for shallow convection CAM-CLUBB offers better fidelity for subgrid-scale vertical velocity, which is an important input for aerosol activation. Finally, CAM-CLUBB results are more robust to changes in vertical and temporal resolution when compared to CAM5.

scholarly journals Higher-Order Turbulence Closure and Its Impact on Climate Simulations in the Community Atmosphere Model

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (23) ◽  
pp. 9655-9676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Bogenschutz ◽  
Andrew Gettelman ◽  
Hugh Morrison ◽  
Vincent E. Larson ◽  
Cheryl Craig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
Trade Wind ◽  
Gradual Transition ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Boundary Layer Clouds ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model ◽  
Climate Simulations ◽  
Atmosphere Model

This paper describes climate simulations of the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), coupled with a higher-order turbulence closure known as Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB). CLUBB is a unified parameterization of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and shallow convection that is centered around a trivariate probability density function (PDF) and replaces the conventional PBL, shallow convection, and cloud macrophysics schemes in CAM5. CAM–CLUBB improves many aspects of the base state climate compared to CAM5. Chief among them is the transition of stratocumulus to trade wind cumulus regions in the subtropical oceans. In these regions, CAM–CLUBB provides a much more gradual transition that is in better agreement with observational analysis compared to CAM5, which is too abrupt. The improvement seen in CAM–CLUBB can be largely attributed to the gradual evolution of the simulated turbulence, which is in part a result of the unified nature of the parameterization, and to the general improved representation of shallow cumulus clouds compared to CAM5. In addition, there are large differences in the representation and structure of marine boundary layer clouds between CAM–CLUBB and CAM5. CAM–CLUBB is also shown to be more robust, in terms of boundary layer clouds, to changes in vertical resolution for global simulations in a preliminary test.

scholarly journals Improved Low-Cloud Simulation from the Community Atmosphere Model with an Advanced Third-Order Turbulence Closure

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (14) ◽  
pp. 5737-5762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anning Cheng ◽  
Kuan-Man Xu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Energy Flux ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
South Pacific Convergence Zone ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Community Atmosphere Model ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Atmosphere Model

Abstract In this study, a simplified intermediately prognostic higher-order turbulence closure (IPHOC) is implemented in the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 (CAM5), to provide a consistent treatment of subgrid-scale cloud processes, except for deep convection. The planetary boundary layer (PBL) height is prognosticated to better resolve the discontinuity of temperature and moisture above the PBL top. Single-column model tests show that fluxes of liquid water potential temperature and total water, cloud fraction, and liquid water content are improved with this approach. The simplified IPHOC package replaces the boundary layer dry and moist turbulence parameterizations, the shallow convection parameterization, and the liquid-phase part of the cloud macrophysics parameterization in CAM5. CAM5-IPHOC improves the simulation of the low-level clouds off the west coasts of continents and the storm track region in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). The transition from stratocumulus to cumulus clouds is more gradual. There are also improvements on the cloud radiative forcing, especially shortwave, in the subsidence regime. The improvements in the relationships among low cloud amount, surface relative humidity, lower tropospheric stability, and PBL depth are seen in some stratocumulus regions. CAM5-IPHOC, however, produces weaker precipitation at the South Pacific convergence zone than CAM5 because of less energy flux into the SH atmosphere. The more downward surface shortwave radiative cooling and the less top-of-the-atmosphere longwave cloud radiative heating in the SH relative to the Northern Hemisphere explains the anomalous cooling and the lesser energy flux into the SH, which is related to the underestimate of extratropical middle/high clouds in the SH.

scholarly journals Improving subtropical boundary layer cloudiness in the 2011 NCEP GFS

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2249-2291 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Fletcher ◽  
C. S. Bretherton ◽  
H. Xiao ◽  
R. Sun ◽  
J. Han
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Shallow Cumulus ◽  
Single Column ◽  
Low Cloud ◽  
Environmental Prediction

Abstract. The current operational version of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecasting System (GFS) shows significant low cloud bias. These biases also appear in the Coupled Forecast System (CFS), which is developed from the GFS. These low cloud biases degrade seasonal and longer climate forecasts, particularly of shortwave cloud radiative forcing, and affect predicted sea-surface temperature. Reducing this bias in the GFS will aid the development of future CFS versions and contributes to NCEP's goal of unified weather and climate modelling. Changes are made to the shallow convection and planetary boundary layer parametrisations to make them more consistent with current knowledge of these processes and to reduce the low cloud bias. These changes are tested in a single-column version of GFS and in global simulations with GFS coupled to a dynamical ocean model. In the single column model, we focus on changing parameters that set the following: the strength of shallow cumulus lateral entrainment, the conversion of updraught liquid water to precipitation and grid-scale condensate, shallow cumulus cloud top, and the effect of shallow convection in stratocumulus environments. Results show that these changes improve the single-column simulations when compared to large eddy simulations, in particular through decreasing the precipitation efficiency of boundary layer clouds. These changes, combined with a few other model improvements, also reduce boundary layer cloud and albedo biases in global coupled simulations.

scholarly journals On a solution of the closure problem for dry convective boundary layer turbulence and beyond

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Convective Boundary Layer ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Turbulence Closure ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Closure Problem ◽  
Convective Boundary ◽  
Higher Order Moments ◽  
Closure Models

Abstract We consider the closure problem of representing the higher order moments (HOMs) in terms of lower-order moments, a central feature in turbulence modelling based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach. Our focus is on models suited for the description of asymmetric, non-local and semi-organized turbulence in the dry atmospheric convective boundary layer (CBL). We establish a multivariate probability density function (PDF) describing populations of plumes which are embedded in a sea of weaker randomly spaced eddies, and apply an assumed Delta-PDF approximation. The main content of this approach consists of capturing the bulk properties of the PDF. We solve the closure problem analytically for all relevant higher order moments (HOMs) involving velocity components and temperature and establish a hierarchy of new non-Gaussian turbulence closure models of different content and complexity ranging from analytical to semi-analytical. All HOMs in the hierarchy have a universal and simple functional form. They refine the widely used Millionshchikov closure hypothesis and generalize the famous quadratic skewness-kurtosis relationship to higher-order. We examine the performance of the new closures by comparison with measurement, LES and DNS data and derive empirical constants for semi-analytical models, which are best for practical applications. We show that the new models have a good skill in predicting the HOMs for atmospheric CBL. Our closures can be implemented in second-, third- and fourth-order RANS turbulence closure models of bi-, tri-and four-variate levels of complexity. Finally, several possible generalizations of our approach are discussed.

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