Constructing a Merged Cloud-Precipitation Radar Dataset for Tropical Convective Clouds during the DYNAMO/AMIE Experiment at Addu Atoll

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feng, Zhe; McFarlane, Sally A.; Schumacher, Courtney

2014-05-16

To improve understanding of the convective processes key to the Madden-Julian-Oscillation (MJO) initiation, the Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MJO Investigation Experiment (AMIE) collected four months of observations from three radars, the S-band Polarization Radar (S-Pol), the C-band Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research & Teaching Radar (SMART-R), and Ka-band Zenith Radar (KAZR) on Addu Atoll in the tropical Indian Ocean. This study compares the measurements from the S-Pol and SMART-R to those from the more sensitive KAZR in order to characterize the hydrometeor detection capabilities of the two scanning precipitation radars. Frequency comparisons for precipitating convective cloudsmore » and non-precipitating high clouds agree much better than non-precipitating low clouds for both scanning radars due to issues in ground clutter. On average, SMART-R underestimates convective and high cloud tops by 0.3 to 1.1 km, while S-Pol underestimates cloud tops by less than 0.4 km for these cloud types. S-Pol shows excellent dynamic range in detecting various types of clouds and therefore its data are well suited for characterizing the evolution of the 3D cloud structures, complementing the profiling KAZR measurements. For detecting non-precipitating low clouds and thin cirrus clouds, KAZR remains the most reliable instrument. However, KAZR is attenuated in heavy precipitation and underestimates cloud top height due to rainfall attenuation 4.3% of the time during DYNAMO/AMIE. An empirical method to correct the KAZR cloud top heights is described, and a merged radar dataset is produced to provide improved cloud boundary estimates, microphysics and radiative heating retrievals.« less

Frequency and morphology of tropical tropopause layer cirrus from CALIPSO observations: Are isolated cirrus different from those connected to deep convection?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riihimaki, Laura D.; McFarlane, Sally A.

2010-09-16

Tropical Tropopause Layer cirrus (TTLC) profiles identified from CALIPSO LIDAR measurements are grouped into cloud objects and classified according to whether or not they are connected to deep convection. TTLC objects connected to deep convection are optically and physically thicker than isolated objects, consistent with what would be expected if connected objects were formed from convective detrainment and isolated objects formed in situ. In the tropics (±20 Latitude), 36% of TTLC profiles are classified as connected to deep convection, 43% as isolated, and the remaining 21% are part of lower, thicker cirrus clouds. Regions with higher occurence of deep convectionmore » also have higher occurrence of TTLC, and a greater percentage of those TTLC are connected to deep convection. Cloud top heights of both isolated and connected clouds are distributed similarly with respect to the height of the cold point tropopause. No difference in thickness or optical depth was found between TTLC above deep convection or above clear sky, though both cloud base and top heights are higher over deep convection than over clear sky.« less

Aerosol-cloud interactions in mixed-phase convective clouds - Part 1: Aerosol perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miltenberger, Annette K.; Field, Paul R.; Hill, Adrian A.; Rosenberg, Phil; Shipway, Ben J.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Scovell, Robert; Blyth, Alan M.

2018-03-01

Changes induced by perturbed aerosol conditions in moderately deep mixed-phase convective clouds (cloud top height ˜ 5 km) developing along sea-breeze convergence lines are investigated with high-resolution numerical model simulations. The simulations utilise the newly developed Cloud-AeroSol Interacting Microphysics (CASIM) module for the Unified Model (UM), which allows for the representation of the two-way interaction between cloud and aerosol fields. Simulations are evaluated against observations collected during the COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) field campaign over the southwestern peninsula of the UK in 2013. The simulations compare favourably with observed thermodynamic profiles, cloud base cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC), cloud depth, and radar reflectivity statistics. Including the modification of aerosol fields by cloud microphysical processes improves the correspondence with observed CDNC values and spatial variability, but reduces the agreement with observations for average cloud size and cloud top height. Accumulated precipitation is suppressed for higher-aerosol conditions before clouds become organised along the sea-breeze convergence lines. Changes in precipitation are smaller in simulations with aerosol processing. The precipitation suppression is due to less efficient precipitation production by warm-phase microphysics, consistent with parcel model predictions. In contrast, after convective cells organise along the sea-breeze convergence zone, accumulated precipitation increases with aerosol concentrations. Condensate production increases with the aerosol concentrations due to higher vertical velocities in the convective cores and higher cloud top heights. However, for the highest-aerosol scenarios, no further increase in the condensate production occurs, as clouds grow into an upper-level stable layer. In these cases, the reduced precipitation efficiency (PE) dominates the precipitation response and no further precipitation enhancement occurs. Previous studies of deep convective clouds have related larger vertical velocities under high-aerosol conditions to enhanced latent heating from freezing. In the presented simulations changes in latent heating above the 0°C are negligible, but latent heating from condensation increases with aerosol concentrations. It is hypothesised that this increase is related to changes in the cloud field structure reducing the mixing of environmental air into the convective core. The precipitation response of the deeper mixed-phase clouds along well-established convergence lines can be the opposite of predictions from parcel models. This occurs when clouds interact with a pre-existing thermodynamic environment and cloud field structural changes occur that are not captured by simple parcel model approaches.

Weather Avoidance Guidelines for NASA Global Hawk High-Altitude UAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cecil, Daniel J.; Zipser, Edward J.; Velden, Chris; Monette, Sarah; Heymsfield, Gerry; Braun, Scott; Newman, Paul; Black, Pete; Black, Michael; Dunion, Jason

2014-01-01

NASA operates two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems for Earth Science research projects. In particular, they are used in the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) project during 2012, 2013, and 2014 to take measurements from the environment around tropical cyclones, and from directly above tropical cyclones. There is concern that strict adherence to the weather avoidance rules used in 2012 may sacrifice the ability to observe important science targets. We have proposed modifications to these weather avoidance rules that we believe will improve the ability to observe science targets without compromising aircraft safety. The previous guidelines, used in 2012, specified: Do not approach thunderstorms within 25 nm during flight at FL500 or below. When flying above FL500: Do not approach reported lightning within 25NM in areas where cloud tops are reported at FL500 or higher. Aircraft should maintain at least 10000 ft vertical separation from reported lightning if cloud tops are below FL500. No over-flight of cumulus tops higher than FL500. No flight into forecast or reported icing conditions. No flight into forecast or reported moderate or severe turbulence Based on past experience with high-altitude flights over tropical cyclones, we have recommended changing this guidance to: Do not approach thunderstorms within 25 nm during flight at FL500 or below. Aircraft should maintain at least 5000 ft vertical separation from significant convective cloud tops except: a) When cloud tops above FL500: In the event of reported significant lightning activity or indicators of significant overshooting tops, do not approach within 10-25 nm, depending on pilot discretion and advice from Mission Scientist. b) When cloud tops are below FL500, maintain 10000 ft separation from reported significant lightning or indicators of significant overshooting tops. No flight into forecasted or reported icing conditions. No flight into forecasted or reported moderate or severe turbulence The key changes have to do with overflight of high convective cloud tops and those producing lightning. Experience shows that most tropical oceanic convection (including that in tropical cyclones) is relatively gentle even if the cloud tops are quite high, and can be safely overflown. Exceptions are convective elements producing elevated lightning flash rates (more than just the occasional flash, which would trigger avoidance under the previous rules) and significant overshooting cloud tops.

The MJO Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection in CloudSat/CALIPSO Data and GISS GCM Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony G.; Chen, Yonghua; Kim, Daehyun; Yao, Mao-Sung

2013-01-01

The relationship between convective penetration depth and tropospheric humidity is central to recent theories of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO). It has been suggested that general circulation models (GCMs) poorly simulate the MJO because they fail to gradually moisten the troposphere by shallow convection and simulate a slow transition to deep convection. CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data are analyzed to document the variability of convection depth and its relation to water vapor during the MJO transition from shallow to deep convection and to constrain GCM cumulus parameterizations. Composites of cloud occurrence for 10MJO events show the following anticipatedMJO cloud structure: shallow and congestus clouds in advance of the peak, deep clouds near the peak, and upper-level anvils after the peak. Cirrus clouds are also frequent in advance of the peak. The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EarthObserving System (EOS) (AMSR-E) columnwater vapor (CWV) increases by;5 mmduring the shallow- deep transition phase, consistent with the idea of moisture preconditioning. Echo-top height of clouds rooted in the boundary layer increases sharply with CWV, with large variability in depth when CWV is between;46 and 68 mm. International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud classifications reproduce these climatological relationships but correctly identify congestus-dominated scenes only about half the time. A version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E2 (GISS-E2) GCM with strengthened entrainment and rain evaporation that produces MJO-like variability also reproduces the shallow-deep convection transition, including the large variability of cloud-top height at intermediate CWV values. The variability is due to small grid-scale relative humidity and lapse rate anomalies for similar values of CWV. 1.

Factors governing the total rainfall yield from continental convective clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenfeld, Daniel; Gagin, Abraham

1989-01-01

Several important factors that govern the total rainfall from continental convective clouds were investigated by tracking thousands of convective cells in Israel and South Africa. The rainfall volume yield (Rvol) of the individual cells that build convective rain systems has been shown to depend mainly on the cloud-top height. There is, however, considerable variability in this relationship. The following factors that influence the Rvol were parameterized and quantitatively analyzed: (1) cloud base temperature, (2)atmospheric instability, and (3) the extent of isolation of the cell. It is also shown that a strong low level forcing increases the duration of Rvol of clouds reaching the same vertical extent.

Wavelet Scale Analysis of Mesoscale Convective Systems for Detecting Deep Convection From Infrared Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Cornelia; Belušić, Danijel; Taylor, Christopher M.

2018-03-01

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are frequently associated with rainfall extremes and are expected to further intensify under global warming. However, despite the significant impact of such extreme events, the dominant processes favoring their occurrence are still under debate. Meteosat geostationary satellites provide unique long-term subhourly records of cloud top temperatures, allowing to track changes in MCS structures that could be linked to rainfall intensification. Focusing on West Africa, we show that Meteosat cloud top temperatures are a useful proxy for rainfall intensities, as derived from snapshots from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 2A25 product: MCSs larger than 15,000 km2 at a temperature threshold of -40°C are found to produce 91% of all extreme rainfall occurrences in the study region, with 80% of the storms producing extreme rain when their minimum temperature drops below -80°C. Furthermore, we present a new method based on 2-D continuous wavelet transform to explore the relationship between cloud top temperature and rainfall intensity for subcloud features at different length scales. The method shows great potential for separating convective and stratiform cloud parts when combining information on temperature and scale, improving the common approach of using a temperature threshold only. We find that below -80°C, every fifth pixel is associated with deep convection. This frequency is doubled when looking at subcloud features smaller than 35 km. Scale analysis of subcloud features can thus help to better exploit cloud top temperature data sets, which provide much more spatiotemporal detail of MCS characteristics than available rainfall data sets alone.

Precipitation Discrimination from Satellite Infrared Temperatures over the CCOPE Mesonet Region.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Mitchell; Smith, Eric A.

1987-06-01

A quantitative investigation of the relationship between satellite-derived cloud-top temperature parameters and the detection of intense convective rainfall is described. The area of study is that of the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment (CCOPE), which was held near Miles City, Montana during the summer of 1981. Cloud-top temperatures, derived from the GOES-West operational satellite, were used to calculate a variety of parameters for objectively quantifying the convective intensity of a storm. A dense network of rainfall provided verification of surface rainfall. The cloud-top temperature field and surface rainfall data were processed into equally sized grid domains in order to best depict the individual samples of instantaneous precipitation.The technique of statistical discriminant analysis was used to determine which combinations of cloud-top temperature parameters best classify rain versus no-rain occurrence using three different rain-rate cutoffs: 1, 4, and 10 mm h1. Time lags within the 30 min rainfall verification were tested to determine the optimum time delay associated with rainfall reaching the ground.A total of six storm cases were used to develop and test the statistical models. Discrimination of rain events was found to be most accurate when using a 10 mm h1 rain-rate cutoff. Use parameters designated as coldest cloud-top temperature, the spatial mean of coldest cloud-top temperature, and change over time of mean coldest cloud-top temperature were found to be the best classifiers of rainfall in this study. Combining both a 10-min time lag (in terms of surface verification) with a 10 mm h1 rain-rate threshold resulted in classifying over 60% of all rain and no-rain cases correctly.

Detection of mesoscale convective complexes using multispectral RGB technique of Himawari-8 (Case Study: Jakarta, 20 February 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatkhuroyan; Wati, T.

2018-05-01

Mesoscale Convective Complexes (MCC) is a well-organized convective cloud that has big size and long lifetime. The aim of the study is to detect and to monitor the development of MCC around Jakarta on 20th February 2017 using satellite Himawari-8. This study uses the analyzing method of the infrared channel and multispectral imagery RGB Technique to monitor the development of radiative, morphology and cloud position which describe the cloud top microphysics, structure and movement of the MCC. On 20th February 2017, the result from Himawari-8 shows that there are many dense-clouds with small ice particle and cloud top temperature could be < -50°C which can be seen as red and yellow dot colour by RGB Technique. The MCC caused a severe storm at Jakarta and its surrounding area.

Aerosol and Cloud Microphysical Properties in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axisa, Duncan; Kucera, Paul; Burger, Roelof; Li, Runjun; Collins, Don; Freney, Evelyn; Posada, Rafael; Buseck, Peter

2010-05-01

In recent advertent and inadvertent weather modification studies, a considerable effort has been made to understand the impact of varying aerosol properties and concentration on cloud properties. Significant uncertainties exist with aerosol-cloud interactions for which complex microphysical processes link the aerosol and cloud properties. Under almost all environmental conditions, increased aerosol concentrations within polluted air masses will enhance cloud droplet concentration relative to that in unperturbed regions. The interaction between dust particles and clouds are significant, yet the conditions in which dust particles become cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are uncertain. In order to quantify this aerosol effect on clouds and precipitation, a field campaign was launched in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia as part of a Precipitation Enhancement Feasibility Study. Ground measurements of aerosol size distributions, hygroscopic growth factor, CCN concentrations as well as aircraft measurements of cloud hydrometeor size distributions were done in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia in August 2009. Research aircraft operations focused primarily on conducting measurements in clouds that are targeted for cloud top-seeding, on their microphysical characterization, especially the preconditions necessary for precipitation; understanding the evolution of droplet coalescence, supercooled liquid water, cloud ice and precipitation hydrometeors is necessary if advances are to be made in the study of cloud modification by cloud seeding. Non-precipitating mixed-phase clouds less than 3km in diameter that developed on top of the stable inversion were characterized by flying at the convective cloud top just above the inversion. Aerosol measurements were also done during the climb to cloud base height. The presentation will include a summary of the analysis and results with a focus on the unique features of the Asir region in producing convective clouds, characterization of the aerosol prior to convective development and the microphysical properties of convective clouds in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia.

Trade-Wind Cloudiness and Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.

1997-01-01

Closed Mesoscale Cellular Convection (MCC) consists of mesoscale cloud patches separated by narrow clear regions. Strong radiative cooling occurs at the cloud top. A dry two-dimensional Bousinesq model is used to study the effects of cloud-top cooling on convection. Wide updrafts and narrow downdrafts are used to indicate the asymmetric circulations associated with the mesoscale cloud patches. Based on the numerical results, a conceptual model was constructed to suggest a mechanism for the formation of closed MCC over cool ocean surfaces. A new method to estimate the radioative and evaporative cooling in the entrainment layer of a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer has been developed. The method was applied to a set of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) results and to a set of tethered-balloon data obtained during FIRE. We developed a statocumulus-capped marine mixed layer model which includes a parameterization of drizzle based on the use of a predicted Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) number concentration. We have developed, implemented, and tested a very elaborate new stratiform cloudiness parameterization for use in GCMs. Finally, we have developed a new, mechanistic parameterization of the effects of cloud-top cooling on the entrainment rate.

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-11-01

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol's thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ∼27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3-5 Wṡm-2) and a surface cooling (-5 to -8 Wṡm-2). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments.

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds.

PubMed

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-11-26

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol's thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ~27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3-5 W m(-2)) and a surface cooling (-5 to -8 W m(-2)). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments.

Extraction of convective cloud parameters from Doppler Weather Radar MAX(Z) product using Image Processing Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arunachalam, M. S.; Puli, Anil; Anuradha, B.

2016-07-01

In the present work continuous extraction of convective cloud optical information and reflectivity (MAX(Z) in dBZ) using online retrieval technique for time series data production from Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) located at Indian Meteorological Department, Chennai has been developed in MATLAB. Reflectivity measurements for different locations within the DWR range of 250 Km radii of circular disc area can be retrieved using this technique. It gives both time series reflectivity of point location and also Range Time Intensity (RTI) maps of reflectivity for the corresponding location. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed for the cloud reflectivity is user friendly; it also provides the convective cloud optical information such as cloud base height (CBH), cloud top height (CTH) and cloud optical depth (COD). This technique is also applicable for retrieving other DWR products such as Plan Position Indicator (Z, in dBZ), Plan Position Indicator (Z, in dBZ)-Close Range, Volume Velocity Processing (V, in knots), Plan Position Indicator (V, in m/s), Surface Rainfall Intensity (SRI, mm/hr), Precipitation Accumulation (PAC) 24 hrs at 0300UTC. Keywords: Reflectivity, cloud top height, cloud base, cloud optical depth

Validation of Satellite-Based Objective Overshooting Cloud-Top Detection Methods Using CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedka, Kristopher M.; Dworak, Richard; Brunner, Jason; Feltz, Wayne

2012-01-01

Two satellite infrared-based overshooting convective cloud-top (OT) detection methods have recently been described in the literature: 1) the 11-mm infrared window channel texture (IRW texture) method, which uses IRW channel brightness temperature (BT) spatial gradients and thresholds, and 2) the water vapor minus IRW BT difference (WV-IRW BTD). While both methods show good performance in published case study examples, it is important to quantitatively validate these methods relative to overshooting top events across the globe. Unfortunately, no overshooting top database currently exists that could be used in such study. This study examines National Aeronautics and Space Administration CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar data to develop an OT detection validation database that is used to evaluate the IRW-texture and WV-IRW BTD OT detection methods. CloudSat data were manually examined over a 1.5-yr period to identify cases in which the cloud top penetrates above the tropopause height defined by a numerical weather prediction model and the surrounding cirrus anvil cloud top, producing 111 confirmed overshooting top events. When applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R) Advanced Baseline Imager proxy data, the IRW-texture (WV-IRW BTD) method offered a 76% (96%) probability of OT detection (POD) and 16% (81%) false-alarm ratio. Case study examples show that WV-IRW BTD.0 K identifies much of the deep convective cloud top, while the IRW-texture method focuses only on regions with a spatial scale near that of commonly observed OTs. The POD decreases by 20% when IRW-texture is applied to current geostationary imager data, highlighting the importance of imager spatial resolution for observing and detecting OT regions.

Weather Avoidance Guidelines for NASA Global Hawk High-Altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cecil, Daniel J.; Zipser, Edward J.; Velden, Chris S.; Monette, Sarah A.; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Braun, Scott A.; Newman, Paul A.; Black, Peter G.; Black, Michael L.; Dunion, Jason P.

2014-01-01

The current Global Hawk flight rules would probably not have been effective in the single event of greatest concern (the Emily encounter). The cloud top had not reached 50,000 ft until minutes before the encounter. The TOT and lightning data would not have been available until near the overflight time since this was a rapidly growing cell. This case would have required a last-minute diversion when lightning became frequent. Avoiding such a cell probably requires continual monitoring of the forward camera and storm scope, whether or not cloud tops have been exceeding specific limits. However, the current overflight rules as strictly interpreted would have prohibited significant fractions of the successful Global Hawk overpasses of Karl and Matthew that proved not to be hazardous. Many other high altitude aircraft (ER-2 and Global Hawk) flights in NASA tropical cyclone field programs have successfully overflown deep convective clouds without incident.The convective cell that caused serious concern about the safety of the ER-2 in Emily was especially strong for a tropical cyclone environment, probably as strong or stronger than any that was overflown by the ER-2 in 20 previous flights over tropical cyclones. Specifically, what made that cell a safety concern was the magnitude of the vertical velocity of the updraft, at least 20 m/s (4000 ft/minute) at the time the ER-2 overflew it. Such a strong updraft can generate strong gravity waves at and above the tropopause, posing a potential danger to aircraft far above the maximum altitude of the updraft itself or its associated cloud top. Indeed, the ER-2 was probably at least 9000 ft above that cloud top. Cloud-top height, by itself, is not an especially good indicator of the intensity of convection and the likelihood of turbulence. Nor is overflying high cloud tops (i.e. > 50,000 ft) of particular concern unless there is other evidence of very strong convective updrafts beneath those tops in the path of the aircraft. center dot Lightning, especially lightning with a high flash rate, is well correlated with convective intensity. Lightning with a minimal flash rate (say 1-3 flashes per minute) is indicative of updraft speeds of about 10 m/s in the mixed phase region where charge is being separated, generally at altitudes about 20-25 kft in a hurricane. That is still stronger than typical updrafts (more like 5 m/s). An unresolved issue is whether there is a high and instantaneous correlation between vertical velocity in the middle troposphere (necessary for lightning generation) and near cloud top (more direct concern for overflights).

Stereoscopic, thermal, and true deep cumulus cloud top heights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llewellyn-Jones, D. T.; Corlett, G. K.; Lawrence, S. P.; Remedios, J. J.; Sherwood, S. C.; Chae, J.; Minnis, P.; McGill, M.

2004-05-01

We compare cloud-top height estimates from several sensors: thermal tops from GOES-8 and MODIS, stereoscopic tops from MISR, and directly measured heights from the Goddard Cloud Physics Lidar on board the ER-2, all collected during the CRYSTAL-FACE field campaign. Comparisons reveal a persistent 1-2 km underestimation of cloud-top heights by thermal imagery, even when the finite optical extinctions near cloud top and in thin overlying cirrus are taken into account. The most severe underestimates occur for the tallest clouds. The MISR "best-sinds" and lidar estimates disagree in very similar ways with thermally estimated tops, which we take as evidence of excellent performance by MISR. Encouraged by this, we use MISR to examine variations in cloud penetration and thermal top height errors in several locations of tropical deep convection over multiple seasons. The goals of this are, first, to learn how cloud penetration depends on the near-tropopause environment; and second, to gain further insight into the mysterious underestimation of tops by thermal imagery.

Deep convective clouds at the tropopause

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aumann, H. H.; Desouza-Machado, S. G.

2010-07-01

Data from the Advanced Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the EOS Aqua spacecraft identify thousands of cloud tops colder than 225 K, loosely referred to as Deep Convective Clouds (DCC). Many of these cloud tops have "inverted" spectra, i.e. areas of strong water vapor, CO2 and ozone opacity, normally seen in absorption, are now seen in emission. We refer to these inverted spectra as DCCi. They are found in about 0.4% of all spectra from the tropical oceans excluding the Western Tropical Pacific (WTP), 1.1% in the WTP. The cold clouds are the anvils capping thunderstorms and consist of optically thick cirrus ice clouds. The precipitation rate associated with DCCi suggests that imbedded in these clouds, protruding above them, and not spatially resolved by the AIRS 15 km FOV, are even colder bubbles, where strong convection pushes clouds to within 5 hPa of the pressure level of the tropopause cold point. Associated with DCCi is a local upward displacement of the tropopause, a cold "bulge", which can be seen directly in the brightness temperatures of AIRS and AMSU channels with weighting function peaking between 40 and 2 hPa, without the need for a formal temperature retrieval. The bulge is not resolved by the analysis in numerical weather prediction models. The locally cold cloud tops relative to the analysis give the appearance (in the sense of an "illusion") of clouds overshooting the tropopause and penetrating into the stratosphere. Based on a simple model of optically thick cirrus clouds, the spectral inversions seen in the AIRS data do not require these clouds to penetrate into the stratosphere. However, the contents of the cold bulge may be left in the lower stratosphere as soon as the strong convection subsides. The heavy precipitation and the distortion of the temperature structure near the tropopause indicate that DCCi are associated with intense storms. Significant long-term trends in the statistical properties of DCCi could be interesting indicators of climate change.

Implications of Warm Rain in Shallow Cumulus and Congestus Clouds for Large-Scale Circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuijens, Louise; Emanuel, Kerry; Masunaga, Hirohiko; L'Ecuyer, Tristan

2017-11-01

Space-borne observations reveal that 20-40% of marine convective clouds below the freezing level produce rain. In this paper we speculate what the prevalence of warm rain might imply for convection and large-scale circulations over tropical oceans. We present results using a two-column radiative-convective model of hydrostatic, nonlinear flow on a non-rotating sphere, with parameterized convection and radiation, and review ongoing efforts in high-resolution modeling and observations of warm rain. The model experiments investigate the response of convection and circulation to sea surface temperature (SST) gradients between the columns and to changes in a parameter that controls the conversion of cloud condensate to rain. Convection over the cold ocean collapses to a shallow mode with tops near 850 hPa, but a congestus mode with tops near 600 hPa can develop at small SST differences when warm rain formation is more efficient. Here, interactive radiation and the response of the circulation are crucial: along with congestus a deeper moist layer develops, which leads to less low-level radiative cooling, a smaller buoyancy gradient between the columns, and therefore a weaker circulation and less subsidence over the cold ocean. The congestus mode is accompanied with more surface precipitation in the subsiding column and less surface precipitation in the deep convecting column. For the shallow mode over colder oceans, circulations also weaken with more efficient warm rain formation, but only marginally. Here, more warm rain reduces convective tops and the boundary layer depth—similar to Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) studies—which reduces the integrated buoyancy gradient. Elucidating the impact of warm rain can benefit from large-domain high-resolution simulations and observations. Parameterizations of warm rain may be constrained through collocated cloud and rain profiling from ground, and concurrent changes in convection and rain in subsiding and convecting branches of circulations may be revealed from a collocation of space-borne sensors, including the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and upcoming Aeolus missions.

Quality of remote sensing measurements of cloud physical parameters in the cooperative convective precipitation experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, M.-L.

1985-01-01

In order to develop the remote sensing techniques to infer cloud physical parameters, a multispectral cloud radiometer (MCR) was mounted on a NASA high-altitude aircraft in conjunction with the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment in 1981. The MCR has seven spectral channels, of which three are centered near windows associated with water vapor bands in the near infrared, two are centered near the oxygen A band at 0.76 microns, one is centered at the 1.14-micron water vapor band, and one is centered in the thermal infrared. The reflectance and temperature measured on May 31, 1981, are presented together with theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the MCR produces quality measurements. Therefore several cloud parameters can be derived with good accuracy. The parameters are the cloud-scaled optical thickness, cloud top pressure, volume scattering coefficient, particle thermodynamic phase, effective mean particle size, and cloud-top temperature.

Observing convection with satellite, radar, and lightning measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamann, Ulrich; Nisi, Luca; Clementi, Lorenzo; Ventura, Jordi Figueras i.; Gabella, Marco; Hering, Alessandro M.; Sideris, Ioannis; Trefalt, Simona; Germann, Urs

2015-04-01

Heavy precipitation, hail, and wind gusts are the fundamental meteorological hazards associated with strong convection and thunderstorms. The thread is particularly severe in mountainous areas, e.g. it is estimated that on average between 50% and 80% of all weather-related damage in Switzerland is caused by strong thunderstorms (Hilker et al., 2010). Intense atmospheric convection is governed by processes that range from the synoptic to the microphysical scale and are considered to be one of the most challenging and difficult weather phenomena to predict. Even though numerical weather prediction models have some skills to predict convection, in general the exact location of the convective initialization and its propagation cannot be forecasted by these models with sufficient precision. Hence, there is a strong interest to improve the short-term forecast by using statistical, object oriented and/or heuristic nowcasting methods. MeteoSwiss has developed several operational nowcasting systems for this purpose such as TRT (Hering, 2008) and COALITION (Nisi, 2014). In this contribution we analyze the typical development of convection using measurements of the Swiss C-band Dual Polarization Doppler weather radar network, the MSG SEVIRI satellite, and the Météorage lighting network. The observations are complemented with the analysis and forecasts of the COSMO model. Special attention is given to the typical evolutionary stages like the pre-convective environment, convective initiation, cloud top glaciation, start, maximum, and end of precipitation and lightning activity. The pre-convective environment is examined using instability indices derived from SEVIRI observations and the COSMO forecasts. During the early development satellite observations are used to observe the rise of the cloud top, the growth of the cloud droplet or crystals, and the glaciation of the cloud top. SEVIRI brightness temperatures, channel differences, and temporal trends as suggested by Mecikalski et al. (2010) are used to identify convectively active regions. Additionally, retrieved physical cloud properties of state-of-the-art cloud remote sensing algorithms such as the cloud top height, multilayer flags, cloud phase, optical depth and effective radius are employed. As soon as larger particles form, radar observations complement the satellite ones. Radar datasets are used in particular to observe the precipitation intensity and type, the vertical extension and structure of the convective cells. In the mature stage convective cells might start to produce lightning. The relation between the different observables and their suitability as predictors for the further convective development are discussed, e.g. strong updrafts in the developing phase are often followed by fast anvil spreading and intense precipitation in the mature phase. Threads and hazards due to heavy precipitation, hail, and wind gusts are estimated. Hering, A. M., Germann, U., Boscacci, M., Sénési, S., 2008: Operational nowcasting of thunderstorms in the Alps during MAP D-PHASE. In Proceedings of 5th European Conference on Radar in Meteorology and Hydrology (ERAD), 30 June - 4 July 2008, Helsinki, Finland. 1-5. Copernicus: Göttingen, Germany. Hilker, N., Badoux, A., Hegg, C., 2010: Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz im Jahre 2009. Wasser Energ. Luft 102: 1-6 (in German). Mecikalski, J. R., Mackenzie, W. M., König, M., Muller, S. 2010: Use of Meteosat Second Generation infrared data in 0-1 hour convective initiation nowcasting. Part 1. Infrared fields. J. Appl. Meteorol. 49: 521-534. Nisi, L., Ambrosetti, P., Clementi, L., 2014: Nowcasting severe convection in the Alpine region: the COALITION approach. QJRMT, 140, 682, 1684-1699, DOI: 10.1002/qj.2249

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Michael D.; Platnick, Steven; Menzel, W. Paul; Ackerman, Steven A.; Hubanks, Paul A.

2012-01-01

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was developed by NASA and launched aboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18, 1999 and Aqua spacecraft on May 4, 2002. A comprehensive set of remote sensing algorithms for the retrieval of cloud physical and optical properties have enabled over twelve years of continuous observations of cloud properties from Terra and over nine years from Aqua. The archived products from these algorithms include 1 km pixel-level (Level-2) and global gridded Level-3 products. In addition to an extensive cloud mask, products include cloud-top properties (temperature, pressure, effective emissivity), cloud thermodynamic phase, cloud optical and microphysical parameters (optical thickness, effective particle radius, water path), as well as derived statistics. Results include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties for both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as latitudinal distributions of cloud top pressure and cloud top temperature. MODIS finds the cloud fraction, as derived by the cloud mask, is nearly identical during the day and night, with only modest diurnal variation. Globally, the cloud fraction derived by the MODIS cloud mask is approx.67%, with somewhat more clouds over land during the afternoon and less clouds over ocean in the afternoon, with very little difference in global cloud cover between Terra and Aqua. Overall, cloud fraction over land is approx.55%, with a distinctive seasonal cycle, whereas the ocean cloudiness is much higher, around 72%, with much reduced seasonal variation. Cloud top pressure and temperature have distinct spatial and temporal patterns, and clearly reflect our understanding of the global cloud distribution. High clouds are especially prevalent over the northern hemisphere continents between 30 and 50 . Aqua and Terra have comparable zonal cloud top pressures, with Aqua having somewhat higher clouds (cloud top pressures lower by 100 hPa) over land due to afternoon deep convection. The coldest cloud tops (colder than 230 K) generally occur over Antarctica and the high clouds in the tropics (ITCZ and the deep convective clouds over the western tropical Pacific and Indian sub-continent).

Microphysical effects determine macrophysical response for aerosol impacts on deep convective clouds

PubMed Central

Fan, Jiwen; Leung, L. Ruby; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chen, Qian; Li, Zhanqing; Zhang, Jinqiang; Yan, Hongru

2013-01-01

Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play a crucial role in the general circulation, energy, and hydrological cycle of our climate system. Aerosol particles can influence DCCs by altering cloud properties, precipitation regimes, and radiation balance. Previous studies reported both invigoration and suppression of DCCs by aerosols, but few were concerned with the whole life cycle of DCC. By conducting multiple monthlong cloud-resolving simulations with spectral-bin cloud microphysics that capture the observed macrophysical and microphysical properties of summer convective clouds and precipitation in the tropics and midlatitudes, this study provides a comprehensive view of how aerosols affect cloud cover, cloud top height, and radiative forcing. We found that although the widely accepted theory of DCC invigoration due to aerosol’s thermodynamic effect (additional latent heat release from freezing of greater amount of cloud water) may work during the growing stage, it is microphysical effect influenced by aerosols that drives the dramatic increase in cloud cover, cloud top height, and cloud thickness at the mature and dissipation stages by inducing larger amounts of smaller but longer-lasting ice particles in the stratiform/anvils of DCCs, even when thermodynamic invigoration of convection is absent. The thermodynamic invigoration effect contributes up to ∼27% of total increase in cloud cover. The overall aerosol indirect effect is an atmospheric radiative warming (3–5 W⋅m−2) and a surface cooling (−5 to −8 W⋅m−2). The modeling findings are confirmed by the analyses of ample measurements made at three sites of distinctly different environments. PMID:24218569

Global aerosol effects on convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Till; Stier, Philip

2013-04-01

Atmospheric aerosols affect cloud properties, and thereby the radiation balance of the planet and the water cycle. The influence of aerosols on clouds is dominated by increase of cloud droplet and ice crystal numbers (CDNC/ICNC) due to enhanced aerosols acting as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. In deep convective clouds this increase in CDNC/ICNC is hypothesised to increase precipitation because of cloud invigoration through enhanced freezing and associated increased latent heat release caused by delayed warm rain formation. Satellite studies robustly show an increase of cloud top height (CTH) and precipitation with increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD, as proxy for aerosol amount). To represent aerosol effects and study their influence on convective clouds in the global climate aerosol model ECHAM-HAM, we substitute the standard convection parameterisation, which uses one mean convective cloud for each grid column, with the convective cloud field model (CCFM), which simulates a spectrum of convective clouds, each with distinct values of radius, mixing ratios, vertical velocity, height and en/detrainment. Aerosol activation and droplet nucleation in convective updrafts at cloud base is the primary driver for microphysical aerosol effects. To produce realistic estimates for vertical velocity at cloud base we use an entraining dry parcel sub cloud model which is triggered by perturbations of sensible and latent heat at the surface. Aerosol activation at cloud base is modelled with a mechanistic, Köhler theory based, scheme, which couples the aerosols to the convective microphysics. Comparison of relationships between CTH and AOD, and precipitation and AOD produced by this novel model and satellite based estimates show general agreement. Through model experiments and analysis of the model cloud processes we are able to investigate the main drivers for the relationship between CTH / precipitation and AOD.

Hazard Avoidance Products for Convectively-Induced Turbulence in Support of High-Altitude Global Hawk Aircraft Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Sarah M.; Velden, Christopher S.

2018-01-01

A combination of satellite-based and ground-based information is used to identify regions of intense convection that may act as a hazard to high-altitude aircraft. Motivated by concerns that Global Hawk pilotless aircraft, flying near 60,000 feet, might encounter significant convectively-induced turbulence during research overflights of tropical cyclones, strict rules were put in place to avoid such hazards. However, these rules put constraints on science missions focused on sampling convection with onboard sensors. To address these concerns, three hazard avoidance tools to aid in real-time mission decision support are used to more precisely identify areas of potential turbulence: Satellite-derived Cloud-top height and tropical overshooting tops, and ground-based global network lightning flashes. These tools are used to compare an ER-2 aircraft overflight of tropical cyclone Emily in 2005, which experienced severe turbulence, to Global Hawk overflights of tropical cyclones Karl and Matthew in 2010 that experienced no turbulence. It is found that the ER-2 overflew the lowest cloud tops and had the largest vertical separation from them compared to the Global Hawk flights. Therefore, cold cloud tops alone cannot predict turbulence. Unlike the overflights of Matthew and Karl, Emily exhibited multiple lightning flashes and a distinct overshooting top coincident with the observed turbulence. Therefore, these tools in tandem can better assist in identifying likely regions/periods of intense active convection. The primary outcome of this study is an altering of the Global Hawk overflight rules to be more flexible based on the analyzed conditions.

Gravity wave initiated convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, R. J.

1990-09-01

The vertical velocity of convection initiated by gravity waves was investigated. In one particular case, the convective motion-initiated and supported by the gravity wave-induced activity (excluding contributions made by other mechanisms) reached its maximum value about one hour before the production of the funnel clouds. In another case, both rawinsonde and geosynchronous satellite imagery were used to study the life cycles of severe convective storms. Cloud modelling with input sounding data and rapid-scan imagery from GOES were used to investigate storm cloud formation, development and dissipation in terms of growth and collapse of cloud tops, as well as, the life cycles of the penetration of overshooting turrets above the tropopause. The results based on these two approaches are presented and discussed.

The impact of parametrized convection on cloud feedback.

PubMed

Webb, Mark J; Lock, Adrian P; Bretherton, Christopher S; Bony, Sandrine; Cole, Jason N S; Idelkadi, Abderrahmane; Kang, Sarah M; Koshiro, Tsuyoshi; Kawai, Hideaki; Ogura, Tomoo; Roehrig, Romain; Shin, Yechul; Mauritsen, Thorsten; Sherwood, Steven C; Vial, Jessica; Watanabe, Masahiro; Woelfle, Matthew D; Zhao, Ming

2015-11-13

We investigate the sensitivity of cloud feedbacks to the use of convective parametrizations by repeating the CMIP5/CFMIP-2 AMIP/AMIP + 4K uniform sea surface temperature perturbation experiments with 10 climate models which have had their convective parametrizations turned off. Previous studies have suggested that differences between parametrized convection schemes are a leading source of inter-model spread in cloud feedbacks. We find however that 'ConvOff' models with convection switched off have a similar overall range of cloud feedbacks compared with the standard configurations. Furthermore, applying a simple bias correction method to allow for differences in present-day global cloud radiative effects substantially reduces the differences between the cloud feedbacks with and without parametrized convection in the individual models. We conclude that, while parametrized convection influences the strength of the cloud feedbacks substantially in some models, other processes must also contribute substantially to the overall inter-model spread. The positive shortwave cloud feedbacks seen in the models in subtropical regimes associated with shallow clouds are still present in the ConvOff experiments. Inter-model spread in shortwave cloud feedback increases slightly in regimes associated with trade cumulus in the ConvOff experiments but is quite similar in the most stable subtropical regimes associated with stratocumulus clouds. Inter-model spread in longwave cloud feedbacks in strongly precipitating regions of the tropics is substantially reduced in the ConvOff experiments however, indicating a considerable local contribution from differences in the details of convective parametrizations. In both standard and ConvOff experiments, models with less mid-level cloud and less moist static energy near the top of the boundary layer tend to have more positive tropical cloud feedbacks. The role of non-convective processes in contributing to inter-model spread in cloud feedback is discussed. © 2015 The Authors.

The impact of parametrized convection on cloud feedback

PubMed Central

Webb, Mark J.; Lock, Adrian P.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Bony, Sandrine; Cole, Jason N. S.; Idelkadi, Abderrahmane; Kang, Sarah M.; Koshiro, Tsuyoshi; Kawai, Hideaki; Ogura, Tomoo; Roehrig, Romain; Shin, Yechul; Mauritsen, Thorsten; Sherwood, Steven C.; Vial, Jessica; Watanabe, Masahiro; Woelfle, Matthew D.; Zhao, Ming

2015-01-01

We investigate the sensitivity of cloud feedbacks to the use of convective parametrizations by repeating the CMIP5/CFMIP-2 AMIP/AMIP + 4K uniform sea surface temperature perturbation experiments with 10 climate models which have had their convective parametrizations turned off. Previous studies have suggested that differences between parametrized convection schemes are a leading source of inter-model spread in cloud feedbacks. We find however that ‘ConvOff’ models with convection switched off have a similar overall range of cloud feedbacks compared with the standard configurations. Furthermore, applying a simple bias correction method to allow for differences in present-day global cloud radiative effects substantially reduces the differences between the cloud feedbacks with and without parametrized convection in the individual models. We conclude that, while parametrized convection influences the strength of the cloud feedbacks substantially in some models, other processes must also contribute substantially to the overall inter-model spread. The positive shortwave cloud feedbacks seen in the models in subtropical regimes associated with shallow clouds are still present in the ConvOff experiments. Inter-model spread in shortwave cloud feedback increases slightly in regimes associated with trade cumulus in the ConvOff experiments but is quite similar in the most stable subtropical regimes associated with stratocumulus clouds. Inter-model spread in longwave cloud feedbacks in strongly precipitating regions of the tropics is substantially reduced in the ConvOff experiments however, indicating a considerable local contribution from differences in the details of convective parametrizations. In both standard and ConvOff experiments, models with less mid-level cloud and less moist static energy near the top of the boundary layer tend to have more positive tropical cloud feedbacks. The role of non-convective processes in contributing to inter-model spread in cloud feedback is discussed. PMID:26438278

Deep Convective Cloud Top Heights and Their Thermodynamic Control During CRYSTAL-FACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Steven C.; Minnis, Patrick; McGill, Matthew

2004-01-01

Infrared (11 micron) radiances from GOES-8 and local radiosonde profiles, collected during the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) in July 2002, are used to assess the vertical distribution of Florida-area deep convective cloud top height and test predictions as to its variation based on parcel theory. The highest infrared tops (Z(sub 11)) reached approximately to the cold point, though there is at least a 1-km uncertainty due to unknown cloud-environment temperature differences. Since lidar shows that visible 'tops' are 1 km or more above Z(sub 11), visible cloud tops frequently penetrated the lapse-rate tropopause (approx. 15 km). Further, since lofted ice content may be present up to approx. 1 km above the visible tops, lofting of moisture through the mean cold point (15.4 km) was probably common. Morning clouds, and those near Key West, rarely penetrated the tropopause. Non-entraining parcel theory (i.e., CAPE) does not successfully explain either of these results, but can explain some of the day-to-day variations in cloud top height over the peninsula. Further, moisture variations above the boundary layer account for most of the day-today variability not explained by CAPE, especially over the oceans. In all locations, a 20% increase in mean mixing ratio between 750 and 500 hPa was associated with about 1 km deeper maximum cloud penetration relative to the neutral level. These results suggest that parcel theory may be useful for predicting changes in cumulus cloud height over time, but that parcel entrainment must be taken into account even for the tallest clouds. Accordingly, relative humidity above the boundary layer may exert some control on the height of the tropical troposphere.

The evaporatively driven cloud-top mixing layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellado, Juan Pedro

2010-11-01

Turbulent mixing caused by the local evaporative cooling at the top cloud-boundary of stratocumuli will be discussed. This research is motivated by the lack of a complete understanding of several phenomena in that important region, which translates into an unacceptable variability of order one in current models, including those employed in climate research. The cloud-top mixing layer is a simplified surrogate to investigate, locally, particular aspects of the fluid dynamics at the boundary between the stratocumulus clouds and the upper cloud-free air. In this work, direct numerical simulations have been used to study latent heat effects. The problem is the following: When the cloud mixes with the upper cloud-free layer, relatively warm and dry, evaporation tends to cool the mixture and, if strong enough, the buoyancy reversal instability develops. This instability leads to a turbulent convection layer growing next to the upper boundary of the cloud, which is, in several aspects, similar to free convection below a cold horizontal surface. In particular, results show an approximately self-preserving behavior that is characterized by the molecular buoyancy flux at the inversion base, fact that helps to explain the difficulties found when doing large-eddy simulations of this problem using classical subgrid closures.

From aerosol-limited to invigoration of warm convective clouds.

PubMed

Koren, Ilan; Dagan, Guy; Altaratz, Orit

2014-06-06

Among all cloud-aerosol interactions, the invigoration effect is the most elusive. Most of the studies that do suggest this effect link it to deep convective clouds with a warm base and cold top. Here, we provide evidence from observations and numerical modeling of a dramatic aerosol effect on warm clouds. We propose that convective-cloud invigoration by aerosols can be viewed as an extension of the concept of aerosol-limited clouds, where cloud development is limited by the availability of cloud-condensation nuclei. A transition from pristine to slightly polluted atmosphere yields estimated negative forcing of ~15 watts per square meter (cooling), suggesting that a substantial part of this anthropogenic forcing over the oceans occurred at the beginning of the industrial era, when the marine atmosphere experienced such transformation. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Implementing a warm cloud microphysics parameterization for convective clouds in NCAR CESM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiu, C.; Chen, Y.; Chen, W.; Li, J. F.; Tsai, I.; Chen, J.; Hsu, H.

2013-12-01

Most of cumulus convection schemes use simple empirical approaches to convert cloud liquid mass to rain water or cloud ice to snow e.g. using a constant autoconversion rate and dividing cloud liquid mass into cloud water and ice as function of air temperature (e.g. Zhang and McFarlane scheme in NCAR CAM model). There are few studies trying to use cloud microphysical schemes to better simulate such precipitation processes in the convective schemes of global models (e.g. Lohmann [2008] and Song, Zhang, and Li [2012]). A two-moment warm cloud parameterization (i.e. Chen and Liu [2004]) is implemented into the deep convection scheme of CAM5.2 of CESM model for treatment of conversion of cloud liquid water to rain water. Short-term AMIP type global simulations are conducted to evaluate the possible impacts from the modification of this physical parameterization. Simulated results are further compared to observational results from AMWG diagnostic package and CloudSAT data sets. Several sensitivity tests regarding to changes in cloud top droplet concentration (here as a rough testing for aerosol indirect effects) and changes in detrained cloud size of convective cloud ice are also carried out to understand their possible impacts on the cloud and precipitation simulations.

Aerosol impacts on deep convective storms in the tropics: A combination of modeling and observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storer, Rachel Lynn

It is widely accepted that increasing the number of aerosols available to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) will have significant effects on cloud properties, both microphysical and dynamical. This work focuses on the impacts of aerosols on deep convective clouds (DCCs), which experience more complicated responses than warm clouds due to their strong dynamical forcing and the presence of ice processes. Several previous studies have seen that DCCs may be invigorated by increasing aerosols, though this is not the case in all scenarios. The precipitation response to increased aerosol concentrations is also mixed. Often precipitation is thought to decrease due to a less efficient warm rain process in polluted clouds, yet convective invigoration would lead to an overall increase in surface precipitation. In this work, modeling and observations are both used in order to enhance our understanding regarding the effects of aerosols on DCCs. Specifically, the area investigated is the tropical East Atlantic, where dust from the coast of Africa frequently is available to interact with convective storms over the ocean. The first study investigates the effects of aerosols on tropical DCCs through the use of numerical modeling. A series of large-scale, two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulations was completed, differing only in the concentration of aerosols available to act as CCN. Polluted simulations contained more deep convective clouds, wider storms, higher cloud tops and more convective precipitation across the entire domain. Differences in the warm cloud microphysical processes were largely consistent with aerosol indirect theory, and the average precipitation produced in each DCC column decreased with increasing aerosol concentration. A detailed microphysical budget analysis showed that the reduction in collision and coalescence largely dominated the trend in surface precipitation; however the production of rain through the melting of ice, though it also decreased, became more important as the aerosol concentration increased. The DCCs in polluted simulations contained more frequent, stronger updrafts and downdrafts, but the average updraft speed decreased with increasing aerosols in DCCs above 6 km. An examination of the buoyancy term of the vertical velocity equation demonstrates that the drag associated with condensate loading is an important factor in determining the average updraft strength. The largest contributions to latent heating in DCCs were cloud nucleation and vapor deposition onto water and ice, but changes in latent heating were, on average, an order of magnitude smaller than those in the condensate loading term. It is suggested that the average updraft is largely influenced by condensate loading in the more extensive stratiform regions of the polluted storms, while invigoration in the convective core leads to stronger updrafts and higher cloud tops. The goal of the second study was to examine observational data for evidence that would support the findings of the modeling work. In order to do this, four years of CloudSat data were analyzed over a region of the East Atlantic, chosen for the similarity (in meteorology and the presence of aerosols) to the modeling study. The satellite data were combined with information about aerosols taken from the output of a global transport model, and only those profiles fitting the definition of deep convective clouds were analyzed. Overall, the cloud center of gravity, cloud top, rain top, and ice water path were all found to increase with increased aerosol loading. These findings are in agreement with what was found in the modeling work, and are suggestive of convective invigoration with increased aerosols. In order to separate environmental effects from that due to aerosols, the data were sorted by environmental convective available potential energy (CAPE) and lower tropospheric static stability (LTSS). The aerosol effects were found to be largely independent of the environment. A simple statistical test suggests that the difference between the cleanest and most polluted clouds sampled are significant, lending credence to the hypothesis of convective invigoration. This is the first time evidence of deep convective invigoration has been demonstrated within a large region and over a long time period, and it is quite promising that there are many similarities between the modeling and observational results.

The Invigoration of Deep Convective Clouds Over the Atlantic: Aerosol Effect, Meteorology or Retrieval Artifact?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koren, Ilan; Feingold, Graham; Remer, Lorraine A.

2010-01-01

Associations between cloud properties and aerosol loading are frequently observed in products derived from satellite measurements. These observed trends between clouds and aerosol optical depth suggest aerosol modification of cloud dynamics, yet there are uncertainties involved in satellite retrievals that have the potential to lead to incorrect conclusions. Two of the most challenging problems are addressed here: the potential for retrieved aerosol optical depth to be cloud-contaminated, and as a result, artificially correlated with cloud parameters; and the potential for correlations between aerosol and cloud parameters to be erroneously considered to be causal. Here these issues are tackled directly by studying the effects of the aerosol on convective clouds in the tropical Atlantic Ocean using satellite remote sensing, a chemical transport model, and a reanalysis of meteorological fields. Results show that there is a robust positive correlation between cloud fraction or cloud top height and the aerosol optical depth, regardless of whether a stringent filtering of aerosol measurements in the vicinity of clouds is applied, or not. These same positive correlations emerge when replacing the observed aerosol field with that derived from a chemical transport model. Model-reanalysis data is used to address the causality question by providing meteorological context for the satellite observations. A correlation exercise between the full suite of meteorological fields derived from model reanalysis and satellite-derived cloud fields shows that observed cloud top height and cloud fraction correlate best with model pressure updraft velocity and relative humidity. Observed aerosol optical depth does correlate with meteorological parameters but usually different parameters from those that correlate with observed cloud fields. The result is a near-orthogonal influence of aerosol and meteorological fields on cloud top height and cloud fraction. The results strengthen the case that the aerosol does play a role in invigorating convective clouds.

Convective and stratiform components of a Winter Monsoon Cloud Cluster determined from geosynchronous infrared satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldenberg, Stanley B.; Houze, Robert A., Jr.; Churchill, Dean D.

1990-01-01

The horizontal precipitation structure of cloud clusters observed over the South China Sea during the Winter Monsoon Experiment (WMONEX) is analyzed using a convective-stratiform technique (CST) developed by Adler and Negri (1988). The technique was modified by altering the method for identifying convective cells in the satellite data, accounting for the extremely cold cloud tops characteristic of the WMONEX region, and modifying the threshold infrared temperature for the boundary of the stratiform rain area. The precipitation analysis was extended to the entire history of the cloud cluster by applying the modified CST to IR imagery from geosynchronous-satellite observations. The ship and aircraft data from the later period of the cluster's lifetime make it possible to check the locations of convective and stratiform precipitation identified by the CST using in situ observations. The extended CST is considered to be effective for determining the climatology of the convective-stratiform structure of tropical cloud clusters.

The sensitivities of in cloud and cloud top phase distributions to primary ice formation in ICON-LEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beydoun, H.; Karrer, M.; Tonttila, J.; Hoose, C.

2017-12-01

Mixed phase clouds remain a leading source of uncertainty in our attempt to quantify cloud-climate and aerosol-cloud climate interactions. Nevertheless, recent advances in parametrizing the primary ice formation process, high resolution cloud modelling, and retrievals of cloud phase distributions from satellite data offer an excellent opportunity to conduct closure studies on the sensitivity of the cloud phase to microphysical and dynamical processes. Particularly, the reliability of satellite data to resolve the phase at the top of the cloud provides a promising benchmark to compare model output to. We run large eddy simulations with the new ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic atmosphere model (ICON) to place bounds on the sensitivity of in cloud and cloud top phase to the primary ice formation process. State of the art primary ice formation parametrizations in the form of the cumulative ice active site density ns are implemented in idealized deep convective cloud simulations. We exploit the ability of ICON-LEM to switch between a two moment microphysics scheme and the newly developed Predicted Particle Properties (P3) scheme by running our simulations in both configurations for comparison. To quantify the sensitivity of cloud phase to primary ice formation, cloud ice content is evaluated against order of magnitude changes in ns at variable convective strengths. Furthermore, we assess differences between in cloud and cloud top phase distributions as well as the potential impact of updraft velocity on the suppression of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process. The study aims to evaluate our practical understanding of primary ice formation in the context of predicting the structure and evolution of mixed phase clouds.

Coupling of Clouds and Moisture Transport in Extratropical Cyclonic Systems and the Associated Atmospheric Heating (Q1) and Moisture Sink (Q2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, S.; Naud, C. M.; Kahn, B. H.; Wu, L.; Fetzer, E. J.

2017-12-01

Different sectors in extratropical cyclonic systems (ETCs) exhibit various patterns in atmospheric moisture transport and provide an excellent test bed for studying coupling between cloud processes and large-scale circulation. Large-scale atmospheric moisture transport diagnosed from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 and cloud properties (cloud top pressure and optical depth, cloud effective radii and thermodynamic phase) from both the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) will be composited around Northern Hemispheric ETCs over ocean according to their stages of development. Atmospheric diabatic heating rates (Q1) and moisture sinks (Q2) are also inferred from the reanalysis winds, temperature, and specific humidity. Across the warm fronts, elevated convection in the pre-warm front regime is associated with frequent stratiform clouds with middle-to-upper tropospheric heating and lower tropospheric cooling, while upright convection in the warm front regime has frequent deep convective clouds with free-tropospheric heating and strong boundary layer cooling. Thinner stratiform and cirrus clouds are evident in the warm sector with top-heavy profiles of rising motion and diabatic heating. Moisture advection exhibits a sharp gradient across the cold fronts, with convection in the pre-cold front regime highly dependent on the stage of the ETC development. Heating in the boundary layers of the cold sector, polar-air intrusion, and pre-warm sector regimes depends on the amount of low-level clouds, which is again modulated by the stage of the ETC development.

Towards evaluating the intensity of convective systems by using GPS radio occultation profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biondi, Riccardo; Steiner, Andrea K.; Kirchengast, Gottfried

2015-04-01

Deep convective systems, also more casually often just called storms, are destructive weather phenomena causing every year many deaths, injuries and damages and accounting for major economic losses in several countries. The number and intensity of such phenomena increased over the last decades in some areas of the globe, including Europe. Damages are mostly caused by strong winds and heavy rain and these parameters are strongly connected to the structure of the storm. Convection over land is usually stronger and deeper than over the ocean and some convective systems, known as supercells, also develop tornadoes through processes which are still mostly unclear. The intensity forecast and monitoring of convective systems is one of the major challenges for meteorology because in-situ measurements during extreme events are too sparse or not reliable and most ongoing satellite missions do not provide suitable time/space coverage. With this study we propose a new method for detecting the convection intensity in terms of rain rate and surface wind speed by using meteorological surface measurements in combination with atmospheric profiles from Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation observations, which are available in essentially all weather conditions and with global coverage. The analysis of models indicated a relationship between the cloud top altitude and the intensity of a storm. We thus use GPS radio occultation bending angle profiles for detecting the storm's cloud top altitude and we correlate this value to the rain rate and wind speed measured by meteorological station networks in two different regions, the WegenerNet climate station network (South-Eastern Styria, Austria) and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site (ARM, Southern Great Plains, USA), respectively. The results show a good correlation between the cloud top altitude and the maximum rain rate in the monitored areas, while this is not found for maximum wind speed. We conclude from this initial study that for land convective systems the cloud top altitude is strongly connected to the rain intensity and that GPS radio occultation observations show encouraging potential to improve the intensity nowcasting and detection of such kind of severe weather phenomena.

A Multi-Variable Approach to Diagnosing the Monthly Covariability of the Amazonian Radiative and Convective Diurnal Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodson, J. B.; Taylor, P. C.

2016-12-01

The diurnal cycle of convection (CDC) greatly influences the water, radiative, and energy budgets in convectively active regions. For example, previous research of the Amazonian CDC has identified significant monthly covariability between the satellite-observed radiative and precipitation diurnal and multiple reanalysis-derived atmospheric state variables (ASVs) representing convective instability. However, disagreements between retrospective analysis products (reanalyses) over monthly ASV anomalies create significant uncertainty in the resulting covariability. Satellite observations of convective clouds can be used to characterize monthly anomalies in convective activity. CloudSat observes multiple properties of both deep convective cores and the associated anvils, and so is useful as an alternative to the use of reanalyses. CloudSat cannot observe the full diurnal cycle, but it can detect differences between daytime and nighttime convection. Initial efforts to use CloudSat data to characterize convective activity showed that the results are highly dependent on the choice of variable used to characterize the cloud. This is caused by a series of inverse relationships between convective frequency, cloud top height, radar reflectivity vertical profile, and other variables. A single, multi-variable index for convective activity based on CloudSat data may be useful to clarify the results. Principal component analysis (PCA) provides a method to create a multivariable index, where the first principal component (PC1) corresponds with convective instability. The time series of PC1 can then be used as a proxy for monthly variability in convective activity. The primary challenge presented involves determining the utility of PCA for creating a robust index for convective activity that accounts for the complex relationships of multiple convective cloud variables, and yields information about the interactions between convection, the convective environment, and radiation beyond the previous single-variable approaches. The choice of variables used to calculate PC1 may influence any results based on PC1, so it is necessary to test the sensitivity of the results to different variable combinations.

Mature thunderstorm cloud-top structure and dynamics - A three-dimensional numerical simulation study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlesinger, R. E.

1984-01-01

The present investigation is concerned with results from an initial set of comparative experiments in a project which utilize a three-dimensional convective storm model. The modeling results presented are related to four comparative experiments, designated Cases A through D. One of two scientific questions considered involves the dynamical processes, either near the cloud top or well within the cloud interior, which contribute to organize cloud thermal patterns such as those revealed by IR satellite imagery for some storms having strong internal cloud-scale rotation. The second question is concerned with differences, in cloud-top height and temperature field characteristics, between thunderstorms with and without significant internal cloud-scale rotation. The four experiments A-D are compared with regard to both interior and cloud-top configurations in the context of the second question. A particular strong-shear experiment, Case B, is analyzed to address question one.

Evaluation of Cloud Physical Properties of ECMWF Analysis and Re-Analysis (ERA-40 and ERA Interim) against CERES Tropical Deep Convective Cloud Object Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man

2008-01-01

This study presents an approach that converts the vertical profiles of grid-averaged cloud properties from large-scale models to probability density functions (pdfs) of subgrid-cell cloud physical properties measured at satellite footprints. Cloud physical and radiative properties, rather than just cloud and precipitation occurrences, of assimilated cloud systems by the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analysis (EOA) and ECMWF Re-Analyses (ERA-40 and ERA Interim) are validated against those obtained from Earth Observing System satellite cloud object data for January-August 1998 and March 2000 periods. These properties include ice water path (IWP), cloud-top height and temperature, cloud optical depth and solar and infrared radiative fluxes. Each cloud object, a contiguous region with similar cloud physical properties, is temporally and spatially matched with EOA and ERA-40 data. Results indicate that most pdfs of EOA and ERA-40 cloud physical and radiative properties agree with those of satellite observations of the tropical deep convective cloud-object type for the January-August 1998 period. There are, however, significant discrepancies in selected ranges of the cloud property pdfs such as the upper range of EOA cloud top height. A major discrepancy is that the dependence of the pdfs on the cloud object size for both EOA and ERA-40 is not as strong as in the observations. Modifications to the cloud parameterization in ECMWF that occurred in October 1999 eliminate the clouds near the tropopause but shift power of the pdf to lower cloud-top heights and greatly reduce the ranges of IWP and cloud optical depth pdfs. These features persist in ERA-40 due to the use of the same cloud parameterizations. The downgrade of data assimilation technique and the lack of snow water content information in ERA-40, not the coarser horizontal grid resolution, are also responsible for the disagreements with observed pdfs of cloud physical properties although the detection rates of cloud object occurrence are improved for small size categories. A possible improvement to the convective parameterization is to introduce a stronger dependence of updraft penetration heights with grid-cell dynamics. These conclusions will be rechecked using the ERA Interim data, due to recent changes in the ECMWF convective parameterization (Bechtold et al. 2004, 2008). Results from the ERA Interim will be presented at the meeting.

Evaluating Lightning-generated NOx (LNOx) Parameterization based on Cloud Top Height at Resolutions with Partially-resolved Convection for Upper Tropospheric Chemistry Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, J.; Barth, M. C.; Noone, D. C.

2012-12-01

Lightning-generated nitrogen oxides (LNOx) is an important precursor to tropospheric ozone production. With a meteorological time-scale variability similar to that of the ozone chemical lifetime, it can nonlinearly perturb tropospheric ozone concentration. Coupled with upper-air circulation patterns, LNOx can accumulate in significant amount in the upper troposphere with other precursors, thus enhancing ozone production (see attached figure). While LNOx emission has been included and tuned extensively in global climate models, its inclusions in regional chemistry models are seldom tested. Here we present a study that evaluates the frequently used Price and Rind parameterization based on cloud-top height at resolutions that partially resolve deep convection using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) over the contiguous United States. With minor modifications, the parameterization is shown to generate integrated flash counts close to those observed. However, the modeled frequency distribution of cloud-to-ground flashes do not represent well for storms with high flash rates, bringing into question the applicability of the intra-cloud/ground partitioning (IC:CG) formulation of Price and Rind in some studies. Resolution dependency also requires attention when sub-grid cloud-tops are used instead of the originally intended grid-averaged cloud-top. LNOx passive tracers being gathered by monsoonal upper tropospheric anticyclone.

Leading and Trailing Anvil Clouds of West African Squall Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Centrone, Jasmine; Houze, Robert A.

2011-01-01

The anvil clouds of tropical squall-line systems over West Africa have been examined using cloud radar data and divided into those that appear ahead of the leading convective line and those on the trailing side of the system. The leading anvils are generally higher in altitude than the trailing anvil, likely because the hydrometeors in the leading anvil are directly connected to the convective updraft, while the trailing anvil generally extends out of the lower-topped stratiform precipitation region. When the anvils are subdivided into thick, medium, and thin portions, the thick leading anvil is seen to have systematically higher reflectivity than the thick trailing anvil, suggesting that the leading anvil contains numerous larger ice particles owing to its direct connection to the convective region. As the leading anvil ages and thins, it retains its top. The leading anvil appears to add hydrometeors at the highest altitudes, while the trailing anvil is able to moisten a deep layer of the atmosphere.

Relationships Between Tropical Deep Convection, Tropospheric Mean Temperature and Cloud-Induced Radiative Fluxes on Intraseasonal Time Scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramey, Holly S.; Robertson, Franklin R.

2009-01-01

Intraseasonal variability of deep convection represents a fundamental mode of variability in the organization of tropical convection. While most studies of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) have focused on the spatial propagation and dynamics of convectively coupled circulations, we examine the projection of ISOs on the tropically-averaged temperature and energy budget. The area of interest is the global oceans between 20oN/S. Our analysis then focuses on these questions: (i) How is tropospheric temperature related to tropical deep convection and the associated ice cloud fractional amount (ICF) and ice water path (IWP)? (ii) What is the source of moisture sustaining the convection and what role does deep convection play in mediating the PBL - free atmospheric temperature equilibration? (iii) What affect do convectively generated upper-tropospheric clouds have on the TOA radiation budget? Our methodology is similar to that of Spencer et al., (2007) with some modifications and some additional diagnostics of both clouds and boundary layer thermodynamics. A composite ISO time series of cloud, precipitation and radiation quantities built from nearly 40 events during a six-year period is referenced to the atmospheric temperature signal. The increase of convective precipitation cannot be sustained by evaporation within the domain, implying strong moisture transports into the tropical ocean area. While there is a decrease in net TOA radiation that develops after the peak in deep convective rainfall, there seems little evidence that an "Infrared Iris"- like mechanism is dominant. Rather, the cloud-induced OLR increase seems largely produced by weakened convection with warmer cloud tops. Tropical ISO events offer an accessible target for studying ISOs not just in terms of propagation mechanisms, but on their global signals of heat, moisture and radiative flux feedback processes.

Relationships Between Tropical Deep Convection, Tropospheric Mean Temperature and Cloud-Induced Radiative Fluxes on Intraseasonal Time Scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramey, Holly S.; Robertson, Franklin R.

2010-01-01

Intraseasonal variability of deep convection represents a fundamental mode of variability in the organization of tropical convection. While most studies of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) have focused on the spatial propagation and dynamics of convectively coupled circulations, we examine the projection of ISOs on the tropically-averaged temperature and energy budget. The area of interest is the global oceans between 20degN/S. Our analysis then focuses on these questions: (i) How is tropospheric temperature related to tropical deep convection and the associated ice cloud fractional amount (ICF) and ice water path (IWP)? (ii) What is the source of moisture sustaining the convection and what role does deep convection play in mediating the PBL - free atmospheric temperature equilibration? (iii) What affect do convectively generated upper-tropospheric clouds have on the TOA radiation budget? Our methodology is similar to that of Spencer et al., (2007) with some modifications and some additional diagnostics of both clouds and boundary layer thermodynamics. A composite ISO time series of cloud, precipitation and radiation quantities built from nearly 40 events during a six-year period is referenced to the atmospheric temperature signal. The increase of convective precipitation cannot be sustained by evaporation within the domain, implying strong moisture transports into the tropical ocean area. While there is a decrease in net TOA radiation that develops after the peak in deep convective rainfall, there seems little evidence that an "Infrared Iris"- like mechanism is dominant. Rather, the cloud-induced OLR increase seems largely produced by weakened convection with warmer cloud tops. Tropical ISO events offer an accessible target for studying ISOs not just in terms of propagation mechanisms, but on their global signals of heat, moisture and radiative flux feedback processes.

Intraseasonal Variations in Tropical Deep Convection, Tropospheric Mean Temperature and Cloud-Induced Radiative Fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramey, Holly S.; Robertson, Franklin R.

2009-01-01

Intraseasonal variability of deep convection represents a fundamental mode of variability in the organization of tropical convection. While most studies of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) have focused on the spatial propagation and dynamics of convectively coupled circulations, we examine the projection of ISOs on the tropically-averaged temperature and energy budget. The area of interest is the global oceans between 20oN/S. Our analysis then focuses on these questions: (i) How is tropospheric temperature related to tropical deep convection and the associated ice cloud fractional amount (ICF) and ice water path (IWP)? (ii) What is the source of moisture sustaining the convection and what role does deep convection play in mediating the PBL - free atmospheric temperature equilibration? (iii) What affect do convectively generated upper-tropospheric clouds have on the TOA radiation budget? Our methodology is similar to that of Spencer et al., (2007) with some modifications and some additional diagnostics of both clouds and boundary layer thermodynamics. A composite ISO time series of cloud, precipitation and radiation quantities built from nearly 40 events during a six-year period is referenced to the atmospheric temperature signal. The increase of convective precipitation cannot be sustained by evaporation within the domain, implying strong moisture transports into the tropical ocean area. While there is a decrease in net TOA radiation that develops after the peak in deep convective rainfall, there seems little evidence that an "Infrared Iris"- like mechanism is dominant. Rather, the cloud-induced OLR increase seems largely produced by weakened convection with warmer cloud tops. Tropical ISO events offer an accessible target for studying ISOs not just in terms of propagation mechanisms, but on their global signals of heat, moisture and radiative flux feedback processes.

Relating large-scale subsidence to convection development in Arctic mixed-phase marine stratocumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Gillian; Connolly, Paul J.; Dearden, Christopher; Choularton, Thomas W.

2018-02-01

Large-scale subsidence, associated with high-pressure systems, is often imposed in large-eddy simulation (LES) models to maintain the height of boundary layer (BL) clouds. Previous studies have considered the influence of subsidence on warm liquid clouds in subtropical regions; however, the relationship between subsidence and mixed-phase cloud microphysics has not specifically been studied. For the first time, we investigate how widespread subsidence associated with synoptic-scale meteorological features can affect the microphysics of Arctic mixed-phase marine stratocumulus (Sc) clouds. Modelled with LES, four idealised scenarios - a stable Sc, varied droplet (Ndrop) or ice (Nice) number concentrations, and a warming surface (representing motion southwards) - were subjected to different levels of subsidence to investigate the cloud microphysical response. We find strong sensitivities to large-scale subsidence, indicating that high-pressure systems in the ocean-exposed Arctic regions have the potential to generate turbulence and changes in cloud microphysics in any resident BL mixed-phase clouds.Increased cloud convection is modelled with increased subsidence, driven by longwave radiative cooling at cloud top and rain evaporative cooling and latent heating from snow growth below cloud. Subsidence strengthens the BL temperature inversion, thus reducing entrainment and allowing the liquid- and ice-water paths (LWPs, IWPs) to increase. Through increased cloud-top radiative cooling and subsequent convective overturning, precipitation production is enhanced: rain particle number concentrations (Nrain), in-cloud rain mass production rates, and below-cloud evaporation rates increase with increased subsidence.Ice number concentrations (Nice) play an important role, as greater concentrations suppress the liquid phase; therefore, Nice acts to mediate the strength of turbulent overturning promoted by increased subsidence. With a warming surface, a lack of - or low - subsidence allows for rapid BL turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) coupling, leading to a heterogeneous cloud layer, cloud-top ascent, and cumuli formation below the Sc cloud. In these scenarios, higher levels of subsidence act to stabilise the Sc layer, where the combination of these two forcings counteract one another to produce a stable, yet dynamic, cloud layer.

Improving microphysics in a convective parameterization: possibilities and limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labbouz, Laurent; Heikenfeld, Max; Stier, Philip; Morrison, Hugh; Milbrandt, Jason; Protat, Alain; Kipling, Zak

2017-04-01

The convective cloud field model (CCFM) is a convective parameterization implemented in the climate model ECHAM6.1-HAM2.2. It represents a population of clouds within each ECHAM-HAM model column, simulating up to 10 different convective cloud types with individual radius, vertical velocities and microphysical properties. Comparisons between CCFM and radar data at Darwin, Australia, show that in order to reproduce both the convective cloud top height distribution and the vertical velocity profile, the effect of aerodynamic drag on the rising parcel has to be considered, along with a reduced entrainment parameter. A new double-moment microphysics (the Predicted Particle Properties scheme, P3) has been implemented in the latest version of CCFM and is compared to the standard single-moment microphysics and the radar retrievals at Darwin. The microphysical process rates (autoconversion, accretion, deposition, freezing, …) and their response to changes in CDNC are investigated and compared to high resolution CRM WRF simulations over the Amazon region. The results shed light on the possibilities and limitations of microphysics improvements in the framework of CCFM and in convective parameterizations in general.

Satellite remote sensing and cloud modeling of St. Anthony, Minnesota storm clouds and dew point depression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Tsao, Y. D.

1988-01-01

Rawinsonde data and geosynchronous satellite imagery were used to investigate the life cycles of St. Anthony, Minnesota's severe convective storms. It is found that the fully developed storm clouds, with overshooting cloud tops penetrating above the tropopause, collapsed about three minutes before the touchdown of the tornadoes. Results indicate that the probability of producing an outbreak of tornadoes causing greater damage increases when there are higher values of potential energy storage per unit area for overshooting cloud tops penetrating the tropopause. It is also found that there is less chance for clouds with a lower moisture content to be outgrown as a storm cloud than clouds with a higher moisture content.

An Intercomparison Between Radar Reflectivity and the IR Cloud Classification Technique for the TOGA-COARE Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carvalho, L. M. V.; Rickenbach, T.

1999-01-01

Satellite infrared (IR) and visible (VIS) images from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere - Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA-COARE) experiment are investigated through the use of Clustering Analysis. The clusters are obtained from the values of IR and VIS counts and the local variance for both channels. The clustering procedure is based on the standardized histogram of each variable obtained from 179 pairs of images. A new approach to classify high clouds using only IR and the clustering technique is proposed. This method allows the separation of the enhanced convection in two main classes: convective tops, more closely related to the most active core of the storm, and convective systems, which produce regions of merged, thick anvil clouds. The resulting classification of different portions of cloudiness is compared to the radar reflectivity field for intensive events. Convective Systems and Convective Tops are followed during their life cycle using the IR clustering method. The areal coverage of precipitation and features related to convective and stratiform rain is obtained from the radar for each stage of the evolving Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). In order to compare the IR clustering method with a simple threshold technique, two IR thresholds (Tir) were used to identify different portions of cloudiness, Tir=240K which roughly defines the extent of all cloudiness associated with the MCS, and Tir=220K which indicates the presence of deep convection. It is shown that the IR clustering technique can be used as a simple alternative to identify the actual portion of convective and stratiform rainfall.

Vertical Structures of Anvil Clouds of Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems Observed by CloudSat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hence, Deanna A.; Houze, Robert A.

2011-01-01

A global study of the vertical structures of the clouds of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) has been carried out with data from the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar. Tropical MCSs are found to be dominated by cloud-top heights greater than 10 km. Secondary cloud layers sometimes occur in MCSs, but outside their primary raining cores. The secondary layers have tops at 6 8 and 1 3 km. High-topped clouds extend outward from raining cores of MCSs to form anvil clouds. Closest to the raining cores, the anvils tend to have broader distributions of reflectivity at all levels, with the modal values at higher reflectivity in their lower levels. Portions of anvil clouds far away from the raining core are thin and have narrow frequency distributions of reflectivity at all levels with overall weaker values. This difference likely reflects ice particle fallout and therefore cloud age. Reflectivity histograms of MCS anvil clouds vary little across the tropics, except that (i) in continental MCS anvils, broader distributions of reflectivity occur at the uppermost levels in the portions closest to active raining areas; (ii) the frequency of occurrence of stronger reflectivity in the upper part of anvils decreases faster with increasing distance in continental MCSs; and (iii) narrower-peaked ridges are prominent in reflectivity histograms of thick anvil clouds close to the raining areas of connected MCSs (superclusters). These global results are consistent with observations at ground sites and aircraft data. They present a comprehensive test dataset for models aiming to simulate process-based upper-level cloud structure around the tropics.

Vertical Structures of Anvil Clouds of Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems Observed by CloudSat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, J.; Houze, R. A., Jr.; Heymsfield, A.

2011-01-01

A global study of the vertical structures of the clouds of tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) has been carried out with data from the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar. Tropical MCSs are found to be dominated by cloud-top heights greater than 10 km. Secondary cloud layers sometimes occur in MCSs, but outside their primary raining cores. The secondary layers have tops at 6--8 and 1--3 km. High-topped clouds extend outward from raining cores of MCSs to form anvil clouds. Closest to the raining cores, the anvils tend to have broader distributions of reflectivity at all levels, with the modal values at higher reflectivity in their lower levels. Portions of anvil clouds far away from the raining core are thin and have narrow frequency distributions of reflectivity at all levels with overall weaker values. This difference likely reflects ice particle fallout and therefore cloud age. Reflectivity histograms of MCS anvil clouds vary little across the tropics, except that (i) in continental MCS anvils, broader distributions of reflectivity occur at the uppermost levels in the portions closest to active raining areas; (ii) the frequency of occurrence of stronger reflectivity in the upper part of anvils decreases faster with increasing distance in continental MCSs; and (iii) narrower-peaked ridges are prominent in reflectivity histograms of thick anvil clouds close to the raining areas of connected MCSs (superclusters). These global results are consistent with observations at ground sites and aircraft data. They present a comprehensive test dataset for models aiming to simulate process-based upper-level cloud structure around the tropics.

The implications of dust ice nuclei effect on cloud top temperature in a complex mesoscale convective system.

PubMed

Li, Rui; Dong, Xue; Guo, Jingchao; Fu, Yunfei; Zhao, Chun; Wang, Yu; Min, Qilong

2017-10-23

Mineral dust is the most important natural source of atmospheric ice nuclei (IN) which may significantly mediate the properties of ice cloud through heterogeneous nucleation and lead to crucial impacts on hydrological and energy cycle. The potential dust IN effect on cloud top temperature (CTT) in a well-developed mesoscale convective system (MCS) was studied using both satellite observations and cloud resolving model (CRM) simulations. We combined satellite observations from passive spectrometer, active cloud radar, lidar, and wind field simulations from CRM to identify the place where ice cloud mixed with dust particles. For given ice water path, the CTT of dust-mixed cloud is warmer than that in relatively pristine cloud. The probability distribution function (PDF) of CTT for dust-mixed clouds shifted to the warmer end and showed two peaks at about -45 °C and -25 °C. The PDF for relatively pristine cloud only show one peak at -55 °C. Cloud simulations with different microphysical schemes agreed well with each other and showed better agreement with satellite observations in pristine clouds, but they showed large discrepancies in dust-mixed clouds. Some microphysical schemes failed to predict the warm peak of CTT related to heterogeneous ice formation.

Sensitivity of Numerical Simulations of a Mesoscale Convective System to Ice Hydrometeors in Bulk Microphysical Parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, Zhaoxia; Lin, Chao; Dong, Xiquan; Krueger, Steven K.

2018-01-01

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and their associated cloud properties are the important factors that influence the aviation activities, yet they present a forecasting challenge in numerical weather prediction. In this study, the sensitivity of numerical simulations of an MCS over the US Southern Great Plains to ice hydrometeors in bulk microphysics (MP) schemes has been investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. It is found that the simulated structure, life cycle, cloud coverage, and precipitation of the convective system as well as its associated cold pools are sensitive to three selected MP schemes, namely, the WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6), WRF double-moment 6-class (WDM6, with the double-moment treatment of warm-rain only), and Morrison double-moment (MORR, with the double-moment representation of both warm-rain and ice) schemes. Compared with observations, the WRF simulation with WSM6 only produces a less organized convection structure with a short lifetime, while WDM6 can produce the structure and length of the MCS very well. Both simulations heavily underestimate the precipitation amount, the height of the radar echo top, and stratiform cloud fractions. With MORR, the model performs well in predicting the lifetime, cloud coverage, echo top, and precipitation amount of the convection. Overall results demonstrate the importance of including double-moment representation of ice hydrometeors along with warm-rain. Additional experiments are performed to further examine the role of ice hydrometeors in numerical simulations of the MCS. Results indicate that replacing graupel with hail in the MORR scheme improves the prediction of the convective structure, especially in the convective core region.

Characteristics of cirrus clouds and tropical tropopause layer: Seasonal variation and long-term trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Amit Kumar; Gadhavi, Harish; Ratnam, M. Venkat; Jayaraman, A.; Raghunath, K.; Rao, S. Vijaya Bhaskara

2014-12-01

In the present study, characteristics of tropical cirrus clouds observed during 1998-2013 using a ground-based lidar located at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), India, are presented. Altitude occurrences of cirrus clouds as well as its top and base heights are estimated using the advanced mathematical tool, wavelet covariance transform (WCT). The association of observed cirrus cloud properties with the characteristics of tropical tropopause layer (TTL) is investigated using co-located radiosonde measurements available since 2006. In general, cirrus clouds occurred for about 44% of the total lidar observation time (6246 h). The most probable altitude at which cirrus clouds occurr is 14.5 km. The occurrence of cirrus clouds exhibited a strong seasonal dependence with maximum occurrence during monsoon season (76%) and minimum occurrence during winter season (33%) which is consistent with the results reported recently using space-based lidar measurements. Most of the time, cirrus top was located within the TTL (between cold point and convective outflow level) while cirrus base occurred near the convective outflow level. The geometrical thickness of the cirrus cloud is found to be higher during monsoon season compared to winter and there exists a weak inverse relation with TTL thickness. During the observation period the percentage occurrence of cirrus clouds near the tropopause showed an 8.4% increase at 70% confidence level. In the last 16 years, top and base heights of cirrus cloud increased by 0.56 km and 0.41 km, respectively.

Lidar measurements of boundary layers, aerosol scattering and clouds during project FIFE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eloranta, Edwin W. (Principal Investigator)

1995-01-01

A detailed account of progress achieved under this grant funding is contained in five journal papers. The titles of these papers are: The calculation of area-averaged vertical profiles of the horizontal wind velocity using volume imaging lidar data; Volume imaging lidar observation of the convective structure surrounding the flight path of an instrumented aircraft; Convective boundary layer mean depths, cloud base altitudes, cloud top altitudes, cloud coverages, and cloud shadows obtained from Volume Imaging Lidar data; An accuracy analysis of the wind profiles calculated from Volume Imaging Lidar data; and Calculation of divergence and vertical motion from volume-imaging lidar data. Copies of these papers form the body of this report.

Evaluation and development of satellite inferences of convective storm intensity using combined case study and thunderstorm model simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cotton, W. R.; Tripoli, G. J.

1982-01-01

Observational requirements for predicting convective storm development and intensity as suggested by recent numerical experiments are examined. Recent 3D numerical experiments are interpreted with regard to the relationship between overshooting tops and surface wind gusts. The development of software for emulating satellite inferred cloud properties using 3D cloud model predicted data and the simulation of Heymsfield (1981) Northern Illinois storm are described as well as the development of a conceptual/semi-quantitative model of eastward propagating, mesoscale convective complexes forming to the lee of the Rocky Mountains.

Analysis and numerical simulation of a laboratory analog of radiatively induced cloud-top entrainment.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kerstein, Alan R.; Sayler, Bentley J.; Wunsch, Scott Edward

2010-11-01

Numerical simulations using the One-Dimensional-Turbulence model are compared to water-tank measurements [B. J. Sayler and R. E. Breidenthal, J. Geophys. Res. 103 (D8), 8827 (1998)] emulating convection and entrainment in stratiform clouds driven by cloud-top cooling. Measured dependences of the entrainment rate on Richardson number, molecular transport coefficients, and other experimental parameters are reproduced. Additional parameter variations suggest more complicated dependences of the entrainment rate than previously anticipated. A simple algebraic model indicates the ways in which laboratory and cloud entrainment behaviors might be similar and different.

Aerosol-Induced Changes of Convective Cloud Anvils Produce Strong Climate Warming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koren, I.; Remer, L. A.; Altaratz, O.; Martins, J. V.; Davidi, A.

2010-01-01

The effect of aerosol on clouds poses one of the largest uncertainties in estimating the anthropogenic contribution to climate change. Small human-induced perturbations to cloud characteristics via aerosol pathways can create a change in the top-of-atmosphere radiative forcing of hundreds of Wm(exp-2) . Here we focus on links between aerosol and deep convective clouds of the Atlantic and Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zones, noting that the aerosol environment in each region is entirely different. The tops of these vertically developed clouds consisting of mostly ice can reach high levels of the atmosphere, overshooting the lower stratosphere and reaching altitudes greater than 16 km. We show a link between aerosol, clouds and the free atmosphere wind profile that can change the magnitude and sign of the overall climate radiative forcing. We find that increased aerosol loading is associated with taller cloud towers and anvils. The taller clouds reach levels of enhanced wind speeds that act to spread and thin the anvi1 clouds, increasing areal coverage and decreasing cloud optical depth. The radiative effect of this transition is to create a positive radiative forcing (warming) at top-of-atmosphere. Furthermore we introduce the cloud optical depth (r), cloud height (Z) forcing space and show that underestimation of radiative forcing is likely to occur in cases of non homogenous clouds. Specifically, the mean radiative forcing of towers and anvils in the same scene can be several times greater than simply calculating the forcing from the mean cloud optical depth in the scene. Limitations of the method are discussed, alternative sources of aerosol loading are tested and meteorological variance is restricted, but the trend of taller clouds; increased and thinner anvils associated with increased aerosol loading remains robust through all the different tests and perturbations.

On the dominant impact of vertical moisture gradient on mesoscale cloud cellular organization of stratocumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, X.; Ackerman, A. S.; Fridlind, A. M.; Kollias, P.

2016-12-01

Large-eddy simulations are performed to study the mechanisms of stratocumulus organization. Precipitation tends to increase horizontal cloud scales, but is not required for cloud mesoscale organization. A study of the terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance shows the critical impact of vertical moisture gradient on cloud scale. For precipitating clouds, the organization originates from the negative moisture gradient in the boundary layer resulting from evaporation of precipitation. This hypothesis is supported by simulations in which thermodynamics profiles are nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which reduces cloud scales. Cold pools effect are surprisingly found to respond to rather than determine the cloud mesoscale variability. For non-precipitating clouds, organization results from turbulent transport of moisture variance originating primarily from cloud top, where dry air is entrained into the boundary layer through convection driven by cloud top longwave (LW) cooling. Both LW cooling and a moisture gradient above cloud top are essential for the growth of mesoscale fluctuations.

Analysis and modeling of summertime convective cloud and precipitation structure over the Southeastern United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knupp, Kevin R.

1991-01-01

A summary of an investigation of deep convective cloud systems that typify the summertime subtropical environment of northern Alabama is presented. The major portion of the research effort included analysis of data acquired during the 1986 Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX), which consisted of the joint programs Satellite Precipitation and Cloud Experiment (SPACE) under NASA direction, the Microburst and Service Thunderstorm (MIST) Program under NSF sponsorship, and the FAA-Lincoln Laboratory Weather Study (FLOWS). This work relates closely to the SPACE component of COHMEX, one of the general goals of which was to further the understanding of kinematic and precipitation structure of convective cloud systems. The special observational plateforms that were available under the SPACE/COHMEX Program are shown. The original objectives included studies of both isolated deep convection and of (small) mesoscale convection systems that are observed in the Southeast environment. In addition, it was proposed to include both observational and comparative numerical modeling studies of these characteristic cloud systems. Changes in scope were made during the course of this investigation to better accommodate both the manpower available and the data that was acquired. A greater emphasis was placed on determination of the internal structure of small mesoscale convective systems, and the relationship of internal dynamical and microphysical processes to the observed cloud top behavior as inferred from GOES IR (30 min) data. The major accomplishments of this investigation are presented.

Hazard mitigation with cloud model based rainfall and convective data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gernowo, R.; Adi, K.; Yulianto, T.; Seniyatis, S.; Yatunnisa, A. A.

2018-05-01

Heavy rain in Semarang 15 January 2013 causes flood. It is related to dynamic of weather’s parameter, especially with convection process, clouds and rainfall data. In this case, weather condition analysis uses Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model used to analyze. Some weather’s parameters show significant result. Their fluctuations prove there is a strong convection that produces convective cloud (Cumulonimbus). Nesting and 2 domains on WRF model show good output to represent weather’s condition commonly. The results of this study different between output cloud cover rate of observation result and output of model around 6-12 hours is because spinning-up of processing. Satellite Images of MTSAT (Multifunctional Transport Satellite) are used as a verification data to prove the result of WRF. White color of satellite image is Coldest Dark Grey (CDG) that indicates there is cloud’s top. This image consolidates that the output of WRF is good enough to analyze Semarang’s condition when the case happened.

Tropical Gravity Wave Momentum Fluxes and Latent Heating Distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geller, Marvin A.; Zhou, Tiehan; Love, Peter T.

2015-01-01

Recent satellite determinations of global distributions of absolute gravity wave (GW) momentum fluxes in the lower stratosphere show maxima over the summer subtropical continents and little evidence of GW momentum fluxes associated with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). This seems to be at odds with parameterizations forGWmomentum fluxes, where the source is a function of latent heating rates, which are largest in the region of the ITCZ in terms of monthly averages. The authors have examined global distributions of atmospheric latent heating, cloud-top-pressure altitudes, and lower-stratosphere absolute GW momentum fluxes and have found that monthly averages of the lower-stratosphere GW momentum fluxes more closely resemble the monthly mean cloud-top altitudes rather than the monthly mean rates of latent heating. These regions of highest cloud-top altitudes occur when rates of latent heating are largest on the time scale of cloud growth. This, plus previously published studies, suggests that convective sources for stratospheric GW momentum fluxes, being a function of the rate of latent heating, will require either a climate model to correctly model this rate of latent heating or some ad hoc adjustments to account for shortcomings in a climate model's land-sea differences in convective latent heating.

Assimilation of GOES satellite-based convective initiation and cloud growth observations into the Rapid Refresh and HRRR systems to improve aviation forecast guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mecikalski, John; Smith, Tracy; Weygandt, Stephen

2014-05-01

Latent heating profiles derived from GOES satellite-based cloud-top cooling rates are being assimilated into a retrospective version of the Rapid Refresh system (RAP) being run at the Global Systems Division. Assimilation of these data may help reduce the time lag for convection initiation (CI) in both the RAP model forecasts and in 3-km High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model runs that are initialized off of the RAP model grids. These data may also improve both the location and organization of developing convective storm clusters, especially in the nested HRRR runs. These types of improvements are critical for providing better convective storm guidance around busy hub airports and aviation corridor routes, especially in the highly congested Ohio Valley - Northeast - Mid-Atlantic region. Additional work is focusing on assimilating GOES-R CI algorithm cloud-top cooling-based latent heating profiles directly into the HRRR model. Because of the small-scale nature of the convective phenomena depicted in the cloud-top cooling rate data (on the order of 1-4 km scale), direct assimilation of these data in the HRRR may be more effective than assimilation in the RAP. The RAP is an hourly assimilation system developed at NOAA/ESRL and was implemented at NCEP as a NOAA operational model in May 2012. The 3-km HRRR runs hourly out to 15 hours as a nest within the ESRL real-time experimental RAP. The RAP and HRRR both use the WRF ARW model core, and the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) is used within an hourly cycle to assimilate a wide variety of observations (including radar data) to initialize the RAP. Within this modeling framework, the cloud-top cooling rate-based latent heating profiles are applied as prescribed heating during the diabatic forward model integration part of the RAP digital filter initialization (DFI). No digital filtering is applied on the 3-km HRRR grid, but similar forward model integration with prescribed heating is used to assimilate information from radar reflectivity, lightning flash density and the satellite based cloud-top cooling rate data. In the current HRRR configuration, 4 15-min cycles of latent heating are applied during a pre-forecast hour of integration. This is followed by a final application of GSI at 3-km to fit the latest conventional observation data. At the conference, results from a 5-day retrospective period (July 5-10, 2012) will be shown, focusing on assessment of data impact for both the RAP and HRRR, as well as the sensitivity to various assimilation parameters, including assumed heating strength. Emphasis will be given to documenting the forecast impacts for aviation applications in the Eastern U.S.

Deep convective cloud characterizations from both broadband imager and hyperspectral infrared sounder measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Yufei; Li, Jun; Shi, Wenjing; Schmit, Timothy J.; Cao, Changyong; Li, Wanbiao

2017-02-01

Deep convective storms have contributed to airplane accidents, making them a threat to aviation safety. The most common method to identify deep convective clouds (DCCs) is using the brightness temperature difference (BTD) between the atmospheric infrared (IR) window band and the water vapor (WV) absorption band. The effectiveness of the BTD method for DCC detection is highly related to the spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the WV band. In order to understand the sensitivity of BTD to spectral resolution and SNR for DCC detection, a BTD to noise ratio method using the difference between the WV and IR window radiances is developed to assess the uncertainty of DCC identification for different instruments. We examined the case of AirAsia Flight QZ8501. The brightness temperatures (Tbs) over DCCs from this case are simulated for BTD sensitivity studies by a fast forward radiative transfer model with an opaque cloud assumption for both broadband imager (e.g., Multifunction Transport Satellite imager, MTSAT-2 imager) and hyperspectral IR sounder (e.g., Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) instruments; we also examined the relationship between the simulated Tb and the cloud top height. Results show that despite the coarser spatial resolution, BTDs measured by a hyperspectral IR sounder are much more sensitive to high cloud tops than broadband BTDs. As demonstrated in this study, a hyperspectral IR sounder can identify DCCs with better accuracy.

Dynamic Turbulence Modelling in Large-eddy Simulations of the Cloud-topped Atmospheric Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, M. P.; Mansour, N. N.; Ackerman, A. S.; Stevens, D. E.

2003-01-01

The use of large eddy simulation, or LES, to study the atmospheric boundary layer dates back to the early 1970s when Deardor (1972) used a three-dimensional simulation to determine velocity and temperature scales in the convective boundary layer. In 1974 he applied LES to the problem of mixing layer entrainment (Deardor 1974) and in 1980 to the cloud-topped boundary layer (Deardor 1980b). Since that time the LES approach has been applied to atmospheric boundary layer problems by numerous authors. While LES has been shown to be relatively robust for simple cases such as a clear, convective boundary layer (Mason 1989), simulation of the cloud-topped boundary layer has proved more of a challenge. The combination of small length scales and anisotropic turbulence coupled with cloud microphysics and radiation effects places a heavy burden on the turbulence model, especially in the cloud-top region. Consequently, over the past few decades considerable effort has been devoted to developing turbulence models that are better able to parameterize these processes. Much of this work has involved taking parameterizations developed for neutral boundary layers and deriving corrections to account for buoyancy effects associated with the background stratification and local buoyancy sources due to radiative and latent heat transfer within the cloud (see Lilly 1962; Deardor 1980a; Mason 1989; MacVean & Mason 1990, for example). In this paper we hope to contribute to this effort by presenting a number of turbulence models in which the model coefficients are calculated dynamically during the simulation rather than being prescribed a priori.

Characterizing the summer convective clouds and precipitation over Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, X.; Chang, Y.

2016-12-01

Tibetan Plateau plays an important role in regional even in global water cycle, ecosystem and atmospheric circulation. China has conducted the Third Tibetan Plateau Experiment-Observation of Boundary Layer and Troposphere (2014-2017) Project in order to reveal the physical process of meteorology and atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. The field campaign used state-of-the-art observational instruments for observing clouds and precipitation processes including multiband radar system such as the C-band continuous wave radar and Ka-band millimetre wave cloud radar, as well as raindrop disdrometer and lidar ceilometer etc. Here, we characterize the summer convective clouds and precipitation and raindrop size distribution based on observation data and FY-2E satellite TBB data from July 1 to August 31, 2014. The result shows that the summer convective activities mainly distributed in the central and southeast regions over the Tibetan Plateau, and the precipitation process had a quasi-two-week cycle during the observational period. Due to the strong solar heating effect over the plateau, both convective clouds and precipitation processes had obvious daily variation. The convections first appeared at 11:00 in the morning, and the first peak of precipitation occurred at around 12:00, which was mainly caused by local thermal convection with relative lower cloud-top height and wider drop spectrum. The mean cloud-top height was around 11.5 km (ASL), and its maximum value exceeded 19 km, and the mean cloud-base height was 6.88 km (ASL) during the observation period. The precipitation in summer time over the plateau was mainly short-lasting and showery, and usually lasted less than 1 h, and the mean precipitation intensity was around 1.2 mm/h. The result also shows that the raindrop size distribution over the Tibetan Plateau was wider than that over plain at the same latitude and season, because of which the rainfall could be more easily produced over the plateau than that over plain. Rain happened more at night than at noon. However, there were more larger-size raindrops at daytime than at night. The Gamma distribution was found to be more suitable for the raindrop size distribution than M-P distribution over the Tibetan Plateau.

Modelling and intepreting the isotopic composition of water vapour in convective updrafts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolot, M.; Legras, B.; Moyer, E. J.

2012-08-01

The isotopic compositions of water vapour and its condensates have long been used as tracers of the global hydrological cycle, but may also be useful for understanding processes within individual convective clouds. We review here the representation of processes that alter water isotopic compositions during processing of air in convective updrafts and present a unified model for water vapour isotopic evolution within undiluted deep convective cores, with a special focus on the out-of-equilibrium conditions of mixed phase zones where metastable liquid water and ice coexist. We use our model to show that a combination of water isotopologue measurements can constrain critical convective parameters including degree of supersaturation, supercooled water content and glaciation temperature. Important isotopic processes in updrafts include kinetic effects that are a consequence of diffusive growth or decay of cloud particles within a supersaturated or subsaturated environment; isotopic re-equilibration between vapour and supercooled droplets, which buffers isotopic distillation; and differing mechanisms of glaciation (droplet freezing vs. the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process). As all of these processes are related to updraft strength, droplet size distribution and the retention of supercooled water, isotopic measurements can serve as a probe of in-cloud conditions of importance to convective processes. We study the sensitivity of the profile of water vapour isotopic composition to differing model assumptions and show how measurements of isotopic composition at cloud base and cloud top alone may be sufficient to retrieve key cloud parameters.

Modelling and interpreting the isotopic composition of water vapour in convective updrafts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolot, M.; Legras, B.; Moyer, E. J.

2013-08-01

The isotopic compositions of water vapour and its condensates have long been used as tracers of the global hydrological cycle, but may also be useful for understanding processes within individual convective clouds. We review here the representation of processes that alter water isotopic compositions during processing of air in convective updrafts and present a unified model for water vapour isotopic evolution within undiluted deep convective cores, with a special focus on the out-of-equilibrium conditions of mixed-phase zones where metastable liquid water and ice coexist. We use our model to show that a combination of water isotopologue measurements can constrain critical convective parameters, including degree of supersaturation, supercooled water content and glaciation temperature. Important isotopic processes in updrafts include kinetic effects that are a consequence of diffusive growth or decay of cloud particles within a supersaturated or subsaturated environment; isotopic re-equilibration between vapour and supercooled droplets, which buffers isotopic distillation; and differing mechanisms of glaciation (droplet freezing vs. the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process). As all of these processes are related to updraft strength, particle size distribution and the retention of supercooled water, isotopic measurements can serve as a probe of in-cloud conditions of importance to convective processes. We study the sensitivity of the profile of water vapour isotopic composition to differing model assumptions and show how measurements of isotopic composition at cloud base and cloud top alone may be sufficient to retrieve key cloud parameters.

A Parameterization of Dry Thermals and Shallow Cumuli for Mesoscale Numerical Weather Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pergaud, Julien; Masson, Valéry; Malardel, Sylvie; Couvreux, Fleur

2009-07-01

For numerical weather prediction models and models resolving deep convection, shallow convective ascents are subgrid processes that are not parameterized by classical local turbulent schemes. The mass flux formulation of convective mixing is now largely accepted as an efficient approach for parameterizing the contribution of larger plumes in convective dry and cloudy boundary layers. We propose a new formulation of the EDMF scheme (for Eddy DiffusivityMass Flux) based on a single updraft that improves the representation of dry thermals and shallow convective clouds and conserves a correct representation of stratocumulus in mesoscale models. The definition of entrainment and detrainment in the dry part of the updraft is original, and is specified as proportional to the ratio of buoyancy to vertical velocity. In the cloudy part of the updraft, the classical buoyancy sorting approach is chosen. The main closure of the scheme is based on the mass flux near the surface, which is proportional to the sub-cloud layer convective velocity scale w *. The link with the prognostic grid-scale cloud content and cloud cover and the projection on the non- conservative variables is processed by the cloud scheme. The validation of this new formulation using large-eddy simulations focused on showing the robustness of the scheme to represent three different boundary layer regimes. For dry convective cases, this parameterization enables a correct representation of the countergradient zone where the mass flux part represents the top entrainment (IHOP case). It can also handle the diurnal cycle of boundary-layer cumulus clouds (EUROCSARM) and conserve a realistic evolution of stratocumulus (EUROCSFIRE).

A Similarity Theory for Unsaturated Downdrafts within Clouds.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emanuel, Kerry A.

1981-08-01

Recent observations of cumulus clouds strongly support the hypothesis of Squires (1958) that much of the mixing within such clouds is associated with downward propagating currents initiated near their tops. A similarity theory is here proposed to describe the properties of such currents; the use of similarity is defended on the basis of the observed and predicted scale of the downdrafts. The theory suggests that downward-propagating unsaturated thermals are pervasive throughout all but the largest convective clouds and that quasi-steady unsaturated downdraft plumes may exist in the lower portions of cumulonimbi. In addition to providing a reasonable explanation for the microstructure of and liquid water distribution within cumulus clouds, the theory appears to account for certain severe convective phenomena, including down-bursts. A new but related cloud instability is proposed to account for the occurrence of mamma.

Momentum flux of convective gravity waves derived from an off-line gravity wave parameterization: Spatiotemporal variations at source level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Min-Jee; Chun, Hye-Yeong; Kim, Young-Ha

2017-04-01

Spatiotemporal variations in momentum flux spectra of convective gravity waves (CGWs) at the source level (cloud top), including nonlinear forcing effects, are examined using an off-line version of CGW parameterization and global reanalysis data. We used 1-hourly NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) forecast data for a period of 32 years (1979-2010), with a horizontal resolution of 1° x1°. The cloud-top momentum flux (CTMF) is not solely proportional to the convective heating rate but is affected by the wave-filtering and resonance factor (WFRF), background stability and temperature underlying the convection. Consequently, the primary peak of CTMF is in the winter hemisphere midlatitude in association with storm-track region where secondary peak of convective heating exists, whereas the secondary peak of CTMF appears in the summer hemisphere tropics and intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), where primary peak of convective heating exists. The magnitude of CTMF fluctuates largely with 1 year and 1 day periods, commonly in major CTMF regions. At low latitudes and Pacific storm track region, a 6-month period is also significant, and the decadal cycle appears in the Asian summer monsoon region and the Andes Mountains. The equatorial eastern Pacific region exhibits substantial inter-annual to decadal scale of variability with decreasing trend that is described as statistically significant. Interestingly, the correlation between convective heating and the CTMF is relatively lower in the equatorial region than in other regions. The CTMF spectra in the large-CTMF regions reveal that the spectrum shape and width changes with season and location, along with anisotropic shape of the CTMF spectrum, caused by changes in wind speed at the cloud top and the moving speed of convection. The CTMF in the 10°N to 10°S during the period of February to May 2010, when the PreConcordiasi campaign held, approximately follows a lognormal distribution but with a slight underestimation in the tail of the probability density function.

Upper tropospheric cloud systems determined from IR Sounders and their influence on the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stubenrauch, Claudia; Protopapadaki, Sofia; Feofilov, Artem; Velasco, Carola Barrientos

2017-02-01

Covering about 30% of the Earth, upper tropospheric clouds play a key role in the climate system by modulating the Earth's energy budget and heat transport. Infrared Sounders reliably identify cirrus down to an IR optical depth of 0.1. Recently LMD has built global cloud climate data records from AIRS and IASI observations, covering the periods from 2003-2015 and 2008-2015, respectively. Upper tropospheric clouds often form mesoscale systems. Their organization and properties are being studied by (1) distinguishing cloud regimes within 2° × 2° regions and (2) applying a spatial composite technique on adjacent cloud pressures, which estimates the horizontal extent of the mesoscale cloud systems. Convective core, cirrus anvil and thin cirrus of these systems are then distinguished by their emissivity. Compared to other studies of tropical mesoscale convective systems our data include also the thinner anvil parts, which make out about 30% of the area of tropical mesoscale convective systems. Once the horizontal and vertical structure of these upper tropospheric cloud systems is known, we can estimate their radiative effects in terms of top of atmosphere and surface radiative fluxes and by computing their heating rates.

Structural analysis of stratocumulus convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siems, S. T.; Baker, M. B.; Bretherton, C. S.

1990-01-01

The 1 and 20 Hz data are examined from the Electra flights made on July 5, 1987. The flight legs consisted of seven horizontal turbulent legs at the inversion, midcloud, and below clouds, plus 4 soundings made within the same period. The Rosemont temperature sensor and the top and bottom dewpoint sensors were used to measure temperature and humidity at 1 Hz. Inversion structure and entrainment; local dynamics and large scale forcing; convective elements; and decoupling of cloud and subcloud are discussed in relationship to the results of the Electra flight.

Tropical Storm Ernesto over Cuba

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave Image

These infrared, microwave, and visible images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite.

Infrared Image Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Image In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Aerosol Radiative Effects on Deep Convective Clouds and Associated Radiative Forcing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fan, J.; Zhang, R.; Tao, W.-K.; Mohr, I.

2007-01-01

The aerosol radiative effects (ARE) on the deep convective clouds are investigated by using a spectral-bin cloud-resolving model (CRM) coupled with a radiation scheme and an explicit land surface model. The sensitivity of cloud properties and the associated radiative forcing to aerosol single-scattering albedo (SSA) are examined. The ARE on cloud properties is pronounced for mid-visible SSA of 0.85. Relative to the case excluding the ARE, cloud fraction and optical depth decrease by about 18% and 20%, respectively. Cloud droplet and ice particle number concentrations, liquid water path (LWP), ice water path (IWP), and droplet size decrease significantly when the ARE is introduced. The ARE causes a surface cooling of about 0.35 K and significantly high heating rates in the lower troposphere (about 0.6K/day higher at 2 km), both of which lead to a more stable atmosphere and hence weaker convection. The weaker convection and the more desiccation of cloud layers explain the less cloudiness, lower cloud optical depth, LWP and IWP, smaller droplet size, and less precipitation. The daytime-mean direct forcing induced by black carbon is about 2.2 W/sq m at the top of atmosphere (TOA) and -17.4 W/sq m at the surface for SSA of 0.85. The semi-direct forcing is positive, about 10 and 11.2 W/sq m at the TOA and surface, respectively. Both the TOA and surface total radiative forcing values are strongly negative for the deep convective clouds, attributed mostly to aerosol indirect forcing. Aerosol direct and semi-direct effects are very sensitive to SSA. Because the positive semi-direct forcing compensates the negative direct forcing at the surface, the surface temperature and heat fluxes decrease less significantly with the increase of aerosol absorption (decreasing SSA). The cloud fraction, optical depth, convective strength, and precipitation decrease with the increase of absorption, resulting from a more stable and dryer atmosphere due to enhanced surface cooling and atmospheric heating.

Evaluation and development of satellite inferences of convective storm intensity using combined case study analysis and thunderstorm model simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cotton, W. R.; Tripoli, G. J.

1980-01-01

Major research accomplishments which were achieved during the first year of the grant are summarized. The research concentrated in the following areas: (1) an examination of observational requirements for predicting convective storm development and intensity as suggested by recent numerical experiments; (2) interpretation of recent 3D numerical experiments with regard to the relationship between overshooting tops and surface wind gusts; (3) the development of software for emulating satellite-inferred cloud properties using 3D cloud model predicted data; and (4) the development of a conceptual/semi-quantitative model of eastward propagating, mesoscale convective complexes forming to the lee of the Rocky Mountains.

Evolution of Precipitation Structure During the November DYNAMO MJO Event: Cloud-Resolving Model Intercomparison and Cross Validation Using Radar Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaowen; Janiga, Matthew A.; Wang, Shuguang; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Rowe, Angela; Xu, Weixin; Liu, Chuntao; Matsui, Toshihisa; Zhang, Chidong

2018-04-01

Evolution of precipitation structures are simulated and compared with radar observations for the November Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) event during the DYNAmics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign. Three ground-based, ship-borne, and spaceborne precipitation radars and three cloud-resolving models (CRMs) driven by observed large-scale forcing are used to study precipitation structures at different locations over the central equatorial Indian Ocean. Convective strength is represented by 0-dBZ echo-top heights, and convective organization by contiguous 17-dBZ areas. The multi-radar and multi-model framework allows for more stringent model validations. The emphasis is on testing models' ability to simulate subtle differences observed at different radar sites when the MJO event passed through. The results show that CRMs forced by site-specific large-scale forcing can reproduce not only common features in cloud populations but also subtle variations observed by different radars. The comparisons also revealed common deficiencies in CRM simulations where they underestimate radar echo-top heights for the strongest convection within large, organized precipitation features. Cross validations with multiple radars and models also enable quantitative comparisons in CRM sensitivity studies using different large-scale forcing, microphysical schemes and parameters, resolutions, and domain sizes. In terms of radar echo-top height temporal variations, many model sensitivity tests have better correlations than radar/model comparisons, indicating robustness in model performance on this aspect. It is further shown that well-validated model simulations could be used to constrain uncertainties in observed echo-top heights when the low-resolution surveillance scanning strategy is used.

Typhoon Ioke in the Western Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave ImageVisible Light Image

These infrared, microwave, and visible images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite.

Infrared Image Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Image In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Vis/NIR Image The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Three-dimensional simulations of cumulus congestus clouds on GATE day 261

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, J.; Van Helvoirt, G.; Mccumber, M.

1982-01-01

Schlesinger's (1978) three-dimensional cumulus model is applied to showering congestus clouds on day 261 of GATE. Model results are compared with each other and with observations to analyze the effects of varying shear and altered sounding. Relationships between shear, mesovortices and dynamic entrainment are examined, as well as the model clouds' impact on the environment as a function of shear. The simulations appear to resemble reality in many important aspects. Altostratus layers observed on day 261 are found to be a by-product of convection in three-dimensional shear. Rapid erosion of cloud base to 3.6 km is related to the ambient thermal structure, with wind shear and initial perturbation playing a secondary role. Some of the apparent conflict regarding lateral versus cloud-top entrainment is clarified, as well as some factors governing convective downdraft structure and intensity.

Backscatter-to-Extinction Ratios in the Top Layers of Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems and in Isolated Cirrus from LITE Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Platt, C. M. R.; Winker, D. M.; Vaughan, M. A.; Miller, S. D.

1999-01-01

Cloud-integrated attenuated backscatter from observations with the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) was studied over a range of cirrus clouds capping some extensive mesoscale convective systems (MCSS) in the Tropical West Pacific. The integrated backscatter when the cloud is completely attenuating, and when corrected for multiple scattering, is a measure of the cloud particle backscatter phase function. Four different cases of MCS were studied. The first was very large, very intense, and fully attenuating, with cloud tops extending to 17 km and a maximum lidar pulse penetration of about 3 km. It also exhibited the highest integrated attenuated isotropic backscatter, with values in the 532-nm channel of up to 2.5 near the center of the system, falling to 0.6 near the edges. The second MCS had cloud tops that extended to 14.8 km. Although MCS2 was almost fully attenuating, the pulse penetration into the cloud was up to 7 km and the MCS2 had a more diffuse appearance than MCS1. The integrated backscatter values were much lower in this system but with some systematic variations between 0.44 and 0.75. The third MCS was Typhoon Melissa. Values of integrated backscatter in tt-ds case varied from 1.64 near the eye of the typhoon to between 0.44 and 1.0 in the areas of typhoon outflow and in the 532-nm channel. Mean pulse penetration through the cloud top was 2-3 km, the lowest penetration of any of the systems. The fourth MCS consisted of a region of outflow from Typhoon Melissa. The cloud was semitransparent for more than half of the image time. During that time, maximum cloud depth was about 7 km. The integrated backscatter varied from about 0.38 to 0.63 in the 532-nm channel when the cloud was fully attenuating. In some isolated cirrus between the main systems, a plot of integrated backscatter against one minus the two-way transmittance gave a linear dependence with a maximum value of 0.35 when the clouds were fully attenuating. The effective backscatter-to-extinction ratios, when allowing for different multiple-scattering factors from space, were often within the range of those observed with ground-based lidar. Exceptions occurred near the centers of the most intense convection, where values were measured that were considerably higher than those in cirrus observed from the surface. In this case, the values were more compatible with theoretical values for perfectly formed hexagonal columns or plates. The large range in theoretically calculated back- scatter-to-extinction ratio and integrated multiple-scattering factor precluded a closer interpretation in terms of cloud microphysics.

A Numerical Study of Convection in a Condensing CO2 Atmosphere under Early Mars-Like Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Kensuke; Yamashita, Tatsuya; Odaka, Masatsugu; Sugiyama, Ko-ichiro; Ishiwatari, Masaki; Nishizawa, Seiya; Takahashi, Yoshiyuki O.; Hayashi, Yoshi-Yuki

2017-10-01

Cloud convection of a CO2 atmosphere where the major constituent condenses is numerically investigated under a setup idealizing a possible warm atmosphere of early Mars, utilizing a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model forced by a fixed cooling profile as a substitute for a radiative process. The authors compare two cases with different critical saturation ratios as condensation criteria and also examine sensitivity to number mixing ratio of condensed particles given externally.When supersaturation is not necessary for condensation, the entire horizontal domain above the condensation level is continuously covered by clouds irrespective of number mixing ratio of condensed particles. Horizontal-mean cloud mass density decreases exponentially with height. The circulations below and above the condensation level are dominated by dry cellular convection and buoyancy waves, respectively.When 1.35 is adopted as the critical saturation ratio, clouds appear exclusively as intense, short-lived, quasi-periodic events. Clouds start just above the condensation level and develop upward, but intense updrafts exist only around the cloud top; they do not extend to the bottom of the condensation layer. The cloud layer is rapidly warmed by latent heat during the cloud events, and then the layer is slowly cooled by the specified thermal forcing, and supersaturation gradually develops leading to the next cloud event. The periodic appearance of cloud events does not occur when number mixing ratio of condensed particles is large.

Global Weather States and Their Properties from Passive and Active Satellite Cloud Retrievals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tselioudis, George; Rossow, William; Zhang, Yuanchong; Konsta, Dimitra

2013-01-01

In this study, the authors apply a clustering algorithm to International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cloud optical thickness-cloud top pressure histograms in order to derive weather states (WSs) for the global domain. The cloud property distribution within each WS is examined and the geographical variability of each WS is mapped. Once the global WSs are derived, a combination of CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) vertical cloud structure retrievals is used to derive the vertical distribution of the cloud field within each WS. Finally, the dynamic environment and the radiative signature of the WSs are derived and their variability is examined. The cluster analysis produces a comprehensive description of global atmospheric conditions through the derivation of 11 WSs, each representing a distinct cloud structure characterized by the horizontal distribution of cloud optical depth and cloud top pressure. Matching those distinct WSs with cloud vertical profiles derived from CloudSat and CALIPSO retrievals shows that the ISCCP WSs exhibit unique distributions of vertical layering that correspond well to the horizontal structure of cloud properties. Matching the derived WSs with vertical velocity measurements shows a normal progression in dynamic regime when moving from the most convective to the least convective WS. Time trend analysis of the WSs shows a sharp increase of the fair-weather WS in the 1990s and a flattening of that increase in the 2000s. The fact that the fair-weather WS is the one with the lowest cloud radiative cooling capability implies that this behavior has contributed excess radiative warming to the global radiative budget during the 1990s.

Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data from CERES. Part III; Comparison with Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations of Tropical Convective Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luo, Yali; Xu, Kuan-Man; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Wong, Takmeng; Eitzen, Zachary A.

2007-01-01

The present study evaluates the ability of a cloud-resolving model (CRM) to simulate the physical properties of tropical deep convective cloud objects identified from a Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES) data product. The emphasis of this study is the comparisons among the small-, medium- and large-size categories of cloud objects observed during March 1998 and between the large-size categories of cloud objects observed during March 1998 (strong El Ni o) and March 2000 (weak La Ni a). Results from the CRM simulations are analyzed in a way that is consistent with the CERES retrieval algorithm and they are averaged to match the scale of the CERES satellite footprints. Cloud physical properties are analyzed in terms of their summary histograms for each category. It is found that there is a general agreement in the overall shapes of all cloud physical properties between the simulated and observed distributions. Each cloud physical property produced by the CRM also exhibits different degrees of disagreement with observations over different ranges of the property. The simulated cloud tops are generally too high and cloud top temperatures are too low except for the large-size category of March 1998. The probability densities of the simulated top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) albedos for all four categories are underestimated for high albedos, while those of cloud optical depth are overestimated at its lowest bin. These disagreements are mainly related to uncertainties in the cloud microphysics parameterization and inputs such as cloud ice effective size to the radiation calculation. Summary histograms of cloud optical depth and TOA albedo from the CRM simulations of the large-size category of cloud objects do not differ significantly between the March 1998 and 2000 periods, consistent with the CERES observations. However, the CRM is unable to reproduce the significant differences in the observed cloud top height while it overestimates the differences in the observed outgoing longwave radiation and cloud top temperature between the two periods. Comparisons between the CRM results and the observations for most parameters in March 1998 consistently show that both the simulations and observations have larger differences between the large- and small-size categories than between the large- and medium-size, or between the medium- and small-size categories. However, the simulated cloud properties do not change as much with size as observed. These disagreements are likely related to the spatial averaging of the forcing data and the mismatch in time and in space between the numerical weather prediction model from which the forcing data are produced and the CERES observed cloud systems.

Extinction coefficients from lidar observations in ice clouds compared to in-situ measurements from the Cloud Integrating Nephelometer during CRYSTAL-FACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noel, Vincent; Winker, D. M.; Garrett, T. J.; McGill, M.

2005-01-01

This paper presents a comparison of volume extinction coefficients in tropical ice clouds retrieved from two instruments : the 532-nm Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL), and the in-situ probe Cloud Integrating Nephelometer (CIN). Both instruments were mounted on airborne platforms during the CRYSTAL-FACE campaign and took measurements in ice clouds up to 17km. Coincident observations from three cloud cases are compared : one synoptically-generated cirrus cloud of low optical depth, and two ice clouds located on top of convective systems. Emphasis is put on the vertical variability of the extinction coefficient. Results show small differences on small spatial scales (approx. 100m) in retrievals from both instruments. Lidar retrievals also show higher extinction coefficients in the synoptic cirrus case, while the opposite tendency is observed in convective cloud systems. These differences are generally variations around the average profile given by the CPL though, and general trends on larger spatial scales are usually well reproduced. A good agreement exists between the two instruments, with an average difference of less than 16% on optical depth retrievals.

Three-dimensional turbulence-resolving modeling of the Venusian cloud layer and induced gravity waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefèvre, Maxence; Spiga, Aymeric; Lebonnois, Sébastien

2017-01-01

The impact of the cloud convective layer of the atmosphere of Venus on the global circulation remains unclear. The recent observations of gravity waves at the top of the cloud by the Venus Express mission provided some answers. These waves are not resolved at the scale of global circulation models (GCM); therefore, we developed an unprecedented 3-D turbulence-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES) Venusian model using the Weather Research and Forecast terrestrial model. The forcing consists of three different heating rates: two radiative ones for solar and infrared and one associated with the adiabatic cooling/warming of the global circulation. The rates are extracted from the Laboratoire de Météorlogie Dynamique Venus GCM using two different cloud models. Thus, we are able to characterize the convection and associated gravity waves in function of latitude and local time. To assess the impact of the global circulation on the convective layer, we used rates from a 1-D radiative-convective model. The resolved layer, taking place between 1.0 × 105 and 3.8 × 104 Pa (48-53 km), is organized as polygonal closed cells of about 10 km wide with vertical wind of several meters per second. The convection emits gravity waves both above and below the convective layer leading to temperature perturbations of several tenths of kelvin with vertical wavelength between 1 and 3 km and horizontal wavelength from 1 to 10 km. The thickness of the convective layer and the amplitudes of waves are consistent with observations, though slightly underestimated. The global dynamics heating greatly modify the convective layer.

Effect of convection on the thermal structure of the troposphere and lower stratosphere including the tropical tropopause layer in the South Asian monsoon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhsin, M.; Sunilkumar, S. V.; Venkat Ratnam, M.; Parameswaran, K.; Krishna Murthy, B. V.; Emmanuel, Maria

2018-04-01

Influence of convection on the thermal structure of Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (TLS) is investigated using radiosonde data, obtained from Trivandrum (8.5°N, 76.9°E), Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), Bhubaneswar (20.25°N, 85.83°E), Kolkata (22.65°N, 88.45°E) and Singapore (1.37°N, 103.98°E), collected during different convective categories classified based on the altitude of deep convective cloud tops (CT) in the period 2008-2014. During deep convective events, the temperature showed lower tropospheric cooling, an upper tropospheric warming and an anomalous cooling (warming) below (above) the cold point tropopause (CPT) with respect to the clear-sky value. While warming in the upper troposphere is strongest (∼2-4 K) around 10-12 km, anomalous cooling (warming) below (above) the CPT is maximum around 15.5 km (17.5 km) with values in the range of-2 to -4 K (3-6 K). These temperature perturbations are observed 5-6 days prior to the convective events. In response to deep convection, surface cooling up to ∼ -4 K is also observed. This study showed that the magnitude of cold and warm anomalies increases with strength of convection. During deep convection, the potential temperature (θ) shows a decrease (<5 K) in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) from the TTL-base up to CPT compared to that on clear-sky days, confirming the vertical mixing of convective air from the lower atmosphere to the TTL-levels. Correlation analysis between different TTL parameters suggests that, as the cloud top altitude increases, along with the adiabatic process, diabatic process also plays a major role in the TTL. An interesting feature observed during deep convection is the ascent of TTL-base by ∼1.5 km and descent of CPT and TTL-top by 0.5 km, which effectively thins the TTL by ∼2 km.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenfeld, Daniel; Wang, Hailong; Rasch, Philip J.

Numerical simulations described in previous studies showed that adding cloud condensation nuclei to marine stratocumulus can prevent their breakup from closed into open cells. Additional analyses of the same simulations show that the suppression of rain is well described in terms of cloud drop effective radius (re). Rain is initiated when re near cloud top is around 12-14 um. Cloud water starts to get depleted when column-maximum rain intensity (Rmax) exceeds 0.1 mm h-1. This happens when cloud-top re reaches 14 um. Rmax is mostly less than 0.1 mm h-1 at re<14 um, regardless of the cloud water path, butmore » increases rapidly when re exceeds 14 um. This is in agreement with recent aircraft observations and theoretical observations in convective clouds so that the mechanism is not limited to describing marine stratocumulus. These results support the hypothesis that the onset of significant precipitation is determined by the number of nucleated cloud drops and the height (H) above cloud base within the cloud that is required for cloud drops to reach re of 14 um. In turn, this can explain the conditions for initiation of significant drizzle and opening of closed cells providing the basis for a simple parameterization for GCMs that unifies the representation of both precipitating and non-precipitating clouds as well as the transition between them. Furthermore, satellite global observations of cloud depth (from base to top), and cloud top re can be used to derive and validate this parameterization.« less

Variability of oceanic deep convective system vertical structures observed by CloudSat in Indo-Pacific regions associated with the Madden-Julian oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Jian

2016-09-01

Vertical structures of deep convective systems during the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) are investigated using CloudSat radar measurements in Indo-Pacific oceanic areas. In active phases of the MJO, relatively more large systems and connected mesoscale convective systems (CMCSs) occur. The occurrence frequency of CMCSs peaks in the onset phase, a phase earlier than separated mesoscale convective systems (SMCSs). Compared with SMCSs, CMCSs of all sizes have weaker reflectivity above 8 km in their deep precipitating portions and thick anvil clouds closely linked to them, suggesting more "stratiform" physics associated with them. SMCSs and CMCSs together produce relatively the least anvil clouds in the onset phase, while their deep precipitating portions show stronger/weaker reflectivity above 8 km before/after the onset phase. Thus, after the onset phase of the MJO, mesoscale convective systems shift toward a more "convective" organization because SMCSs maximize after the onset, while their internal structures appear more stratiform because internally they have weaker reflectivity above 8 km. CMCSs coincide with a more humid middle troposphere spatially, even at the same locations a few days before they occur. Middle-tropospheric moistening peaks in the onset phase. Moistening of the free troposphere around deep convective systems shows relatively stronger moistening/drying below 700 hPa before/after the onset phase than domain-mean averages. Low-topped clouds occur most frequently around CMCSs and in active phases, consistent with the presence of a moister free troposphere. Coexistence of these phenomena suggests that the role of middle troposphere moisture in the formation of CMCSs should be better understood.

Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciesielski, Paul E.; Johnson, Richard H.; Jiang, Xianan; Zhang, Yunyan; Xie, Shaocheng

2017-03-01

The relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection on an intraseasonal time scale are examined with data taken during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field campaign. Specifically, column-net, as well as vertical profiles of radiative heating rates, computed over Gan Island in the central Indian Ocean (IO) are used along with an objective analysis of large-scale fields to examine three MJO events that occurred during the 3 month period (October to December 2011) over this region. Longwave (LW) and shortwave radiative heating rates exhibit tilted structures, reflecting radiative effects associated with the prevalence of shallow cumulus during the dry, suppressed MJO phase followed by increasing deep convection leading into the active phase. As the convection builds going into the MJO active phase, there are increasingly top-heavy anomalous radiative heating rates while the column-net radiative cooling rate progressively decreases. Temporal fluctuations in the cloud radiative forcing, being quite sensitive to changes in high cloudiness, are dominated by LW effects with an intraseasonal variation of 0.4-0.6 K/d. While both the water vapor and cloud fields are inextricably linked, it appears that the tilted radiative structures are more related to water vapor effects. The intraseasonal variation of column-net radiative heating enhances the convective signal in the mean by 20% with a minimum in this enhancement 10 days prior to peak MJO rainfall and maximum 7 days after. This suggests that as MJO convective envelope weakens over the central IO, cloud-radiative feedbacks help maintain the mature MJO as it moves eastward.

Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO.

PubMed

Ciesielski, Paul E; Johnson, Richard H; Jiang, Xianan; Zhang, Yunyan; Xie, Shaocheng

2017-03-16

The relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection on an intraseasonal time scale are examined with data taken during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field campaign. Specifically, column-net, as well as vertical profiles of radiative heating rates, computed over Gan Island in the central Indian Ocean (IO) are used along with an objective analysis of large-scale fields to examine three MJO events that occurred during the 3 month period (October to December 2011) over this region. Longwave (LW) and shortwave radiative heating rates exhibit tilted structures, reflecting radiative effects associated with the prevalence of shallow cumulus during the dry, suppressed MJO phase followed by increasing deep convection leading into the active phase. As the convection builds going into the MJO active phase, there are increasingly top-heavy anomalous radiative heating rates while the column-net radiative cooling rate < Q r > progressively decreases. Temporal fluctuations in the cloud radiative forcing, being quite sensitive to changes in high cloudiness, are dominated by LW effects with an intraseasonal variation of ~0.4-0.6 K/d. While both the water vapor and cloud fields are inextricably linked, it appears that the tilted radiative structures are more related to water vapor effects. The intraseasonal variation of column-net radiative heating < Q r > enhances the convective signal in the mean by ~20% with a minimum in this enhancement ~10 days prior to peak MJO rainfall and maximum ~7 days after. This suggests that as MJO convective envelope weakens over the central IO, cloud-radiative feedbacks help maintain the mature MJO as it moves eastward.

Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO

PubMed Central

Ciesielski, Paul E.; Johnson, Richard H.; Jiang, Xianan; Zhang, Yunyan; Xie, Shaocheng

2017-01-01

The relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection on an intraseasonal time scale are examined with data taken during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field campaign. Specifically, column-net, as well as vertical profiles of radiative heating rates, computed over Gan Island in the central Indian Ocean (IO) are used along with an objective analysis of large-scale fields to examine three MJO events that occurred during the 3 month period (October to December 2011) over this region. Longwave (LW) and shortwave radiative heating rates exhibit tilted structures, reflecting radiative effects associated with the prevalence of shallow cumulus during the dry, suppressed MJO phase followed by increasing deep convection leading into the active phase. As the convection builds going into the MJO active phase, there are increasingly top-heavy anomalous radiative heating rates while the column-net radiative cooling rate progressively decreases. Temporal fluctuations in the cloud radiative forcing, being quite sensitive to changes in high cloudiness, are dominated by LW effects with an intraseasonal variation of ~0.4–0.6 K/d. While both the water vapor and cloud fields are inextricably linked, it appears that the tilted radiative structures are more related to water vapor effects. The intraseasonal variation of column-net radiative heating enhances the convective signal in the mean by ~20% with a minimum in this enhancement ~10 days prior to peak MJO rainfall and maximum ~7 days after. This suggests that as MJO convective envelope weakens over the central IO, cloud-radiative feedbacks help maintain the mature MJO as it moves eastward. PMID:29082119

Tropical Diabatic Heating and the Role of Convective Processes as Represented in Several Contemporary Climate Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Franklin R.; Roads, John; Oglesby, Robert; Marshall, Susan

2004-01-01

One of the most fundamental properties of the global heat balance is the net heat input into the tropical atmosphere that helps drive the planetary atmospheric circulation. Although broadly understood in terms of its gross structure and balance of source / sink terms, incorporation of the relevant processes in predictive models is still rather poor. The work reported here examines the tropical radiative and water cycle behavior as produced by four contemporary climate models. Among these are the NSIPP-2 (NASA Seasonal to Interannual Prediction Project) which uses the RAS convective parameterization; the FVCCM, a code using finite volume numerics and the CCM3.6 physics; FVCCM-MCRAS again having the finite volume numerics, but MCRAS convective parameterization and a different radiation treatment; and, finally, the NCEP GSM which uses the RAS. Using multi-decadal integrations with specified SSTs we examine the statistics of radiative / convective processes and associated energy transports, and then estimate model energy flux sensitivities to SST changes. In particular the behavior of the convective parameterizations is investigated. Additional model integrations are performed specifically to assess the importance representing convective inhibition in regulating convective cloud-top structure and moisture detrainment as well as controlling surface energy fluxes. To evaluate the results of these experiments, a number of satellite retrievals are used: TRMM retrievals of vertical reflectivity structure, rainfall rate, and inferred diabatic heating are analyzed to show both seasonal and interannual variations in vertical structure of latent heat release. Top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes from ERBS and CERES are used to examine shortwave and longwave cloud forcing and to deduce required seasonal energy transports. Retrievals of cloud properties from ISCCP and water vapor variations from SSM/T-2 are also used to understand behavior of the humidity fields. These observations are supplemented with output form the DOE Reanalysis-2.

Microphysics of Pyrocumulonimbus Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann

2004-01-01

The intense heat from forest fires can generate explosive deep convective cloud systems that inject pollutants to high altitudes. Both satellite and high-altitude aircraft measurements have documented cases in which these pyrocumulonimbus clouds inject large amounts of smoke well into the stratosphere (Fromm and Servranckx 2003; Jost et al. 2004). This smoke can remain in the stratosphere, be transported large distances, and affect lower stratospheric chemistry. In addition recent in situ measurements in pyrocumulus updrafts have shown that the high concentrations of smoke particles have significant impacts on cloud microphysical properties. Very high droplet number densities result in delayed precipitation and may enhance lightning (Andrew et al. 2004). Presumably, the smoke particles will also lead to changes in the properties of anvil cirrus produces by the deep convection, with resulting influences on cloud radiative forcing. In situ sampling near the tops of mature pyrocumulonimbus is difficult due to the high altitude and violence of the storms. In this study, we use large eddy simulations (LES) with size-resolved microphysics to elucidate physical processes in pyrocumulonimbus clouds.

Application of the CERES Flux-by-Cloud Type Simulator to GCM Output

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eitzen, Zachary; Su, Wenying; Xu, Kuan-Man; Loeb, Norman G.; Sun, Moguo; Doelling, David R.; Bodas-Salcedo, Alejandro

2016-01-01

The CERES Flux By CloudType data product produces CERES top-of-atmosphere (TOA) fluxes by region and cloud type. Here, the cloud types are defined by cloud optical depth (t) and cloud top pressure (pc), with bins similar to those used by ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project). This data product has the potential to be a powerful tool for the evaluation of the clouds produced by climate models by helping to identify which physical parameterizations have problems (e.g., boundary-layer parameterizations, convective clouds, processes that affect surface albedo). Also, when the flux-by-cloud type and frequency of cloud types are simultaneously used to evaluate a model, the results can determine whether an unrealistically large or small occurrence of a given cloud type has an important radiative impact for a given region. A simulator of the flux-by-cloud type product has been applied to three-hourly data from the year 2008 from the UK Met Office HadGEM2-A model using the Langley Fu-Lour radiative transfer model to obtain TOA SW and LW fluxes.

A model to determine open or closed cellular convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helfand, H. M.; Kalnay, E.

1981-01-01

A simple mechanism is proposed to explain the observed presence in the atmosphere of open or closed cellular convection. If convection is produced by cooling concentrated near the top of the cloud layer, as in radiative cooling of stratus clouds, it develops strong descending currents which are compensated by weak ascent over most of the horizontal area, and closed cells result. Conversely, heating concentrated near the bottom of a layer, as when an air mass is heated by warm water, results in strong ascending currents compensated by weak descent over most of the area, or open cells. This mechanism is similar to the one suggested by Stommel (1962) to explain the smallness of the oceans' sinking regions. The mechanism is studied numerically by means of a two-dimensional, nonlinear Boussinesq model.

Photolysis frequency and cloud dynamics during DC3 and SEAC4RS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, S. R.; Ullmann, K.; Madronich, S.; Hair, J. W.; Butler, C. F.; Fenn, M. A.

2013-12-01

Cloud shading plays a critical role in extending the lifetime of short-lived chemical species. During convection, photochemistry is reduced such that short-lived species may be transported from the boundary layer to the upper troposphere/ lower stratosphere. In the anvil outflow, shading continues within and below the cloud. However, near the highly scattering cloud top, the chemistry is greatly accelerated. In this rapidly evolving environment, accurate photolysis frequencies are required to study photochemical evolution of the complex composition. During the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3, 2012) and the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, 2013) campaigns, photolysis frequencies were determined by measurement of spectrally resolved actinic flux by the Charge-coupled device Actinic Flux Spectroradiometer (CAFS) on the NASA DC-8 and the HIAPER Airborne Radiation Package (HARP) on the NCAR G-V aircraft. Vertical flight profiles allowed in situ characterization of the radiation environment. Input of geometrical cloud characteristics into the Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible (TUV) Radiation was used to constrain cloud optical depths for more spatially and temporally stable conditions.

Three-dimensional turbulence-resolving modeling of the Venusian cloud layer and induced gravity waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lefèvre, Maxence; Spiga, Aymeric; Lebonnois, Sébastien

2017-04-01

The impact of the cloud convective layer of the atmosphere of Venus on the global circulation remains unclear. The recent observations of gravity waves at the top of the cloud by the Venus Express mission provided some answers. These waves are not resolved at the scale of global circulation models (GCM), therefore we developed an unprecedented 3D turbulence-resolving Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) Venusian model (Lefèvre et al, 2016 JGR Planets) using the Weather Research and Forecast terrestrial model. The forcing consists of three different heating rates : two radiative ones for solar and infrared and one associated with the adiabatic cooling/warming of the global circulation. The rates are extracted from the Laboratoire de Météorlogie Dynamique (LMD) Venus GCM using two different cloud models. Thus we are able to characterize the convection and associated gravity waves in function of latitude and local time. To assess the impact of the global circulation on the convective layer, we used rates from a 1D radiative-convective model. The resolved layer, taking place between 1.0 105 and 3.8 104 Pa (48-53 km), is organized as polygonal closed cells of about 10 km wide with vertical wind of several meters per second. The convection emits gravity waves both above and below the convective layer leading to temperature perturbations of several tenths of Kelvin with vertical wavelength between 1 and 3 km and horizontal wavelength from 1 to 10 km. The thickness of the convective layer and the amplitudes of waves are consistent with observations, though slightly underestimated. The global dynamics heating greatly modify the convective layer.

Titan Meteorology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, Jonathan

2012-04-01

Titan’s methane clouds have received much attention since they were first discovered spectroscopically (Griffith et al. 1998). Titan's seasons evolve slowly, and there is growing evidence of a seasonal response in the regions of methane cloud formation (e.g. Rodriguez et al. 2009). A complete, three-dimensional view of Titan’s clouds is possible through the determination of cloud-top heights from Cassini images (e.g., Ádámkovics et al. 2010). Even though Titan’s surface is warmed by very little sunlight, we now know Titan’s methane clouds are convective, evolving through tens of kilometers of altitude on timescales of hours to days with dynamics similar to clouds that appear on Earth (Porco et al. 2005). Cassini ISS has also shown evidence of rain storms on Titan that produce surface accumulation of methane (Turtle et al. 2009). Most recently, Cassini has revealed a 1000-km-scale, arrow-shaped cloud at the equator followed by changes that appear to be evidence of surface precipitation (Turtle et al. 2011b). Individual convective towers simulated with high fidelity indicate that surface convergence of methane humidity and dynamic lifting are required to trigger deep, precipitating convection (e.g. Barth & Rafkin 2010). The global expanses of these cloud outbursts, the evidence for surface precipitation, and the requirement of dynamic convergence and lifting at the surface to trigger deep convection motivate an analysis of storm formation in the context of Titan’s global circulation. I will review our current understanding of Titan’s methane meteorology using Cassini and ground-based observations and, in particular, global circulation model simulations of Titan’s methane cycle. When compared with cloud observations, our simulations indicate an essential role for planetary-scale atmospheric waves in organizing convective storms on large scales (Mitchell et al. 2011). I will end with predictions of Titan’s weather during the upcoming northern hemisphere summer.

The life cycle of a tornadic cloud as seen from a geosynchronous satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Dodge, J. C.; Smith, R. E.

1983-01-01

The life span of a severe storm is on the order of a few hours. Rapid-scan infrared and visible observations from geosynchronous satellites can be useful for studying the life cycle of a severe convective storm. By using artificial colors for pixels representing blackbody temperatures of the cloud top, convective storms can be observed throughout their life cycles. In this paper clouds associated with a tornadic storm, the Ringwood, OK tornado on May 29, 1977, are compared with those without a tornadic storm to illustrate how the infrared and visible observations from a geosynchronous satellite can be used to study the differences in their life cycles. The instability of the air mass and the meteorological background are discussed based on balloon observations.

Hurricane Dean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Location: The coast of Mexico from Manzanillo to Mazatlan Categorization: Tropical Depression Sustained Winds: 35 mph (56 km/hr)

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Infrared ImageMicrowave Image

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Click on the image to access AIRS Weather Snapshot for Hurricane Dean

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Hurricane Felix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Microwave Image

These infrared and microwave images were created with data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite, and show the remnants of the former Hurricane Felix over Central America.

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Tropical Storm Erin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Location: The Atlantic Ocean 210 miles south of Galveston, Texas Categorization: Tropical Storm Sustained Winds: 40 mph (60 km/hr)

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Infrared ImageMicrowave Image

Infrared Images Because infrared radiation does not penetrate through clouds, AIRS infrared images show either the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. In cloud-free areas the AIRS instrument will receive the infrared radiation from the surface of the Earth, resulting in the warmest temperatures (orange/red).

Microwave Images In the AIRS microwave imagery, deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. On the other hand, land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Microwave radiation from Earth's surface and lower atmosphere penetrates most clouds to a greater or lesser extent depending upon their water vapor, liquid water and ice content. Precipitation, and ice crystals found at the cloud tops where strong convection is taking place, act as barriers to microwave radiation. Because of this barrier effect, the AIRS microwave sensor detects only the radiation arising at or above their location in the atmospheric column. Where these barriers are not present, the microwave sensor detects radiation arising throughout the air column and down to the surface. Liquid surfaces (oceans, lakes and rivers) have 'low emissivity' (the signal isn't as strong) and their radiation brightness temperature is therefore low. Thus the ocean also appears 'low temperature' in the AIRS microwave images and is assigned the color blue. Therefore deep blue areas in storms show where the most precipitation occurs, or where ice crystals are present in the convective cloud tops. Outside of these storm regions, deep blue areas may also occur over the sea surface due to its low radiation emissivity. Land appears much warmer due to its high radiation emissivity.

Visible/Near-Infrared Images The AIRS instrument suite contains a sensor that captures radiation in four bands of the visible/near-infrared portion of the electromagetic spectrum. Data from three of these bands are combined to create 'visible' images similar to a snapshot taken with your camera.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Convective Distribution of Tropospheric Ozone and Tracers in the Central American ITCZ Region: Evidence from Observations During TC4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avery, Melody; Twohy, Cynthia; MCabe, David; Joiner, Joanna; Severance, Kurt; Atlas, Eliot; Blake, Donald; Bui, T. P.; Crounse, John; Dibb, Jack;

Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO

DOE PAGES

Ciesielski, Paul E.; Johnson, Richard H.; Jiang, Xianan; ...

2017-02-16

In this paper, the relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection on an intraseasonal time scale are examined with data taken during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field campaign. Specifically, column-net, as well as vertical profiles of radiative heating rates, computed over Gan Island in the central Indian Ocean (IO) are used along with an objective analysis of large-scale fields to examine three MJO events that occurred during the 3 month period (October to December 2011) over this region. Longwave (LW) and shortwave radiative heating rates exhibit tilted structures, reflecting radiative effects associated with the prevalence of shallow cumulusmore » during the dry, suppressed MJO phase followed by increasing deep convection leading into the active phase. As the convection builds going into the MJO active phase, there are increasingly top-heavy anomalous radiative heating rates while the column-net radiative cooling rate Q r progressively decreases. Temporal fluctuations in the cloud radiative forcing, being quite sensitive to changes in high cloudiness, are dominated by LW effects with an intraseasonal variation of ~0.4–0.6 K/d. While both the water vapor and cloud fields are inextricably linked, it appears that the tilted radiative structures are more related to water vapor effects. The intraseasonal variation of column-net radiative heating Q r enhances the convective signal in the mean by ~20% with a minimum in this enhancement ~10 days prior to peak MJO rainfall and maximum ~7 days after. Finally, this suggests that as MJO convective envelope weakens over the central IO, cloud-radiative feedbacks help maintain the mature MJO as it moves eastward.« less

Comparing airborne and satellite retrievals of cloud optical thickness and particle effective radius using a spectral radiance ratio technique: two case studies for cirrus and deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krisna, Trismono C.; Wendisch, Manfred; Ehrlich, André; Jäkel, Evelyn; Werner, Frank; Weigel, Ralf; Borrmann, Stephan; Mahnke, Christoph; Pöschl, Ulrich; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Voigt, Christiane; Machado, Luiz A. T.

2018-04-01

Solar radiation reflected by cirrus and deep convective clouds (DCCs) was measured by the Spectral Modular Airborne Radiation Measurement System (SMART) installed on the German High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) during the Mid-Latitude Cirrus (ML-CIRRUS) and the Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interaction and Dynamic of Convective Clouds System - Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modelling and to the Global Precipitation Measurement (ACRIDICON-CHUVA) campaigns. On particular flights, HALO performed measurements closely collocated with overpasses of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite. A cirrus cloud located above liquid water clouds and a DCC topped by an anvil cirrus are analyzed in this paper. Based on the nadir spectral upward radiance measured above the two clouds, the optical thickness τ and particle effective radius reff of the cirrus and DCC are retrieved using a radiance ratio technique, which considers the cloud thermodynamic phase, the vertical profile of cloud microphysical properties, the presence of multilayer clouds, and the heterogeneity of the surface albedo. For the cirrus case, the comparison of τ and reff retrieved on the basis of SMART and MODIS measurements yields a normalized mean absolute deviation of up to 1.2 % for τ and 2.1 % for reff. For the DCC case, deviations of up to 3.6 % for τ and 6.2 % for reff are obtained. The larger deviations in the DCC case are mainly attributed to the fast cloud evolution and three-dimensional (3-D) radiative effects. Measurements of spectral upward radiance at near-infrared wavelengths are employed to investigate the vertical profile of reff in the cirrus. The retrieved values of reff are compared with corresponding in situ measurements using a vertical weighting method. Compared to the MODIS observations, measurements of SMART provide more information on the vertical distribution of particle sizes, which allow reconstructing the profile of reff close to the cloud top. The comparison between retrieved and in situ reff yields a normalized mean absolute deviation, which ranges between 1.5 and 10.3 %, and a robust correlation coefficient of 0.82.

A cloud-resolving model study of aerosol-cloud correlation in a pristine maritime environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishant, Nidhi; Sherwood, Steven C.

2017-06-01

In convective clouds, satellite-observed deepening or increased amount of clouds with increasing aerosol concentration has been reported and is sometimes interpreted as aerosol-induced invigoration of the clouds. However, such correlations can be affected by meteorological factors that affect both aerosol and clouds, as well as observational issues. In this study, we examine the behavior in a 660 × 660 km2 region of the South Pacific during June 2007, previously found by Koren et al. (2014) to show strong correlation between cloud fraction, cloud top pressure, and aerosols, using a cloud-resolving model with meteorological boundary conditions specified from a reanalysis. The model assumes constant aerosol loading, yet reproduces vigorous clouds at times of high real-world aerosol concentrations. Days with high- and low-aerosol loading exhibit deep-convective and shallow clouds, respectively, in both observations and the simulation. Synoptic analysis shows that vigorous clouds occur at times of strong surface troughs, which are associated with high winds and advection of boundary layer air from the Southern Ocean where sea-salt aerosol is abundant, thus accounting for the high correlation. Our model results show that aerosol-cloud relationships can be explained by coexisting but independent wind-aerosol and wind-cloud relationships and that no cloud condensation nuclei effect is required.

Open-cell and closed-cell clouds off Peru

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-04-27

2010/107 - 04/17 at 21 :05 UTC. Open-cell and closed-cell clouds off Peru, Pacific Ocean Resembling a frosted window on a cold winter's day, this lacy pattern of marine clouds was captured off the coast of Peru in the Pacific Ocean by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on April 19, 2010. The image reveals both open- and closed-cell cumulus cloud patterns. These cells, or parcels of air, often occur in roughly hexagonal arrays in a layer of fluid (the atmosphere often behaves like a fluid) that begins to "boil," or convect, due to heating at the base or cooling at the top of the layer. In "closed" cells warm air is rising in the center, and sinking around the edges, so clouds appear in cell centers, but evaporate around cell edges. This produces cloud formations like those that dominate the lower left. The reverse flow can also occur: air can sink in the center of the cell and rise at the edge. This process is called "open cell" convection, and clouds form at cell edges around open centers, which creates a lacy, hollow-looking pattern like the clouds in the upper right. Closed and open cell convection represent two stable atmospheric configurations — two sides of the convection coin. But what determines which path the "boiling" atmosphere will take? Apparently the process is highly chaotic, and there appears to be no way to predict whether convection will result in open or closed cells. Indeed, the atmosphere may sometimes flip between one mode and another in no predictable pattern. Satellite: Aqua NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team To learn more about MODIS go to: rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?latest NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong; Li, Xiaowen

2012-01-01

Aerosols are a critical.factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major agent for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosols have a major impact on the dynamics, microphysics, and electrification properties of continental mixed-phase convective clouds. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Such pollution . effects on precipitation potentially have enormous climatic consequences both in terms of feedbacks involving the land surface via rainfall as well as the surface energy budget and changes in latent heat input to the atmosphere. Basically, aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, the warm-rain process, the cold-rain process, cloud-top heights, the depth of the mixed-phase region, and the occurrence of lightning. Recently, many cloud resolution models (CRMs) have been used to examine the role of aerosols on mixed-phase convective clouds. These modeling studies have many differences in terms of model configuration (two- or three-dimensional), domain size, grid spacing (150-3000 m), microphysics (two-moment bulk, simple or sophisticated spectral-bin), turbulence (1st or 1.5 order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)), radiation, lateral boundary conditions (i.e., closed, radiative open or cyclic), cases (isolated convection, tropical or midlatitude squall lines) and model integration time (e.g., 2.5 to 48 hours). Among these modeling studies, the most striking difference is that cumulative precipitation can either increase or decrease in response to higher concentrations of CCN. In this presentation, we review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on convective precipitation processes. Specifically, this paper addresses the following topics: observational evidence of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes, and results from (CRM) simulations. Note that this presentation is mainly based on a recent paper published in Geophy. Rev. (Tao et al. 2012).

Effect of dry large-scale vertical motions on initial MJO convective onset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Scott W.; Houze, Robert A.

2015-05-01

Anomalies of eastward propagating large-scale vertical motion with ~30 day variability at Addu City, Maldives, move into the Indian Ocean from the west and are implicated in Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) convective onset. Using ground-based radar and large-scale forcing data derived from a sounding array, typical profiles of environmental heating, moisture sink, vertical motion, moisture advection, and Eulerian moisture tendency are computed for periods prior to those during which deep convection is prevalent and those during which moderately deep cumulonimbi do not form into deep clouds. Convection with 3-7 km tops is ubiquitous but present in greater numbers when tropospheric moistening occurs below 600 hPa. Vertical eddy convergence of moisture in shallow to moderately deep clouds is likely responsible for moistening during a 3-7 day long transition period between suppressed and active MJO conditions, although moistening via evaporation of cloud condensate detrained into the environment of such clouds may also be important. Reduction in large-scale subsidence, associated with a vertical velocity structure that travels with a dry eastward propagating zonal wavenumbers 1-1.5 structure in zonal wind, drives a steepening of the lapse rate below 700 hPa, which supports an increase in moderately deep moist convection. As the moderately deep cumulonimbi moisten the lower troposphere, more deep convection develops, which itself moistens the upper troposphere. Reduction in large-scale subsidence associated with the eastward propagating feature reinforces the upper tropospheric moistening, helping to then rapidly make the environment conducive to formation of large stratiform precipitation regions, whose heating is critical for MJO maintenance.

Radar and satellite determined macrophysical properties of wet season convection in Darwin as a function of wet season regime.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, R. C.; Collis, S. M.; Protat, A.; Louf, V.; Lin, W.; Vogelmann, A. M.; Endo, S.; Majewski, L.

2017-12-01

A known deficiency of general circulation models (GCMs) is that convection is typically parameterized using given assumptions about entrainment rates and mass fluxes. Furthermore, mechanisms coupling large scale forcing and convective organization are poorly represented, leading to a poor representation of the macrophysical properties of convection. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) aims to run at a 12 km resolution. At this scale mesoscale motions are resolved and how they interact with the convective parameterization is unknown. This prompts the need for observational datasets to validate the macrophysical characteristics of convection in simulations and guide model development in ACME in several regions of the globe. This presentation will highlight a study of convective systems focused on data collected at the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) ARM site in Darwin, Australia and the surrounding maritime continent. In Darwin well defined forcing regimes occur during the wet season of November to April with the onset and break of the Northern Australian Monsoon and the phase of the Madden-Julien Oscillation (MJO) which can alter the characteristics of convection over the region. The echo top heights, and convective and stratiform areas are retrieved from fifteen years of continuous plan position indicator scans from the C-band POLarimetric (CPOL) radar. Echo top heights in convective regions are 2 to 3 km lower than those retrieved by the Multifunctional Transport Satellites over Darwin, suggesting that the radar underestimates the vertical extent of convection. Distributions of echo top heights are trimodal in convective regions and unimodal in stratiform regions. This regime based convective behaviour will be used to assess the skill of ACME in reproducing the macrophysical properties of maritime continent clouds vital to the global circulation.

Temporal variation of the cloud top height over the tropical Pacific observed by geostationary satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishi, N.; Hamada, A.

2012-12-01

Stratiform clouds (nimbostratus and cirriform clouds) in the upper troposphere accompanied with cumulonimbus activity cover large part of the tropical region and largely affect the radiation and water vapor budgets there. Recently new satellites (CloudSat and CALIPSO) can give us the information of cloud height and cloud ice amount even over the open ocean. However, their coverage is limited just below the satellite paths; it is difficult to capture the whole shape and to trace the lifecycle of each cloud system by using just these datasets. We made, as a complementary product, a dataset of cloud top height and visible optical thickness with one-hour resolution over the wide region, by using infrared split-window data of the geostationary satellites (AGU fall meeting 2011) and released on the internet (http://database.rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp/arch/ctop/). We made lookup tables for estimating cloud top height only with geostationary infrared observations by comparing them with the direct cloud observation by CloudSat (Hamada and Nishi, 2010, JAMC). We picked out the same-time observations by MTSAT and CloudSat and regressed the cloud top height observation of CloudSat back onto 11μm brightness temperature (Tb) and the difference between the 11μm Tb and 12μm Tb. We will call our estimated cloud top height as "CTOP" below. The area of our coverage is 85E-155W (MTSAT2) and 80E-160W(MTSAT1R), and 20S-20N. The accuracy of the estimation with the IR split-window observation is the best in the upper tropospheric height range. We analyzed the formation and maintenance of the cloud systems whose top height is in the upper troposphere with our CTOP analysis, CloudSat 2B-GEOPROF, and GSMaP (Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation) precipitation data. Most of the upper tropospheric stratiform clouds have their cloud top within 13-15 km range. The cloud top height decreases slowly when dissipating but still has high value to the end. However, we sometimes observe that a little lower cloud top height (6-10 km) is kept within one-two days. A typical example is observed on 5 January 2011 in a dissipating cloud system with 1000-km scale. This cluster located between 0-10N just west of the International Date Line and moved westward with keeping relatively lower cloud top (6-10 km) over one day. This top height is lower than the ubiquitous upper-tropospheric stratiform clouds but higher than the so-called 'congestus cloud' whose top height is around 0C. CloudSat data show the presence of convective rainfall. It suggests that this cloud system continuously kept making new anvil clouds in a little lower height than usual. We examined the seasonal variation of the distribution of cloud systems with a little lower cloud top height (6-11 km) during 2010-11. The number of such cloud systems is not constant with seasons but frequently increased in some specific seasons. Over the equatorial ocean region (east of 150E), they were frequently observed during the northern winter.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenfeld, Daniel; Chemke, Rei; DeMott, Paul J.

The formation of highly supercooled rain was documented by aircraft observations in clouds at a wide range of conditions near the coastal region of the western United States. Several case studies are described in detail using combined cloud and aerosol measurements to document both the highly super-cooled condition and the relatively pristine aerosol conditions under which it forms. The case studies include: (1) Marine convective clouds over the coastal waters of northern California, as measured by cloud physics probes flown on a Gulfstream-1 aircraft during the CALWATER campaign in February and early March 2011. The clouds had extensive drizzle inmore » their tops, which extended downward to the 0°C isotherm as supercooled rain. Ice multiplication was observed only in mature parts of the clouds where cloud water was already depleted. (2) Orographically triggered convective clouds in marine air mass over the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to the east of Sacramento, as measured in CALWATER. Supercooled rain was observed down to -21°C. No indications for ice multiplication were evident. (3) Orographic layer clouds over Yosemite National Park, also measured in CALWATER. The clouds had extensive drizzle at -21°C, which intensified with little freezing lower in the cloud, and (4) Supercooled drizzle drops in layer clouds near Juneau, Alaska, as measured by the Wyoming King Air as part of a FAA project to study aircraft icing in this region. Low concentrations of CCN was a common observation in all these clouds, allowing for the formation of clouds with small concentration of large drops that coalesced into supercooled drizzle and raindrops. Another common observation was the absence of ice nuclei and/or ice crystals in measurable concentrations was associated with the persistent supercooled drizzle and rain. Average ice crystal concentrations were 0.007 l-1 at the top of convective clouds at -12°C and 0.03 l-1 in the case of layer clouds at -21°C. In combination these two conditions provide ideal conditions for the formation of highly supercooled drizzle and rain. These results help explain the anomalously high incidences of aircraft icing at cold temperatures in U.S. west coast clouds (Bernstein et al., 2004) and highlight the need to include aerosol effects when simulating aircraft icing with cloud models. These case studies can also serve as benchmarks for explicit cloud microphysics models attempting to simulate the formation of precipitation in these types of pristine conditions.« less

An Automated System to Quantify Convectively induced Aircraft encounters with Turbulence over Europe and North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meneguz, Elena; Turp, Debi; Wells, Helen

2015-04-01

It is well known that encounters with moderate or severe turbulence can lead to passenger injuries and incur high costs for airlines from compensation and litigation. As one of two World Area Forecast Centres (WAFCs), the Met Office has responsibility for forecasting en-route weather hazards worldwide for aviation above a height of 10,000 ft. Observations from commercial aircraft provide a basis for gaining a better understanding of turbulence and for improving turbulence forecasts through verification. However there is currently a lack of information regarding the possible cause of the observed turbulence, or whether the turbulence occurred within cloud. Such information would be invaluable for the development of forecasting techniques for particular types of turbulence and for forecast verification. Of all the possible sources of turbulence, convective activity is believed to be a major cause of turbulence. Its relative importance over the Europe and North Atlantic area has not been yet quantified in a systematic way: in this study, a new approach is developed to automate identification of turbulent encounters in the proximity of convective clouds. Observations of convection are provided from two independent sources: a surface based lightning network and satellite imagery. Lightning observations are taken from the Met Office Arrival Time Detections network (ATDnet). ATDnet has been designed to identify cloud-to-ground flashes over Europe but also detects (a smaller fraction of) strikes over the North Atlantic. Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite products are used to identify convective clouds by applying a brightness temperature filtering technique. The morphological features of cold cloud tops are also investigated. The system is run for all in situ turbulence reports received from airlines for a total of 12 months during summer 2013 and 2014 for the domain of interest. Results of this preliminary short term climatological study show significant intra-seasonal variability and an average of 15% of all aircraft encounters with turbulence are found in the proximity of convective clouds.

Seasonal simulations of the planetary boundary layer and boundary-layer stratocumulus clouds with a general circulation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, D. A.; Abeles, J. A.; Corsetti, T. G.

1985-01-01

The formulation of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and stratocumulus parametrizations in the UCLA general circulation model (GCM) are briefly summarized, and extensive new results are presented illustrating some aspects of the simulated seasonal changes of the global distributions of PBL depth, stratocumulus cloudiness, cloud-top entrainment instability, the cumulus mass flux, and related fields. Results from three experiments designed to reveal the sensitivity of the GCM results to aspects of the PBL and stratocumulus parametrizations are presented. The GCM results show that the layer cloud instability appears to limit the extent of the marine subtropical stratocumulus regimes, and that instability frequently occurs in association with cumulus convection over land. Cumulus convection acts as a very significant sink of PBL mass throughout the tropics and over the midlatitude continents in winter.

Investigation of aerosol effects on shallow marine convection - Lidar measurements during NARVAL-I and NARVAL-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groß, Silke; Wirth, Martin; Gutleben, Manuel; Ewald, Florian; Kiemle, Christoph; Kölling, Tobias; Mayer, Bernhard

2017-04-01

Clouds and aerosols have a large impact on the Earth's radiation budget by scattering and absorption of solar and terrestrial radiation. Furthermore aerosols can modify cloud properties and distribution. Up to now no sufficient understanding in aerosol-cloud interaction and in climate feedback of clouds is achieved. Especially shallow marine convection in the trade wind regions show large uncertainties in climate feedback. Thus a better understanding of these shallow marine convective clouds and how aerosols affect these clouds, e.g. by changing the cloud properties and distribution, is highly demanded. During NARVAL-I (Next-generation airborne remote-sensing for validation studies) and NARVAL-II a set of active and passive remote sensing instruments, i.e. a cloud radar, an aerosol and water vapor lidar system, microwave radiometer, a hyper spectral imager (NARVAL-II only) and radiation measurements, were installed on the German research aircraft HALO. Measurements were performed out of Barbados over the tropical North-Atlantic region in December 2013 and August 2016 to study shallow trade wind convection as well as its environment in the dry and wet season. While no or only few aerosol layers were observed above the marine boundary layer during the dry season in December 2013, part of the measurement area was influenced by high aerosol load caused by long-range transport of Saharan dust during the NARVAL-II measurements in August 2016. Measurement flights during NARVAL-II were conducted the way that we could probed aerosol influenced regions as well as areas with low aerosol load. Thus the measurements during both campaigns provide the opportunity to investigate if and how the transported aerosol layers change the distribution and formation of the shallow marine convection by altering their properties and environment. In our presentation we will focus on the lidar measurements performed during NARVAL-I and NARVAL-II. We will give an overview of the measurements and of the general aerosol and cloud situation, and we will show first results how cloud properties and distribution of shallow marine convection change in the presence of lofted aerosol layers. In particular we will determine if aerosols modify horizontal cloud distribution and cloud top height distribution by looking on the correlations between aerosol load and cloud distribution, and we will investigate if and how the presence of the lofted aerosol layer changes the properties of the clouds, e.g. by acting as ice nuclei.

A Sample of What We Have Learned from A-Train Cloud Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Ziemke, Jerry; Chandra, Sushil; Spurr, Robert; Bhartia, P. K.; Krotkov, Nick; Sneep, Maarten; Menzel, Paul; Platnick, Steve;

Convectively-driven cold layer and its influences on moisture in the UTLS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Randel, W. J.; Birner, T.

2016-12-01

Characteristics of the cold anomaly in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) that is commonly observed with deep convection are examined using CloudSat and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) GPS radio occultation measurements. Deep convection is sampled based on the cloud top height (>17 km) from CloudSat 2B-CLDCLASS, and then temperature profiles from COSMIC are composited around the deep convection. The composite temperature shows anomalously warm troposphere (up to 14 km) and a significantly cold layer near the tropopause (at 16-18 km) in the regions of deep convection. Generally in the tropics, the cold layer has very large horizontal scale (2,000 - 6,000 km) compared to that of mesoscale convective cluster, and it lasts one or two weeks with minimum temperature anomaly of - 2K. The cold layer shows slight but clear eastward-tilted vertical structure in the deep tropics indicating a large-scale Kelvin wave response. Further analyses on circulation patterns suggest that the anomaly can be explained as a part of Gill-type response in the TTL to deep convective heating in the troposphere. Response of moisture to the cold layer is also examined in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere using microwave limb sounder (MLS) measurements. The water vapor anomalies show coherent structures with the temperature and circulation anomalies. A clear dry anomaly is found in the cold layer and its outflow region, implying a large-scale dehydration process due to the convectively driven cold layer in the upper TTL.

Convectively Driven Tropopause-Level Cooling and Its Influences on Stratospheric Moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Joowan; Randel, William J.; Birner, Thomas

2018-01-01

Characteristics of the tropopause-level cooling associated with tropical deep convection are examined using CloudSat radar and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) GPS radio occultation measurements. Extreme deep convection is sampled based on the cloud top height (>17 km) from CloudSat, and colocated temperature profiles from COSMIC are composited around the deep convection. Response of moisture to the tropopause-level cooling is also examined in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere using microwave limb sounder measurements. The composite temperature shows an anomalous warming in the troposphere and a significant cooling near the tropopause (at 16-19 km) when deep convection occurs over the western Pacific, particularly during periods with active Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The composite of the tropopause cooling has a large horizontal scale ( 6,000 km in longitude) with minimum temperature anomaly of -2 K, and it lasts more than 2 weeks with support of mesoscale convective clusters embedded within the envelope of the MJO. The water vapor anomalies show strong correlation with the temperature anomalies (i.e., dry anomaly in the cold anomaly), showing that the convectively driven tropopause cooling actively dehydrate the lower stratosphere in the western Pacific region. The moisture is also affected by anomalous Matsuno-Gill-type circulation associated with the cold anomaly, in which dry air spreads over a wide range in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). These results suggest that convectively driven tropopause cooling and associated transient circulation play an important role in the large-scale dehydration process in the TTL.

Cloud-Top Entrainment in Stratocumulus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellado, Juan Pedro

2017-01-01

Cloud entrainment, the mixing between cloudy and clear air at the boundary of clouds, constitutes one paradigm for the relevance of small scales in the Earth system: By regulating cloud lifetimes, meter- and submeter-scale processes at cloud boundaries can influence planetary-scale properties. Understanding cloud entrainment is difficult given the complexity and diversity of the associated phenomena, which include turbulence entrainment within a stratified medium, convective instabilities driven by radiative and evaporative cooling, shear instabilities, and cloud microphysics. Obtaining accurate data at the required small scales is also challenging, for both simulations and measurements. During the past few decades, however, high-resolution simulations and measurements have greatly advanced our understanding of the main mechanisms controlling cloud entrainment. This article reviews some of these advances, focusing on stratocumulus clouds, and indicates remaining challenges.

A numerical study of aerosol effects on the dynamics and microphysics of a deep convective cloud in a continental environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Zhiqiang; Carslaw, Kenneth S.; Yin, Yan; Davies, Stewart

2006-03-01

The effects of aerosols on a deep convective cloud in a midlatitude continental environment are studied using an axisymmetric cloud model with a sectional treatment of aerosol and hydrometeor microphysical processes. Simulations are conducted using observations from the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiments (CCOPE). The isolated cloud occurred in an environment with low wind shear and with relatively dry air in the midtroposphere and upper troposphere. By varying the concentration of aerosol particles in the accumulation mode within realistic limits for a continental environment, the simulated cloud exhibited different properties. The overall impact as the aerosol concentration increased is that (1) the cloud development was inhibited; (2) the precipitation was suppressed; (3) the maximum values of liquid water content decreased, but the maximum values of droplet number concentration increased before the dissipating stage; (4) a clear tendency was found for ice crystals to be larger and less numerous in the anvil cloud; and (5) there was a significant reduction of the inflow in the lower 2 km of the atmosphere. In the relatively dry environment in the midtroposphere, the latent heat changes associated with the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen mechanism played an important role in the upper part of the cloud at altitudes below the homogeneous freezing level. In particular, immersion freezing and latent heat release were much more rapid in the base simulation than in the increased aerosol simulation. Less latent heat release and insufficient inflow together impeded the development of the cloud with the higher aerosol loading. Our simulations suggest that continental clouds existing below the homogeneous freezing level could show an opposite response of cloud top height and anvil crystal concentrations to changes in aerosol to what has previously been reported for clouds ascending to higher levels.

Measurement of Thunderstorm Cloud-Top Parameters Using High-Frequency Satellite Imagery

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-01-01

short wave was present well to the south of this system approximately 2000 ka west of Baja California. Two distinct flow patterns were present, one...view can be observed in near real time whereas radar observations, although excellent for local purposes, involve substantial errors when composited...on a large scale. The time delay in such large scale compositing is critical when attempting to monitor convective cloud systems for a potential

Improved scheme for parametrization of convection in the Met Office's Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meneguz, Elena; Thomson, David; Witham, Claire; Kusmierczyk-Michulec, Jolanta

2015-04-01

NAME is a Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model used by the Met Office to predict the dispersion of both natural and man-made contaminants in the atmosphere, e.g. volcanic ash, radioactive particles and chemical species. Atmospheric convection is responsible for transport and mixing of air resulting in a large exchange of heat and energy above the boundary layer. Although convection can transport material through the whole troposphere, convective clouds have a small horizontal length scale (of the order of few kilometres). Therefore, for large-scale transport the horizontal scale on which the convection exists is below the global NWP resolution used as input to NAME and convection must be parametrized. Prior to the work presented here, the enhanced vertical mixing generated by non-resolved convection was reproduced by randomly redistributing Lagrangian particles between the cloud base and cloud top with probability equal to 1/25th of the NWP predicted convective cloud fraction. Such a scheme is essentially diffusive and it does not make optimal use of all the information provided by the driving meteorological model. To make up for these shortcomings and make the parametrization more physically based, the convection scheme has been recently revised. The resulting version, presented in this paper, is now based on the balance equation between upward, entrainment and detrainment fluxes. In particular, upward mass fluxes are calculated with empirical formulas derived from Cloud Resolving Models and using the NWP convective precipitation diagnostic as closure. The fluxes are used to estimate how many particles entrain, move upward and detrain. Lastly, the scheme is completed by applying a compensating subsidence flux. The performance of the updated convection scheme is benchmarked against available observational data of passive tracers. In particular, radioxenon is a noble gas that can undergo significant long range transport: this study makes use of observations of the isotope 133Xe available at International Monitoring System stations around the South Pacific Ocean. In addition, timeseries of modelled output concentrations obtained using NAME on a grid of 25 km size are compared with those obtained with FLEXPART, another well-known atmospheric dispersion model used by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and other scientific communities. Findings are discussed and discrepancies investigated.

Vertical-velocity skewness in the marine stratus-topped boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moeng, Chin-Hoh; Rotunno, Richard; Paluch, Ilga R.

1990-01-01

Vertical-velocity skewness, S(sub w), in a turbulent flow is important in several regards. S(sub w) is indicative of the structure of the motion when it is positive, updrafts are narrower and stronger than surrounding downdrafts, and vice versa. Aircraft measurements often suggest cool, narrow downdrafts at some distance below the stratus cloud top, indicating a negative S(sub w) (Nicholls and Leighton, 1986). This seems natural as the turbulence within the stratus-topped boundary layer (CTBL) is driven mainly by the radiative cooling at the cloud top (although sometimes surface heating can also play a major role). One expects intuitively (e.g., Nicolls, 1984) that, in the situations where cloud-top cooling and surface heating coexist, the turbulence statistics in the upper part of the CTBL are influenced more by the cloud-top cooling, while those in the lower part, more by the surface heating. Thus one expects negative S(sub w) in the upper part, and positive in the lower part, in this case. In contradistinction, large-eddy simulations (LES) of the CTBL show just the opposite: the S(sub w) is positive in the upper part and negative in the lower part of the layer. To understand the nature of vertical-velocity skewness, the simplest type of buoyancy-driven turbulence (turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection) is studied through direct numerical simulation.

Breaking Kelvin-Helmholtz waves and cloud-top entrainment as revealed by K-band Doppler radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martner, Brooks E.; Ralph, F. Martin

1993-01-01

Radars have occasionally detected breaking Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) waves under clear-air conditions in the atmospheric boundary layer and in the free troposphere. However, very few direct measurements of such waves within clouds have previously been reported and those have not clearly documented wave breaking. In this article, we present some of the most detailed and striking radar observations to date of breaking KH waves within clouds and at cloud top and discuss their relevance to the issue of cloud-top entrainment, which is believed to be important in convective and stratiform clouds. Aircraft observations reported by Stith suggest that vortex-like circulations near cloud top are an entrainment mechanism in cumuliform clouds. Laboratory and modeling studies have examined possibility that KH instability may be responsible for mixing at cloud top, but direct observations have not yet been presented. Preliminary analyses shown here may help fill this gap. The data presented in this paper were obtained during two field projects in 1991 that included observations from the NOAA Wave Propagation Laboratory's K-band Doppler radar (wavelength = 8.7 mm) and special rawinsonde ascents. The sensitivity (-30 dBZ at 10 km range), fine spatial resolution (375-m pulse length and 0.5 degrees beamwidth), velocity measurement precision (5-10 cm s-1), scanning capability, and relative immunity to ground clutter make it sensitive to non-precipitating and weakly precipitating clouds, and make it an excellent instrument to study gravity waves in clouds. In particular, the narrow beam width and short pulse length create scattering volumes that are cylinders 37.5 m long and 45 m (90 m) in diameter at 5 km (10 km) range. These characteristics allow the radar to resolve the detailed structure in breaking KH waves such as have been seen in photographic cloud images.

Investigating the Variability in Cumulus Cloud Number as a Function of Subdomain Size and Organization using large-domain LES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neggers, R.

2017-12-01

Recent advances in supercomputing have introduced a "grey zone" in the representation of cumulus convection in general circulation models, in which this process is partially resolved. Cumulus parameterizations need to be made scale-aware and scale-adaptive to be able to conceptually and practically deal with this situation. A potential way forward are schemes formulated in terms of discretized Cloud Size Densities, or CSDs. Advantages include i) the introduction of scale-awareness at the foundation of the scheme, and ii) the possibility to apply size-filtering of parameterized convective transport and clouds. The CSD is a new variable that requires closure; this concerns its shape, its range, but also variability in cloud number that can appear due to i) subsampling effects and ii) organization in a cloud field. The goal of this study is to gain insight by means of sub-domain analyses of various large-domain LES realizations of cumulus cloud populations. For a series of three-dimensional snapshots, each with a different degree of organization, the cloud size distribution is calculated in all subdomains, for a range of subdomain sizes. The standard deviation of the number of clouds of a certain size is found to decrease with the subdomain size, following a powerlaw scaling corresponding to an inverse-linear dependence. Cloud number variability also increases with cloud size; this reflects that subsampling affects the largest clouds first, due to their typically larger neighbor spacing. Rewriting this dependence in terms of two dimensionless groups, by dividing by cloud number and cloud size respectively, yields a data collapse. Organization in the cloud field is found to act on top of this primary dependence, by enhancing the cloud number variability at the smaller sizes. This behavior reflects that small clouds start to "live" on top of larger structures such as cold pools, favoring or inhibiting their formation (as illustrated by the attached figure of cloud mask). Powerlaw scaling is still evident, but with a reduced exponent, suggesting that this behavior could be parameterized.

Remote measurements of the structure of midwest thunderstorm tops and anvils from high altitude aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Fulton, Richard

1990-01-01

Results are presented from observations by a visible and IR scanning radiometer, a scanning passive microwave radiometer, and a nadir-viewing cloud lidar system (CLS), carried out from ER-2 overflights for two midwest severe weather events both of which presented following phenomena: (1) a group of severe thunderstorms which later transformed into a linear mesoscale convective system, and (2) a severe thunderstorm which produced large hail. Most of the aircraft in situ and remote measurements pointed to a deep subsidence region and gravity waves downstream of the overshooting cloud tops. The observations do not support a radiative explanation for the warm areas in the anvil.

The Role of Overshooting Convection in Elevated Stratospheric Water Vapor over the Summertime Continental United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, R. L.; Ray, E. A.; Rosenlof, K. H.; Bedka, K. M.; Schwartz, M. J.; Read, W. G.; Troy, R. F.

2016-12-01

The NASA ER-2 aircraft sampled the UTLS region over North America during the NASA Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) field mission. On four flights targeting convectively-influenced air parcels, in situ measurements of enhanced water vapor in the lower stratosphere over the summertime continental United States were made using the JPL Laser Hygrometer (JLH Mark2). Water vapor mixing ratios greater than 10 ppmv, twice the stratospheric background levels, were measured at pressure levels between 80 and 160 hPa. Through satellite observations and analysis, we make the connection between these in situ water measurements and overshooting cloud tops. The overshooting tops (OT) are identified from a SEAC4RS OT detection product based on satellite infrared window channel brightness temperature gradients. Back-trajectory analysis ties enhanced water to OT one to seven days prior to the intercept by the aircraft. The trajectory paths are dominated by the North American Monsoon (NAM) anticyclonic circulation. This connection suggests that ice is convectively transported to the overworld stratosphere in OT events and subsequently sublimated; such events may irreversibly enhance stratospheric water vapor in the summer over Mexico and the United States. Regional context is provided by water observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS).

Open-cell and closed-cell clouds off Peru [detail

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

2010/107 - 04/17 at 21 :05 UTC. Open-cell and closed-cell clouds off Peru, Pacific Ocean. To view the full fame of this image to go: www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/4557497219/ Resembling a frosted window on a cold winter's day, this lacy pattern of marine clouds was captured off the coast of Peru in the Pacific Ocean by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on April 19, 2010. The image reveals both open- and closed-cell cumulus cloud patterns. These cells, or parcels of air, often occur in roughly hexagonal arrays in a layer of fluid (the atmosphere often behaves like a fluid) that begins to "boil," or convect, due to heating at the base or cooling at the top of the layer. In "closed" cells warm air is rising in the center, and sinking around the edges, so clouds appear in cell centers, but evaporate around cell edges. This produces cloud formations like those that dominate the lower left. The reverse flow can also occur: air can sink in the center of the cell and rise at the edge. This process is called "open cell" convection, and clouds form at cell edges around open centers, which creates a lacy, hollow-looking pattern like the clouds in the upper right. Closed and open cell convection represent two stable atmospheric configurations — two sides of the convection coin. But what determines which path the "boiling" atmosphere will take? Apparently the process is highly chaotic, and there appears to be no way to predict whether convection will result in open or closed cells. Indeed, the atmosphere may sometimes flip between one mode and another in no predictable pattern. Satellite: Aqua NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team To learn more about MODIS go to: rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?latest NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Estimating effective particle size of tropical deep convective clouds with a look-up table method using satellite measurements of brightness temperature differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Gang; Minnis, Patrick; Doelling, David; Ayers, J. Kirk; Sun-Mack, Szedung

2012-03-01

A method for estimating effective ice particle radius Re at the tops of tropical deep convective clouds (DCC) is developed on the basis of precomputed look-up tables (LUTs) of brightness temperature differences (BTDs) between the 3.7 and 11.0 μm bands. A combination of discrete ordinates radiative transfer and correlated k distribution programs, which account for the multiple scattering and monochromatic molecular absorption in the atmosphere, is utilized to compute the LUTs as functions of solar zenith angle, satellite zenith angle, relative azimuth angle, Re, cloud top temperature (CTT), and cloud visible optical thickness τ. The LUT-estimated DCC Re agrees well with the cloud retrievals of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for the NASA Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System with a correlation coefficient of 0.988 and differences of less than 10%. The LUTs are applied to 1 year of measurements taken from MODIS aboard Aqua in 2007 to estimate DCC Re and are compared to a similar quantity from CloudSat over the region bounded by 140°E, 180°E, 0°N, and 20°N in the Western Pacific Warm Pool. The estimated DCC Re values are mainly concentrated in the range of 25-45 μm and decrease with CTT. Matching the LUT-estimated Re with ice cloud Re retrieved by CloudSat, it is found that the ice cloud τ values from DCC top to the vertical location where LUT-estimated Re is located at the CloudSat-retrieved Re profile are mostly less than 2.5 with a mean value of about 1.3. Changes in the DCC τ can result in differences of less than 10% for Re estimated from LUTs. The LUTs of 0.65 μm bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) are built as functions of viewing geometry and column amount of ozone above upper troposphere. The 0.65 μm BRDF can eliminate some noncore portions of the DCCs detected using only 11 μm brightness temperature thresholds, which result in a mean difference of only 0.6 μm for DCC Re estimated from BTD LUTs.

16-year Climatology of Cirrus cloud properties using ground-based Lidar over Gadanki (13.45˚N, 79.18˚E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Amit Kumar; Raghunath, Karnam; Jayaraman, Achuthan; Venkat Ratnam, Madineni; Gadhavi, Harish

Cirrus clouds are ubiquitous high level cold clouds predominantly consisting of ice-crystals. With their highest coverage over the tropics, these are one of the most vital and complex components of Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) due to their strong radiative feedback and dehydration in upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) regions. The continuous changes in their coverage, position, thickness, and ice-crystal size and shape distributions bring uncertainties in the estimates of cirrus cloud radiative forcing. Long-term changes in the distribution of aerosols and water vapour in the TTL can influence cirrus properties. This necessitates long-term studies of tropical cirrus clouds, which are only few. The present study provides 16-year climatology of physical and optical properties of cirrus clouds observed using a ground-based Lidar located at Gadanki (13.45(°) N, 79.18(°) ˚E and 375 m amsl) in south-India. In general, cirrus clouds occurred for about 44% of the total Lidar observation time. Owing to the increased convective activities, the occurrence of cirrus clouds during the southwest-monsoon season is highest while it is lowest during the winter. Altitude distribution of cirrus clouds reveals that the peak occurrence was about 25% at 14.5 km. The most probable base and top height of cirrus clouds are 14 and 15.5 km, respectively. This is also reflected in the bulk extinction coefficient profile (at 532 nm) of cirrus clouds. These results are compared with the CALIPSO observations. Most of the time cirrus clouds are located within the TTL bounded by convective outflow level and cold-point tropopause. Cirrus clouds are thick during the monsoon season as compared to that during winter. An inverse relation between the thickness of cirrus clouds and TTL thickness is found. The occurrence of cirrus clouds at an altitude close to the tropopause (16 km) showed an increase of 8.4% in the last 16 years. Base and top heights of cirrus clouds also showed increase of 0.41 km and 0.56 km, respectively. These results are discussed in relation with the recent increase in the tropical tropopause altitude.

Study of atmospheric condition during the heavy rain event in Bojonegoro using weather research and forecasting (WRF) model: case study 9 February 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saragih, I. J. A.; Meygatama, A. G.; Sugihartati, F. M.; Sidauruk, M.; Mulsandi, A.

2018-03-01

During 2016, there are frequent heavy rains in the Bojonegoro region, one of which is rain on 9 February 2016. The occurrence of heavy rainfall can cause the floods that inundate the settlements, rice fields, roads, and public facilities. This makes it important to analyze the atmospheric conditions during the heavy rainfall events in Bojonegoro. One of the analytical methods that can be used is using WRF-Advanced Research WRF (WRF-ARW) model. This study was conducted by comparing the rain analysis from WRF-ARW model with the Himawari-8 satellite imagery. The data used are Final Analysis (FNL) data for the WRF-ARW model and infrared (IR) channel for Himawari-8 satellite imagery. The data are processed into the time-series images and then analyzed descriptively. The meteorological parameters selected to be analyzed are relative humidity, vortices, divergences, air stability index, and precipitation. These parameters are expected to indicate the existence of a convective activity in Bojonegoro during the heavy rainfall event. The Himawari-8 satellite imagery shows that there is a cluster of convective clouds in Bojonegoro during the heavy rainfall event. The lowest value of the cloud top temperature indicates that the cluster of convective clouds is a cluster of Cumulonimbus cloud (CB).

Transport across the tropical tropopause layer and convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tissier, Ann-Sophie; Legras, Bernard; Tzella, Alexandra

2015-04-01

We investigate how air parcels detrained from convective sources enter the TTL. The approach is based on the comparison of unidimensional trajectories and Lagrangian backward and forward trajectories, using TRACZILLA and ERA-Interim. Backward trajectories are launched at 380K and run until they hit a deep convective cloud. Forward trajectories are launched at the top of high convective clouds identified by brightness temperature from CLAUS dataset. 1D trajectories are computed using Gardiner's method. Results show that the warm pool region during winter and the Bay of Bengal / Sea of China during summer are the prevalent sources as already identified in many previous studies and we quantify the respective role of the various regions. We show that the 1D model explains qualitatively and often quantitatively the 3d results. We also show that in spite of generating very high convection, Africa is quite ineffective as providing air that remains in the TTL while on the opposite the Tibetan Plateau is the most effective region in this respect although its total contribution is minor. Finally, we compare ERA-Interim, JRA-55 and MERRA reanalysis and find large similarities between the two formers.

Powerful Hurricane Irma Seen in 3D by NASA's CloudSat

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-08

NASA's CloudSat satellite flew over Hurricane Irma on Sept. 6, 2017 at 1:45 p.m. EDT (17:45 UTC) as the storm was approaching Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Irma contained estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (160 knots) with a minimum pressure of 918 millibars. CloudSat transected the eastern edge of Hurricane Irma's eyewall, revealing details of the storm's cloud structure beneath its thick canopy of cirrus clouds. The CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar excels in detecting the organization and placement of cloud layers beneath a storm's cirrus canopy, which are not readily detected by other satellite sensors. The CloudSat overpass reveals the inner details beneath the cloud tops of this large system; intense areas of convection with moderate to heavy rainfall (deep red and pink colors), cloud-free areas (moats) in between the inner and outer cloud bands of Hurricane Irma and cloud top heights averaging around 9 to 10 miles (15 to 16 kilometers). Lower values of reflectivity (areas of green and blue) denote smaller-sized ice and water particle sizes typically located at the top of a storm system (in the anvil area). The Cloud Profiling Radar loses signal at around 3 miles (5 kilometers) in height (in the melting layer) due to water (ice) particles larger than 0.12 inches (3 millimeters) in diameter. Moderate to heavy rainfall occurs in these areas where signal weakening is detectable. Smaller cumulus and cumulonimbus cloud types are evident as CloudSat moves farther south, beneath the thick cirrus canopy. An animation is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21947

Cloud feedback mechanisms and their representation in global climate models

DOE PAGES

Ceppi, Paulo; Brient, Florent; Zelinka, Mark D.; ...

2017-05-11

Cloud feedback—the change in top-of-atmosphere radiative flux resulting from the cloud response to warming—constitutes by far the largest source of uncertainty in the climate response to CO 2 forcing simulated by global climate models (GCMs). In this paper, we review the main mechanisms for cloud feedbacks, and discuss their representation in climate models and the sources of intermodel spread. Global-mean cloud feedback in GCMs results from three main effects: (1) rising free-tropospheric clouds (a positive longwave effect); (2) decreasing tropical low cloud amount (a positive shortwave [SW] effect); (3) increasing high-latitude low cloud optical depth (a negative SW effect). Thesemore » cloud responses simulated by GCMs are qualitatively supported by theory, high-resolution modeling, and observations. Rising high clouds are consistent with the fixed anvil temperature (FAT) hypothesis, whereby enhanced upper-tropospheric radiative cooling causes anvil cloud tops to remain at a nearly fixed temperature as the atmosphere warms. Tropical low cloud amount decreases are driven by a delicate balance between the effects of vertical turbulent fluxes, radiative cooling, large-scale subsidence, and lower-tropospheric stability on the boundary-layer moisture budget. High-latitude low cloud optical depth increases are dominated by phase changes in mixed-phase clouds. Finally, the causes of intermodel spread in cloud feedback are discussed, focusing particularly on the role of unresolved parameterized processes such as cloud microphysics, turbulence, and convection.« less

Cloud feedback mechanisms and their representation in global climate models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ceppi, Paulo; Brient, Florent; Zelinka, Mark D.

Cloud feedback—the change in top-of-atmosphere radiative flux resulting from the cloud response to warming—constitutes by far the largest source of uncertainty in the climate response to CO 2 forcing simulated by global climate models (GCMs). In this paper, we review the main mechanisms for cloud feedbacks, and discuss their representation in climate models and the sources of intermodel spread. Global-mean cloud feedback in GCMs results from three main effects: (1) rising free-tropospheric clouds (a positive longwave effect); (2) decreasing tropical low cloud amount (a positive shortwave [SW] effect); (3) increasing high-latitude low cloud optical depth (a negative SW effect). Thesemore » cloud responses simulated by GCMs are qualitatively supported by theory, high-resolution modeling, and observations. Rising high clouds are consistent with the fixed anvil temperature (FAT) hypothesis, whereby enhanced upper-tropospheric radiative cooling causes anvil cloud tops to remain at a nearly fixed temperature as the atmosphere warms. Tropical low cloud amount decreases are driven by a delicate balance between the effects of vertical turbulent fluxes, radiative cooling, large-scale subsidence, and lower-tropospheric stability on the boundary-layer moisture budget. High-latitude low cloud optical depth increases are dominated by phase changes in mixed-phase clouds. Finally, the causes of intermodel spread in cloud feedback are discussed, focusing particularly on the role of unresolved parameterized processes such as cloud microphysics, turbulence, and convection.« less

Lightning channels emerging from the top of thunderstorm clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Velde, Oscar; Montanyà, Joan; Soula, Serge; Pineda, Nicolau

2013-04-01

In recent years, research of transient luminous events is shifting from the rather common elves and sprites high above thunderclouds to the much less frequently observed phenomena issued by the storm cloud itself: gigantic jets (GJ) connecting to the ionosphere, and high-energy terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) recorded at spacecraft. These phenomena both are observed more often at tropical latitudes, and a link may or may not exist between the two. It is likely that both share the requirement of high-altitude leaders of negative polarity, which in the case of a GJ escapes from the cloud top and transforms into a long streamer discharge. While this should be easier at lower air densities (higher altitude), previous studies showed that GJs need not be produced by storms with the highest tops. TGFs have still unclear origins, but may be related to production in negative leaders or other regions with strong vertically directed electric fields by runaway electron mechnisms. In December 2009, a gigantic jet was observed in the Mediterranean Sea region. During the same night, a nearby storm produced repeatedly multiple leaders piercing through the cloud top, without any sign of streamers reaching higher altitudes (unlike jets or starters). Similar observations of upward cloud-to-air lightning have been obtained recently by low-light cameras over storms near the Catalonian coast in different seasons. The production conditions are currently being investigated, with a focus on optically determined altitudes of lightning and evolution of storm tops (and their temperature level). The initial impression is that cloud flashes escape into the air above during stages when the growing convective cloud top is very close to the main charge production region. Upward cloud-to-air lightning has also been mapped by the Ebro Lightning Mapping Array, exhibiting inverse bolt-from-the blue characteristics, and as a by-product of a bolt-from-the-blue lightning strike to ground, recorded by a high-speed camera.

Macroscopic impacts of cloud and precipitation processes on maritime shallow convection as simulated by a large eddy simulation model with bin microphysics

DOE PAGES

Grabowski, W. W.; Wang, L. -P.; Prabha, T. V.

2015-01-27

This paper discusses impacts of cloud and precipitation processes on macrophysical properties of shallow convective clouds as simulated by a large eddy model applying warm-rain bin microphysics. Simulations with and without collision–coalescence are considered with cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations of 30, 60, 120, and 240 mg -1. Simulations with collision–coalescence include either the standard gravitational collision kernel or a novel kernel that includes enhancements due to the small-scale cloud turbulence. Simulations with droplet collisions were discussed in Wyszogrodzki et al. (2013) focusing on the impact of the turbulent collision kernel. The current paper expands that analysis and puts modelmore » results in the context of previous studies. Despite a significant increase of the drizzle/rain with the decrease of CCN concentration, enhanced by the effects of the small-scale turbulence, impacts on the macroscopic cloud field characteristics are relatively minor. Model results show a systematic shift in the cloud-top height distributions, with an increasing contribution of deeper clouds for stronger precipitating cases. We show that this is consistent with the explanation suggested in Wyszogrodzki et al. (2013); namely, the increase of drizzle/rain leads to a more efficient condensate offloading in the upper parts of the cloud field. A second effect involves suppression of the cloud droplet evaporation near cloud edges in low-CCN simulations, as documented in previous studies (e.g., Xue and Feingold, 2006). We pose the question whether the effects of cloud turbulence on drizzle/rain formation in shallow cumuli can be corroborated by remote sensing observations, for instance, from space. Although a clear signal is extracted from model results, we argue that the answer is negative due to uncertainties caused by the temporal variability of the shallow convective cloud field, sampling and spatial resolution of the satellite data, and overall accuracy of remote sensing retrievals.« less

Lightning activity related to satellite and radar observations of a mesoscale convective system over Texas on 7 8 April 2002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotzek, Nikolai; Rabin, Robert M.; Carey, Lawrence D.; MacGorman, Donald R.; McCormick, Tracy L.; Demetriades, Nicholas W.; Murphy, Martin J.; Holle, Ronald L.

2005-07-01

A multi-sensor study of the leading-line, trailing-stratiform (LLTS) mesoscale convective system (MCS) that developed over Texas in the afternoon of 7 April 2002 is presented. The analysis relies mainly on operationally available data sources such as GOES East satellite imagery, WSR-88D radar data and NLDN cloud-to-ground flash data. In addition, total lightning information in three dimensions from the LDAR II network in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region is used. GOES East satellite imagery revealed several ring-like cloud top structures with a diameter of about 100 km during MCS formation. The Throckmorton tornadic supercell, which had formed just ahead of the developing linear MCS, was characterized by a high CG+ percentage below a V-shaped cloud top overshoot north of the tornado swath. There were indications of the presence of a tilted electrical dipole in this storm. Also this supercell had low average CG- first stroke currents and flash multiplicities. Interestingly, especially the average CG+ flash multiplicity in the Throckmorton storm showed oscillations with an estimated period of about 15 min. Later on, in the mature LLTS MCS, the radar versus lightning activity comparison revealed two dominant discharge regions at the back of the convective leading edge and a gentle descent of the upper intracloud lightning region into the trailing stratiform region, apparently coupled to hydrometeor sedimentation. There was evidence for an inverted dipole in the stratiform region of the LLTS MCS, and CG+ flashes from the stratiform region had high first return stroke peak currents.

Computer image processing of up-draft flow motion and severe storm formation observed from satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Smith, R. E.

1985-01-01

Special rapid-scan satellite visible and infrared observations have been used to study the life cycle of the clouds from the initiation of updraft flow motion in the atmosphere, the condensation of humid air, the formation of clouds, the development of towering cumulus, the penetration of the tropopause, the collapsing of an overshooting turret, and the dissipation of cloud. The infrared image provides an indication of the equivalent blackbody temperature of the observed cloud tops. By referencing the temperature, height and humidity profiles from rawinsonde observations as the background meteorological data for the instability of the air mass to the satellite infrared data sets at different time periods, the development of convective clouds can be studied in detail.

Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data from CERES. Part II; Tropical Convective Cloud Objects During 1998 El Nino and Validation of the Fixed Anvil Temperature Hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man; Wong, Takmeng; Wielicki, Bruce a.; Parker, Lindsay; Lin, Bing; Eitzen, Zachary A.; Branson, Mark

2006-01-01

Characteristics of tropical deep convective cloud objects observed over the tropical Pacific during January-August 1998 are examined using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission/ Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System single scanner footprint (SSF) data. These characteristics include the frequencies of occurrence and statistical distributions of cloud physical properties. Their variations with cloud-object size, sea surface temperature (SST), and satellite precessing cycle are analyzed in detail. A cloud object is defined as a contiguous patch of the Earth composed of satellite footprints within a single dominant cloud-system type. It is found that statistical distributions of cloud physical properties are significantly different among three size categories of cloud objects with equivalent diameters of 100 - 150 km (small), 150 - 300 km (medium), and > 300 km (large), respectively, except for the distributions of ice particle size. The distributions for the larger-size category of cloud objects are more skewed towards high SSTs, high cloud tops, low cloud-top temperature, large ice water path, high cloud optical depth, low outgoing longwave (LW) radiation, and high albedo than the smaller-size category. As SST varied from one satellite precessing cycle to another, the changes in macrophysical properties of cloud objects over the entire tropical Pacific were small for the large-size category of cloud objects, relative to those of the small- and medium-size categories. This result suggests that the fixed anvil temperature hypothesis of Hartmann and Larson may be valid for the large-size category. Combining with the result that a higher percentage of the large-size category of cloud objects occurs during higher SST subperiods, this implies that macrophysical properties of cloud objects would be less sensitive to further warming of the climate. On the other hand, when cloud objects are classified according to SSTs where large-scale dynamics plays important roles, statistical characteristics of cloud microphysical properties, optical depth and albedo are not sensitive to the SST, but those of cloud macrophysical properties are strongly dependent upon the SST. Frequency distributions of vertical velocity from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts model that is matched to each cloud object are used to interpret some of the findings in this study.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 16 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-02-05

ISS016-E-027426 (5 Feb. 2008) --- Cumulonimbus Cloud over Africa is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 16 crewmember on the International Space Station. Deemed by many meteorologists as one of the most impressive of cloud formations, cumulonimbus (from the Latin for "puffy" and "dark") clouds form due to vigorous convection of warm and moist unstable air. Surface air warmed by the Sun-heated ground surface rises, and if sufficient atmospheric moisture is present, water droplets will condense as the air mass encounters cooler air at higher altitudes. The air mass itself also expands and cools as it rises due to decreasing atmospheric pressure, a process known as adiabatic cooling. This type of convection is common in tropical latitudes year-round and during the summer season at higher latitudes. As water in the rising air mass condenses and changes from a gaseous to a liquid state, it releases energy to its surroundings, further heating the surrounding air and leading to more convection and rising of the cloud mass to higher altitudes. This leads to the characteristic vertical "towers" associated with cumulonimbus clouds, an excellent example of which is visible in this image (right). If enough moisture is present to condense and continue heating the cloud mass through several convective cycles, a tower can rise to altitudes of approximately 10 kilometers at high latitudes to 20 kilometers in the tropics -- before encountering a region of the atmosphere known as the tropopause. The tropopause is characterized by a strong temperature inversion where the atmosphere is dryer and no longer cools with altitude. This halts further vertical motion of the cloud mass, and causes flattening and spreading of the cloud tops into an anvil-shaped cloud as illustrated by this oblique photograph. The view direction is at an angle from the vertical, rather than straight "down" towards the Earth's surface. The image, photographed while the International Space Station was passing over western Africa near the Senegal-Mali border, shows a fully-formed anvil cloud with numerous smaller cumulonimbus towers rising near it. The high energetics of these storm systems typically make them hazardous due to associated heavy precipitation, lightning, high wind speeds and possible tornadoes.

Characterization of Individual Aerosol Particles Associated with Clouds (CRYSTAL-FACE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buseck, Peter R.

2004-01-01

The aim of our research was to obtain data on the chemical and physical properties of individual aerosol particles from near the bottoms and tops of the deep convective systems that lead to the generation of tropical cirrus clouds and to provide insights into the particles that serve as CCN or IN. We used analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM), including energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and field-emission electron microscopy (FESEM) to compare the compositions, concentrations, size distributions, shapes, surface coatings, and degrees of aggregation of individual particles from cloud bases and the anvils near the tropopause. Aggregates of sea salt and mineral dust, ammonium sulfate, and soot particles are abundant in in-cloud samples. Cirrus samples contain many H2SO4 droplets, but acidic sulfate particles are rare at the cloud bases. H2SO4 probably formed at higher altitudes through oxidation of SO2 in cloud droplets. The relatively high extent of ammoniation in the upper troposphere in-cloud samples appears to have resulted from vertical transport by strong convection. The morphology of H2SO4 droplets indicates that they had been at least yartiy ammoniated at the time of collection. They are internally mixed with organic materials, metal sulfates, and solid particles of various compositions. Ammoniation and internal mixing of result in freezing at higher temperature than in pure H2SO4 aerosols. K- and S-bearing organic particles and Si-Al-rich particles are common throughout. Sea salt and mineral dust were incorporated into the convective systems from the cloud bases and worked as ice nuclei while being vertically transported. The nonsulfate particles originated from the lower troposphere and were transported to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

Applications for Near-Real Time Satellite Cloud and Radiation Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Palikonda, Rabindra; Chee, Thad L.; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Smith, W.; Ayers, Jeffrey K.; Benjamin, Stanley; Chang, F.-L.; Nguyen, Louis; Norris, Peter;

Development of the Large-Scale Forcing Data to Support MC3E Cloud Modeling Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, S.; Zhang, Y.

2011-12-01

The large-scale forcing fields (e.g., vertical velocity and advective tendencies) are required to run single-column and cloud-resolving models (SCMs/CRMs), which are the two key modeling frameworks widely used to link field data to climate model developments. In this study, we use an advanced objective analysis approach to derive the required forcing data from the soundings collected by the Midlatitude Continental Convective Cloud Experiment (MC3E) in support of its cloud modeling studies. MC3E is the latest major field campaign conducted during the period 22 April 2011 to 06 June 2011 in south-central Oklahoma through a joint effort between the DOE ARM program and the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Program. One of its primary goals is to provide a comprehensive dataset that can be used to describe the large-scale environment of convective cloud systems and evaluate model cumulus parameterizations. The objective analysis used in this study is the constrained variational analysis method. A unique feature of this approach is the use of domain-averaged surface and top-of-the atmosphere (TOA) observations (e.g., precipitation and radiative and turbulent fluxes) as constraints to adjust atmospheric state variables from soundings by the smallest possible amount to conserve column-integrated mass, moisture, and static energy so that the final analysis data is dynamically and thermodynamically consistent. To address potential uncertainties in the surface observations, an ensemble forcing dataset will be developed. Multi-scale forcing will be also created for simulating various scale convective systems. At the meeting, we will provide more details about the forcing development and present some preliminary analysis of the characteristics of the large-scale forcing structures for several selected convective systems observed during MC3E.

Variability of Oceanic Mesoscale Convective System Vertical Structures Observed by CloudSat in Indo-Pacific Regions Associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, J.

2016-12-01

Vertical structures of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) during the Madden-Julian-Oscillation (MJO) are investigated using 2006-2011 CloudSat radar measurements for Indo-Pacific oceanic areas. In active phases of the MJO relatively more large MCSs and connected MCSs occur. The frequency of occurrence of connected MCSs peaks in the onset phase, a phase earlier than separated MCSs. Compared to separated MCSs, connected MCSs in all sizes have weaker reflectivity above 8 km in their deep precipitating portions and thick anvil clouds closely linked to them, suggesting more "stratiform" physics associated with them. Separated MCSs and connected MCSs together produce relatively the least anvil clouds in the onset phase while their deep precipitating portions show stronger/weaker reflectivity above 8 km before/after the onset phase. Thus after the onset phase of the MJO, MCSs shift toward more "convective" organization because separated MCSs maximize after the onset, while their internal structures appear more "stratiform" because internally they have weaker reflectivity above 8km. Connected MCSs coincide with a more humid middle troposphere spatially, even at the same places a few days before they occur. Middle-tropospheric moistening peaks in the onset phase. Moistening of the free troposphere around deep convective systems shows relatively stronger moistening/drying below the 700 hPa before/after the onset phase compared to domain-mean averages. Lower-topped clouds occur most frequently around CMCSs and in active phases, consistent with the presence of a moister free troposphere. Coexistence of these phenomena suggests that the role of middle troposphere moisture in the formation of CMCSs needs to be better understood.

Atmospheric electrical detection of organized convection.

PubMed

Markson, R

1975-06-20

Relatively simple atmospheric electrical instrumentation carried on a small aircraft constitutes a flexible and sensitive system for detecting organized convection. Data can be obtained close to the sea surface, and low-velocity flight enhances the spatial resolution. With a slow-flying airplane or powered glider, it may be possible to trace the circulation of individual convection cells and to investigate the trajectory of air which forms cumulus clouds, one of the major unsolved problems in tropical meteorology. Since space charge near the ocean surface was found on some days to be organized on a horizontal scale equivalent to the cumulus cloud scale, this suggests that some of the air which forms maritime cumulus clouds may come from within a few meters of the ocean and that atmospheric electrical instrumentation may have the potential for tracing air from the sea surface to the clouds. Although the atmospheric electrical instrumentation technique described here cannot be used for direct measurement of air velocity, it may be possible to develop model that can be used to calculate air velocities from electric field data. Even though with the technique described here it is not possible to make direct measurements of wind velocity, airborne electric field records can provide useful information about convection by delineating patterns in the wind field and structural features of thermals (rising bodies of relatively warm air) and by making possible the remote detection of thermals (29). Future plans include attempting to trace interfaces between adjacent roll vortices from the sea surface through the depth of the mixed layer (i) by flying the aircraft parallel to the wind so as to nullify the horizontal electric field (measured between wing-tip probes) while ascending and descending along the interface between adjacent roll vortices and (ii) by measuring vertical and horizontal potential gradient variations at different flight levels (30). The sensitivity of atmospheric electrical instrumentation to the top of the mixed layer and structure within it can be used to explore another important problem in boundary layer convection-why convective cloud cover and oceanic rainfall are greater at night than during the day(31). Workers in atmospheric electricity have long recognized that their domain is strongly controlled by turbulence in the lower atmosphere, and many have believed that the most effective use of atmospheric electrical techniques to assist meteorological research would be in studying exchange processes. Reiter [see (8)] effectively extended atmospheric electrical studies of boundary layer phenomena through a height range by mounting instruments on cable cars traveling between the valley floor and mountain tops in the Alps. The airborne measurements described here extend this approach. Relating the electrical structure of the atmosphere to its dynamic structure poses an interesting problem which may contribute to our understanding of the atmosphere.

Background Noises Versus Intraseasonal Variation Signals: Small vs. Large Convective Cloud Objects From CERES Aqua Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man

2015-01-01

During inactive phases of Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), there are plenty of deep but small convective systems and far fewer deep and large ones. During active phases of MJO, a manifestation of an increase in the occurrence of large and deep cloud clusters results from an amplification of large-scale motions by stronger convective heating. This study is designed to quantitatively examine the roles of small and large cloud clusters during the MJO life cycle. We analyze the cloud object data from Aqua CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) observations between July 2006 and June 2010 for tropical deep convective (DC) and cirrostratus (CS) cloud object types according to the real-time multivariate MJO index, which assigns the tropics to one of the eight MJO phases each day. The cloud object is a contiguous region of the earth with a single dominant cloud-system type. The criteria for defining these cloud types are overcast footprints and cloud top pressures less than 400 hPa, but DC has higher cloud optical depths (=10) than those of CS (<10). The size distributions, defined as the footprint numbers as a function of cloud object diameters, for particular MJO phases depart greatly from the combined (8-phase) distribution at large cloud-object diameters due to the reduced/increased numbers of cloud objects related to changes in the large-scale environments. The medium diameter corresponding to the combined distribution is determined and used to partition all cloud objects into "small" and "large" groups of a particular phase. The two groups corresponding to the combined distribution have nearly equal numbers of footprints. The medium diameters are 502 km for DC and 310 km for cirrostratus. The range of the variation between two extreme phases (typically, the most active and depressed phases) for the small group is 6-11% in terms of the numbers of cloud objects and the total footprint numbers. The corresponding range for the large group is 19-44%. In terms of the probability density functions of radiative and cloud physical properties, there are virtually no differences between the MJO phases for the small group, but there are significant differences for the large groups for both DC and CS types. These results suggest that the intreseasonal variation signals reside at the large cloud clusters while the small cloud clusters represent the background noises resulting from various types of the tropical waves with different wavenumbers and propagation speeds/directions.

Remote measurement of cloud microphysics and its influence in predicting high impact weather events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bipasha, Paul S.; Jinya, John

2016-05-01

Understanding the cloud microphysical processes and precise retrieval of parameters governing the same are crucial for weather and climate prediction. Advanced remote sensing sensors and techniques offer an opportunity for monitoring micro-level developments in cloud structure. . Using the observations from a visible and near-infrared lidar onboard CALIPSO satellite (part of A-train) , the spatial variation of cloud structure has been studied over the Tropical monsoon region . It is found that there is large variability in the cloud microphysical parameters manifesting in distinct precipitation regimes. In particular, the severe storms over this region are driven by processes which range from the synoptic to the microphysical scale. Using INSAT-3D data, retrieval of cloud microphysical parameters like effective radius (CER) and optical depth (COD) were carried out for tropical cyclone Phailine. It was observed that there is a general increase of CER in a top-down direction, characterizing the progressively increasing number and size of precipitation hydrometeors while approaching the cloud base. The distribution of CER relative to cloud top temperature for growing convective clouds has been investigated to reveal the evolution of the particles composing the clouds. It is seen that the relatively high concentration of large particles in the downdraft zone is closely related to the precipitation efficiency of the system. Similar study was also carried using MODIS observations for cyclones over Indian Ocean (2010-2013), in which we find that that the mean effective radius is 24 microns with standard deviation 4.56, mean optical depth is 21 with standard deviation 13.98, mean cloud fraction is 0.92 with standard deviation 0.13 and mainly ice phase is dominant. Thus the remote observations of microstructure of convective storms provide very crucial information about the maintenance and potential devastation likely to be associated with it. With the synergistic observations from A-Train , geostationary and futuristic imaging spectroscopic sensors, a multi-dimensional, and multi-scalar exploration of cloud systems is anticipated leading to accurate prediction of high impact weather events.

Microwave and infrared simulations of an intense convective system and comparison with aircraft observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prasad, N.; Yeh, Hwa-Young M.; Adler, Robert F.; Tao, Wei-Kuo

1995-01-01

A three-dimensional cloud model, radiative transfer model-based simulation system is tested and validated against the aircraft-based radiance observations of an intense convective system in southeastern Virginia on 29 June 1986 during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment. NASA's ER-2, a high-altitude research aircraft with a complement of radiometers operating at 11-micrometer infrared channel and 18-, 37-, 92-, and 183-GHz microwave channels provided data for this study. The cloud model successfully simulated the cloud system with regard to aircraft- and radar-observed cloud-top heights and diameters and with regard to radar-observed reflectivity structure. For the simulation time found to correspond best with the aircraft- and radar-observed structure, brightness temperatures T(sub b) are simulated and compared with observations for all the microwave frequencies along with the 11-micrometer infrared channel. Radiance calculations at the various frequencies correspond well with the aircraft observations in the areas of deep convection. The clustering of 37-147-GHz T(sub b) observations and the isolation of the 18-GHz values over the convective cores are well simulated by the model. The radiative transfer model, in general, is able to simulate the observations reasonably well from 18 GHz through 174 GHz within all convective areas of the cloud system. When the aircraft-observed 18- and 37-GHz, and 90- and 174-GHz T(sub b) are plotted against each other, the relationships have a gradual difference in the slope due to the differences in the ice particle size in the convective and more stratiform areas of the cloud. The model is able to capture these differences observed by the aircraft. Brightness temperature-rain rate relationships compare reasonably well with the aircraft observations in terms of the slope of the relationship. The model calculations are also extended to select high-frequency channels at 220, 340, and 400 GHz to simulate the Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer aircraft instrument to be flown in the near future. All three of these frequencies are able to discriminate the convective and anvil portions of the system, providing useful information similar to that from the frequencies below 183 GHz but with potentially enhanced spatial resolution from a satellite platform. In thin clouds, the dominant effect of water vapor is seen at 174, 340, and 400 GHz. In thick cloudy areas, the scattering effect is dominant at 90 and 220 GHz, while the overlaying water vapor can attenuate at 174, 340, and 400 GHz. All frequencies (90-400 GHz) show strong signatures in the core.

Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) Preliminary Science Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Varble, Adam; Nesbitt, Steve; Salio, Paola

General circulation models and downscaled regional models exhibit persistent biases in deep convective initiation location and timing, cloud top height, stratiform area and precipitation fraction, and anvil coverage. Despite important impacts on the distribution of atmospheric heating, moistening, and momentum, nearly all climate models fail to represent convective organization, while system evolution is not represented at all. Improving representation of convective systems in models requires characterization of their predictability as a function of environmental conditions, and this characterization depends on observing many cases of convective initiation, non-initiation, organization, and non-organization. The Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) experiment inmore » the Sierras de Córdoba mountain range of north-central Argentina is designed to improve understanding of cloud life cycle and organization in relation to environmental conditions so that cumulus, microphysics, and aerosol parameterizations in multi-scale models can be improved. The Sierras de Córdoba range has a high frequency of orographic boundary-layer clouds, many reaching congestus depths, many initiating into deep convection, and some organizing into mesoscale systems uniquely observable from a single fixed site. Some systems even grow upscale to become among the deepest, largest, and longest-lived in the world. These systems likely contribute to an observed regional trend of increasing extreme rainfall, and poor prediction of them likely contributes to a warm, dry bias in climate models downstream of the Sierras de Córdoba range in a key agricultural region. Many environmental factors influence the convective lifecycle in this region including orographic, low-level jet, and frontal circulations, surface fluxes, synoptic vertical motions influenced by the Andes, cloud detrainment, and aerosol properties. Local and long-range transport of smoke resulting from biomass burning as well as blowing dust are common in the austral spring, while changes in land surface properties as the wet season progresses impact surface fluxes and boundary layer evolution on daily and seasonal time scales that feed back to cloud and rainfall generation. This range of environmental conditions and cloud properties coupled with a high frequency of events makes this an ideal location for improving our understanding of cloud-environment interactions. The following primary science questions will be addressed through coordinated first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1), mobile C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (C-SAPR2), guest instrumentation, and potential ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream-1 (G-1) observations: 1. How are the properties and lifecycles of orographically generated cumulus humulis, mediocris, and congestus clouds affected by environmental kinematics, thermodynamics, aerosols, and surface properties? How do these cloud types alter these environmental conditions? 2. How do environmental kinematics, thermodynamics, and aerosols impact deep convective initiation, upscale growth, and mesoscale organization? How are soil moisture, surface fluxes, and aerosol properties altered by deep convective precipitation events and seasonal accumulation of precipitation? This multi-faceted experiment involves a long term 8.5-month Extended Observing Period (EOP, 15 August, 2018-30 April, 2019) as well as a 6-week Intensive Observation Period (IOP, 1 November-15 December) that will coincide with the international multi-agency RELAMPAGO field campaign.« less

Impact of cloud radiative heating on East Asian summer monsoon circulation

DOE PAGES

Guo, Zhun; Zhou, Tianjun; Wang, Minghuai; ...

2015-07-17

The impacts of cloud radiative heating on East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) over the southeastern China (105°-125°E, 20°-35°N) are explained by using the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). Sensitivity experiments demonstrate that the radiative heating of clouds leads to a positive effect on the local EASM circulation over southeastern China. Without the radiative heating of cloud, the EASM circulation and precipitation would be much weaker than that in the normal condition. The longwave heating of clouds dominates the changes of EASM circulation. The positive effect of clouds on EASM circulation is explained by the thermodynamic energy equation, i.e. themore » different heating rate between cloud base and cloud top enhances the convective instability over southeastern China, which enhances updraft consequently. The strong updraft would further result in a southward meridional wind above the center of the updraft through Sverdrup vorticity balance.« less

Hurricane Hector in the Eastern Pacific

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-08-17

Infrared, microwave, and visible/near-infrared images of Hurricane Hector in the eastern Pacific were created with data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on August 17, 2006. The infrared AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the hurricane. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red). At the time the data were taken from which these images were made, Hector is a well organized storm, with the strongest convection in the SE quadrant. The increasing vertical wind shear in the NW quadrant is appearing to have an effect. Maximum sustained winds are at 85 kt, gusts to 105 kt. Estimated minimum central pressure is 975 mbar. The microwave image is created from microwave radiation emitted by Earth's atmosphere and received by the instrument. It shows where the heaviest rainfall is taking place (in blue) in the storm. Blue areas outside of the storm where there are either some clouds or no clouds, indicate where the sea surface shines through. The "visible" image is created from data acquired by the visible light/near-infrared sensor on the AIRS instrument. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00507

Roles of drizzle in a one-dimensional third-order turbulence closure model of the nocturnal stratus-topped marine boundary layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Shouping; Wang, Qing

1994-01-01

This study focuses on the effects of drizzle in a one-dimensional third-order turbulence closure model of the nocturnal stratus-topped marine boundary layer. When the simulated drizzle rate is relatively small (maximum approximately equal to 0.6 mm/day), steady-state solutions are obtained. The boundary layer stabilizes essentially because drizzle causes evaporative cooling of the subcloud layer. This stabilization considerably reduces the buoyancy flux and turbulence kinetic energy below the stratus cloud. Thus, drizzle tends to decouple the cloud from the subcloud layer in the model, as suggested by many observational studies. In addition, the evaporation of drizzle in the subcloud layer creates small scattered clouds, which are likely to represent cumulus clouds, below the solid stratus cloud in the model. The sensitivity experiments show that these scattered clouds help maintain a coupled boundary layer. When the drizzle rate is relatively large (maximum approximately equal to 0.9 mm/day), the response of the model becomes transient with bursts in turbulent fluxes. This phenomenon is related to the formation of the scattered cloud layer below the solid stratus cloud. It appears that the model is inadequate to represent the heat and moisture transport by strong updrafts covering a small fractional area in cumulus convection.

Vertical structure of radar reflectivity in deep intense convective clouds over the tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Shailendra; Bhat, G. S.

2015-04-01

This study is based on 10 years of radar reflectivity factor (Z) data derived from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) measurements. We define two types of convective cells, namely, cumulonimbus towers (CbTs) and intense convective clouds (ICCs), essentially following the methodology used in deriving the vertical profiles of radar reflectivity (VPRR). CbT contains Z≥ 20 dBZ at 12 km height with its base height below 3 km. ICCs belong to the top 5% reflectivity population at 3 km and 8 km altitude. Regional differences in the vertical structure of convective cells have been explored for two periods, namely, JJAS (June, July, August and September) and JFM (January, February and March) months. Frequency of occurrences of CbTs and ICCs depend on the region. Africa and Latin America are the most productive regions for the CbTs while the foothills of Western Himalaya contain the most intense profiles. Among the oceanic areas, the Bay of Bengal has the strongest vertical profile, whereas Atlantic Ocean has the weakest profile during JJAS. During JFM months, maritime continent has the strongest vertical profile whereas western equatorial Indian Ocean has the weakest. Monsoon clouds lie between the continental and oceanic cases. The maximum heights of 30 and 40 dBZ reflectivities (denoted by MH30 and MH40, respectively) are also studied. MH40 shows a single mode and peaks around 5.5 km during both JJAS and JFM months. MH30 shows two modes, around 5 km and between 8 km and 10 km, respectively. It is also shown that certain conclusions such as the area/region with the most intense convective cells, depend of the reference height used in defining a convective cell.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Qian; Fan, Jiwen; Hagos, Samson M.

Understanding of critical processes that contribute to the organization of mesoscale convective systems is important for accurate weather forecast and climate prediction. In this study, we investigate the effects of wind shear at different vertical levels on the organization and properties of cloud systems using the Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF) model with a spectral-bin microphysical scheme. The sensitivity experiments are performed by increasing wind shear at the lower (0-5 km), middle (5-10 km), upper (> 10 km) and the entire troposphere, respectively, based on a control run for a mesoscale convective system (MCS) with weak wind shear. We findmore » that increasing wind shear at the both lower and middle vertical levels reduces the domain-accumulated precipitation and the occurrence of heavy rain, while increasing wind shear at the upper levels changes little on precipitation. Although increasing wind shear at the lower-levels is favorable for a more organized quasi-line system which leads to enlarged updraft core area, and enhanced updraft velocities and vertical mass fluxes, the precipitation is still reduced by 18.6% compared with the control run due to stronger rain evaporation induced by the low-level wind shear. Strong wind shear in the middle levels only produces a strong super-cell over a narrow area, leading to 67.3% reduction of precipitation over the domain. By increasing wind shear at the upper levels only, the organization of the convection is not changed much, but the increased cloudiness at the upper-levels leads to stronger surface cooling and then stabilizes the atmosphere and weakens the convection. When strong wind shear exists over the entire vertical profile, a deep dry layer (2-9 km) is produced and convection is severely suppressed. There are fewer very-high (cloud top height (CTH) > 15 km) and very-deep (cloud thickness > 15 km) clouds, and the precipitation is only about 11.8% of the control run. The changes in cloud microphysical properties further explain the reduction of surface rain by strong wind shear especially at the lower- and middle-levels. The insights obtained from this study help us better understand the cloud system organization and provide foundation for better parameterizing organized MCS.« less

Convective sources of trajectories traversing the tropical tropopause layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tissier, Ann-Sophie; Legras, Bernard

2016-03-01

Transit properties across the tropical tropopause layer are studied using extensive forward and backward Lagrangian diabatic trajectories between cloud tops and the reference surface 380 K. After dividing the tropical domain into 11 subregions according to the distribution of land and convection, we estimate the contribution of each region to the upward mass flux across the 380 K surface and to the vertical distribution of convective sources and transit times over the period 2005-2008. The good agreement between forward and backward statistics is the basis of the results presented here. It is found that about 85 % of the tropical parcels at 380 K originate from convective sources throughout the year. From November to April, the sources are dominated by the warm pool which accounts for up to 70 % of the upward flux. During boreal summer, the Asian monsoon region is the largest contributor with similar contributions from the maritime and continental parts of the region; however, the vertical distributions and transit times associated with these two subregions are very different. Convective sources are generally higher over the continental part of the Asian monsoon region, with shorter transit times. We estimate the monthly averaged upward mass flux on the 380 K surface and show that the contribution from convective outflow accounts for 80 % on average and explains most of its seasonal variations. The largest contributor to the convective flux is the South Asian Pacific region (warm pool) at 39 % throughout the year followed by oceanic regions surrounding continental Asia at 18 % and Africa at 10.8 %. Continental Asian lowlands account for 8 %. The Tibetan Plateau is a minor overall contributor (0.8 %), but transport from convective sources in this region is very efficient due to its central location beneath the Asian upper level anticyclone. The core results are robust to uncertainties in data and methods, but the vertical source distributions and transit times exhibit some sensitivity to the representations of cloud tops and heating rates. The main sensitivity is to the radiative heating rates which vary among reanalyses.

Convection intertropicale et pluviometrie - Essai de mise en relation pour l'Afrique de l'ouest du 11 Mai au 20 Aout 1985

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillot, B.; Bellec, B.; Lahuec, J. P.

Relationship between deep convection and rainfall in West Africa May 11 - August 20 1981 From May 11 to August 20, an attempt at monitoring convective clouds over West Africa was carried out in Lannion by ORSTOM and the ``Centre de Météorologie Spatiale''. Since most of the rain in sudanese countries is the result of convective activity, it was assumed that the measure of occurrences of cold top clouds with infrared Meteosat II data could give us a good relation with synoptic stations rainfall data. The comparison of visible and infrared data gave us a threshold of -40°C. Five scenes were computed daily (9h, 12h, 15h, 18h, 24h) during 102 days. This attempt led us to discover homogeneous areas according to zonal climatic features and topography. Further research including the use of radar data, the setting up of a better network for rainfall measurements, special experiments to improve the threshold efficiency are expected to be carried out next year. Several French research laboratories are involved in this program. Good results are also expected in the field of crop monitoring.

Characterization of Mesoscale Convective Systems by Means of Composite Radar Reflectivity Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geerts, Bart

1998-01-01

A mesoscale convective system (MCS) is broadly defined as a cloud and precipitation system of mesoscale dimensions (often too large for most aircraft to circumnavigate) with deep-convective activity concentrated in at least part of the MCS, or present during part of its evolution. A large areal fraction of MCSs is stratiform in nature, yet estimates from MCSs over the Great Plains, the Southeast, and tropical waters indicate that at least half of the precipitation is of convective origin. The presence of localized convection is important, because within convective towers cloud particles and hydrometeors are carried upward towards the cloud top. Ice crystals then move over more stratiform regions, either laterally, or through in situ settling over decaying and spreading convection. These ice crystals then grow to precipitation-size particles in mid- to upper tropospheric mesoscale updrafts. The convective portion of a MCS is often a more or less continuous line of thunderstorms, and may be either short-lived or long-lived. Geerts (1997) presents a preliminary climatology of MCSs in the southeastern USA, using just one year of composite digital radar reflectivity data. In this study MCSs are identified and characterized by means of visual inspection of animated images. A total of 398 MCSs were identified. In the warm season MCSs were found to be about twice as frequent as in the cold season. The average lifetime and maximum length of MCSs are 9 hours, and 350 km, respectively, but some MCSs are much larger and more persistent. In the summer months small and short-lived MCSs are relatively more common, whereas in winter larger and longer-lived systems occur more frequently. MCSs occur more commonly in the afternoon, in phase with thunderstorm activity, but the amplitude of the diurnal cycle is small compared to that of observed thunderstorms. It is estimated that in the Southeast more than half of all precipitation and severe weather results from MCSs.

Coupling between lower-tropospheric convective mixing and low-level clouds: Physical mechanisms and dependence on convection scheme.

PubMed

Vial, Jessica; Bony, Sandrine; Dufresne, Jean-Louis; Roehrig, Romain

2016-12-01

Several studies have pointed out the dependence of low-cloud feedbacks on the strength of the lower-tropospheric convective mixing. By analyzing a series of single-column model experiments run by a climate model using two different convective parametrizations, this study elucidates the physical mechanisms through which marine boundary-layer clouds depend on this mixing in the present-day climate and under surface warming. An increased lower-tropospheric convective mixing leads to a reduction of low-cloud fraction. However, the rate of decrease strongly depends on how the surface latent heat flux couples to the convective mixing and to boundary-layer cloud radiative effects: (i) on the one hand, the latent heat flux is enhanced by the lower-tropospheric drying induced by the convective mixing, which damps the reduction of the low-cloud fraction, (ii) on the other hand, the latent heat flux is reduced as the lower troposphere stabilizes under the effect of reduced low-cloud radiative cooling, which enhances the reduction of the low-cloud fraction. The relative importance of these two different processes depends on the closure of the convective parameterization. The convective scheme that favors the coupling between latent heat flux and low-cloud radiative cooling exhibits a stronger sensitivity of low-clouds to convective mixing in the present-day climate, and a stronger low-cloud feedback in response to surface warming. In this model, the low-cloud feedback is stronger when the present-day convective mixing is weaker and when present-day clouds are shallower and more radiatively active. The implications of these insights for constraining the strength of low-cloud feedbacks observationally is discussed.

Coupling between lower‐tropospheric convective mixing and low‐level clouds: Physical mechanisms and dependence on convection scheme

PubMed Central

Bony, Sandrine; Dufresne, Jean‐Louis; Roehrig, Romain

2016-01-01

Abstract Several studies have pointed out the dependence of low‐cloud feedbacks on the strength of the lower‐tropospheric convective mixing. By analyzing a series of single‐column model experiments run by a climate model using two different convective parametrizations, this study elucidates the physical mechanisms through which marine boundary‐layer clouds depend on this mixing in the present‐day climate and under surface warming. An increased lower‐tropospheric convective mixing leads to a reduction of low‐cloud fraction. However, the rate of decrease strongly depends on how the surface latent heat flux couples to the convective mixing and to boundary‐layer cloud radiative effects: (i) on the one hand, the latent heat flux is enhanced by the lower‐tropospheric drying induced by the convective mixing, which damps the reduction of the low‐cloud fraction, (ii) on the other hand, the latent heat flux is reduced as the lower troposphere stabilizes under the effect of reduced low‐cloud radiative cooling, which enhances the reduction of the low‐cloud fraction. The relative importance of these two different processes depends on the closure of the convective parameterization. The convective scheme that favors the coupling between latent heat flux and low‐cloud radiative cooling exhibits a stronger sensitivity of low‐clouds to convective mixing in the present‐day climate, and a stronger low‐cloud feedback in response to surface warming. In this model, the low‐cloud feedback is stronger when the present‐day convective mixing is weaker and when present‐day clouds are shallower and more radiatively active. The implications of these insights for constraining the strength of low‐cloud feedbacks observationally is discussed. PMID:28239438

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Zhun; Zhou, Tianjun; Wang, Minghuai

The impacts of cloud radiative heating on East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) over the southeastern China (105°-125°E, 20°-35°N) are explained by using the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). Sensitivity experiments demonstrate that the radiative heating of clouds leads to a positive effect on the local EASM circulation over southeastern China. Without the radiative heating of cloud, the EASM circulation and precipitation would be much weaker than that in the normal condition. The longwave heating of clouds dominates the changes of EASM circulation. The positive effect of clouds on EASM circulation is explained by the thermodynamic energy equation, i.e. themore » different heating rate between cloud base and cloud top enhances the convective instability over southeastern China, which enhances updraft consequently. The strong updraft would further result in a southward meridional wind above the center of the updraft through Sverdrup vorticity balance.« less

Improving Subtropical Boundary Layer Cloudiness in the 2011 NCEP GFS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fletcher, J. K.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Xiao, Heng

2014-09-23

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 short-wave 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 parameterisations to make them more consistentmore » 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.« less

Shallow cloud statistics over Tropical Western Pacific: CAM5 versus ARM Comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandra, A.; Zhang, C.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H. Y.; Kollias, P.; Xie, S.

2014-12-01

The role of shallow convection in the tropical convective cloud life cycle has received increasing interest because of its sensitivity to simulate large-scale tropical disturbances such as MJO. Though previous studies have proposed several hypotheses to explain the role of shallow clouds in the convective life cycle, our understanding on the role of shallow clouds is still premature. There are more questions needs to be addressed related to the role of different cloud population, conditions favorable for shallow to deep convection transitions, and their characteristics at different stages of the convective cloud life. The present study aims to improve the understanding of the shallow clouds by documenting the role of different shallow cloud population for the Year of Tropical Convection period using Atmospheric Radiation Measurement observations at the Tropical Western Pacific Manus site. The performance of the CAM5 model to simulate shallow clouds are tested using observed cloud statistics.

Development of charge structure in a short live convective cell observed by a 3D lightning mapper and a phased array radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, S.; Adachi, T.; Kusunoki, K.; Wu, T.; Ushio, T.; Yoshikawa, E.

2015-12-01

Thunderstorm observation has been conducted in Osaka, Japan, with a use of a 3D lightning mapper, called Broadband Observation network for Lightning and Thunderstorm (BOLT), and an X-band phased array radar (PAR). BOLT is a LF sensor network that receives LF emission associated with lightning discharges and locates LF radiation sources in 3D. PAR employs mechanical and electrical scans, respectively, in azimuthal and elevation direction, succeeding in quite high volume scan rate. In this presentation, we focus on lightning activity and charge structure in convective cells that lasted only short time (15 minutes or so). Thunderstorms that consisted of several convective cells developed near the radar site. Precipitation structure of a convective cell in the thunderstorm was clearly observed by PAR. A reflectivity core of the convective cell appeared at an altitude of 6 km at 2245 (JST). After that the core descended and reached the ground at 2256 (JST), resulting in heavy precipitation on surface. The echo top height (30dBZ) increased intermittently between 2245 (JST) and 2253 (JST) and it reached at the altitude of 12 km. The convective cell dissipated at 2300. Many intra-cloud (IC) flashes were initiated within the convective cell. Most IC flashes that were initiated in the convective cell occurred during the time when the echo top height increased, while a few IC flashes were initiated in the convective cell after the cease of the echo top vertical development. These facts indicate that strong updraft at upper levels (about 8 km or higher) plays an important role on thunderstorm electrification for IC flashes. Moreover, initiation altitudes of the IC flashes and the positive charge regions removed by the IC flashes increased, as the echo top height increased. This fact implies that the strong updraft at the upper levels blew up positively-charged ice pellets and negatively-charged graupel, and lifted IC flash initiation altitudes and positive charge regions. Previous observation results showed that positive charge regions sometimes moved upward in short time (about 5 minutes or so) in vigorous convective cells. Our observation results support the previous observation results and show that the rapid charge structure change was caused by strong updraft at upper levels in the convective cell.

Assessing the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on Pacific storm track using a multiscale global climate model

PubMed Central

Wang, Yuan; Wang, Minghuai; Zhang, Renyi; Ghan, Steven J.; Lin, Yun; Hu, Jiaxi; Pan, Bowen; Levy, Misti; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Molina, Mario J.

2014-01-01

Atmospheric aerosols affect weather and global general circulation by modifying cloud and precipitation processes, but the magnitude of cloud adjustment by aerosols remains poorly quantified and represents the largest uncertainty in estimated forcing of climate change. Here we assess the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on the Pacific storm track, using a multiscale global aerosol–climate model (GCM). Simulations of two aerosol scenarios corresponding to the present day and preindustrial conditions reveal long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols across the north Pacific and large resulting changes in the aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud and ice water paths. Shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere are changed by −2.5 and +1.3 W m−2, respectively, by emission changes from preindustrial to present day, and an increased cloud top height indicates invigorated midlatitude cyclones. The overall increased precipitation and poleward heat transport reflect intensification of the Pacific storm track by anthropogenic aerosols. Hence, this work provides, for the first time to the authors’ knowledge, a global perspective of the effects of Asian pollution outflows from GCMs. Furthermore, our results suggest that the multiscale modeling framework is essential in producing the aerosol invigoration effect of deep convective clouds on a global scale. PMID:24733923

Assessing the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on Pacific storm track using a multiscale global climate model.

PubMed

Wang, Yuan; Wang, Minghuai; Zhang, Renyi; Ghan, Steven J; Lin, Yun; Hu, Jiaxi; Pan, Bowen; Levy, Misti; Jiang, Jonathan H; Molina, Mario J

2014-05-13

Atmospheric aerosols affect weather and global general circulation by modifying cloud and precipitation processes, but the magnitude of cloud adjustment by aerosols remains poorly quantified and represents the largest uncertainty in estimated forcing of climate change. Here we assess the effects of anthropogenic aerosols on the Pacific storm track, using a multiscale global aerosol-climate model (GCM). Simulations of two aerosol scenarios corresponding to the present day and preindustrial conditions reveal long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols across the north Pacific and large resulting changes in the aerosol optical depth, cloud droplet number concentration, and cloud and ice water paths. Shortwave and longwave cloud radiative forcing at the top of atmosphere are changed by -2.5 and +1.3 W m(-2), respectively, by emission changes from preindustrial to present day, and an increased cloud top height indicates invigorated midlatitude cyclones. The overall increased precipitation and poleward heat transport reflect intensification of the Pacific storm track by anthropogenic aerosols. Hence, this work provides, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, a global perspective of the effects of Asian pollution outflows from GCMs. Furthermore, our results suggest that the multiscale modeling framework is essential in producing the aerosol invigoration effect of deep convective clouds on a global scale.

Predicting Airspace Capacity Impacts Using the Consolidated Storm Prediction for Aviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, Carl

2010-01-01

Convective weather is currently the largest contributor to air traffic delays in the United States. In order to make effective traffic flow management decisions to mitigate these delays, weather forecasts must be made as early and as accurately as possible. A forecast product that could be used to mitigate convective weather impacts is the Consolidated Storm Prediction for Aviation. This product provides forecasts of cloud water content and convective top heights at 0- to 8-hour look-ahead times. The objective of this study was to examine a method of predicting the impact of convective weather on air traffic sector capacities using these forecasts. Polygons representing forecast convective weather were overlaid at multiple flight levels on a sector map to calculate the fraction of each sector covered by weather. The fractional volume coverage was used as the primary metric to determine convection s impact on sectors. Results reveal that the forecasts can be used to predict the probability and magnitude of weather impacts on sector capacity up to eight hours in advance.

Evaluation of Cloud-Resolving Model Intercomparison Simulations Using TWP-ICE Observations: Precipitation and Cloud Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varble, Adam; Fridlind, Ann M.; Zipser, Edward J.; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Chaboureau, Jean-Pierre; Fan, Jiwen; Hill, Adrian; McFarlane, Sally A.; Pinty, Jean-Pierre; Shipway, Ben

2011-01-01

The Tropical Warm Pool.International Cloud Experiment (TWP ]ICE) provided extensive observational data sets designed to initialize, force, and constrain atmospheric model simulations. In this first of a two ]part study, precipitation and cloud structures within nine cloud ]resolving model simulations are compared with scanning radar reflectivity and satellite infrared brightness temperature observations during an active monsoon period from 19 to 25 January 2006. Seven of nine simulations overestimate convective area by 20% or more leading to general overestimation of convective rainfall. This is balanced by underestimation of stratiform rainfall by 5% to 50% despite overestimation of stratiform area by up to 65% because of a preponderance of very low stratiform rain rates in all simulations. All simulations fail to reproduce observed radar reflectivity distributions above the melting level in convective regions and throughout the troposphere in stratiform regions. Observed precipitation ]sized ice reaches higher altitudes than simulated precipitation ]sized ice despite some simulations that predict lower than observed top ]of ]atmosphere infrared brightness temperatures. For the simulations that overestimate radar reflectivity aloft, graupel is the cause with one ]moment microphysics schemes whereas snow is the cause with two ]moment microphysics schemes. Differences in simulated radar reflectivity are more highly correlated with differences in mass mean melted diameter (Dm) than differences in ice water content. Dm is largely dependent on the mass ]dimension relationship and gamma size distribution parameters such as size intercept (N0) and shape parameter (m). Having variable density, variable N0, or m greater than zero produces radar reflectivities closest to those observed.

Global Variability of Mesoscale Convective System Anvil Structure from A-Train Satellite Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, Jian; Houze, Robert A.

2010-01-01

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in the tropics produce extensive anvil clouds, which significantly affect the transfer of radiation. This study develops an objective method to identify MCSs and their anvils by combining data from three A-train satellite instruments: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for cloud-top size and coldness, Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) for rain area size and intensity, and CloudSat for horizontal and vertical dimensions of anvils. The authors distinguish three types of MCSs: small and large separated MCSs and connected MCSs. The latter are MCSs sharing a contiguous rain area. Mapping of the objectively identified MCSs shows patterns of MCSs that are consistent with previous studies of tropical convection, with separated MCSs dominant over Africa and the Amazon regions and connected MCSs favored over the warm pool of the Indian and west Pacific Oceans. By separating the anvil from the raining regions of MCSs, this study leads to quantitative global maps of anvil coverage. These maps are consistent with the MCS analysis, and they lay the foundation for estimating the global radiative effects of anvil clouds. CloudSat radar data show that the modal thickness of MCS anvils is about 4-5 km. Anvils are mostly confined to within 1.5-2 times the equivalent radii of the primary rain areas of the MCSs. Over the warm pool, they may extend out to about 5 times the rain area radii. The warm ocean MCSs tend to have thicker non-raining and lightly raining anvils near the edges

Low-cloud characteristics over the tropical western Pacific from ARM observations and CAM5 simulations

DOE PAGES

Chandra, Arunchandra S.; Zhang, Chidong; Klein, Stephen A.; ...

2015-09-10

Here, this study evaluates the ability of the Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5) to reproduce low clouds observed by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) cloud radar at Manus Island of the tropical western Pacific during the Years of Tropical Convection. Here low clouds are defined as clouds with their tops below the freezing level and bases within the boundary layer. Low-cloud statistics in CAM5 simulations and ARM observations are compared in terms of their general occurrence, mean vertical profiles, fraction of precipitating versus nonprecipitating events, diurnal cycle, and monthly time series. Other types of clouds are included to putmore » the comparison in a broader context. The comparison shows that the model overproduces total clouds and their precipitation fraction but underestimates low clouds in general. The model, however, produces excessive low clouds in a thin layer between 954 and 930 hPa, which coincides with excessive humidity near the top of the mixed layer. This suggests that the erroneously excessive low clouds stem from parameterization of both cloud and turbulence mixing. The model also fails to produce the observed diurnal cycle in low clouds, not exclusively due to the model coarse grid spacing that does not resolve Manus Island. Lastly, this study demonstrates the utility of ARM long-term cloud observations in the tropical western Pacific in verifying low clouds simulated by global climate models, illustrates issues of using ARM observations in model validation, and provides an example of severe model biases in producing observed low clouds in the tropical western Pacific.« less

Low-latitude variability of ice cloud properties and cloud thermodynamic phase observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kahn, B. H.; Yue, Q.; Davis, S. M.; Fetzer, E. J.; Schreier, M. M.; Tian, B.; Wong, S.

2016-12-01

We will quantify the time and space dependence of ice cloud effective radius (CER), optical thickness (COT), cloud top temperature (CTT), effective cloud fraction (ECF), and cloud thermodynamic phase (ice, liquid, or unknown) with the Version 6 Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) satellite observational data set from September 2002 until present. We show that cloud frequency, CTT, COT, and ECF have substantially different responses to ENSO variations. Large-scale changes in ice CER are also observed with a several micron tropics-wide increase during the 2015-2016 El Niño and similar decreases during the La Niña phase. We show that the ice CER variations reflect fundamental changes in the spatial distributions and relative frequencies of different ice cloud types. Lastly, the high spatial and temporal resolution variability of the cloud fields are explored and we show that these data capture a multitude of convectively coupled tropical waves such as Kelvin, westward and eastward intertio-gravity, equatorial Rossby, and mixed Rossby-gravity waves.

Sensitivity of a Cumulus Parameterization Scheme to Precipitation Production Representation and Its Impact on a Heavy Rain Event over Korea

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Han, Ji-Young; Hong, Song-You; Sunny Lim, Kyo-Sun

The sensitivity of a cumulus parameterization scheme (CPS) to a representation of precipitation production is examined. To do this, the parameter that determines the fraction of cloud condensate converted to precipitation in the simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) convection scheme is modified following the results from a cloud-resolving simulation. While the original conversion parameter is assumed to be constant, the revised parameter includes a temperature dependency above the freezing level, whichleadstolessproductionoffrozenprecipitating condensate with height. The revised CPS has been evaluated for a heavy rainfall event over Korea as well as medium-range forecasts using the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs). The inefficient conversionmore » of cloud condensate to convective precipitation at colder temperatures generally leads to a decrease in pre-cipitation, especially in the category of heavy rainfall. The resultant increase of detrained moisture induces moistening and cooling at the top of clouds. A statistical evaluation of the medium-range forecasts with the revised precipitation conversion parameter shows an overall improvement of the forecast skill in precipitation and large-scale fields, indicating importance of more realistic representation of microphysical processes in CPSs.« less

Using High-Resolution Satellite Observations for Evaluation of Cloud and Precipitation Statistics from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations. Part I: South China Sea Monsoon Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Y.; Hou, A.; Lau, W. K.; Shie, C.; Tao, W.; Lin, X.; Chou, M.; Olson, W. S.; Grecu, M.

2006-05-01

The cloud and precipitation statistics simulated by 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model during the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) is compared with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TMI and PR rainfall measurements and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) single scanner footprint (SSF) radiation and cloud retrievals. It is found that GCE is capable of simulating major convective system development and reproducing total surface rainfall amount as compared with rainfall estimated from the soundings. Mesoscale organization is adequately simulated except when environmental wind shear is very weak. The partitions between convective and stratiform rain are also close to TMI and PR classification. However, the model simulated rain spectrum is quite different from either TMI or PR measurements. The model produces more heavy rains and light rains (less than 0.1 mm/hr) than the observations. The model also produces heavier vertical hydrometer profiles of rain, graupel when compared with TMI retrievals and PR radar reflectivity. Comparing GCE simulated OLR and cloud properties with CERES measurements found that the model has much larger domain averaged OLR due to smaller total cloud fraction and a much skewed distribution of OLR and cloud top than CERES observations, indicating that the model's cloud field is not wide spread, consistent with the model's precipitation activity. These results will be used as guidance for improving the model's microphysics.

Satellite-based estimation of cloud-base updrafts for convective clouds and stratocumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Y.; Rosenfeld, D.; Li, Z.

2017-12-01

Updraft speeds of thermals have always been notoriously difficult to measure, despite significant roles they play in transporting pollutants and in cloud formation and precipitation. To our knowledge, no attempt to date has been made to estimate updraft speed from satellite information. In this study, we introduce three methods of retrieving updraft speeds at cloud base () for convective clouds and marine stratocumulus with VIIRS onboard Suomi-NPP satellite. The first method uses ground-air temperature difference to characterize the surface sensible heat flux, which is found to be correlated with updraft speeds measured by the Doppler lidar over the Southern Great Plains (SGP). Based on the relationship, we use the satellite-retrieved surface skin temperature and reanalysis surface air temperature to estimate the updrafts. The second method is based on a good linear correlation between cloud base height and updrafts, which was found over the SGP, the central Amazon, and on board a ship sailing between Honolulu and Los Angeles. We found a universal relationship for both land and ocean. The third method is for marine stratocumulus. A statistically significant relationship between Wb and cloud-top radiative cooling rate (CTRC) is found from measurements over northeastern Pacific and Atlantic. Based on this relation, satellite- and reanalysis-derived CTRC is utilized to infer the Wb of stratocumulus clouds. Evaluations against ground-based Doppler lidar measurements show estimation errors of 24%, 21% and 22% for the three methods, respectively.

Shallow marine cloud topped boundary layer in atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janjic, Zavisa

2017-04-01

A common problem in many atmospheric models is excessive expansion over cold water of shallow marine planetary boundary layer (PBL) topped by a thin cloud layer. This phenomenon is often accompanied by spurious light precipitation. The "Cloud Top Entrainment Instability" (CTEI) was proposed as an explanation of the mechanism controlling this process in reality thereby preventing spurious enlargement of the cloudy area and widely spread light precipitation observed in the models. A key element of this hypothesis is evaporative cooling at the PBL top. However, the CTEI hypothesis remains controversial. For example, a recent direct simulation experiment indicated that the evaporative cooling couldn't explain the break-up of the cloudiness as hypothesized by the CTEI. Here, it is shown that the cloud break-up can be achieved in numerical models by a further modification of the nonsingular implementation of the Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 turbulence closure model (MYJ) developed at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Washington. Namely, the impact of moist convective instability is included into the turbulent energy production/dissipation equation if (a) the stratification is stable, (b) the lifting condensation level (LCL) for a particle starting at a model level is below the next upper model level, and (c) there is enough turbulent kinetic energy so that, due to random vertical turbulent motions, a particle starting from a model level can reach its LCL. The criterion (c) should be sufficiently restrictive because otherwise the cloud cover can be completely removed. A real data example will be shown demonstrating the ability of the method to break the spurious cloud cover during the day, but also to allow its recovery over night.

Modeling of Shallow Marine Cloud Topped Boundary Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janjic, Z.

2017-12-01

A common problem in many atmospheric models is excessive expansion over cold water of shallow marine planetary boundary layer (PBL) topped by a thin cloud layer. This phenomenon is often accompanied by spurious light precipitation. The "Cloud Top Entrainment Instability" (CTEI) was proposed as an explanation of the mechanism controlling this process and thus preventing spurious enlargement of the cloudy area and widely spread light precipitation observed in the models. A key element of this hypothesis is evaporative cooling at the PBL top. However, the CTEI hypothesis remains controversial. For example, a recent direct simulation experiment indicated that the evaporative cooling couldn't explain the break-up of the cloudiness as hypothesized by the CTEI. Here, it is shown that the cloud break-up can be achieved in numerical models by a further modification of the nonsingular implementation of the nonsingular Mellor-Yamada Level 2.5 turbulence closure model (MYJ) developed at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Washington. Namely, the impact of moist convective instability is included into the turbulent energy production/dissipation equation if (a) the stratification is stable, (b) the lifting condensation level (LCL) for a particle starting at a model level is below the next upper model level, and (c) there is enough turbulent kinetic energy so that, due to random vertical turbulent motions, a particle starting from a model level can reach its LCL. The criterion (c) should be sufficiently restrictive because otherwise the cloud cover can be completely removed. A real data example will be shown demonstrating the ability of the method to break the spurious cloud cover during the day, but also to allow its recovery over night.

Simulation of Mesoscale Cellular Convection in Marine Stratocumulus. Part I: Drizzling Conditions

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.; ...

2018-01-01

This study uses eddy-permitting simulations to investigate the mechanisms that promote mesoscale variability of moisture in drizzling stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layers. Simulations show that precipitation tends to increase horizontal scales. Analysis of terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance indicates that moisture stratification plays a leading role in setting horizontal scales. This result is supported by simulations in which horizontal mean thermodynamic profiles are strongly nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which limits cloud scales. It is found that the spatial variability of subcloud moist cold pools surprisingly tends to respond to, rather than determine, themore » mesoscale variability, which may distinguish them from dry cold pools associated with deeper convection. Finally, simulations also indicate that moisture stratification increases cloud scales specifically by increasing latent heating within updrafts, which increases updraft buoyancy and favors greater horizontal scales.« less

Simulation of Mesoscale Cellular Convection in Marine Stratocumulus. Part I: Drizzling Conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.

This study uses eddy-permitting simulations to investigate the mechanisms that promote mesoscale variability of moisture in drizzling stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layers. Simulations show that precipitation tends to increase horizontal scales. Analysis of terms in the prognostic equation for total water mixing ratio variance indicates that moisture stratification plays a leading role in setting horizontal scales. This result is supported by simulations in which horizontal mean thermodynamic profiles are strongly nudged to their initial well-mixed state, which limits cloud scales. It is found that the spatial variability of subcloud moist cold pools surprisingly tends to respond to, rather than determine, themore » mesoscale variability, which may distinguish them from dry cold pools associated with deeper convection. Finally, simulations also indicate that moisture stratification increases cloud scales specifically by increasing latent heating within updrafts, which increases updraft buoyancy and favors greater horizontal scales.« less

Application and Evaluation of an Explicit Prognostic Cloud-Cover Scheme in GRAPES Global Forecast System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Zhanshan; Liu, Qijun; Zhao, Chuanfeng; Shen, Xueshun; Wang, Yuan; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Li, Zhe; Yung, Yuk

2018-03-01

An explicit prognostic cloud-cover scheme (PROGCS) is implemented into the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES) for global middle-range numerical weather predication system (GRAPES_GFS) to improve the model performance in simulating cloud cover and radiation. Unlike the previous diagnostic cloud-cover scheme (DIAGCS), PROGCS considers the formation and dissipation of cloud cover by physically connecting it to the cumulus convection and large-scale stratiform condensation processes. Our simulation results show that clouds in mid-high latitudes arise mainly from large-scale stratiform condensation processes, while cumulus convection and large-scale condensation processes jointly determine cloud cover in low latitudes. Compared with DIAGCS, PROGCS captures more consistent vertical distributions of cloud cover with the observations from Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site and simulates more realistic diurnal cycle of marine stratocumulus with the ERA-Interim reanalysis data. The low, high, and total cloud covers that are determined via PROGCS appear to be more realistic than those simulated via DIAGCS when both are compared with satellite retrievals though the former maintains slight negative biases. In addition, the simulations of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) from PROGCS runs have been considerably improved as well, resulting in less biases in radiative heating rates at heights below 850 hPa and above 400 hPa of GRAPES_GFS. Our results indicate that a prognostic method of cloud-cover calculation has significant advantage over the conventional diagnostic one, and it should be adopted in both weather and climate simulation and forecast.

Year-Long Vertical Velocity Statistics Derived from Doppler Lidar Data for the Continental Convective Boundary Layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry K.; Newsom, Rob K.; Turner, David D.

One year of Coherent Doppler Lidar (CDL) data collected at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site in Oklahoma is analyzed to provide profiles of vertical velocity variance, skewness, and kurtosis for cases of cloud-free convective boundary layers. The variance was scaled by the Deardorff convective velocity scale, which was successful when the boundary layer depth was stationary but failed in situations when the layer was changing rapidly. In this study the data are sorted according to time of day, season, wind direction, surface shear stress, degree of instability, and wind shear across the boundary-layer top. Themore » normalized variance was found to have its peak value near a normalized height of 0.25. The magnitude of the variance changes with season, shear stress, and degree of instability, but was not impacted by wind shear across the boundary-layer top. The skewness was largest in the top half of the boundary layer (with the exception of wintertime conditions). The skewness was found to be a function of the season, shear stress, wind shear across the boundary-layer top, with larger amounts of shear leading to smaller values. Like skewness, the vertical profile of kurtosis followed a consistent pattern, with peak values near the boundary-layer top (also with the exception of wintertime data). The altitude of the peak values of kurtosis was found to be lower when there was a large amount of wind shear at the boundary-layer top.« less

Regional, Intraseasonal, and Diurnal Variability of Convection associated with the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation over and around the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, W.; Rutledge, S. A.

2017-12-01

Weather forecasting and climate models have difficulty in simulating the BSISO due to incomplete understanding of the underlying multiscale physical processes, which also motivates the PISTON field campaign to be held in the SCS in 2018. In preparation for PISTON, this study investigates the regional, intraseasonal, and diurnal variability of BSISO-associated convection over the SCS and surrounding landmasses using long-term satellite data. The SCS is characterized by suppressed precipitation and weak southerlies during inactive BSISO phases (BSISO-1 index, phases 1-3), while a substantial northwest-southeast oriented rainband and strong low-level westerlies dominate active BSISO phases (phases 5-7). In general, convective intensity (e.g., radar echo-top height) and lightning activity are in phase with rainfall over the SCS. However, convective intensity and lightning are out of phase with rainfall over landmasses along the BSISO rainband (e.g., Indochina and Philippines). During active BSISO phases, convective systems over both land and ocean are characterized by larger size, colder cloud tops (IR), and greater fraction of stratiform precipitation. Convection over the SCS during active BSISO phases has taller precipitation echoes (20-dBZ echo top heights), higher lightning density, stronger microwave ice scattering signatures, and more robust mixed-phase microphysics (larger 30/40 dBZ echo volume above the freezing level). These same parameters maximize over land masses of Indochina and the Philippines during BSISO inactive periods. Statistics of environmental conditions suggest that the peak convection over land is due to stronger surface heating (thus higher CAPE) during inactive phases, whereas larger sea surface heat fluxes (leading to higher CAPE) during active phases enhances convective intensity over the SCS. On the other hand, mesoscale organization, convective intensity, and microphysical properties of precipitation systems to the south and north of the BSISO key rainband region have only negligible intraseasonal variability. Land convection shows a strong diurnal cycle (maximizing at afternoon and early evening) across all BSISO phases, while offshore convection peaks at midnight and early morning times during inactive BSISO phases.

Impacts of a Fire Smoke Plume on Deep Convective Clouds Observed during DC3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeishi, A.; Storelvmo, T.; Zagar, M.

2014-12-01

While the ability of aerosols to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) is well recognized, the effects of changing aerosol number concentrations on convective clouds have only been studied extensively in recent years. As deep convective clouds can produce heavy precipitation and may sometimes bring severe damages, especially in the tropics, we need to understand the changes in the convective systems that could stem from aerosol perturbations. By perturbing convective clouds, it has also been proposed that aerosols can affect large-scale climate. According to the convective invigoration mechanism, an increase in the aerosol concentration could lead to a larger amount of rainfall and higher vertical velocities in convective clouds, due to an increase in the latent heat release aloft. With some of the satellite observations supporting this mechanism, it is necessary to understand how sensitive the model simulations actually are to aerosol perturbations. This study uses the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as a cloud-resolving model to reproduce deep convective clouds observed during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign. The convective cloud of our interest was observed in northeastern Colorado on June 22nd in 2012, with a plume of forest fire smoke flowing into its core. Compared to other convective cells observed in the same area on different days, our aircraft data analysis shows that the convective cloud in question included more organic aerosols and more CCN. These indicate the influence of the biomass burning. We compare the results from simulations with different microphysics schemes and different cloud or ice number concentrations. These sensitivity tests tell us how different the amount and the pattern of precipitation would have been if the aerosol concentration had been higher or lower on that day. Both the sensitivity to aerosol perturbation and the reproducibility of the storm are shown to highly depend on the choice of the microphysics scheme.

Statistical properties of cloud and precipitation events in Central Amazonia using GoAmazon2014/5 data: revisiting deep convection timescales.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauliquevis, T.; Alves, C. F.; Barbosa, H. M.

2016-12-01

Previous studies in Amazon have shown a clear discrepance between models and observations of convection. From the observational stand point convection in Amazonia has a typical diurnal cycle, which is characterized by shallow convection and followed by shallow to deep transition (usually in early afternoon) and rain. Differently, numerical models based in cumulus parameterizations put heavy rain in the early hours of the morning. In this context, observations are crucial both to constraint as well to validate improvement in models. In this study we investigated statistical properties of clouds, precipitation and convection employing several instruments operated during GoAmazon2014/5-DOE/ARM at Manacapuru, AM (Brazil) combined with Cloud Top Temperature data obtained by GOES. Previous studies (e.g. Adams et al., 2013) defined deep convection events as connected to rapid CTT decrease, PWV increase (convergence) and precipitation. They also observed that the average deep convection event has two characteristic time-scales of its formation, in the sense that water vapor convergence begins to build 12 hs before precipitation, with an invigoration 4 hs before rain occur. In this study we revisited this approach using GoAmazon2014/5 measurement with special focus to its statistical variability. Preliminar results for the wet season of 2014 showed that events with rapid decrease in CTT were associated with 60% of the observed precipitation at ground. Defining t0 as the central time of CTT (rapid) decrease and analyzing only events with rain volume > 10 mm it was possible to observe that precipitation maximums distributed around t0 with mean difference Δ = 24 ± 82 minutes. Most of events presented several maxima (up to 16), and the general structure was similar to beatings in oscillatory systems. In several cases eve the first maximum of rain rate was 1 hour shifted from t0. In this presentation, the above results will be discussed combined with radiometer measurements (T, RH, LWP and PWV). Special attention to differences in diurnal cycles of convective and not convective days, as well as some mean vertical profiles of those variables.

Evaluation of the OMI Cloud Pressures Derived from Rotational Raman Scattering by Comparisons with other Satellite Data and Radiative Transfer Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasilkov, Alexander; Joiner, Joanna; Spurr, Robert; Bhartia, Pawan K.; Levelt, Pieternel; Stephens, Graeme

2009-01-01

In this paper we examine differences between cloud pressures retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using the ultraviolet rotational Raman scattering (RRS) algorithm and those from the thermal infrared (IR) Aqua/MODIS. Several cloud data sets are currently being used in OMI trace gas retrieval algorithms including climatologies based on IR measurements and simultaneous cloud parameters derived from OMI. From a validation perspective, it is important to understand the OMI retrieved cloud parameters and how they differ with those derived from the IR. To this end, we perform radiative transfer calculations to simulate the effects of different geophysical conditions on the OMI RRS cloud pressure retrievals. We also quantify errors related to the use of the Mixed Lambert-Equivalent Reflectivity (MLER) concept as currently implemented of the OMI algorithms. Using properties from the Cloudsat radar and MODIS, we show that radiative transfer calculations support the following: (1) The MLER model is adequate for single-layer optically thick, geometrically thin clouds, but can produce significant errors in estimated cloud pressure for optically thin clouds. (2) In a two-layer cloud, the RRS algorithm may retrieve a cloud pressure that is either between the two cloud decks or even beneath the top of the lower cloud deck because of scattering between the cloud layers; the retrieved pressure depends upon the viewing geometry and the optical depth of the upper cloud deck. (3) Absorbing aerosol in and above a cloud can produce significant errors in the retrieved cloud pressure. (4) The retrieved RRS effective pressure for a deep convective cloud will be significantly higher than the physical cloud top pressure derived with thermal IR.

Cyclonic Vortices in Polar Airmasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Businger, Steven

Cyclonic vortices in polar airmasses are investigated to determine their storm-scale and mesoscale structures and the nature of the environments conducive to their formation. Case studies of polar low outbreaks show that the environments conducive to the development of strong polar lows include deep outflow of arctic air over open water and a broad closed-low aloft. Once favorable environmental conditions for the formation of polar lows have developed, several storms may form in close proximity to each other during a relatively short time interval. Furthermore, these conditions may persist for several days. To develope a climatology of the synoptic environments conducive to the formation of polar lows, NMC gridded data were composited. The results reveal the presence of significant negative anomalies in the temperature and height fields at the 500 mb level on the days when mature polar lows were present, indicating the presence of strong positive vorticity and low static stability over the area. Aircraft observations made during the 1984 FOX field study indicate that convection in an incipient comma cloud was organized into distinct rainbands ((TURN)50 km wavelength), with tops extending to the tropopause. Equivalent -potential vorticity, computed from cross sections of the dropwindsonde data, showed that the region in which the convective activity was embedded was unstable to moist -symmetric overturnings. As the comma cloud approached a pre-existing polar front, a wave cyclone rapidly developed on the front. Surface data showed unexpectedly strong winds and heavy rain squalls when the comma cloud passed Juneau. Comprehensive data sets were collected in two comma cloud systems during CYCLES. Rainbands, with a wavelength of (TURN)50 km, were present in both comma-cloud systems. Precipitation cores, produced by embedded convection within the rainbands contained updraft speeds of (TURN)1-2 m s('-1) and relatively high liquid water counts; they retained their identities over periods of several hours. The spacing and orientation of the rainbands may be explained by the theory for mixed dynamic/convective instability developed by Sun (1978).

Studying the impact of overshooting convection on the tropopause tropical layer (TTL) water vapor budget at the continental scale using a mesoscale model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behera, Abhinna; Rivière, Emmanuel; Marécal, Virginie; Claud, Chantal; Rysman, Jean-François; Geneviève, Seze

2016-04-01

Water vapour budget is a key component in the earth climate system. In the tropical upper troposphere, lower stratosphere (UTLS), it plays a central role both on the radiative and the chemical budget. Its abundance is mostly driven by slow ascent above the net zero radiative heating level followed by ice crystals' formation and sedimentation, so called the cold trap. In contrast to this large scale temperature driven process, overshooting convection penetrating the stratosphere could be one piece of the puzzle. It has been proven to hydrate the lower stratosphere at the local scale. Satellite-borne H2O instruments can not measure with a fine enough resolution the water vapour enhancements caused by overshooting convection. The consequence is that it is difficult to estimate the role of overshooting deep convection at the global scale. Using a mesoscale model i.e., Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (BRAMS), past atmospheric conditions have been simulated for the full wet season i.e., Nov 2012 to Mar 2013 having a single grid with horizontal resolution of 20 km × 20km over a large part of Brazil and South America. This resolution is too coarse to reproduce overshooting convection in the model, so that this simulation should be used as a reference (REF) simulation, without the impact of overshooting convection in the TTL water budget. For initialisation, as well as nudging the grid boundary in every 6 hours, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses has been used. The size distribution of hydrometeors and number of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are fitted in order to best reproduce accumulated precipitations derived from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Similarly, GOES and MSG IR mages have been thoroughly compared with model's outputs, using image correlation statistics for the position of the clouds. The model H2O variability during the wet season, is compared with the in situ balloon-borne measurements during the TRO-pico campaign from Bauru, Brazil. Cloud tops of the REF simulation are evaluated from the GOES-E cloud top products. Finally, the thermal structure and evolution of the TTL in the REF simulation is evaluated from a comparison with series of radiosounding from different stations. The role of the solar activity in the variability of the thermal structure is also discussed. Globally the REF simulation is doing a rather good job in reproducing the key patterns of the TTL mentioned above, though quantitative biases are sometimes highlighted. The following step is to perform a similar simulation as REF, but injecting the hydration by overshooting convection, deduced from both the hydration rates taken from the TRO-pico balloon campaign at the local scale, and overshooting climatology taken from AMSU and comparable microwave satellite borne instruments. Preliminary results from this second simulation will be given in the presentation.

Features of clouds and convection during the pre- and post-onset periods of the Asian summer monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yi; Wang, Chenghai

2016-02-01

The statistical characteristics of the vertical structure of clouds in the Asian summer monsoon region are investigated using two CloudSat standard products (Geometrical Profiling Product (GEOPROF) and GEOPROF-lidar) during the pre- and post-onset periods of the Asian summer monsoon, from April to August in 2007-2010. The characteristics of the vertical structure of clouds are analyzed and compared for different underlying surfaces in four subregions during this period. Also analyzed are the evolution of precipitation and hydrometeors with the northward advance of the Asian summer monsoon, and different hydrometeor characteristics attributed to the underlying surface features. The results indicate that the vertical cloud amounts increase significantly after the summer monsoon onset; this increase occurs first in the upper troposphere and then at lower altitudes over tropical regions (South Asian and tropical Northwest Pacific regions). The heights of the cloud top ascend, and the vertical height between the top and the base of the whole cloud increases. Single-layer (SL) and double-layer (DL) hydrometeors contribute over half and one third of the cloudiness in these 5 months (April to August), respectively. The multilayer frequencies increase in four different regions, and cloud layer depths (CLD) increase after the summer monsoon onset. These changes are stronger in tropical regions than in subtropical regions, while the vertical distance between cloud layers (VDCL) deceases in tropical regions and increases in subtropical regions.

Direct and semidirect aerosol effects of southern African biomass burning aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaeda, Naoko; Wood, Robert; Rasch, Philip J.

2011-06-01

Direct and semidirect radiative effects of biomass burning aerosols from southern African fires during July-October are investigated using 20 year runs of the Community Atmospheric Model (CAM) coupled to a slab ocean model. Aerosol optical depth is constrained using observations in clear skies from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and for aerosol layers above clouds from Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO). Over the ocean, where the aerosol layers are primarily located above cloud, negative top of atmosphere (TOA) semidirect radiative effects associated with increased low cloud cover dominate over a weaker positive all-sky direct radiative effect (DRE). In contrast, over the land where the aerosols are often below or within cloud layers, reductions in cloud liquid water path (LWP) lead to a positive semidirect radiative effect that dominates over a near-zero DRE. Over the ocean, the cloud response can be understood as a response to increased lower tropospheric stability (LTS) which is caused both by radiative heating in overlying layers and surface cooling in response to direct aerosol forcing. The marine cloud changes are robust to changes in the cloud parameterization (removal of the hard-wired dependence of clouds on LTS), suggesting that they are physically realistic. Over land, decreased LWP is consistent with weaker convection driven by increased static stability. Over the entire region the overall TOA radiative effect from the biomass burning aerosols is almost zero due to opposing effects over the land and ocean. However, the surface forcing is strongly negative, which leads to a reduction in precipitation and also a reduction in sensible heat flux. The former is primarily realized through reductions in convective precipitation on both the southern and northern flanks of the convective precipitation region spanning the equatorial rain forest and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the southern Sahel. The changes are consistent with the low-level aerosol-forced cooling pattern. The results highlight the importance of semidirect radiative effects and precipitation responses for determining the climatic effects of aerosols in the African region.

Backscatter-depolarisation lidars on high-altitude research aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitev, Valentin; Matthey, Renaud; Makarov, Vladislav

2014-11-01

This article presents an overview of the development and the applications of two compact elastic backscatter depolarisation lidars, installed on-board the high-altitude research aircraft Myasishchev M-55 Geophysica. The installation of the lidars is intended for simultaneous probing of air parcels respectively upward and downward from the aircraft flight altitude to identify the presence of clouds (or aerosol )above and below the aircraft and to collocate them with in situ instruments. The lidar configuration and the procedure for its on-ground validation is outlined. Example of airborne measurements include polar stratospheric clouds, both synoptical and in lee-waves, ultra-thin cirrus clouds around the tropical tropopause and observation of aerosol layers emerging from the top of deep tropical convection.

Jupiter cloud composition, stratification, convection, and wave motion: a view from new horizons.

PubMed

Reuter, D C; Simon-Miller, A A; Lunsford, A; Baines, K H; Cheng, A F; Jennings, D E; Olkin, C B; Spencer, J R; Stern, S A; Weaver, H A; Young, L A

2007-10-12

Several observations of Jupiter's atmosphere made by instruments on the New Horizons spacecraft have implications for the stability and dynamics of Jupiter's weather layer. Mesoscale waves, first seen by Voyager, have been observed at a spatial resolution of 11 to 45 kilometers. These waves have a 300-kilometer wavelength and phase velocities greater than the local zonal flow by 100 meters per second, much higher than predicted by models. Additionally, infrared spectral measurements over five successive Jupiter rotations at spatial resolutions of 200 to 140 kilometers have shown the development of transient ammonia ice clouds (lifetimes of 40 hours or less) in regions of strong atmospheric upwelling. Both of these phenomena serve as probes of atmospheric dynamics below the visible cloud tops.

A Stochastic Framework for Modeling the Population Dynamics of Convective Clouds

DOE PAGES

Hagos, Samson; Feng, Zhe; Plant, Robert S.; ...

2018-02-20

A stochastic prognostic framework for modeling the population dynamics of convective clouds and representing them in climate models is proposed. The framework follows the nonequilibrium statistical mechanical approach to constructing a master equation for representing the evolution of the number of convective cells of a specific size and their associated cloud-base mass flux, given a large-scale forcing. In this framework, referred to as STOchastic framework for Modeling Population dynamics of convective clouds (STOMP), the evolution of convective cell size is predicted from three key characteristics of convective cells: (i) the probability of growth, (ii) the probability of decay, and (iii)more » the cloud-base mass flux. STOMP models are constructed and evaluated against CPOL radar observations at Darwin and convection permitting model (CPM) simulations. Multiple models are constructed under various assumptions regarding these three key parameters and the realisms of these models are evaluated. It is shown that in a model where convective plumes prefer to aggregate spatially and the cloud-base mass flux is a nonlinear function of convective cell area, the mass flux manifests a recharge-discharge behavior under steady forcing. Such a model also produces observed behavior of convective cell populations and CPM simulated cloud-base mass flux variability under diurnally varying forcing. Finally, in addition to its use in developing understanding of convection processes and the controls on convective cell size distributions, this modeling framework is also designed to serve as a nonequilibrium closure formulations for spectral mass flux parameterizations.« less

A Stochastic Framework for Modeling the Population Dynamics of Convective Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagos, Samson; Feng, Zhe; Plant, Robert S.; Houze, Robert A.; Xiao, Heng

2018-02-01

A stochastic prognostic framework for modeling the population dynamics of convective clouds and representing them in climate models is proposed. The framework follows the nonequilibrium statistical mechanical approach to constructing a master equation for representing the evolution of the number of convective cells of a specific size and their associated cloud-base mass flux, given a large-scale forcing. In this framework, referred to as STOchastic framework for Modeling Population dynamics of convective clouds (STOMP), the evolution of convective cell size is predicted from three key characteristics of convective cells: (i) the probability of growth, (ii) the probability of decay, and (iii) the cloud-base mass flux. STOMP models are constructed and evaluated against CPOL radar observations at Darwin and convection permitting model (CPM) simulations. Multiple models are constructed under various assumptions regarding these three key parameters and the realisms of these models are evaluated. It is shown that in a model where convective plumes prefer to aggregate spatially and the cloud-base mass flux is a nonlinear function of convective cell area, the mass flux manifests a recharge-discharge behavior under steady forcing. Such a model also produces observed behavior of convective cell populations and CPM simulated cloud-base mass flux variability under diurnally varying forcing. In addition to its use in developing understanding of convection processes and the controls on convective cell size distributions, this modeling framework is also designed to serve as a nonequilibrium closure formulations for spectral mass flux parameterizations.

A Stochastic Framework for Modeling the Population Dynamics of Convective Clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hagos, Samson; Feng, Zhe; Plant, Robert S.

A stochastic prognostic framework for modeling the population dynamics of convective clouds and representing them in climate models is proposed. The framework follows the nonequilibrium statistical mechanical approach to constructing a master equation for representing the evolution of the number of convective cells of a specific size and their associated cloud-base mass flux, given a large-scale forcing. In this framework, referred to as STOchastic framework for Modeling Population dynamics of convective clouds (STOMP), the evolution of convective cell size is predicted from three key characteristics of convective cells: (i) the probability of growth, (ii) the probability of decay, and (iii)more » the cloud-base mass flux. STOMP models are constructed and evaluated against CPOL radar observations at Darwin and convection permitting model (CPM) simulations. Multiple models are constructed under various assumptions regarding these three key parameters and the realisms of these models are evaluated. It is shown that in a model where convective plumes prefer to aggregate spatially and the cloud-base mass flux is a nonlinear function of convective cell area, the mass flux manifests a recharge-discharge behavior under steady forcing. Such a model also produces observed behavior of convective cell populations and CPM simulated cloud-base mass flux variability under diurnally varying forcing. Finally, in addition to its use in developing understanding of convection processes and the controls on convective cell size distributions, this modeling framework is also designed to serve as a nonequilibrium closure formulations for spectral mass flux parameterizations.« less

The relationships between precipitation, convective cloud and tropical cyclone intensity change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Z.; Wu, Q.

2017-12-01

Using 16 years precipitation, brightness temperature (IR BT) data and tropical cyclone (TC) information, this study explores the relationship between precipitation, convective cloud and tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change in the Western North Pacific Ocean. It is found that TC intensity has positive relation with TC precipitation. TC precipitation increases with increased TC intensity. Based on the different phase of diurnal cycle, convective TC clouds were divided into very cold deep convective clouds (IR BTs<208K) and cold high clouds (208K

Shallow cumuli ensemble statistics for development of a stochastic parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakradzija, Mirjana; Seifert, Axel; Heus, Thijs

2014-05-01

According to a conventional deterministic approach to the parameterization of moist convection in numerical atmospheric models, a given large scale forcing produces an unique response from the unresolved convective processes. This representation leaves out the small-scale variability of convection, as it is known from the empirical studies of deep and shallow convective cloud ensembles, there is a whole distribution of sub-grid states corresponding to the given large scale forcing. Moreover, this distribution gets broader with the increasing model resolution. This behavior is also consistent with our theoretical understanding of a coarse-grained nonlinear system. We propose an approach to represent the variability of the unresolved shallow-convective states, including the dependence of the sub-grid states distribution spread and shape on the model horizontal resolution. Starting from the Gibbs canonical ensemble theory, Craig and Cohen (2006) developed a theory for the fluctuations in a deep convective ensemble. The micro-states of a deep convective cloud ensemble are characterized by the cloud-base mass flux, which, according to the theory, is exponentially distributed (Boltzmann distribution). Following their work, we study the shallow cumulus ensemble statistics and the distribution of the cloud-base mass flux. We employ a Large-Eddy Simulation model (LES) and a cloud tracking algorithm, followed by a conditional sampling of clouds at the cloud base level, to retrieve the information about the individual cloud life cycles and the cloud ensemble as a whole. In the case of shallow cumulus cloud ensemble, the distribution of micro-states is a generalized exponential distribution. Based on the empirical and theoretical findings, a stochastic model has been developed to simulate the shallow convective cloud ensemble and to test the convective ensemble theory. Stochastic model simulates a compound random process, with the number of convective elements drawn from a Poisson distribution, and cloud properties sub-sampled from a generalized ensemble distribution. We study the role of the different cloud subtypes in a shallow convective ensemble and how the diverse cloud properties and cloud lifetimes affect the system macro-state. To what extent does the cloud-base mass flux distribution deviate from the simple Boltzmann distribution and how does it affect the results from the stochastic model? Is the memory, provided by the finite lifetime of individual clouds, of importance for the ensemble statistics? We also test for the minimal information given as an input to the stochastic model, able to reproduce the ensemble mean statistics and the variability in a convective ensemble. An important property of the resulting distribution of the sub-grid convective states is its scale-adaptivity - the smaller the grid-size, the broader the compound distribution of the sub-grid states.

Climatology and Formation of Tropical Midlevel Clouds at the Darwin ARM Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riihimaki, Laura D.; McFarlane, Sally A.; Comstock, Jennifer M.

A 4-yr climatology of midlevel clouds is presented from vertically pointing cloud lidar and radar measurements at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) site at Darwin, Australia. Few studies exist of tropical midlevel clouds using a dataset of this length. Seventy percent of clouds with top heights between 4 and 8 km are less than 2 km thick. These thin layer clouds have a peak in cloud-top temperature around the melting level (0°C) and also a second peak around -12.5°C. The diurnal frequency of thin clouds is highest during the night and reaches a minimum around noon, consistent with variationmore » caused by solar heating. Using a 1.5-yr subset of the observations, the authors found that thin clouds have a high probability of containing supercooled liquid water at low temperatures: ~20% of clouds at -30°C, ~50% of clouds at -20°C, and ~65% of clouds at -10°C contain supercooled liquid water. The authors hypothesize that thin midlevel clouds formed at the melting level are formed differently during active and break monsoon periods and test this over three monsoon seasons. A greater frequency of thin midlevel clouds are likely formed by increased condensation following the latent cooling of melting during active monsoon periods when stratiform precipitation is most frequent. This is supported by the high percentage (65%) of midlevel clouds with preceding stratiform precipitation and the high frequency of stable layers slightly warmer than 0°C. In the break monsoon, a distinct peak in the frequency of stable layers at 0°C matches the peak in thin midlevel cloudiness, consistent with detrainment from convection.« less

The sensitivity of Alpine summer convection to surrogate climate change: an intercomparison between convection-parameterizing and convection-resolving models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Michael; Kröner, Nico; Fuhrer, Oliver; Lüthi, Daniel; Schmidli, Juerg; Stengel, Martin; Stöckli, Reto; Schär, Christoph

2018-04-01

Climate models project an increase in heavy precipitation events in response to greenhouse gas forcing. Important elements of such events are rain showers and thunderstorms, which are poorly represented in models with parameterized convection. In this study, simulations with 12 km horizontal grid spacing (convection-parameterizing model, CPM) and 2 km grid spacing (convection-resolving model, CRM) are employed to investigate the change in the diurnal cycle of convection with warmer climate. For this purpose, simulations of 11 days in June 2007 with a pronounced diurnal cycle of convection are compared with surrogate simulations from the same period. The surrogate climate simulations mimic a future climate with increased temperatures but unchanged relative humidity and similar synoptic-scale circulation. Two temperature scenarios are compared: one with homogeneous warming (HW) using a vertically uniform warming and the other with vertically dependent warming (VW) that enables changes in lapse rate. The two sets of simulations with parameterized and explicit convection exhibit substantial differences, some of which are well known from the literature. These include differences in the timing and amplitude of the diurnal cycle of convection, and the frequency of precipitation with low intensities. The response to climate change is much less studied. We can show that stratification changes have a strong influence on the changes in convection. Precipitation is strongly increasing for HW but decreasing for the VW simulations. For cloud type frequencies, virtually no changes are found for HW, but a substantial reduction in high clouds is found for VW. Further, we can show that the climate change signal strongly depends upon the horizontal resolution. In particular, significant differences between CPM and CRM are found in terms of the radiative feedbacks, with CRM exhibiting a stronger negative feedback in the top-of-the-atmosphere energy budget.

Simulations of the effect of a warmer climate on atmospheric humidity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Genio, Anthony D.; Lacis, Andrew A.; Ruedy, Reto A.

1991-01-01

Increases in the concentration of water vapor constitute the single largest positive feedback in models of global climate warming caused by greenhouse gases. It has been suggested that sinking air in the regions surrounding deep cumulus clouds will dry the upper troposphere and eliminate or reverse the direction of water vapor feedback. This hypothesis has been tested by performing an idealized simulation of climate change with two different versions of a climate model which both incorporate drying due to subsidence of clear air but differ in their parameterization of moist convection and stratiform clouds. Despite increased drying of the upper troposphere by cumulus clouds, upper-level humidity increases in the warmer climate because of enhanced upward moisture transport by the general circulation and increased accumulation of water vapor and ice at cumulus cloud tops.

Modeling the Electric Potential and Surface Charge Density Near Charged Thunderclouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neel, Matthew Stephen

2018-03-01

Thundercloud charge separation, or the process by which the bottom portion of a cloud gathers charge and the top portion of the cloud gathers the opposite charge, is still not thoroughly understood. Whatever the mechanism, though, a charge separation definitely exists and can lead to electrostatic discharge via cloud-to-cloud lightning and cloud-to-ground lightning. We wish to examine the latter form, in which upward leaders from Earth connect with downward leaders from the cloud to form a plasma channel and produce lightning. Much of the literature indicates that the lower part of a thundercloud becomes negatively charged while the upper part becomes positively charged via convective charging, although the opposite polarity can certainly exist along with various, complex intra-cloud currents. It is estimated that >90% of cloud-to-ground lightning is "negative lightning," or the flow of charges from the bottom of the cloud, while the remaining <10% of lightning strikes is "positive lightning," or the flow of charges from the top of the cloud. We wish to understand the electric potential surrounding charged thunderclouds as well as the resulting charge density on the surface of Earth below them. In this paper we construct a simple and adaptable model that captures the very basic features of the cloud/ground system and that exhibits conditions favorable for both forms of lightning. In this way, we provide a practical application of electrostatic dipole physics as well as the method of images that can serve as a starting point for further modeling and analysis by students.

Evaluation of Satellite-Based Upper Troposphere Cloud Top Height Retrievals in Multilayer Cloud Conditions During TC4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Fu-Lung; Minnis, Patrick; Ayers, J. Kirk; McGill, Matthew J.; Palikonda, Rabindra; Spangenberg, Douglas A.; Smith, William L., Jr.; Yost, Christopher R.

2010-01-01

Upper troposphere cloud top heights (CTHs), restricted to cloud top pressures (CTPs) less than 500 hPa, inferred using four satellite retrieval methods applied to Twelfth Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) data are evaluated using measurements during the July August 2007 Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC4). The four methods are the single-layer CO2-absorption technique (SCO2AT), a modified CO2-absorption technique (MCO2AT) developed for improving both single-layered and multilayered cloud retrievals, a standard version of the Visible Infrared Solar-infrared Split-window Technique (old VISST), and a new version of VISST (new VISST) recently developed to improve cloud property retrievals. They are evaluated by comparing with ER-2 aircraft-based Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) data taken during 9 days having extensive upper troposphere cirrus, anvil, and convective clouds. Compared to the 89% coverage by upper tropospheric clouds detected by the CPL, the SCO2AT, MCO2AT, old VISST, and new VISST retrieved CTPs less than 500 hPa in 76, 76, 69, and 74% of the matched pixels, respectively. Most of the differences are due to subvisible and optically thin cirrus clouds occurring near the tropopause that were detected only by the CPL. The mean upper tropospheric CTHs for the 9 days are 14.2 (+/- 2.1) km from the CPL and 10.7 (+/- 2.1), 12.1 (+/- 1.6), 9.7 (+/- 2.9), and 11.4 (+/- 2.8) km from the SCO2AT, MCO2AT, old VISST, and new VISST, respectively. Compared to the CPL, the MCO2AT CTHs had the smallest mean biases for semitransparent high clouds in both single-layered and multilayered situations whereas the new VISST CTHs had the smallest mean biases when upper clouds were opaque and optically thick. The biases for all techniques increased with increasing numbers of cloud layers. The transparency of the upper layer clouds tends to increase with the numbers of cloud layers.

Lightning Mapping Observations: What we are learning.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krehbiel, P.

2001-12-01

The use of radio frequency time-of-arrival techniques for accurately mapping lightning discharges is revolutionizing our ability to study lightning discharge processes and to investigate thunderstorms. Different types of discharges are being observed that we have not been able to study before or knew existed. Included are a variety of inverted and normal polarity intracloud and cloud-to-ground discharges, frequent short-duration discharges at high altitude in storms and in overshooting convective tops, highly energetic impulsive discharge events, and horizontally extensive `spider' lightning discharges in large mesoscale convective systems. High time resolution measurements valuably complement interferometric observations and are starting to exceed the ability of interferometers to provide detailed pictures of flash development. Mapping observations can be used to infer the polarity of the breakdown channels and hence the location and sign of charge regions in the storm. The lightning activity in large, severe storms is found to be essentially continuous and volume-filling, with substantially more lightning inside the storm than between the cloud and ground. Spectacular dendritic structures are observed in many flashes. The lightning observations can be used to infer the electrical structure of a storm and therefore to study the electrification processes. The results are raising fundamental questions about how storms become electrified and how the electrification evolves with time. Supercell storms are commonly observed to electrify in an inverted or anomalous manner, raising questions about how these storms are different from normal storms, and even what is `normal'. The high lightning rates in severe storms raises the distinct possibility that the discharges themselves might be sustaining or enhancing the electrification. Correlated observations with radar, instrumented balloons and aircraft, and ground-based measurements are leading to greatly improved understanding of the electrical processes in storms. The mapping observations also provide possible diagnostics of storm type and severity. Lightning `holes' are observed as storms intensify and are robust indicators of strong updrafts and precursors of tornadic activity. Lightning in overshooting convective tops provides another indicator of strong convective surges and a valuable precursor of severity. The lightning observations show the locations of convective cores in storms and can be obtained in real time to monitor and track convective activity, much like meteorological radar. Mapping systems are able to passively detect and track aircraft flying through ice crystal clouds, as well as airborne or ground-based instruments or vehicles carrying active transmitters. Finally, the mapping techniques could readily be adapted to monitor noise and detect faults on power transmission lines.

Introducing Convective Cloud Microphysics to a Deep Convection Parameterization Facilitating Aerosol Indirect Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alapaty, K.; Zhang, G. J.; Song, X.; Kain, J. S.; Herwehe, J. A.

2012-12-01

Short lived pollutants such as aerosols play an important role in modulating not only the radiative balance but also cloud microphysical properties and precipitation rates. In the past, to understand the interactions of aerosols with clouds, several cloud-resolving modeling studies were conducted. These studies indicated that in the presence of anthropogenic aerosols, single-phase deep convection precipitation is reduced or suppressed. On the other hand, anthropogenic aerosol pollution led to enhanced precipitation for mixed-phase deep convective clouds. To date, there have not been many efforts to incorporate such aerosol indirect effects (AIE) in mesoscale models or global models that use parameterization schemes for deep convection. Thus, the objective of this work is to implement a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme directly into a deep convection parameterization facilitating aerosol indirect effects in the WRF-CMAQ integrated modeling systems. Major research issues addressed in this study are: What is the sensitivity of a deep convection scheme to cloud microphysical processes represented by a bulk double-moment scheme? How close are the simulated cloud water paths as compared to observations? Does increased aerosol pollution lead to increased precipitation for mixed-phase clouds? These research questions are addressed by performing several WRF simulations using the Kain-Fritsch convection parameterization and a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme. In the first set of simulations (control simulations) the WRF model is used to simulate two scenarios of deep convection over the continental U.S. during two summer periods at 36 km grid resolution. In the second set, these simulations are repeated after incorporating a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme to study the impacts of inclusion of cloud microphysical processes. Finally, in the third set, aerosol concentrations simulated by the CMAQ modeling system are supplied to the embedded cloud microphysical scheme to study impacts of aerosol concentrations on precipitation and radiation fields. Observations available from the ARM microbase data, the SURFRAD network, GOES imagery, and other reanalysis and measurements will be used to analyze the impacts of a cloud microphysical scheme and aerosol concentrations on parameterized convection.

Turbulence and Radiation in Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layers: A Case Study from VOCALS-REx

DOE PAGES

Ghate, Virendra P.; Albrecht, Bruce A.; Miller, Mark A.; ...

2014-01-13

Observations made during a 24-h period as part of the Variability of the American Monsoon Systems (VAMOS) Ocean–Cloud–Atmosphere–Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) are analyzed to study the radiation and turbulence associated with the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer (BL). The first 14 h exhibited a well-mixed (coupled) BL with an average cloud-top radiative flux divergence of ~130 W m 22; the BL was decoupled during the last 10 h with negligible radiative flux divergence. The averaged radiative cooling very close to the cloud top was -9.04 K h -1 in coupled conditions and -3.85 K h -1 in decoupled conditions. Thismore » is the first study that combined data from a vertically pointing Doppler cloud radar and a Doppler lidar to yield the vertical velocity structure of the entire BL. The averaged vertical velocity variance and updraft mass flux during coupled conditions were higher than those during decoupled conditions at all levels by a factor of 2 or more. The vertical velocity skewness was negative in the entire BL during coupled conditions, whereas it was weakly positive in the lower third of the BL and negative above during decoupled conditions. A formulation of velocity scale is proposed that includes the effect of cloud-top radiative cooling in addition to the surface buoyancy flux. When scaled by the velocity scale, the vertical velocity variance and coherent downdrafts had similar magnitude during the coupled and decoupled conditions. Finally, the coherent updrafts that exhibited a constant profile in the entire BL during both the coupled and decoupled conditions scaled well with the convective velocity scale to a value of ~0.5.« less

Global lightning and severe storm monitoring from GPS orbit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suszcynsky, D. M.; Jacobson, A. R.; Linford, J

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing interest to develop and deploy an automated and continuously operating satellite-based global lightning mapper [e.g. Christian et al., 1989; Weber et al., 1998; Suszcynsky et al., 2000]. Lightning is a direct consequence of the electrification and breakdown processes that take place during the convective stages of thunderstorm development. Satellite-based lightning mappers are designed to exploit this relationship by using lightning detection as a proxy for remotely identifying, locating and characterizing strong convective activity on a global basis. Global lightning and convection mapping promises to provide users with (1) an enhancedmore » global severe weather monitoring and early warning capability [e.g. Weber et al., 1998] (2) improved ability to optimize aviation flight paths around convective cells, particularly over oceanic and remote regions that are not sufficiently serviced by existing weather radar [e.g. Weber et al., 1998], and (3) access to regional and global proxy data sets that can be used for scientific studies and as input into meteorological forecast and global climatology models. The physical foundation for satellite-based remote sensing of convection by way of lightning detection is provided by the basic interplay between the electrical and convective states of a thundercloud. It is widely believed that convection is a driving mechanism behind the hydrometeor charging and transport that produces charge separation and lightning discharges within thunderclouds [e.g. see chapter 3 in MacGorman and Rust, 1998]. Although cloud electrification and discharge processes are a complex function of the convective dynamics and microphysics of the cloud, the fundamental relationship between convection and electrification is easy to observe. For example, studies have shown that the strength of the convective process within a thundercell can be loosely parameterized (with large variance) by the intensity of the electrical activity within that cell as measured by the lightning flash rate. Williams [2001] has provided a review of experimental work that shows correlations between the total lightning flash rate and the fifth power of the radar cloud-top height (i.e. convective strength) of individual thunder cells. More recently, Ushio et al., [2001] used a large statistical sampling of optical data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) in conjunction with data provided by the Precipitation Radar (PR) aboard the Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission (TRMM) satellite to conclude that the total lightning flash rate increases exponentially with storm height. Lightning activity levels have also been correlated to cloud ice content, a basic product of the convective process. For example, Blyth et al. [2001] used the Thermal Microwave Imager (TMI) aboard the TRMM satellite to observe a decrease in the 37 and 85 GHz brightness temperatures of upwelling terrestrial radiation during increased lightning activity. This reduction in brightness temperature is believed to be the result of increased ice scattering in the mixed phase region of the cloud. Toracinta and Zipser [2001] have found similar relationships using the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) satellite instrument and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) aboard the DMSP satellites.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Coppin, David

General circulation models show that as the surface temperature increases, the convective anvil clouds shrink. By analyzing radiative–convective equilibrium simulations, our work shows that this behavior is rooted in basic energetic and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere: As the climate warms, the clouds rise and remain at nearly the same temperature, but find themselves in a more stable atmosphere; this enhanced stability reduces the convective outflow in the upper troposphere and decreases the anvil cloud fraction. By warming the troposphere and increasing the upper-tropospheric stability, the clustering of deep convection also reduces the convective outflow and the anvil cloud fraction.more » When clouds are radiatively active, this robust coupling between temperature, high clouds, and circulation exerts a positive feedback on convective aggregation and favors the maintenance of strongly aggregated atmospheric states at high temperatures. This stability iris mechanism likely contributes to the narrowing of rainy areas as the climate warms. Whether or not it influences climate sensitivity requires further investigation.« less

Thermodynamic control of anvil cloud amount

PubMed Central

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Coppin, David; Becker, Tobias; Reed, Kevin A.; Voigt, Aiko

2016-01-01

General circulation models show that as the surface temperature increases, the convective anvil clouds shrink. By analyzing radiative–convective equilibrium simulations, we show that this behavior is rooted in basic energetic and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere: As the climate warms, the clouds rise and remain at nearly the same temperature, but find themselves in a more stable atmosphere; this enhanced stability reduces the convective outflow in the upper troposphere and decreases the anvil cloud fraction. By warming the troposphere and increasing the upper-tropospheric stability, the clustering of deep convection also reduces the convective outflow and the anvil cloud fraction. When clouds are radiatively active, this robust coupling between temperature, high clouds, and circulation exerts a positive feedback on convective aggregation and favors the maintenance of strongly aggregated atmospheric states at high temperatures. This stability iris mechanism likely contributes to the narrowing of rainy areas as the climate warms. Whether or not it influences climate sensitivity requires further investigation. PMID:27412863

Thermodynamic control of anvil cloud amount

DOE PAGES

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Coppin, David; ...

2016-07-13

General circulation models show that as the surface temperature increases, the convective anvil clouds shrink. By analyzing radiative–convective equilibrium simulations, our work shows that this behavior is rooted in basic energetic and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere: As the climate warms, the clouds rise and remain at nearly the same temperature, but find themselves in a more stable atmosphere; this enhanced stability reduces the convective outflow in the upper troposphere and decreases the anvil cloud fraction. By warming the troposphere and increasing the upper-tropospheric stability, the clustering of deep convection also reduces the convective outflow and the anvil cloud fraction.more » When clouds are radiatively active, this robust coupling between temperature, high clouds, and circulation exerts a positive feedback on convective aggregation and favors the maintenance of strongly aggregated atmospheric states at high temperatures. This stability iris mechanism likely contributes to the narrowing of rainy areas as the climate warms. Whether or not it influences climate sensitivity requires further investigation.« less

A Satellite Infrared Technique for Diurnal Rainfall Variability Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anagnostou, Emmanouil

1998-01-01

Reliable information on the distribution of precipitation at high temporal resolution (

Fusing Multiple Satellite Datasets Toward Defining and Understanding Organized Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsaesser, G.; Del Genio, A. D.

2017-12-01

How do we differentiate unorganized from organized convection? We might think of organized convection as being long lasting (at least longer than the lifetime of any individual cumulus cell), clustered at larger spatial scales (>100 km), and responsible for substantial rainfall accumulation. Organized convection is sustained on such scales due to the arrangement of moist/dry and buoyant/non-buoyant mesoscale circulations. The nature of these circulations is tied to system diabatic heating profiles; in particular, the 2nd baroclinic (top-heavy), stratiform heating mode is thought to be important for organized convection maintenance/propagation. We investigate the extent to which these characteristics are jointly found in propagating convective systems. Lifecycle information comes from hi-res IR data. Diabatic heating profiles, convective fractions and rainfall are provided by GPM retrievals mapped to convective system tracks. Moisture is provided by AIRS/AMSU and passive microwave retrievals. Instead of compositing heating profile information along a system track, where information is smoothed out, we sort system heating profile structures according to their "top heaviness" and then analyze PDFs of system rainfall, system sizes, durations, convective/stratiform ratios, etc. as a function of diabatic heating structure. Perhaps contrary to expectation, we find only small differences in PDFs of rainfall rates, system sizes, and system duration for different heating profile structures. If organization is defined according to heating structures, then one possible interpretation of these results is that organization is independent of system size, duration, and many times, even lifecycle stage. Is it possible that most systems "hobble" along and exhibit varying degrees of organization, dependent on local environment moisture/buoyancy variations, unlike the archetypical MCS paradigm? This presentation will also discuss the questions posed above within the context of parameterizing organized convection in the GISS GCM. GCMs must make/sustain the right heating profile at the right time, which requires observations-based understanding of such distinctions. Such knowledge is important for simulating and understanding the deep convective contribution to cloud feedback in a changing climate.

Precipitation, Convective Clouds, and Their Connections With Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Intensity Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Zhenxin; Wu, Qiaoyan

2018-01-01

In this paper, satellite-based precipitation, clouds with infrared (IR) brightness temperature (BT), and tropical cyclone (TC) data from 2000 to 2015 are used to explore the relationship between precipitation, convective cloud, and TC intensity change in the Western North Pacific Ocean. An IR BT of 208 K was chosen as a threshold for deep convection based on different diurnal cycles of IR BT. More precipitation and colder clouds with 208 K < IR BT < 240 K are found as storms intensify, while TC 24 h future intensity change is closely connected with very deep convective clouds with IR BT < 208 K. Intensifying TCs follow the occurrence of colder clouds with IR BT < 208 K with greater areal extents. As an indicator of very deep convective clouds, IR BT < 208 K is suggested to be a good predictor of TC intensity change. Based upon the 16 year analysis in the western North Pacific, TCs under the conditions that the mean temperature of very deep convective clouds is less than 201 K, and the coverage of this type of clouds is more than 27.4% within a radius of 300 km of the TC center, will more likely undergo rapid intensification after 24 h.

The Shallow-to-Deep Transition in Convective Clouds During GoAmazon 2014/5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, M. P.; Gostic, C.; Giangrande, S. E.; Mechem, D. B.; Ghate, V. P.; Toto, T.

2016-12-01

Nearly two years of observations from the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) deployed at Manacapuru, Brazil during the GOAmazon 2014/5 campaign are analyzed to investigate the environmental conditions controlling the transition from shallow to deep convective clouds. The Active Remote Sensing of Clouds (ARSCL) product, which combines radar and lidar observations to produce best estimates of cloud locations in the vertical column is used to qualitatively define four subsets of convective cloud conditions: 1,2) Transition cases (wet season, dry season), where a period of shallow convective clouds is followed by a period of deep convective clouds and 2) Non-transition cases (wet season, dry season), where shallow convective clouds persist without any subsequent development. For these subsets, observations of the time varying thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere, including the surface heat and radiative fluxes, the profiles of atmospheric state variables, and the ECMWF-derived large-scale advective tendencies, are composited to define averaged properties for each transition state. Initial analysis indicates that the transition state strongly depends on the pre-dawn free-tropospheric humidity, the convective inhibition and surface temperature and humidity with little dependence on the convective available potential energy and surface heat fluxes. The composited environmental thermodynamics are then used to force large-eddy simulations for the four transition states to further evaluate the sensitivity of the transition to the composite thermodynamics versus the importance of larger-scale forcing.

Impact of Resolution on Simulation of Closed Mesoscale Cellular Convection Identified by Dynamically Guided Watershed Segmentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martini, Matus N.; Gustafson, William I.; Yang, Qing

2014-11-18

Organized mesoscale cellular convection (MCC) is a common feature of marine stratocumulus that forms in response to a balance between mesoscale dynamics and smaller scale processes such as cloud radiative cooling and microphysics. We use the Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) and fully coupled cloud-aerosol interactions to simulate marine low clouds during the VOCALS-REx campaign over the southeast Pacific. A suite of experiments with 3- and 9-km grid spacing indicates resolution-dependent behavior. The simulations with finer grid spacing have smaller liquid water paths and cloud fractions, while cloud tops are higher. The observed diurnal cycle is reasonablymore » well simulated. To isolate organized MCC characteristics we develop a new automated method, which uses a variation of the watershed segmentation technique that combines the detection of cloud boundaries with a test for coincident vertical velocity characteristics. This ensures that the detected cloud fields are dynamically consistent for closed MCC, the most common MCC type over the VOCALS-REx region. We demonstrate that the 3-km simulation is able to reproduce the scaling between horizontal cell size and boundary layer height seen in satellite observations. However, the 9-km simulation is unable to resolve smaller circulations corresponding to shallower boundary layers, instead producing invariant MCC horizontal scale for all simulated boundary layers depths. The results imply that climate models with grid spacing of roughly 3 km or smaller may be needed to properly simulate the MCC structure in the marine stratocumulus regions.« less

The Development of Geo-KOMPSAT-2A (GK-2A) Convective Initiation Algorithm over the Korea peninsular

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, H. S.; Chung, S. R.; Lee, B. I.; Baek, S.; Jeon, E.

2016-12-01

The rapid development of convection can bring heavy rainfall that suffers a great deal of damages to society as well as threatens human life. The high accurate forecast of the strong convection is essentially demanded to prevent those disasters from the severe weather. Since a geostationary satellite is the most suitable instrument for monitoring the single cloud's lifecycle from its formation to extinction, it has been attempted to capture the precursor signals of convection clouds by satellite. Keeping pace with the launch of Geo-KOMPSAT-2A (GK-2A) in 2018, we planned to produce convective initiation (CI) defined as the indicator of potential cloud objects to bring heavy precipitation within two hours. The CI algorithm for GK-2A is composed of four stages. The beginning is to subtract mature cloud pixels, a sort of convective cloud mask by visible (VIS) albedo and infrared (IR) brightness temperature thresholds. Then, the remained immature cloud pixels are clustered as a cloud object by watershed techniques. Each clustering object is undergone 'Interest Fields' tests for IR data that reflect cloud microphysical properties at the current and their temporal changes; the cloud depth, updraft strength and production of glaciations. All thresholds of 'Interest fields' were optimized for Korean-type convective clouds. Based on scores from tests, it is decided whether the cloud object would develop as a convective cell or not. Here we show the result of case study in this summer over the Korea peninsular by using Himawari-8 VIS and IR data. Radar echo and data were used for validation. This study suggests that CI products of GK-2A would contribute to enhance accuracy of the very short range forecast over the Korea peninsular.

The boundary layer moist static energy budget: Convection picks up moisture and leaves footprints in the marine boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Szoeke, S. P.

2017-12-01

Averaged over the tropical marine boundary layer (BL), 130 W m-2 turbulent surface moist static energy (MSE) flux, 120 W m-2 of which is evaporation, is balanced by upward MSE flux at the BL top due to 1) incorporation of cold air by downdrafts from deep convective clouds, and 2) turbulent entrainment of dry air into the BL. Cold saturated downdraft air, and warm clear air entrained into the BL have distinct thermodynamic properties. This work observationally quantifies their respective MSE fluxes in the central Indian Ocean in 2011, under different convective conditions of the intraseasonal (40-90 day) Madden Julian oscillation (MJO). Under convectively suppressed conditions, entrainment and downdraft fluxes export equal shares (60 W m-2) of MSE from the BL. Downdraft fluxes are more variable, increasing for stronger convection. In the convectively active phase of the MJO, downdrafts export 90 W m-2 from the BL, compared to 40 W m-2 by entrainment. These processes that control the internal, latent (condensation), and MSE of the tropical marine atmospheric BL determine the parcel buoyancy and strength of tropical deep convection.

What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Lifecycle of Convective Clouds (492nd Brookhaven Lecture)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jensen, Michael

Some clouds look like cotton balls and others like anvils. Some bring rain, some snow and sleet, and others, just shade. But, whether big and billowy or dark and stormy, clouds affect far more than the weather each day. Armed with measurements of clouds’ updrafts and downdrafts—which resemble airflow in a convection oven—and many other atmospheric interactions, scientists from Brookhaven Lab and other institutions around the world are developing models that are crucial for understanding Earth’s climate and forecasting future climate change. During his lecture, Dr. Jensen provides an overview of the importance of clouds in the Earth’s climate systemmore » before explaining how convective clouds form, grow, and dissipate. His discussion includes findings from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), a major collaborative experiment between U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA scientists to document precipitation, clouds, winds, and moisture in 3-D for a holistic view of convective clouds and their environment.« less

The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

2008-01-01

Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds [NRC, 2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path [Twomey, 1977] and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage [e.g., Ackerman et al ., 2001]." Enhanced aerosol concentrations can also suppress warm rain processes by producing a narrow droplet spectrum that inhibits collision and coalescence processes [e.g., Squires and Twomey, 1961; Warner and Twomey, 1967; Warner, 1968; Rosenfeld, 19991. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect [Albrecht, 1989], is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. Table 1 summarizes the key observational studies identifying the microphysical properties, cloud characteristics, thermodynamics and dynamics associated with cloud systems from high-aerosol continental environments. For example, atmospheric aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, warm-rain process, cold-rain process, cloud-top height, the depth of the mixed phase region, and occurrence of lightning. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing an enhanced source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Hypotheses have been developed to explain the effect of urban regions on convection and precipitation [van den Heever and Cotton, 2007 and Shepherd, 2005]. Please see Tao et al. (2007) for more detailed description on aerosol impact on precipitation. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and summertime convection over a mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. The impact of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud and precipitation will be investigated.

Intensification of convective extremes driven by cloud-cloud interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moseley, Christopher; Hohenegger, Cathy; Berg, Peter; Haerter, Jan O.

2016-10-01

In a changing climate, a key role may be played by the response of convective-type cloud and precipitation to temperature changes. Yet, it is unclear if convective precipitation intensities will increase mainly due to thermodynamic or dynamical processes. Here we perform large eddy simulations of convection by imposing a realistic diurnal cycle of surface temperature. We find convective events to gradually self-organize into larger cloud clusters and those events occurring late in the day to produce the highest precipitation intensities. Tracking rain cells throughout their life cycles, we show that events which result from collisions respond strongly to changes in boundary conditions, such as temperature changes. Conversely, events not resulting from collisions remain largely unaffected by the boundary conditions. Increased surface temperature indeed leads to more interaction between events and stronger precipitation extremes. However, comparable intensification occurs when leaving temperature unchanged but simply granting more time for self-organization. These findings imply that the convective field as a whole acquires a memory of past precipitation and inter-cloud dynamics, driving extremes. For global climate model projections, our results suggest that the interaction between convective clouds must be incorporated to simulate convective extremes and the diurnal cycle more realistically.

Understanding Differences Between Co-Incident CloudSat, Aqua/MODIS and NOAA18 MHS Ice water Path Retrievals Over the Tropical Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pittman, Jasna; Robertson, Franklin; Blankenship, Clay

2008-01-01

Accurate measurement of the physical and radiative properties of clouds and their representation in climate models continues to be a challe nge. Model parameterizations are still subject to a large number of t unable parameters; furthermore, accurate and representative in situ o bservations are very sparse, and satellite observations historically have significant quantitative uncertainties, particularly with respect to particle size distribution (PSD) and cloud phase. Ice Water Path (IWP), or amount of ice present in a cloud column, is an important cl oud property to accurately quantify, because it is an integral measur e of the microphysical properties of clouds and the cloud feedback pr ocesses in the climate system. This paper investigates near co-incident retrievals of IWP over tropical oceans using three diverse measurem ent systems: radar from CloudSat, Vis/IR from Aqua/MODIS, and microwa ve from NOAA-18IMHS. CloudSat 94 GHz radar measurements provide high resolution vertical and along-orbit structure of cloud reflectivity a nd enable IWP (and IWC) retrievals. Overlapping MODIS measurements of cloud optical thickness and phase allow estimates of IWP when cloud tops are identified as being ice. Periodically, NOAA18 becomes co-inci dent in space I time to enable comparison of A-Train measurements to IWP inferred from the 157 and 89 GHz channel radiances. This latter m easurement is effective only for thick convective anvil systems. We s tratify these co-incident data (less than 4 minutes separation) into cirrus only, cirrus overlying liquid water clouds, and precipitating d eep convective clouds. Substantial biases in IWP and ice effective ra dius are found. Systematic differences in these retrievals are consid ered in light of the uncertainties in a priori assumptions ofPSDs, sp ectral sensitivity and algorithm strategies, which have a direct impact on the IWP product.

Stochastic Convection Parameterizations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teixeira, Joao; Reynolds, Carolyn; Suselj, Kay; Matheou, Georgios

2012-01-01

computational fluid dynamics, radiation, clouds, turbulence, convection, gravity waves, surface interaction, radiation interaction, cloud and aerosol microphysics, complexity (vegetation, biogeochemistry, radiation versus turbulence/convection stochastic approach, non-linearities, Monte Carlo, high resolutions, large-Eddy Simulations, cloud structure, plumes, saturation in tropics, forecasting, parameterizations, stochastic, radiation-clod interaction, hurricane forecasts

Archetypal TRMM Radar Profiles Identified Through Cluster Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boccippio, Dennis J.

2003-01-01

It is widely held that identifiable 'convective regimes' exist in nature, although precise definitions of these are elusive. Examples include land / Ocean distinctions, break / monsoon beahvior, seasonal differences in the Amazon (SON vs DJF), etc. These regimes are often described by differences in the realized local convective spectra, and measured by various metrics of convective intensity, depth, areal coverage and rainfall amount. Objective regime identification may be valuable in several ways: regimes may serve as natural 'branch points' in satellite retrieval algorithms or data assimilation efforts; one example might be objective identification of regions that 'should' share a similar 2-R relationship. Similarly, objectively defined regimes may provide guidance on optimal siting of ground validation efforts. Objectively defined regimes could also serve as natural (rather than arbitrary geographic) domain 'controls' in studies of convective response to environmental forcing. Quantification of convective vertical structure has traditionally involved parametric study of prescribed quantities thought to be important to convective dynamics: maximum radar reflectivity, cloud top height, 30-35 dBZ echo top height, rain rate, etc. Individually, these parameters are somewhat deficient as their interpretation is often nonunique (the same metric value may signify different physics in different storm realizations). Individual metrics also fail to capture the coherence and interrelationships between vertical levels available in full 3-D radar datasets. An alternative approach is discovery of natural partitions of vertical structure in a globally representative dataset, or 'archetypal' reflectivity profiles. In this study, this is accomplished through cluster analysis of a very large sample (0[107) of TRMM-PR reflectivity columns. Once achieved, the rainconditional and unconditional 'mix' of archetypal profile types in a given location and/or season provides a description of the local convective spectrum which retains vertical structure information. A further cluster analysis of these 'mixes' can identify recurrent convective spectra. These are a first step towards objective identification of convective regimes, and towards answering the question: 'What are the most convectively similar locations in the world?'

Retrieval of Ice Cloud Properties Using an Optimal Estimation Algorithm and MODIS Infrared Observations: 2. Retrieval Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Chenxi; Platnick, Steven; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Wind, Galina; Yang, Ping

2016-01-01

An infrared-based optimal estimation (OE-IR) algorithm for retrieving ice cloud properties is evaluated. Specifically, the implementation of the algorithm with MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations is assessed in comparison with the operational retrieval products from MODIS on the Aqua satellite (MYD06), Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), and the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR); the latter two instruments fly on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite in the Afternoon Constellation (A-Train) with Aqua. The results show that OE-IR cloud optical thickness (tau) and effective radius (r(sub eff)) retrievals perform best for ice clouds having 0.5 < tau< 7 and r(sub eff) < 50microns. For global ice clouds, the averaged retrieval uncertainties of tau and r(sub eff) are 19% and 33%, respectively. For optically thick ice clouds with tau larger than 10, however, the tau and r(sub eff) retrieval uncertainties can exceed 30% and 50%, respectively. For ice cloud top height (h), the averaged global uncertainty is 0.48km. Relatively large h uncertainty (e.g., > 1km) occurs for tau < 0.5. Analysis of 1month of the OE-IR retrievals shows large tau and r(sub eff) uncertainties in storm track regions and the southern oceans where convective clouds are frequently observed, as well as in high-latitude regions where temperature differences between the surface and cloud top are more ambiguous. Generally, comparisons between the OE-IR and the operational products show consistent tau and h retrievals. However, obvious differences between the OE-IR and the MODIS Collection 6 r(sub eff) are found.

Microphysics of Clouds with the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme (McRAS). Part I: Design and Evaluation with GATE Phase III Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1999-09-01

A prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) has been designed and developed with the aim of improving moist processes, microphysics of clouds, and cloud-radiation interactions in GCMs. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: convective, stratiform, and boundary layer. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly timescale, while the boundary layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the autoconversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud microphysics throughout the life cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry.An evaluation of McRAS in a single-column model (SCM) with the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) Phase III data has shown that, together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without discernible systematic errors. The time history and time mean in-cloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvils and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all simulate a realistic behavior. Some of these diagnostics are not verifiable with data on hand. These SCM sensitivity tests show that (i) without clouds the simulated GATE-SCM atmosphere is cooler than observed; (ii) the model's convective scheme, RAS, is an important subparameterization of McRAS; and (iii) advection of cloud water substance is helpful in simulating better cloud distribution and cloud-radiation interaction. An evaluation of the performance of McRAS in the Goddard Earth Observing System II GCM is given in a companion paper (Part II).

Influence of Transient Atmospheric Circulation on the Surface Heating of the Pacific Warm Pool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Ming-Dah; Chou, Shu-Hsien; Chan, Pui-King

2003-01-01

Analyses of data on clouds, winds, and surface heat fluxes show that the transient behavior of basin-wide large-scale circulation has a significant influence on the warm pool sea surface temperature (SST). Trade winds converge to regions of the highest SST in the equatorial western Pacific. These regions have the largest cloud cover and smallest wind speed. Both surface solar heating and evaporative cooling are weak. The reduced evaporative cooling due to weakened winds exceeds the reduced solar heating due to enhanced cloudiness. The result is a maximum surface heating in the strong convective and high SST regions. Data also show that the maximum surface heating in strong convective regions is interrupted by transient atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Due to the seasonal variation of the insolation at the top of the atmosphere, trade winds and clouds also experience seasonal variations. Regions of high SST and low-level convergence follow the Sun, where the surface heating is a maximum. As the Sun moves away from a convective region, the strong trade winds set in, and the evaporative cooling enhances, resulting in a net cooling of the surface. During an El Nino, the maximum SST and convective region shifts eastward from the maritime continent to the equatorial central Pacific. Following the eastward shift of the maximum SST, the region of maximum cloudiness and surface heating also shift eastward. As the atmospheric and oceanic circulation returns to normal situations, the trade winds increase and the surface heating decreases. We conclude that the evaporative cooling associated with the seasonal and interannual variations of trade winds is one of the major factors that modulate the SST distribution of the Pacific warm pool.

A Wrf-Chem Flash Rate Parameterization Scheme and LNO(x) Analysis of the 29-30 May 2012 Convective Event in Oklahoma During DC3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cummings, Kristin A.; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Barth, M.; Weinheimer, A.; Bela, M.; Li, Y.; Allen, D.; Bruning, E.; MacGorman, D.; Rutledge, S.;

A WRF-Chem Flash Rate Parameterization Scheme and LNOx Analysis of the 29-30 May 2012 Convective Event in Oklahoma During DC3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cummings, Kristin A.; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Barth, M.; Weinheimer, A.; Bela, M.; Li, Y.; Allen, D.; Bruning, E.; MacGorman, D.; Rutledge, S.;

Derecho-like event in Bulgaria on 20 July 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gospodinov, Ilian; Dimitrova, Tsvetelina; Bocheva, Lilia; Simeonov, Petio; Dimitrov, Rumen

2015-05-01

In this work we analyze the development of a severe-convective-storm system in northwestern Bulgaria on 20 July 2011 which exhibited derecho-like characteristics. Prior to this event, a derecho had never been documented in Bulgaria. The convective system was associated with a cold front. We present a synoptic-scale analysis of the evolution of the cold front and an overview of the wind and the damage that has occurred in the region with the strongest impact. The convective system consisted of two multi-cell thunderstorms that are analyzed in some detail, based on radar data. The two storms merged and the convective system evolved into a bow-shape reflectivity structure with two rear inflow notches. The analysis of the radar data revealed cloud top heights of 17 km, with the formation of а bounded weak echo region, a maximum radar reflectivity factor of 63 dBZ, and wind speeds above 30 m/s. The field investigation revealed patterns in the damaged crops typical of strong wind gusts.

Relating rainfall characteristics to cloud top temperatures at different scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Cornelia; Belušić, Danijel; Taylor, Christopher

2017-04-01

Extreme rainfall from mesoscale convective systems (MCS) poses a threat to lives and livelihoods of the West African population through increasingly frequent devastating flooding and loss of crops. However, despite the significant impact of such extreme events, the dominant processes favouring their occurrence are still under debate. In the data-sparse West African region, rainfall radar data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) gives invaluable information on the distribution and frequency of extreme rainfall. The TRMM 2A25 product provides a 15-year dataset of snapshots of surface rainfall from 2-4 overpasses per day. Whilst this sampling captures the overall rainfall characteristics, it is neither long nor frequent enough to diagnose changes in MCS properties, which may be linked to the trend towards rainfall intensification in the region. On the other hand, Meteosat geostationary satellites provide long-term sub-hourly records of cloud top temperatures, raising the possibility of combining these with the high-quality rainfall data from TRMM. In this study, we relate TRMM 2A25 rainfall to Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) cloud top temperatures, which are available from 2004 at 15 minutes intervals, to get a more detailed picture of the structure of intense rainfall within the life cycle of MCS. We find TRMM rainfall intensities within an MCS to be strongly coupled with MSG cloud top temperatures: the probability for extreme rainfall increases from <10% for minimum temperatures warmer than -40°C to over 70% when temperatures drop below -70°C, confirming the potential in analysing cloud-top temperatures as a proxy for extreme rain. The sheer size of MCS raises the question which scales of sub-cloud structures are more likely to be associated with extreme rain than others. In the end, this information could help to associate scale changes in cloud top temperatures with processes that affect the probability of extreme rain. We use 2D continuous wavelets to decompose cloud top temperatures into power spectra at scales between 15 and 200km. From these, cloud sub-structures are identified as circular areas of respective scale with local power maxima in their centre. These areas are then mapped onto coinciding TRMM rainfall, allowing us to assign rainfall fields to sub-cloud features of different scales. We find a higher probability for extreme rainfall for cloud features above a scale of 30km, with features 100km contributing most to the number of extreme rainfall pixels. Over the average diurnal cycle, the number of smaller cloud features between 15-60km shows an increase between 15 - 1700UTC, gradually developing into larger ones. The maximum of extreme rainfall pixels around 1900UTC coincides with a peak for scales 100km, suggesting a dominant role of these scales for intense rain for the analysed cloud type. Our results demonstrate the suitability of 2D wavelet decomposition for the analysis of sub-cloud structures and their relation to rainfall characteristics, and help us to understand long-term changes in the properties of MCS.

Snow precipitation on Mars driven by cloud-induced night-time convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiga, Aymeric; Hinson, David P.; Madeleine, Jean-Baptiste; Navarro, Thomas; Millour, Ehouarn; Forget, François; Montmessin, Franck

2017-09-01

Although it contains less water vapour than Earth's atmosphere, the Martian atmosphere hosts clouds. These clouds, composed of water-ice particles, influence the global transport of water vapour and the seasonal variations of ice deposits. However, the influence of water-ice clouds on local weather is unclear: it is thought that Martian clouds are devoid of moist convective motions, and snow precipitation occurs only by the slow sedimentation of individual particles. Here we present numerical simulations of the meteorology in Martian cloudy regions that demonstrate that localized convective snowstorms can occur on Mars. We show that such snowstorms--or ice microbursts--can explain deep night-time mixing layers detected from orbit and precipitation signatures detected below water-ice clouds by the Phoenix lander. In our simulations, convective snowstorms occur only during the Martian night, and result from atmospheric instability due to radiative cooling of water-ice cloud particles. This triggers strong convective plumes within and below clouds, with fast snow precipitation resulting from the vigorous descending currents. Night-time convection in Martian water-ice clouds and the associated snow precipitation lead to transport of water both above and below the mixing layers, and thus would affect Mars' water cycle past and present, especially under the high-obliquity conditions associated with a more intense water cycle.

Gregarious Convection and Radiative Feedbacks in Idealized Worlds

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-29

exist neither on the globe nor within the cloud model. Since mesoscales impose great computational costs on atmosphere models, as well as inconven...Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA Abstract What role does convection play in cloud feedbacks? What role does convective... cloud fields depends systematically on global temperature, then convective organization could be a climate system feedback. How reconcilable and how

Design and Performance of McRas in SCMs and GEOS I/II GCMs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Yogesh C.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The design of a prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) for general circulation models (GCMs) will be discussed. McRAS distinguishes three types of clouds: (1) convective, (2) stratiform, and (3) boundary-layer types. The convective clouds transform and merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly time-scale, while the boundary-layer clouds merge into the stratiform clouds instantly. The cloud condensate converts into precipitation following the auto-conversion equations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, as well as diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully interactive cloud-microphysics throughout the life-cycle of the cloud, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry. An evaluation of McRAS in a single column model (SCM) with the GATE Phase III and 5-ARN CART datasets has shown that together with the rest of the model physics, McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without many systematic errors. The time history and time mean incloud water and ice distribution, fractional cloudiness, cloud optical thickness, origin of precipitation in the convective anvil and towers, and the convective updraft and downdraft velocities and mass fluxes all show a realistic behavior. Performance of McRAS in GEOS 11 GCM shows several satisfactory features but some of the remaining deficiencies suggest need for additional research involving convective triggers and inhibitors, provision for continuously detraining updraft, a realistic scheme for cumulus gravity wave drag, and refinements to physical conditions for ascertaining cloud detrainment level.

Exploring The Relation Between Upper Tropospheric (UT) Clouds and Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephens, G. L.; Stubenrauch, C.

2017-12-01

The importance of knowing the vertical transports of water vapor and condensate by atmospheric moist convection cannot be overstated. Vertical convective transports have wide-ranging influences on the Earth system, shaping weather, climate, the hydrological cycle and the composition of the atmosphere. These transports also influence the upper tropospheric cloudiness that exerts profound effects on climate. Although there are presently no direct observations to quantify these transports on the large scale, and there are no observations to constrain model assumptions about them, it might be possible to derive useful observations proxies of these transports and their influence. This talk will present results derived from a large community effort that has developed important observations data records that link clouds and convection. Steps to use these observational metrics to examine the relation between convection, UT clouds in both cloud and global scale models are exemplified and important feedbacks between high clouds, radiation and convection will be elucidated.

Robust relations between CCN and the vertical evolution of cloud drop size distribution in deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freud, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Andreae, M. O.; Costa, A. A.; Artaxo, P.

2008-03-01

In-situ measurements in convective clouds (up to the freezing level) over the Amazon basin show that smoke from deforestation fires prevents clouds from precipitating until they acquire a vertical development of at least 4 km, compared to only 1-2 km in clean clouds. The average cloud depth required for the onset of warm rain increased by ~350 m for each additional 100 cloud condensation nuclei per cm3 at a super-saturation of 0.5% (CCN0.5%). In polluted clouds, the diameter of modal liquid water content grows much slower with cloud depth (at least by a factor of ~2), due to the large number of droplets that compete for available water and to the suppressed coalescence processes. Contrary to what other studies have suggested, we did not observe this effect to reach saturation at 3000 or more accumulation mode particles per cm3. The CCN0.5% concentration was found to be a very good predictor for the cloud depth required for the onset of warm precipitation and other microphysical factors, leaving only a secondary role for the updraft velocities in determining the cloud drop size distributions. The effective radius of the cloud droplets (re) was found to be a quite robust parameter for a given environment and cloud depth, showing only a small effect of partial droplet evaporation from the cloud's mixing with its drier environment. This supports one of the basic assumptions of satellite analysis of cloud microphysical processes: the ability to look at different cloud top heights in the same region and regard their re as if they had been measured inside one well developed cloud. The dependence of re on the adiabatic fraction decreased higher in the clouds, especially for cleaner conditions, and disappeared at re≥~10 μm. We propose that droplet coalescence, which is at its peak when warm rain is formed in the cloud at re=~10 μm, continues to be significant during the cloud's mixing with the entrained air, cancelling out the decrease in re due to evaporation.

Robust relations between CCN and the vertical evolution of cloud drop size distribution in deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freud, E.; Rosenfeld, D.; Andreae, M. O.; Costa, A. A.; Artaxo, P.

2005-10-01

In-situ measurements in convective clouds (up to the freezing level) over the Amazon basin show that smoke from deforestation fires prevents clouds from precipitating until they acquire a vertical development of at least 4 km, compared to only 1-2 km in clean clouds. The average cloud depth required for the onset of warm rain increased by ~350 m for each additional 100 cloud condensation nuclei per cm3 at a super-saturation of 0.5% (CCN0.5%). In polluted clouds, the diameter of modal liquid water content grows much slower with cloud depth (at least by a factor of ~2), due to the large number of droplets that compete for available water and to the suppressed coalescence processes. Contrary to what other studies have suggested, we did not observe this effect to reach saturation at 3000 or more accumulation mode particles per cm3. The CCN0.5% concentration was found to be a very good predictor for the cloud depth required for the onset of warm precipitation and other microphysical factors, leaving only a secondary role for the updraft velocities in determining the cloud drop size distributions. The effective radius of the cloud droplets (re) was found to be a quite robust parameter for a given environment and cloud depth, showing only a small effect of partial droplet evaporation from the cloud's mixing with its drier environment. This supports one of the basic assumptions of satellite analysis of cloud microphysical processes: the ability to look at different cloud top heights in the same region and regard their re as if they had been measured inside one well developed cloud. The dependence of re on the adiabatic fraction decreased higher in the clouds, especially for cleaner conditions, and disappeared at re≥~10 µm. We propose that droplet coalescence, which is at its peak when warm rain is formed in the cloud at re~10 µm, continues to be significant during the cloud's mixing with the entrained air, canceling out the decrease in re due to evaporation.

Convective scale interaction: Arc cloud lines and the development and evolution of deep convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Purdom, James Francis Whitehurst

1986-01-01

Information is used from satellite data and research aircraft data to provide new insights concerning the mesoscale development and evolution of deep convection in an atmosphere typified by weak synoptic-scale forcing. The importance of convective scale interaction in the development and evolution of deep convection is examined. This interaction is shown to manifest itself as the merger and intersection of thunderstorm outflow boundaries (arc cloud lines) with other convective lines, areas or boundaries. Using geostationary satellite visible and infrared data convective scale interaction is shown to be responsible for over 85 percent of the intense convection over the southeast U.S. by late afternoon, and a majority of that area's afternoon rainfall. The aircraft observations provided valuable information concerning critically important regions of the arc cloud line: (1) the cool outflow region, (2) the density surge line interface region; and (3) the sub-cloud region above the surge line. The observations when analyzed with rapid scan satellite data, helped in defining the arc cloud line's life cycle as 3 evolving stages.

Development of lidar sensor for cloud-based measurements during convective conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishnu, R.; Bhavani Kumar, Y.; Rao, T. Narayana; Nair, Anish Kumar M.; Jayaraman, A.

2016-05-01

Atmospheric convection is a natural phenomena associated with heat transport. Convection is strong during daylight periods and rigorous in summer months. Severe ground heating associated with strong winds experienced during these periods. Tropics are considered as the source regions for strong convection. Formation of thunder storm clouds is common during this period. Location of cloud base and its associated dynamics is important to understand the influence of convection on the atmosphere. Lidars are sensitive to Mie scattering and are the suitable instruments for locating clouds in the atmosphere than instruments utilizing the radio frequency spectrum. Thunder storm clouds are composed of hydrometers and strongly scatter the laser light. Recently, a lidar technique was developed at National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), a Department of Space (DOS) unit, located at Gadanki near Tirupati. The lidar technique employs slant path operation and provides high resolution measurements on cloud base location in real-time. The laser based remote sensing technique allows measurement of atmosphere for every second at 7.5 m range resolution. The high resolution data permits assessment of updrafts at the cloud base. The lidar also provides real-time convective boundary layer height using aerosols as the tracers of atmospheric dynamics. The developed lidar sensor is planned for up-gradation with scanning facility to understand the cloud dynamics in the spatial direction. In this presentation, we present the lidar sensor technology and utilization of its technology for high resolution cloud base measurements during convective conditions over lidar site, Gadanki.

Mechanisms of convective cloud organization by cold pools over tropical warm ocean during the AMIE/DYNAMO field campaign

DOE PAGES

Feng, Zhe; Hagos, Samson; Rowe, Angela K.; ...

2015-04-03

This paper investigates the mechanisms of convective cloud organization by precipitation-driven cold pools over the warm tropical Indian Ocean during the 2011 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) Investigation Experiment / Dynamics of the MJO (AMIE/DYNAMO) field campaign. A high-resolution regional model simulation is performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting model during the transition from suppressed to active phases of the November 2011 MJO. The simulated cold pool lifetimes, spatial extent and thermodynamic properties agree well with the radar and ship-borne observations from the field campaign. The thermodynamic and dynamic structures of the outflow boundaries of isolated andmore » intersecting cold pools in the simulation and the associated secondary cloud populations are examined. Intersecting cold pools last more than twice as long, are twice as large, 41% more intense (measured by buoyancy), and 62% deeper than isolated cold pools. Consequently, intersecting cold pools trigger 73% more convective clouds than isolated ones. This is possibly due to stronger outflows that enhance secondary updraft velocities by up to 45%. However, cold pool-triggered convective clouds grow into deep convection not because of the stronger secondary updrafts at cloud base, but rather due to closer spacing (aggregation) between clouds and larger cloud clusters that formed along the cold pool boundaries when they intersect. The close spacing of large clouds moistens the local environment and reduces entrainment drying, allowing the clouds to further develop into deep convection. Implications to the design of future convective parameterization with cold pool-modulated entrainment rates are discussed.« less

Thunderheads on Jupiter

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-09-08

Scientists have spotted what appear to be thunderheads on Jupiter bright white cumulus clouds similar to those that bring thunderstorms on Earth - at the outer edges of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft now in orbit around Jupiter are providing new evidence that thunderstorms may be an important source of energy for Jupiter's winds that blow at more than 500 kilometers per hour (about 300 miles per hour). The photos were taken by Galileo's solid state imager camera on June 26, 1996 at a range of about 1.4 million kilometers (about 860,000 miles). The image at top is a mosaic of multiple images taken through near-infrared filters. False coloring in the image reveals cloud-top heights. High, thick clouds are white and high, thin clouds are pink. Low-altitude clouds are blue. The two black-and-white images at bottom are enlargements of the boxed area; the one on the right was taken 70 minutes after the image on the left. The arrows show where clouds have formed or dissipated in the short time between the images. The smallest clouds are tens of kilometers across. On Earth, moist convection in thunderstorms is a pathway through which solar energy, deposited at the surface, is transported and delivered to the atmosphere. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology analyzing data from Galileo believe that water, the most likely candidate for what composes these clouds on Jupiter, may be more abundant at the site seen here than at the Galileo Probe entry site, which was found to be unexpectedly dry. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00506

Precipitation Dynamics and Feedback mechanisms of the Arabian Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burger, Roelof; Kucera, Paul; Piketh, Stuart; Axisa, Duncan; Chapman, Michael; Krauss, Terry; Ghulam, Ayman

2010-05-01

The subtropical Arabian desert extends across the entire Peninsula. The Arabian desert finds itself in the downward branch of the Hadley cell with persistent subsidence. This stabilizes the atmosphere and lowers the relative humidity. The result is a strongly capped convective boundary layer and an extremely dry mid troposphere. Most of the area experience very little rainfall, generally below 100 mm per year, resulting in the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world. However, local factors such as an unbroken 1000 km escarpment along the Red Sea, rocky mountains between 2000 and 3000 m, and gravel plains cut by wadis, causes micro climates with significant altered precipitation characteristics. Altitude oases with annual rainfall between 200 mm and 500 mm are found on the Asir mountains in the south west and over the Jebel Akdhar mountains on the Gulf coast of Oman. This region receives most of its rainfall in the Northern Hemisphere summer driven by a monsoon trough and the ITCZ. During summer, moist surface winds from the Red Sea converges with dry easterlies triggering convection along the Asir escarpment on a daily basis. Clear mornings grow into a layer of Altocumulus stratiformis cumulogenites by noon, which usually last until sunset. This cloud deck interacts with large severe convective cells which grow to the top of the troposphere by mid afternoon. The north experience a mediterranean climate with eastward propagating midlatitude cyclones causing wintertime rainfall. Characteristic cloud bands form over the northern interior. Vertically layered embedded convective cells that are not coupled with the surface propagate on north easterly tracks. This result in another oasis with annual rainfall exceeding 200 mm. Surface based convection causes isolated thunderstorms during spring and early summer, but cloud bases increase as the season progress until the evaporating downdraft causes dust storms. In-situ measurements, WRF model runs, radiosonde ascends, radar and satellite data are used to explore these dynamics and the associated feedback mechanisms of precipitation over the Arabian desert.

Simulation of Shallow Cumuli and Their Transition to Deep Convective Clouds by Cloud-resolving Models with Different Third-order Turbulence Closures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Anning; Xu, Kuan-Man

2006-01-01

The abilities of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) with the double-Gaussian based and the single-Gaussian based third-order closures (TOCs) to simulate the shallow cumuli and their transition to deep convective clouds are compared in this study. The single-Gaussian based TOC is fully prognostic (FP), while the double-Gaussian based TOC is partially prognostic (PP). The latter only predicts three important third-order moments while the former predicts all the thirdorder moments. A shallow cumulus case is simulated by single-column versions of the FP and PP TOC models. The PP TOC improves the simulation of shallow cumulus greatly over the FP TOC by producing more realistic cloud structures. Large differences between the FP and PP TOC simulations appear in the cloud layer of the second- and third-order moments, which are related mainly to the underestimate of the cloud height in the FP TOC simulation. Sensitivity experiments and analysis of probability density functions (PDFs) used in the TOCs show that both the turbulence-scale condensation and higher-order moments are important to realistic simulations of the boundary-layer shallow cumuli. A shallow to deep convective cloud transition case is also simulated by the 2-D versions of the FP and PP TOC models. Both CRMs can capture the transition from the shallow cumuli to deep convective clouds. The PP simulations produce more and deeper shallow cumuli than the FP simulations, but the FP simulations produce larger and wider convective clouds than the PP simulations. The temporal evolutions of cloud and precipitation are closely related to the turbulent transport, the cold pool and the cloud-scale circulation. The large amount of turbulent mixing associated with the shallow cumuli slows down the increase of the convective available potential energy and inhibits the early transition to deep convective clouds in the PP simulation. When the deep convective clouds fully develop and the precipitation is produced, the cold pools produced by the evaporation of the precipitation are not favorable to the formation of shallow cumuli.

ARC-1990-A91-2013

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-02-14

Range : 1.4 to 2 million miles These are enhanced versions of four views of Venus taken by Galileo's Solid State Imaging System. The pictures in the top row were taken about 4 and 5 days after closest approach, and those in the bottom row 6 days after closest approach, 2 hours apart. These show the faint Venusian cloud features vary clearly. A high-pass filter way applied to bring out broader global variations in tone. The bright polar hoods are a well-known feature of Venus. Of particular interest to planetary atmospheric scientists are the complex cloud patterns near the equator, in the vicinity of the bright subsolar point, where convection is most prevalent.

Smoking Pyrocumulonimbus: analysis of a major Canadian boreal fire blowup from satellite and ground measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stocks, B. J.; Fromm, M.; Servranckx, R.; Miller, S.; Turk, J.; Diner, D.

2005-12-01

On 17 August 2003 a high-intensity forest fire close to the border of northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories in northwestern Canada exploded into a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb for short). PyroCb have in recent years been confirmed as an agent for transport of biomass burning emissions deeply into the lower stratosphere. The blowup was spawned by the Conibear Lake Fire, burning in the Wood Buffalo National Park (the largest boreal park in the world), where large fires are common/natural and seldom suppressed directly. The Conibear Lake Fire pyroCb created a plume of smoke that, on 18 August, was an optically opaque plume spanning from the lower troposphere to the lower stratosphere. A remarkable distinction of the pyroCb was that it grew to convective maturity during midday, enabling four true-color sensors (SeaWiFS, MISR, Terra MODIS, and Aqua MODIS) to observe the growth and spread of the tropopause-level anvil-and the anvil was smoky in color throughout. In this paper we will give a multiple nadir-viewer description of the entire life cycle of this pyroconvection. In addition to the unique smoky composition of the mature pyroCb, we will show the fire hot spot evolution, the cloud-top changes in terms of IR brightness temperature, an analysis of the cloud top altitude, and the deposition/advection of the smoke pall during and after convection. We will complement the satellite analysis with several ground-based indicators of fuel consumption, spread rates, energy release rates, and convection column dynamics that support the satellite observations of the pyroCb development.

Evaluating Cloud Initialization in a Convection-permit NWP Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jia; Chen, Baode

2015-04-01

In general, to avoid "double counting precipitation" problem, in convection permit NWP models, it was a common practice to turn off convective parameterization. However, if there were not any cloud information in the initial conditions, the occurrence of precipitation could be delayed due to spin-up of cloud field or microphysical variables. In this study, we utilized the complex cloud analysis package from the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) to adjust the initial states of the model on water substance, such as cloud water, cloud ice, rain water, et al., that is, to initialize the microphysical variables (i.e., hydrometers), mainly based on radar reflectivity observations. Using the Advanced Research WRF (ARW) model, numerical experiments with/without cloud initialization and convective parameterization were carried out at grey-zone resolutions (i.e. 1, 3, and 9 km). The results from the experiments without convective parameterization indicate that model ignition with radar reflectivity can significantly reduce spin-up time and accurately simulate precipitation at the initial time. In addition, it helps to improve location and intensity of predicted precipitation. With grey-zone resolutions (i.e. 1, 3, and 9 km), using the cumulus convective parameterization scheme (without radar data) cannot produce realistic precipitation at the early time. The issues related to microphysical parametrization associated with cloud initialization were also discussed.

Design, Evaluation and GCM-Performance of a New Parameterization for Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme (McRas)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.

1998-01-01

A prognostic cloud scheme named McRAS (Microphysics of clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme) was developed with the aim of improving cloud-microphysics, and cloud-radiation interactions in GCMs. McRAS distinguishes convective, stratiform, and boundary-layer clouds. The convective clouds merge into stratiform clouds on an hourly time-scale, while the boundary-layer clouds do so instantly. The cloud condensate transforms into precipitation following the auto-conversion relations of Sundqvist that contain a parametric adaptation for the Bergeron-Findeisen process of ice crystal growth and collection of cloud condensate by precipitation. All clouds convect, advect, and diffuse both horizontally and vertically with a fully active cloud-microphysics throughout its life-cycle, while the optical properties of clouds are derived from the statistical distribution of hydrometeors and idealized cloud geometry. An evaluation of McRAS in a single column model (SCM) with the GATE Phase III data has shown that McRAS can simulate the observed temperature, humidity, and precipitation without discernible systematic errors. An evaluation with the ARM-CART SCM data in a cloud model intercomparison exercise shows reasonable but not an outstanding accurate simulation. Such a discrepancy is common to almost all models and is related, in part, to the input data quality. McRAS was implemented in the GEOS II GCM. A 50 month integration that was initialized with the ECMWF analysis of observations for January 1, 1987 and forced with the observed sea-surface temperatures and sea-ice distribution and vegetation properties (biomes, and soils), with prognostic soil moisture, snow-cover, and hydrology showed a very realistic simulation of cloud process, incloud water and ice, and cloud-radiative forcing (CRF). The simulated ITCZ showed a realistic time-mean structure and seasonal cycle, while the simulated CRF showed sensitivity to vertical distribution of cloud water which can be easily altered by the choice of time constant and incloud critical cloud water amount regulators for auto-conversion. The CRF and its feedbacks also have a profound effect on the ITCZ. Even though somewhat weaker than observed, the McRAS-GCM simulation produces robust 30-60 day oscillations in the 200 hPa velocity potential. Two ensembles of 4-summer (July, August, September) simulations, one each for 1987 and 1988 show that the McRAS-GCM simulates realistic and statistically significant precipitation differences over India, Central America, and tropical Africa. Several seasonal simulations were performed with McRAS-GEOS II GCM for the summer (June-July- August) and winter (December-January-February) periods to determine how the simulated clouds and CRFs would be affected by: i) advection of clouds; ii) cloud top entrainment instability, iii) cloud water inhomogeneity correction, and (iv) cloud production and dissipation in different cloud-processes. The results show that each of these processes contributes to the simulated cloud-fraction and CRF.

Life Cycle of Tropical Convection and Anvil in Observations and Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFarlane, S. A.; Hagos, S. M.; Comstock, J. M.

2011-12-01

Tropical convective clouds are important elements of the hydrological cycle and produce extensive cirrus anvils that strongly affect the tropical radiative energy balance. To improve simulations of the global water and energy cycles and accurately predict both precipitation and cloud radiative feedbacks, models need to realistically simulate the lifecycle of tropical convection, including the formation and radiative properties of ice anvil clouds. By combining remote sensing datasets from precipitation and cloud radars at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Darwin site with geostationary satellite data, we can develop observational understanding of the lifetime of convective systems and the links between the properties of convective systems and their associated anvil clouds. The relationships between convection and anvil in model simulations can then be compared to those seen in the observations to identify areas for improvement in the model simulations. We identify and track tropical convective systems in the Tropical Western Pacific using geostationary satellite observations. We present statistics of the tropical convective systems including size, age, and intensity and classify the lifecycle stage of each system as developing, mature, or dissipating. For systems that cross over the ARM Darwin site, information on convective intensity and anvil properties are obtained from the C-Pol precipitation radar and MMCR cloud radar, respectively, and are examined as a function of the system lifecycle. Initial results from applying the convective identification and tracking algorithm to a tropical simulation from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model run show that the model produces reasonable overall statistics of convective systems, but details of the life cycle (such as diurnal cycle, system tracks) differ from the observations. Further work will focus on the role of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles in the model's convective life cycle.

Rayleigh convective instability in a cloud medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shmerlin, B. Ya.; Shmerlin, M. B.

2017-09-01

The problem of convective instability of an atmospheric layer containing a horizontally finite region filled with a cloud medium is considered. Solutions exponentially growing with time, i.e., solitary cloud rolls or spatially localized systems of cloud rolls, have been constructed. In the case of axial symmetry, their analogs are convective vortices with both ascending and descending motions on the axis and cloud clusters with ring-shaped convective structures. Depending on the anisotropy of turbulent exchange, the scale of vortices changes from the tornado scale to the scale of tropical cyclones. The solutions with descending motions on the axis can correspond to the formation of a tornado funnel or a hurricane eye in tropical cyclones.

Models of bright storm clouds and related dark ovals in Saturn's Storm Alley as constrained by 2008 Cassini/VIMS spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sromovsky, L. A.; Baines, K. H.; Fry, P. M.

2018-03-01

A 5° latitude band on Saturn centered near planetocentric latitude 36°S is known as "Storm Alley" because it has been for several extended periods a site of frequent lightning activity and associated thunderstorms, first identified by Porco et al. (2005). The thunderstorms appeared as bright clouds at short and long continuum wavelengths, and over a period of a week or so transformed into dark ovals (Dyudina et al., 2007). The ovals were found to be dark over a wide spectral range, which led Baines et al. (2009) to suggest the possibility that a broadband absorber such as soot produced by lightning could play a significant role in darkening the clouds relative to their surroundings. Here we show that an alternative explanation, which is that the clouds are less reflective because of reduced optical depth, provides an excellent fit to near infrared spectra of similar features obtained by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) in 2008, and leads to a plausible scenario for cloud evolution. We find that the background clouds and the oval clouds are both dominated by the optical properties of a ubiquitous upper cloud layer, which has the same particle size in both regions, but about half the optical depth and physical thickness in the dark oval regions. The dark oval regions are also marked by enhanced emissions in the 5-μm window region, a result of lower optical depth of the deep cloud layer near 3.1-3.8 bar, presumably composed of ammonium hydrosulfide (NH4SH). The bright storm clouds completely block this deep thermal emission with a thick layer of ammonia (NH3) clouds extending from the middle of the main visible cloud layer probably as deep as the 1.7-bar NH3 condensation level. Other condensates might also be present at higher pressures, but are obscured by the NH3 cloud. The strong 3-μm spectral absorption that was displayed by Saturn's Great Storm of 2010-2011 (Sromovsky et al., 2013) is weaker in these storms because the contrast is muted by the overlying cloud deck that these less intense storms do not fully penetrate. Our speculated evolutionary scenario that seems consistent with these results is that deep convection produces lightning and bright clouds of large ammonia particles that rise up into the mid level of the overlying visible deck, pushing out the particles in that layer with the outflow at the top of the convective towers. When the convective pulse subsides, these large particles fall out of the column within a week or so, leaving behind less optical depth than background clouds, making them appear darker because they are less reflective. However, this simple picture does not explain all details of the phenomenon, e.g. the irregular morphology of the bright convective regions and the stable regular shapes of the dark ovals that are formed in their wake.

Multiscale Cloud System Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Moncrieff, Mitchell W.

2009-01-01

The central theme of this paper is to describe how cloud system resolving models (CRMs) of grid spacing approximately 1 km have been applied to various important problems in atmospheric science across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and how these applications relate to other modeling approaches. A long-standing problem concerns the representation of organized precipitating convective cloud systems in weather and climate models. Since CRMs resolve the mesoscale to large scales of motion (i.e., 10 km to global) they explicitly address the cloud system problem. By explicitly representing organized convection, CRMs bypass restrictive assumptions associated with convective parameterization such as the scale gap between cumulus and large-scale motion. Dynamical models provide insight into the physical mechanisms involved with scale interaction and convective organization. Multiscale CRMs simulate convective cloud systems in computational domains up to global and have been applied in place of contemporary convective parameterizations in global models. Multiscale CRMs pose a new challenge for model validation, which is met in an integrated approach involving CRMs, operational prediction systems, observational measurements, and dynamical models in a new international project: the Year of Tropical Convection, which has an emphasis on organized tropical convection and its global effects.

Effectiveness and limitations of parameter tuning in reducing biases of top-of-atmosphere radiation and clouds in MIROC version 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogura, Tomoo; Shiogama, Hideo; Watanabe, Masahiro; Yoshimori, Masakazu; Yokohata, Tokuta; Annan, James D.; Hargreaves, Julia C.; Ushigami, Naoto; Hirota, Kazuya; Someya, Yu; Kamae, Youichi; Tatebe, Hiroaki; Kimoto, Masahide

2017-12-01

This study discusses how much of the biases in top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiation and clouds can be removed by parameter tuning in the present-day simulation of a climate model in the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) generation. We used output of a perturbed parameter ensemble (PPE) experiment conducted with an atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) without flux adjustment. The Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate version 5 (MIROC5) was used for the PPE experiment. Output of the PPE was compared with satellite observation data to evaluate the model biases and the parametric uncertainty of the biases with respect to TOA radiation and clouds. The results indicate that removing or changing the sign of the biases by parameter tuning alone is difficult. In particular, the cooling bias of the shortwave cloud radiative effect at low latitudes could not be removed, neither in the zonal mean nor at each latitude-longitude grid point. The bias was related to the overestimation of both cloud amount and cloud optical thickness, which could not be removed by the parameter tuning either. However, they could be alleviated by tuning parameters such as the maximum cumulus updraft velocity at the cloud base. On the other hand, the bias of the shortwave cloud radiative effect in the Arctic was sensitive to parameter tuning. It could be removed by tuning such parameters as albedo of ice and snow both in the zonal mean and at each grid point. The obtained results illustrate the benefit of PPE experiments which provide useful information regarding effectiveness and limitations of parameter tuning. Implementing a shallow convection parameterization is suggested as a potential measure to alleviate the biases in radiation and clouds.

Lightning Nitrogen Oxides (LNOx) Vertical Profile Quantification and 10 Year Trend Analysis using Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) Satellite Measurements, Air Quality Station (AQS) Surface Measurements, The National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and Simulated by Cloud Resolving Chemical Transport Model (REAM Cloud)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smeltzer, C. D.; Wang, Y.; Koshak, W. J.

2014-12-01

Vertical profiles and emission lifetimes of lightning nitrogen oxides (LNOx) are derived using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Approximately 200 million flashes, over a 10 year climate period, from the United States National Lighting Detection Network (NLDN), are aggregated with OMI cloud top height to determine the vertical LNOx structure. LNOx lifetime is determined as function of LNOx signal in a 36 kilometer vertical column from the time of the last known flash to depletion of the LNOx signal. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Station (AQS) surface data further support these results by demonstrating as much as a 200% increase in surface level NO2 during strong thunderstorm events and a lag as long as 5 to 8 hours from the lightning event to the peak surface event, indicating a evolutional process. Analysis of cloud resolving chemical transport model (REAM Cloud) demonstrates that C-shaped LNOx profiles, which agree with OMI vertical profile observations, evolve due to micro-scale convective meteorology given inverted C-shaped LNOx emission profiles as determined from lightning radio telemetry. It is shown, both in simulations and in observations, that the extent to which the LNOx vertical distribution is C-shaped and the lifetime of LNOx is proportional to the shear-strength of the thunderstorm. Micro-scale convective meteorology is not adequately parameterized in global scale and regional scale chemical transport models (CTM). Therefore, these larger scale CTMs ought to use a C-shape emissions profile to best reproduce observations until convective parameterizations are updated. These findings are used to simulate decadal LNOx and lightning ozone climatology over the Continental United States (CONUS) from 2004-2014.

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony

1999-01-01

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning, is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types. At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.5C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2 which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness, should be revised upward.

Climatic Implications of the Observed Temperature Dependence of the Liquid Water Path of Low Clouds in the Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony D.; Wolf, Audrey B.

1999-01-01

Satellite observations of low-level clouds have challenged the assumption that adiabatic liquid water content combined with constant physical thickness will lead to a negative cloud optics feedback in a decadal climate change. We explore the reasons for the satellite results using four years of surface remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Cloud and Radiation Testbed site in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. We find that low cloud liquid water path is approximately invariant with temperature in winter but decreases strongly with temperature in summer, consistent with the satellite inferences at this latitude. This behavior occurs because liquid water content shows no detectable temperature dependence while cloud physical thickness decreases with warming. Thinning of clouds with warming is observed on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales; it is most obvious in the warm sectors of baroclinic waves. Although cloud top is observed to slightly descend with warming, the primary cause of thinning is the ascent of cloud base due to the reduction in surface relative humidity and the concomitant increase in the lifting condensation level of surface air. Low cloud liquid water path is not observed to be a continuous function of temperature. Rather, the behavior we observe is best explained as a transition in the frequency of occurrence of different boundary layer types: At cold temperatures, a mixture of stratified and convective boundary layers is observed, leading to a broad distribution of liquid water path values, while at warm temperatures, only convective boundary layers with small liquid water paths, some of them decoupled, are observed. Our results, combined with the earlier satellite inferences, imply that the commonly quoted 1.50 C lower limit for the equilibrium global climate sensitivity to a doubling of CO2, which is based on models with near-adiabatic liquid water behavior and constant physical thickness, should be revised upward.

Cloud and convection frequencies over the southeast United States as related to small-scale geographic features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibson, Harold M.; Vonder Haar, Thomas H.

1990-01-01

Based on relatively high spatial and temporal resolution satelite data collected at 0700 CST and at each hour from 1000 CST to 1700 CST during the summer of 1986, cloud and convection variations over the area from Mississippi east to Georgia and from the Gulf of Mexico north to Tennessee are discussed. The data analyses show an average maximum cloud frequency over the land areas at 1400 local time and a maximum of deep convection one hour later. Both cloudiness and deep convection are found to be at a maximum during the nocturnal hours over the Gulf of Mexico. Cloud frequency shows a strong relationship to small terrain features. Small fresh water bodies have cloud minima relative to the surroundings in the afternoon hours. Higher, steep terrain shows cloud maxima and the adjacent lower terrain exhibits afternoon cloud minima due to a divergence of mountain breeze caused by the valley.

Storms in the tropics of Titan.

PubMed

Schaller, E L; Roe, H G; Schneider, T; Brown, M E

2009-08-13

Methane clouds, lakes and most fluvial features on Saturn's moon Titan have been observed in the moist high latitudes, while the tropics have been nearly devoid of convective clouds and have shown an abundance of wind-carved surface features like dunes. The presence of small-scale channels and dry riverbeds near the equator observed by the Huygens probe at latitudes thought incapable of supporting convection (and thus strong rain) has been suggested to be due to geological seepage or other mechanisms not related to precipitation. Here we report the presence of bright, transient, tropospheric clouds in tropical latitudes. We find that the initial pulse of cloud activity generated planetary waves that instigated cloud activity at other latitudes across Titan that had been cloud-free for at least several years. These observations show that convective pulses at one latitude can trigger short-term convection at other latitudes, even those not generally considered capable of supporting convection, and may also explain the presence of methane-carved rivers and channels near the Huygens landing site.

Coolness in the tropical Pacific during an El Nino episode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chou, M.

The response of radiation budgets to changes in water vapor and clouds in an El Nino episode is investigated using the analyzed sea surface temperature (SST) and satellite-derived clouds and the earth radiation budgets for the tropical Pacific (30 deg N-30 deg S, 100 deg E-100 deg W). Analyses are performed for April 1985 and April 1987. The former is a non-El Nino year and the latter is an El Nino year. Compared to April 1985, when the SST over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific is approximately 2 C lower, the high-level cloudiness in April 1987 increases in themore » central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Corresponding to the increase in cloudiness, the outgoing longwave radiation and the net downward solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere decrease. The patterns of these changes are reversed in the western tropical Pacific and the Northern Hemispheric (NH) subsidence region centered at approximately 20 deg N, indicating an eastward shift of the convection center from the maritime continents to the central equatorial Pacific and a strengthened NH Hadley circulation. The earth-atmosphere system in the region receives less radiative energy by 4 W/sq m in the warmer month of April 1987 than in the month of April 1985, which is primarily caused by a reduced atmospheric clear sky greenhouse effect in the NH tropical Pacific in April 1987. Clouds have strong effects on both the IR and solar radiation, but the net effect on the radiation budget at the top of the atmopshere changes only slightly between April 1985 and April 1987. The results are consistent with Lindzen`s hypothesis that reduced upper-tropospheric water vapor in the vicinity of the enhanced convection region produces cooling that counteracts warming in the Tropics.« less

Simulation of low clouds in the Southeast Pacific by the NCEP GFS: sensitivity to vertical mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, R.; Moorthi, S.; Xiao, H.; Mechoso, C. R.

2010-12-01

The NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model has an important systematic error shared by many other models: stratocumuli are missed over the subtropical eastern oceans. It is shown that this error can be alleviated in the GFS by introducing a consideration of the low-level inversion and making two modifications in the model's representation of vertical mixing. The modifications consist of (a) the elimination of background vertical diffusion above the inversion and (b) the incorporation of a stability parameter based on the cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) criterion, which limits the strength of shallow convective mixing across the inversion. A control simulation and three experiments are performed in order to examine both the individual and combined effects of modifications on the generation of the stratocumulus clouds. Individually, both modifications result in enhanced cloudiness in the Southeast Pacific (SEP) region, although the cloudiness is still low compared to the ISCCP climatology. If the modifications are applied together, however, the total cloudiness produced in the southeast Pacific has realistic values. This nonlinearity arises as the effects of both modifications reinforce each other in reducing the leakage of moisture across the inversion. Increased moisture trapped below the inversion than in the control run without modifications leads to an increase in cloud amount and cloud-top radiative cooling. Then a positive feedback due to enhanced turbulent mixing in the planetary boundary layer by cloud-top radiative cooling leads to and maintains the stratocumulus cover. Although the amount of total cloudiness obtained with both modifications has realistic values, the relative contributions of low, middle, and high layers tend to differ from the observations. These results demonstrate that it is possible to simulate realistic marine boundary clouds in large-scale models by implementing direct and physically based improvements in the model parameterizations.

Simulation of low clouds in the Southeast Pacific by the NCEP GFS: sensitivity to vertical mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, R.; Moorthi, S.; Xiao, H.; Mechoso, C.-R.

2010-08-01

The NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model has an important systematic error shared by many other models: stratocumuli are missed over the subtropical eastern oceans. It is shown that this error can be alleviated in the GFS by introducing a consideration of the low-level inversion and making two modifications in the model's representation of vertical mixing. The modifications consist of (a) the elimination of background vertical diffusion above the inversion and (b) the incorporation of a stability parameter based on the cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) criterion, which limits the strength of shallow convective mixing across the inversion. A control simulation and three experiments are performed in order to examine both the individual and combined effects of modifications on the generation of the stratocumulus clouds. Individually, both modifications result in enhanced cloudiness in the Southeast Pacific (SEP) region, although the cloudiness is still low compared to the ISCCP climatology. If the modifications are applied together, however, the total cloudiness produced in the southeast Pacific has realistic values. This nonlinearity arises as the effects of both modifications reinforce each other in reducing the leakage of moisture across the inversion. Increased moisture trapped below the inversion than in the control run without modifications leads to an increase in cloud amount and cloud-top radiative cooling. Then a positive feedback due to enhanced turbulent mixing in the planetary boundary layer by cloud-top radiative cooling leads to and maintains the stratocumulus cover. Although the amount of total cloudiness obtained with both modifications has realistic values, the relative contributions of low, middle, and high layers tend to differ from the observations. These results demonstrate that it is possible to simulate realistic marine boundary clouds in large-scale models by implementing direct and physically based improvements in the model parameterizations.

Vertical transport by convective clouds: Comparisons of three modeling approaches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pickering, Kenneth E.; Thompson, Anne M.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Rood, Richard B.; Mcnamara, Donna P.; Molod, Andrea M.

1995-01-01

A preliminary comparison of the GEOS-1 (Goddard Earth Observing System) data assimilation system convective cloud mass fluxes with fluxes from a cloud-resolving model (the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model, GCE) is reported. A squall line case study (10-11 June 1985 Oklahoma PRESTORM episode) is the basis of the comparison. Regional (central U. S.) monthly total convective mass flux for June 1985 from GEOS-1 compares favorably with estimates from a statistical/dynamical approach using GCE simulations and satellite-derived cloud observations. The GEOS-1 convective mass fluxes produce reasonable estimates of monthly-averaged regional convective venting of CO from the boundary layer at least in an urban-influenced continental region, suggesting that they can be used in tracer transport simulations.

Mass spectrometric airborne measurements of submicron aerosol and cloud residual composition in tropic deep convection during ACRIDICON-CHUVA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, Christiane; Schneider, Johannes; Mertes, Stephan; Kästner, Udo; Weinzierl, Bernadett; Sauer, Daniel; Fütterer, Daniel; Walser, Adrian; Borrmann, Stephan

2015-04-01

Airborne measurements of submicron aerosol and cloud particles were conducted in the region of Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil) during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign in September 2014. ACRIDICON-CHUVA aimed at the investigation of convective cloud systems in order to get a better understanding and quantification of aerosol-cloud-interactions and radiative effects of convective clouds. For that, data from airborne measurements within convective cloud systems are combined with satellite and ground-based data. We used a C-ToF-AMS (Compact-Time-of-Flight-Aerosol-Mass-Spectrometer) to obtain information on aerosol composition and vertical profiles of different aerosol species, like organics, sulphate, nitrate, ammonium and chloride. The instrument was operated behind two different inlets: The HASI (HALO Aerosol Submicrometer Inlet) samples aerosol particles, whereas the CVI (Counterflow Virtual Impactor) samples cloud droplets and ice particles during in-cloud measurements, such that cloud residual particles can be analyzed. Differences in aerosol composition inside and outside of clouds and cloud properties over forested or deforested region were investigated. Additionally, the in- and outflow of convective clouds was sampled on dedicated cloud missions in order to study the evolution of the clouds and the processing of aerosol particles. First results show high organic aerosol mass concentrations (typically 15 μg/m3 and during one flight up to 25 μg/m3). Although high amounts of organic aerosol in tropic air over rainforest regions were expected, such high mass concentrations were not anticipated. Next to that, high sulphate aerosol mass concentrations (about 4 μg/m3) were measured at low altitudes (up to 5 km). During some flights organic and nitrate aerosol was observed with higher mass concentrations at high altitudes (10-12 km) than at lower altitudes, indicating redistribution of boundary layer particles by convection. The cloud residuals measured during in-cloud sampling through the CVI contained mainly organic material and, to a lesser extent, nitrate.

An Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-flux (EDMF) closure for the unified representation of cloud and convective processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Z.; Schneider, T.; Teixeira, J.; Lam, R.; Pressel, K. G.

2014-12-01

Sub-grid scale (SGS) closures in current climate models are usually decomposed into several largely independent parameterization schemes for different cloud and convective processes, such as boundary layer turbulence, shallow convection, and deep convection. These separate parameterizations usually do not converge as the resolution is increased or as physical limits are taken. This makes it difficult to represent the interactions and smooth transition among different cloud and convective regimes. Here we present an eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF) closure that represents all sub-grid scale turbulent, convective, and cloud processes in a unified parameterization scheme. The buoyant updrafts and precipitative downdrafts are parameterized with a prognostic multiple-plume mass-flux (MF) scheme. The prognostic term for the mass flux is kept so that the life cycles of convective plumes are better represented. The interaction between updrafts and downdrafts are parameterized with the buoyancy-sorting model. The turbulent mixing outside plumes is represented by eddy diffusion, in which eddy diffusivity (ED) is determined from a turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) calculated from a TKE balance that couples the environment with updrafts and downdrafts. Similarly, tracer variances are decomposed consistently between updrafts, downdrafts and the environment. The closure is internally coupled with a probabilistic cloud scheme and a simple precipitation scheme. We have also developed a relatively simple two-stream radiative scheme that includes the longwave (LW) and shortwave (SW) effects of clouds, and the LW effect of water vapor. We have tested this closure in a single-column model for various regimes spanning stratocumulus, shallow cumulus, and deep convection. The model is also run towards statistical equilibrium with climatologically relevant large-scale forcings. These model tests are validated against large-eddy simulation (LES) with the same forcings. The comparison of results verifies the capacity of this closure to realistically represent different cloud and convective processes. Implementation of the closure in an idealized GCM allows us to study cloud feedbacks to climate change and to study the interactions between clouds, convections, and the large-scale circulation.

SeReNA Project: studying aerosol interactions with cloud microphysics in the Amazon Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correia, A. L.; Catandi, P. B.; Frigeri, F. F.; Ferreira, W. C.; Martins, J.; Artaxo, P.

2012-12-01

Cloud microphysics and its interaction with aerosols is a key atmospheric process for weather and climate. Interactions between clouds and aerosols can impact Earth's radiative balance, its hydrological and energetic cycles, and are responsible for a large fraction of the uncertainty in climatic models. On a planetary scale, the Amazon Basin is one of the most significant land sources of moisture and latent heat energy. Moreover, every year this region undergoes mearked seasonal shifts in its atmospheric state, transitioning from clean to heavily polluted conditions due to the occurrence of seasonal biomass burning fires, that emit large amounts of smoke to the atmosphere. These conditions make the Amazon Basin a special place to study aerosol-cloud interactions. The SeReNA Project ("Remote sensing of clouds and their interaction with aerosols", from the acronym in Portuguese, @SerenaProject on Twitter) is an ongoing effort to experimentally investigate the impact of aerosols upon cloud microphysics in Amazonia. Vertical profiles of droplet effective radius of water and ice particles, in single convective clouds, can be derived from measurements of the emerging radiation on cloud sides. Aerosol optical depth, cloud top properties, and meteorological parameters retrieved from satellites will be correlated with microphysical properties derived for single clouds. Maps of cloud brightness temperature will allow building temperature vs. effective radius profiles for hydrometeors in single clouds. Figure 1 shows an example extracted from Martins et al. (2011), illustrating a proof-of-concept for the kind of result expected within the framework for the SeReNA Project. The results to be obtained will help foster the quantitative knowledge about interactions between aerosols and clouds in a microphysical level. These interactions are a fundamental process in the context of global climatic changes, they are key to understanding basic processes within clouds and how aerosols can influence them. Reference: Martins et al. (2011) ACP, v.11, p.9485-9501. Available at: http://bit.ly/martinspaper Figure 1. Brightness temperature (left panel) and thermodynamic phase (right) of hydrometeors in the convective cloud shown in the middle panel. Extracted from Martins et al. (2011).

New particle formation leads to cloud dimming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, Ryan C.; Crippa, Paola; Matsui, Hitoshi

New particle formation (NPF), nucleation of condensable vapors to the solid or liquid phase, is a significant source of atmospheric aerosol particle number concentrations. With sufficient growth, these nucleated particles may be a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), thus altering cloud albedo, structure, and lifetimes, and insolation reaching the Earth's surface. Herein we present one of the first numerical experiments to quantify the impact of NPF on cloud radiative properties that is conducted at a convection permitting resolution and that explicitly simulates cloud droplet number concentrations. Consistent with observations, these simulations suggest that in spring over the Midwesternmore » U.S.A., NPF occurs frequently and on regional scales. However, the simulations suggest that NPF is not associated with enhancement of regional cloud albedos as would be expected from an increase of CCN. These simulations indicate that NPF reduces ambient sulfuric acid concentrations sufficiently to inhibit growth of preexisting particles to CCN sizes. This reduction in CCN-sized particles reduces cloud albedo, resulting in a domain average positive top of atmosphere cloud radiative forcing of 10 W m-2 and up to ~ 50 W m-2 in individual grid cells relative to a simulation in which NPF is excluded.« less

Buoyant production and consumption of turbulence kinetic energy in cloud-topped mixed layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, D. A.

1984-01-01

It is pointed out that studies of the entraining planetary boundary layer (PBL) have generally emphasized the role of buoyancy fluxes in driving entrainment. The buoyancy flux is proportional to the rate of conversion of the potential energy of the mean flow into the kinetic energy of the turbulence. It is not unusual for conversion to proceed in both directions simultaneously. This occurs, for instance, in both clear and cloudy convective mixed layers which are capped by inversions. A partitioning of the net conversion into positive parts, generating turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), and negative parts (TKE-consuming), would make it possible to include the positive part in the gross production rate, and closure would be achieved. Three different approaches to partitioning have been proposed. The present investigation is concerned with a comparison of the three partitioning theories. Particular attention is given to the cloud-topped mixed layer because in this case the differences between two partitioning approaches are most apparent.

Impacts of Aerosols on Seasonal Precipitation and Snowpack in California Based on Convection-Permitting WRF-Chem Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Y.; Wu, L.; Jiang, J. H.; Su, H.; Yu, N.; Zhao, C.; Qian, Y.; Zhao, B.; Liou, K. N.; Choi, Y. S.

2017-12-01

A version of the WRF-Chem model with fully coupled aerosol-meteorology-snowpack is employed to investigate the impacts of various aerosol sources on precipitation and snowpack in California. In particular, the impacts of locally emitted anthropogenic and dust aerosols, and aerosols transported from outside of California are studied. We differentiate three pathways of aerosol effects including aerosol-radiation interaction (ARI), aerosol-snow interaction (ASI), and aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI). The convection-permitting model simulations show that precipitation, snow water equivalent (SWE), and surface air temperature averaged over the whole domain (34-42°N, 117-124°W, not including ocean points) are reduced when aerosols are included, therefore reducing the high model biases of these variables when aerosol effects are not considered. Aerosols affect California water resources through the warming of mountain tops and anomalously low precipitation, however, different aerosol sources play different roles in changing surface temperature, precipitation and snowpack in California by means of various weights of the three pathways. ARI by all aerosols mainly cools the surface, leading to slightly increased SWE over the mountains. Locally emitted dust aerosols warm the surface of mountain tops through ASI, in which the reduced snow albedo associated with dirty snow leads to more surface absorption of solar radiation and reduced SWE. Transported and local anthropogenic aerosols play a dominant role in increasing cloud water amount but reducing precipitation through ACI, leading to reduced SWE and runoff over the Sierra Nevada, as well as the warming of mountain tops associated with decreased SWE and hence lower surface albedo. The average changes in surface temperature from October to June are about -0.19 K and 0.22 K for the whole domain and over mountain tops, respectively. Overall, the averaged reduction during October to June is about 7% for precipitation, 3% for SWE, and 7% for surface runoff for the whole domain, while the corresponding numbers are 12%, 10%, and 10% for mountain tops. The reduction in SWE is more significant in a dry year, with 9% for the whole domain and 16% for mountain tops.

On the potential influence of ice nuclei on surface-forced marine stratocumulus cloud dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, Jerry Y.; Olsson, Peter Q.

2001-11-01

The mixed phase cloudy boundary layer that occurs during off-ice flow in the marine Arctic was simulated in an environment with a strong surface heat flux (nearly 800 W m-2). A two-dimensional, eddy-resolving model coupled to a detailed cloud microphysical model was used to study both liquid phase and mixed phase stratocumulus clouds and boundary layer (BL) dynamics in this environment. Since ice precipitation may be important to BL dynamics, and ice nuclei (IN) concentrations modulate ice precipitation rates, the role of IN in cloud and BL development was explored. The results of several simulations illustrate how mixed phase microphysical processes affect the evolution of the cloudy BL in this environment. In agreement with past studies, BLs with mixed phase clouds had weaker convection, shallower BL depths, and smaller cloud fractions than BLs with clouds restricted to the liquid phase only. It is shown that the weaker BL convection is due to strong ice precipitation. Ice precipitation reduces convective strength directly by stabilizing downdrafts and more indirectly by sensibly heating the BL and inhibiting vertical mixing of momentum thereby reducing surface heat fluxes by as much as 80 W m-2. This feedback between precipitation and surface fluxes was found to have a significant impact on cloud/BL morphology, producing oscillations in convective strength and cloud fraction that did not occur if surface fluxes were fixed at constant values. Increases in IN concentrations in mixed phase clouds caused a more rapid Bergeron-Findeisen process leading to larger precipitation fluxes, reduced convection and lower cloud fraction. When IN were removed from the BL through precipitation, fewer crystals were nucleated at later simulation times leading to progressively weaker precipitation rates, greater cloud fraction, and stronger convective BL eddies.

A Stochastic Framework for Modeling the Population Dynamics of Convective Clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hagos, Samson; Feng, Zhe; Plant, Robert S.

A stochastic prognostic framework for modeling the population dynamics of convective clouds and representing them in climate models is proposed. The approach used follows the non-equilibrium statistical mechanical approach through a master equation. The aim is to represent the evolution of the number of convective cells of a specific size and their associated cloud-base mass flux, given a large-scale forcing. In this framework, referred to as STOchastic framework for Modeling Population dynamics of convective clouds (STOMP), the evolution of convective cell size is predicted from three key characteristics: (i) the probability of growth, (ii) the probability of decay, and (iii)more » the cloud-base mass flux. STOMP models are constructed and evaluated against CPOL radar observations at Darwin and convection permitting model (CPM) simulations. Multiple models are constructed under various assumptions regarding these three key parameters and the realisms of these models are evaluated. It is shown that in a model where convective plumes prefer to aggregate spatially and mass flux is a non-linear function of convective cell area, mass flux manifests a recharge-discharge behavior under steady forcing. Such a model also produces observed behavior of convective cell populations and CPM simulated mass flux variability under diurnally varying forcing. Besides its use in developing understanding of convection processes and the controls on convective cell size distributions, this modeling framework is also designed to be capable of providing alternative, non-equilibrium, closure formulations for spectral mass flux parameterizations.« less

Passive Microwave Rainfall Estimates from the GPM Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummerow, Christian; Petkovic, Veljko

2017-04-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission was launched in February 2014 as a joint mission between JAXA from Japan and NASA from the United States. GPM carries a state of the art dual-frequency precipitation radar and a multi-channel passive microwave radiometer that acts not only to enhance the radar's retrieval capability, but also as a reference for a constellation of existing satellites carrying passive microwave sensors. In March of 2016, GPM released Version 4 of its precipitation products that consists of radar, radiometer, and combined radar/radiometer products. The precipitation products from these sensors or sensor combination are consistent by design and show relatively minor differences in the mean global sense. Closer examination of the biases, however, reveals regional biases between active and passive sensors that can be directly related top the nature of the convection. By looking at cloud systems instead of individual satellite pixels, the relationship between biases and the large scale environmental state become obvious. Organized convection, which occurs more readily in regimes with large Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) and shear tend to drive biases in different directions than isolated convection. This is true over both land and ocean. This talk will present the latest findings and explore these discrepancies from a physical perspective in order to gain some understanding between cloud structures, information content, and retrieval differences. This analysis will be used to then drive a bigger picture of how GPM's latest results inform the Global Water and Energy budgets.

Effects of cumulus entrainment and multiple cloud types on a January global climate model simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yao, Mao-Sung; Del Genio, Anthony D.

1989-01-01

An improved version of the GISS Model II cumulus parameterization designed for long-term climate integrations is used to study the effects of entrainment and multiple cloud types on the January climate simulation. Instead of prescribing convective mass as a fixed fraction of the cloud base grid-box mass, it is calculated based on the closure assumption that the cumulus convection restores the atmosphere to a neutral moist convective state at cloud base. This change alone significantly improves the distribution of precipitation, convective mass exchanges, and frequencies in the January climate. The vertical structure of the tropical atmosphere exhibits quasi-equilibrium behavior when this closure is used, even though there is no explicit constraint applied above cloud base.

Tropical cloud buoyancy is the same in a world with or without ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, Jacob T.; Romps, David M.

2016-04-01

When convective clouds grow above the melting line, where temperatures fall below 0°C, condensed water begins to freeze and water vapor is deposited. These processes release the latent heat of fusion, which warms cloud air, and many previous studies have suggested that this heating from fusion increases cloud buoyancy in the upper troposphere. Here we use numerical simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium with and without ice processes to argue that tropical cloud buoyancy is not systematically higher in a world with fusion than in a world without it. This insensitivity results from the fact that the environmental temperature profile encountered by developing tropical clouds is itself determined by convection. We also offer a simple explanation for the large reservoir of convective available potential energy in the tropical upper troposphere that does not invoke ice.

A microphysical pathway analysis to investigate aerosol effects on convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heikenfeld, Max; White, Bethan; Labbouz, Laurent; Stier, Philip

2017-04-01

The impact of aerosols on ice- and mixed-phase processes in convective clouds remains highly uncertain, which has strong implications for estimates of the role of aerosol-cloud interactions in the climate system. The wide range of interacting microphysical processes are still poorly understood and generally not resolved in global climate models. To understand and visualise these processes and to conduct a detailed pathway analysis, we have added diagnostic output of all individual process rates for number and mass mixing ratios to two commonly-used cloud microphysics schemes (Thompson and Morrison) in WRF. This allows us to investigate the response of individual processes to changes in aerosol conditions and the propagation of perturbations throughout the development of convective clouds. Aerosol effects on cloud microphysics could strongly depend on the representation of these interactions in the model. We use different model complexities with regard to aerosol-cloud interactions ranging from simulations with different levels of fixed cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) as a proxy for aerosol, to prognostic CDNC with fixed modal aerosol distributions. Furthermore, we have implemented the HAM aerosol model in WRF-chem to also perform simulations with a fully interactive aerosol scheme. We employ a hierarchy of simulation types to understand the evolution of cloud microphysical perturbations in atmospheric convection. Idealised supercell simulations are chosen to present and test the analysis methods for a strongly confined and well-studied case. We then extend the analysis to large case study simulations of tropical convection over the Amazon rainforest. For both cases we apply our analyses to individually tracked convective cells. Our results show the impact of model uncertainties on the understanding of aerosol-convection interactions and have implications for improving process representation in models.

Convective Cloud and Rainfall Processes Over the Maritime Continent: Simulation and Analysis of the Diurnal Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gianotti, Rebecca L.

The Maritime Continent experiences strong moist convection, which produces significant rainfall and drives large fluxes of heat and moisture to the upper troposphere. Despite the importance of these processes to global circulations, current predictions of climate change over this region are still highly uncertain, largely due to inadequate representation of the diurnally-varying processes related to convection. In this work, a coupled numerical model of the land-atmosphere system (RegCM3-IBIS) is used to investigate how more physically-realistic representations of these processes can be incorporated into large-scale climate models. In particular, this work improves simulations of convective-radiative feedbacks and the role of cumulus clouds in mediating the diurnal cycle of rainfall. Three key contributions are made to the development of RegCM3-IBIS. Two pieces of work relate directly to the formation and dissipation of convective clouds: a new representation of convective cloud cover, and a new parameterization of convective rainfall production. These formulations only contain parameters that can be directly quantified from observational data, are independent of model user choices such as domain size or resolution, and explicitly account for subgrid variability in cloud water content and nonlinearities in rainfall production. The third key piece of work introduces a new method for representation of cloud formation within the boundary layer. A comprehensive evaluation of the improved model was undertaken using a range of satellite-derived and ground-based datasets, including a new dataset from Singapore's Changi airport that documents diurnal variation of the local boundary layer height. The performance of RegCM3-IBIS with the new formulations is greatly improved across all evaluation metrics, including cloud cover, cloud liquid water, radiative fluxes and rainfall, indicating consistent improvement in physical realism throughout the simulation. This work demonstrates that: (1) moist convection strongly influences the near surface environment by mediating the incoming solar radiation and net radiation at the surface; (2) dissipation of convective cloud via rainfall plays an equally important role in the convectiveradiative feedback as the formation of that cloud; and (3) over parts of the Maritime Continent, rainfall is a product of diurnally-varying convective processes that operate at small spatial scales, on the order of 1 km. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - docs@mit.edu)

Vertical structure of boundary layer convection during cold-air outbreaks at Barrow, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yonggang; Geerts, Bart; Chen, Yaosheng

2016-01-01

Boundary layer convection (BLC) is common over high-latitude oceans and adjacent coastal regions when a cold airmass becomes exposed to a sufficient fetch of open water. The vertical structure of mixed-phase BLC clouds and precipitation is examined using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program data set collected at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site at Barrow, Alaska. BLC may occur at this location in autumn, when cold air masses originating at higher latitudes advect southward over the still ice-free coastal waters north of Alaska. This study identifies such BLC and documents its occurrence and characteristics. Instruments used for this study include profiling Ka band radars, a depolarization backscatter profiling lidar, a scanning X band radar, a microwave radiometer, a ceilometer, surface meteorological probes, and radiosondes. Six criteria are applied to objectively identify the BLC events, using data collected between 2004 and 2013. BLC episodes are relatively common at the NSA site, but almost exclusively in the month of October, and most episodes are relatively short, less than 10 h in duration. Liquid water is commonly found in these mixed-phase BLC clouds, with a typical liquid water path of 150 g/m2, and snowfall rates average ~3 mm h-1 (water equivalent), in some cases over 10 mm h-1, notwithstanding the low cloud echo tops (~1.0-1.5 km). In one rather weak but persistent episode fall speed estimates derived from the profiling Ka band radar indicates the presence of rimed particles, confirming the convective nature of this precipitation.

Implementation of an Aerosol-Cloud Microphysics-Radiation Coupling into the NASA Unified WRF: Simulation Results for the 6-7 August 2006 AMMA Special Observing Period

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shi, J. J.; Matsui, T.; Tao, W.-K.; Tan, Q.; Peters-Lidard, C.; Chin, M.; Pickering, K.; Guy, N.; Lang, S.; Kemp, E. M.

2014-01-01

Aerosols affect the Earth's radiation balance directly and cloud microphysical processes indirectly via the activation of cloud condensation and ice nuclei. These two effects have often been considered separately and independently, hence the need to assess their combined impact given the differing nature of their effects on convective clouds. To study both effects, an aerosol-microphysics-radiation coupling, including Goddard microphysics and radiation schemes, was implemented into the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting model (NU-WRF). Fully coupled NU-WRF simulations were conducted for a mesoscale convective system (MCS) that passed through the Niamey, Niger area on 6-7 August 2006 during an African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) special observing period. The results suggest that rainfall is reduced when aerosol indirect effects are included, regardless of the aerosol direct effect. Daily mean radiation heating profiles in the area traversed by the MCS showed the aerosol (mainly mineral dust) direct effect had the largest impact near cloud tops just above 200 hectopascals where short-wave heating increased by about 0.8 Kelvin per day; the weakest long-wave cooling was at around 250 hectopascals. It was also found that more condensation and ice nuclei as a result of higher aerosol/dust concentrations led to increased amounts of all cloud hydrometeors because of the microphysical indirect effect, and the radiation direct effect acts to reduce precipitating cloud particles (rain, snow and graupel) in the middle and lower cloud layers while increasing the non-precipitating particles (ice) in the cirrus anvil. However, when the aerosol direct effect was activated, regardless of the indirect effect, the onset of MCS precipitation was delayed about 2 hours, in conjunction with the delay in the activation of cloud condensation and ice nuclei. Overall, for this particular environment, model set-up and physics configuration, the effect of aerosol radiative heating due to mineral dust overwhelmed the effect of the aerosols on microphysics.

Original deep convection in the atmosphere of Mars driven by the radiative impact of dust and water-ice particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiga, A.; Madeleine, J. B.; Hinson, D.; Millour, E.; Forget, F.; Navarro, T.; Määttänen, A.; Montmessin, F.

2017-09-01

We unveil two examples of deep convection on Mars - in dust storms and water-ice clouds - to demonstrate that the radiative effect of aerosols and clouds can lead to powerful convective motions just as much as the release of latent heat in moist convection

On the sensitivity of the diurnal cycle in the Amazon to convective intensity

PubMed Central

Taylor, Patrick C.; Dodson, Jason B.; Tawfik, Ahmed B.

2016-01-01

Abstract Climate and reanalysis models contain large water and energy budget errors over tropical land related to the misrepresentation of diurnally forced moist convection. Motivated by recent work suggesting that the water and energy budget is influenced by the sensitivity of the convective diurnal cycle to atmospheric state, this study investigates the relationship between convective intensity, the convective diurnal cycle, and atmospheric state in a region of frequent convection—the Amazon. Daily, 3‐hourly satellite observations of top of atmosphere (TOA) fluxes from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System Ed3a SYN1DEG and precipitation from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 3B42 data sets are collocated with twice daily Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive observations from 2002 to 2012 and hourly flux tower observations. Percentiles of daily minimum outgoing longwave radiation are used to define convective intensity regimes. The results indicate a significant increase in the convective diurnal cycle amplitude with increased convective intensity. The TOA flux diurnal phase exhibits 1–3 h shifts with convective intensity, and precipitation phase is less sensitive. However, the timing of precipitation onset occurs 2–3 h earlier and the duration lasts 3–5 h longer on very convective compared to stable days. While statistically significant changes are found between morning atmospheric state and convective intensity, variations in upper and lower tropospheric humidity exhibit the strongest relationships with convective intensity and diurnal cycle characteristics. Lastly, convective available potential energy (CAPE) is found to vary with convective intensity but does not explain the variations in Amazonian convection, suggesting that a CAPE‐based convective parameterization will not capture the observed behavior without incorporating the sensitivity of convection to column humidity. PMID:27867784

A Conundrum of Tropical Cyclone Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, C. A.

2014-12-01

This paper will address a conundrum that has emerged from recent research on tropical cyclone formation. Composite analyses and case studies suggest that prior to genesis, the atmosphere presents a mid-tropospheric vortex that is strong compared to the cyclonic circulation in the boundary layer. Accompanying this vortex is near saturation from the boundary layer through at least 5 km, sometimes more, and a nearly balanced weak negative temperature anomaly below the vortex and stronger positive temperature anomaly above. This thermodynamic state is one of high moisture but low buoyancy for lifted parcels (i.e. low convective available potential energy). However, observations also suggest that widespread deep convection accompanies genesis, with cloud top temperatures becoming colder near the time of genesis. This is seemingly at odds with in situ observations of thermodynamic characteristics prior to genesis. Progress toward understanding the apparent contradiction can be made by realizing that the existence of a moist, relatively stable vortex, and deep convective clouds are not necessarily coincident in space and time. This is demonstrated by a detailed analysis of the two days leading up to the formation of Atlantic tropical cyclone Karl on 14 September. Karl featured a relatively long gestation period characterized initially by a marked misalignment of mid-tropospheric and surface cyclonic circulations. The mid-tropospheric vortex strengthened due to a pulse of convection earlier on 13 September. Meanwhile, the near-surface vortex underwent a precession around the mid-tropospheric vortex as the separation between the two decreased. The eruption of convection around midnight on 14 September, 18 hours prior to declaration on a TC, occurred in the center of the nearly-aligned vortex, contained a mixture of shallow and deep convection and resulted in spin-up over a deep layer, but particularly at the surface. Prior to genesis, the most intense deep convection was located at least 200 km from the center.

Impact of Albedo Contrast Between Cirrus and Boundary-Layer Clouds on Climate Sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chou, Ming-Dah; Lindzen, R. S.; Hou, A. Y.; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In assessing the iris effect suggested by Lindzen et al. (2001), Fu et al. (2001) found that the response of high-level clouds to the sea surface temperature had an effect of reducing the climate sensitivity to external radiative forcing, but the effect was not as strong as LCH found. This weaker reduction in climate sensitivity was due to the smaller contrasts in albedos and effective emitting temperatures between cirrus clouds and the neighboring regions. FBH specified the albedos and the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) in the LCH 3.5-box radiative-convective model by requiring that the model radiation budgets at the top of the atmosphere be consistent with that inferred from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). In point of fact, the constraint by radiation budgets alone is not sufficient for deriving the correct contrast in radiation properties between cirrus clouds and the neighboring regions, and the approach of FBH to specifying those properties is, we feel inappropriate for assessing the iris effect.

Case study of the March 24, 1976 Elton, Louisiana tornado using satellite infrared imagery, Doppler sounder, rawinsonde, and radar observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Smith, R. E.

1983-01-01

The Elton, Louisiana tornado on March 24, 1976 has been studied using GOES digital infrared data for the growth and collapse of the cloud top, the temperature-height relationship and air mass instability from rawinsonde data, gravity waves from Doppler sounder records, and radar summaries from storm activity during the three-hour time period immediately preceding the touchdown of the tornado. In this case, the overshooting turret collapsed 30 minutes before the tornado touchdown as the eastward moving cloud reached Elton, Louisiana. Results show that the gravity waves were excited by the enhanced convection of the storm penetrating through the tropopause in the 2.5 hour time period before the tornado touched down.

Case study of the March 24, 1976 Elton, Louisiana tornado using satellite infrared imagery, doppler sounder, rawinsonde, and radar observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, R. J.; Smith, R. E.

1983-05-01

The Elton, Louisiana tornado on March 24, 1976 has been studied using GOES digital infrared data for the growth and collapse of the cloud top, the temperature-height relationship and air mass instability from rawinsonde data, gravity waves from Doppler sounder records, and radar summaries from storm activity during the three-hour time period immediately preceding the touchdown of the tornado. In this case, the overshooting turret collapsed 30 minutes before the tornado touchdown as the eastward moving cloud reached Elton, Louisiana. Results show that the gravity waves were excited by the enhanced convection of the storm penetrating through the tropopause in the 2.5 hour time period before the tornado touched down.

NASA Experiment on Tropospheric-Stratospheric Water Vapor Transport in the Intertropical Convergence Zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, William A.

1982-01-01

The following six papers report preliminary results obtained from a field experiment designed to study the role of tropical cumulo-nimbus clouds in the transfer of water vapor from the troposphere to the stratosphere over the region of Panama. The measurements were made utilizing special NOAA enhanced IR satellite images, radiosonde-ozonesondes and a NASA U-2 aircraft carrying. nine experiments. The experiments were provided by a group of NASA, NOAA, industry, and university scientists. Measurements included atmospheric humidity, air and cloud top temperatures, atmospheric tracer constituents, cloud particle characteristics and cloud morphology. The aircraft made a total of eleven flights from August 30 through September 18, 1980, from Howard Air Force Base, Panama; the pilots obtained horizontal and vertical profiles in and near convectively active regions and flew around and over cumulo-nimbus towers and through the extended anvils in the stratosphere. Cumulo-nimbus clouds in the tropics appear to play an important role in upward water vapor transport and may represent the principal source influencing the stratospheric water vapor budget. The clouds provide strong vertical circulation in the troposphere, mixing surface air and its trace materials (water vapor, CFM's sulfur compounds, etc.) quickly up to the tropopause. It is usually assumed that large scale mean motions or eddy scale motions transport the trace materials through the tropopause and into the stratosphere where they are further dispersed and react with other stratospheric constituents. The important step between the troposphere and stratosphere for water vapor appears to depend upon the processes occurring at or near the tropopause at the tops of the cumulo-nimbus towers. Several processes have been sugested: (1) The highest towers penetrate the tropopause and carry water in the form of small ice particles directly into the stratosphere. (2) Water vapor from the tops of the cumulonimbus clouds is transported somehow through the tropopause, the vapor pressure being controlled by the temperature at the tops of the clouds; the dryness of the stratosphere could be explained if most of the transport occurs in connection with very high clouds in regions with very high and cold tropopause. (3) Cumulo-nimbus anvils act as terrestrial-radiation shields allowing the ice particle temperatures near cloud tops to cool radiatively below the supersaturation point; this cooling would cause a vapor deposition on the ice particles which will settle out and thus act as water scavengers. The experiment was designed to collect information on these detailed physical processes near and above the tropopause in order to assess their importance and the role they play in controlling stratospheric water vapor humidity.

Quantifying the radiative and microphysical impacts of fire aerosols on cloud dynamics in the tropics using temporally offset satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tosca, M. G.; Diner, D. J.; Garay, M. J.; Kalashnikova, O.

2013-12-01

Anthropogenic fires in Southeast Asia and Central America emit smoke that affects cloud dynamics, meteorology, and climate. We measured the cloud response to direct and indirect forcing from biomass burning aerosols using aerosol retrievals from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and non-synchronous cloud retrievals from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from collocated morning and afternoon overpasses. Level 2 data from thirty-one individual scenes acquired between 2006 and 2010 were used to quantify changes in cloud fraction, cloud droplet size, cloud optical depth and cloud top temperature from morning (10:30am local time) to afternoon (1:30pm local time) in the presence of varying aerosol burdens. We accounted for large-scale meteorological differences between scenes by normalizing observed changes to the mean difference per individual scene. Elevated AODs reduced cloud fraction and cloud droplet size and increased cloud optical depths in both Southeast Asia and Central America. In mostly cloudy regions, aerosols significantly reduced cloud fraction and cloud droplet sizes, but in clear skies, cloud fraction, cloud optical thickness and cloud droplet sizes increased. In clouds with vertical development, aerosols reduced cloud fraction via semi-direct effects but spurred cloud growth via indirect effects. These results imply a positive feedback loop between anthropogenic burning and cloudiness in both Central America and Southeast Asia, and are consistent with previous studies linking smoke aerosols to both cloud reduction and convective invigoration.

A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riihimaki, Laura D.; Comstock, Jennifer M.; Luke, Edward

To understand the microphysical processes that impact diabatic heating and cloud lifetimes in convection, we need to characterize the spatial distribution of supercooled liquid water. To address this observational challenge, vertically pointing active sensors at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site are used to classify cloud phase within a deep convective cloud in a shallow to deep convection transitional case. The cloud cannot be fully observed by a lidar due to signal attenuation. Thus we develop an objective method for identifying hydrometeor classes, including mixed-phase conditions, using k-means clustering on parameters that describe the shape of the Doppler spectramore » from vertically pointing Ka band cloud radar. This approach shows that multiple, overlapping mixed-phase layers exist within the cloud, rather than a single region of supercooled liquid, indicating complexity to how ice growth and diabatic heating occurs in the vertical structure of the cloud.« less

Airborne observations of cloud properties on HALO during NARVAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konow, Heike; Hansen, Akio; Ament, Felix

2016-04-01

The representation of cloud and precipitation processes is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate and weather predictions. To validate model predictions of convective processes over the Atlantic ocean, usually satellite data are used. However, satellite products provide just a coarse view with poor temporal resolution of convective maritime clouds. Aircraft-based observations offer a more detailed insight due to lower altitude and high sampling rates. The research aircraft HALO (High Altitude Long Range Research Aircraft) is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). With a ceiling of 15 km, and a range of 10,000 km and more than 10 hours it is able to reach remote regions and operate from higher altitudes than most other research aircraft. Thus, it provides the unique opportunity to exploit regions of the atmosphere that cannot be easily accessed otherwise. Measurements conducted on HALO provide more detailed insights than achievable from satellite data. Therefore, this measurement platform bridges the gap between previous airborne measurements and satellites. The payload used for this study consists of, amongst others, a suite of passive microwave radiometers, a cloud radar, and a water vapor DIAL. To investigate cloud and precipitation properties of convective maritime clouds, the NARVAL (Next-generation Aircraft Remote-Sensing for Validation Studies) campaign was conducted in winter 2013/2014 out of Barbados and Keflavik (Iceland). This campaign was one of the first that took place on the HALO aircraft. During the experiment's two parts 15 research flights were conducted (8 flights during NARVAL-South out of Barbados to investigate trade-wind cumuli and 7 flights out of Keflavik with focus on mid-latitude cyclonic systems). Flight durations were between five and nine hours, amounting to roughly 118 flight hours overall. 121 dropsondes were deployed. In fall 2016 two additional aircraft campaigns with the same payload will take place: The second phase of NARVAL will focus on trade-wind cumuli observations and the NAWDEX (North-Atlantik Waveguide EXperiment) campaign will investigate the warm sector and frontal zones of mid-latitude cyclones. During the first NARVAL campaign, a broad range of cloud regimes from shallow cumuli to cumulonimbus and cold fronts was observed. Derived cloud covers from different instruments on board HALO varied by as much as 25 % since cloud radar, microwave radiometers, lidar and dropsondes measure different aspects of clouds. A cloud mask combining these observations provides a complimentary view of clouds and allows for identification of joint cloud characteristics (e.g., cloud top of ice or water clouds, cloud depth). We will present benefits gained from this combination of measurements and provide a more comprehensive view on clouds and cloud properties in different cloud regimes. Furthermore, we will give an overview of the plans for future campaigns and demonstrate what new insights we can gain from these airborne observations within the scope of past and future campaigns.

Moisture structure of tropical cloud systems as inferred from SSM/I

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Franklin R.

1989-01-01

The structure of tropical cloud systems was examined using data obtained by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager on vertically-integrated vapor, ice, and liquid water (including precipitable water) in a cloud cluster associated with a Pacific easterly wave. The cloud cluster provided a sample of the varying signatures of bulk microphysical processes in organized tropical convection. Composition techniques were used to interpret this variability and its significance in terms of the response of convection to its thermodynamic environment. The relative intensities of the ice and liquid-water signatures should provide insight on the relative contribution of stratiform vs convective rain and the characteristics of the water budgets of mesoscale convective systems.

New Satellite Estimates of Mixed-Phase Cloud Properties: A Synergistic Approach for Application to Global Satellite Imager Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. L., Jr.; Spangenberg, D.; Fleeger, C.; Sun-Mack, S.; Chen, Y.; Minnis, P.

2016-12-01

Determining accurate cloud properties horizontally and vertically over a full range of time and space scales is currently next to impossible using data from either active or passive remote sensors or from modeling systems. Passive satellite imagers provide horizontal and temporal resolution of clouds, but little direct information on vertical structure. Active sensors provide vertical resolution but limited spatial and temporal coverage. Cloud models embedded in NWP can produce realistic clouds but often not at the right time or location. Thus, empirical techniques that integrate information from multiple observing and modeling systems are needed to more accurately characterize clouds and their impacts. Such a strategy is employed here in a new cloud water content profiling technique developed for application to satellite imager cloud retrievals based on VIS, IR and NIR radiances. Parameterizations are developed to relate imager retrievals of cloud top phase, optical depth, effective radius and temperature to ice and liquid water content profiles. The vertical structure information contained in the parameterizations is characterized climatologically from cloud model analyses, aircraft observations, ground-based remote sensing data, and from CloudSat and CALIPSO. Thus, realistic cloud-type dependent vertical structure information (including guidance on cloud phase partitioning) circumvents poor assumptions regarding vertical homogeneity that plague current passive satellite retrievals. This paper addresses mixed phase cloud conditions for clouds with glaciated tops including those associated with convection and mid-latitude storm systems. Novel outcomes of our approach include (1) simultaneous retrievals of ice and liquid water content and path, which are validated with active sensor, microwave and in-situ data, and yield improved global cloud climatologies, and (2) new estimates of super-cooled LWC, which are demonstrated in aviation safety applications and validated with icing PIREPS. The initial validation is encouraging for single-layer cloud conditions. More work is needed to test and refine the method for global application in a wider range of cloud conditions. A brief overview of our current method, applications, verification, and plans for future work will be presented.

Aerosol midlatitude cyclone indirect effects in observations and high-resolution simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Daniel T.; Field, Paul R.; Schmidt, Anja; Grosvenor, Daniel P.; Bender, Frida A.-M.; Shipway, Ben J.; Hill, Adrian A.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Elsaesser, Gregory S.

2018-04-01

Aerosol-cloud interactions are a major source of uncertainty in inferring the climate sensitivity from the observational record of temperature. The adjustment of clouds to aerosol is a poorly constrained aspect of these aerosol-cloud interactions. Here, we examine the response of midlatitude cyclone cloud properties to a change in cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC). Idealized experiments in high-resolution, convection-permitting global aquaplanet simulations with constant CDNC are compared to 13 years of remote-sensing observations. Observations and idealized aquaplanet simulations agree that increased warm conveyor belt (WCB) moisture flux into cyclones is consistent with higher cyclone liquid water path (CLWP). When CDNC is increased a larger LWP is needed to give the same rain rate. The LWP adjusts to allow the rain rate to be equal to the moisture flux into the cyclone along the WCB. This results in an increased CLWP for higher CDNC at a fixed WCB moisture flux in both observations and simulations. If observed cyclones in the top and bottom tercile of CDNC are contrasted it is found that they have not only higher CLWP but also cloud cover and albedo. The difference in cyclone albedo between the cyclones in the top and bottom third of CDNC is observed by CERES to be between 0.018 and 0.032, which is consistent with a 4.6-8.3 Wm-2 in-cyclone enhancement in upwelling shortwave when scaled by annual-mean insolation. Based on a regression model to observed cyclone properties, roughly 60 % of the observed variability in CLWP can be explained by CDNC and WCB moisture flux.

Classification of Clouds and Deep Convection from GEOS-5 Using Satellite Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William; Suarez, Max

2010-01-01

With the increased resolution of global atmospheric models and the push toward global cloud resolving models, the resemblance of model output to satellite observations has become strikingly similar. As we progress with our adaptation of the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) as a high resolution cloud system resolving model, evaluation of cloud properties and deep convection require in-depth analysis beyond a visual comparison. Outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) provides a sufficient comparison with infrared (IR) satellite imagery to isolate areas of deep convection. We have adopted a binning technique to generate a series of histograms for OLR which classify the presence and fraction of clear sky versus deep convection in the tropics that can be compared with a similar analyses of IR imagery from composite Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) observations. We will present initial results that have been used to evaluate the amount of deep convective parameterization required within the model as we move toward cloud system resolving resolutions of 10- to 1-km globally.

Observing microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection with ARM active sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, L.; Comstock, J. M.; Luke, E. P.; Thorsen, T. J.; Fu, Q.

2016-12-01

The existence and distribution of super-cooled liquid water within convective clouds impacts the microphysical processes responsible for cloud radiative and lifetime effects. Yet few observations of cloud phase are available within convection and associated stratiform anvils. Here we identify super-cooled liquid layers within convection and associated stratiform clouds using measured radar Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar and Raman Lidar, capitalizing on the strengths of both instruments. Observations from these sensors are used to show that liquid exists in patches within the cloud, rather than in uniform layers, impacting the growth and formation of ice. While a depolarization lidar like the Raman Lidar is a trusted measurement for identifying super-cooled liquid, the lidar attenuates at an optical depth of around three, limiting its ability to probe the full cloud. The use of the radar Doppler spectra is particularly valuable for this purpose because it allows observations within optically thicker clouds. We demonstrate a new method for identifying super-cooled liquid objectively from the radar Doppler spectra using machine-learning techniques.

Convective Formation of Pileus Cloud Near the Tropopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrett, Timothy J.; Dean-Day, Jonathan; Liu, Chuntao; Barnett, Brian K.; Mace, Gerald G.; Baumgardner, Darrel G.; Webster, Christopher R.; Bui, T. Paul; Read, William G.; Minnis, Patrick

2005-01-01

Pileus clouds form where humid, stably stratified air is mechanically displaced vertically ahead of rising convection. This paper describes convective formation of pileus cloud in the tropopause transition layer (TTL), and explores a possible link to the formation of long-lasting cirrus at cold temperatures. In-situ measurements from off the coast of Honduras during the July 2002 CRYSTALFACE experiment show an example of TTL cirrus associated with, and penetrated by, deep convection. The cirrus was enriched with total water compared to its surroundings, but composed of extremely small ice crystals with effective radii between 2 and 4 m. Through gravity wave analysis, and intercomparison of measured and simulated cloud microphysics, it is argued that the TTL cirrus in this case originated neither from convectively-forced gravity wave motions nor environmental mixing alone. Rather, it is hypothesized that some combination was involved in which, first, convection forced pileus cloud to form from TTL air; second, it punctured the pileus layer, contributing larger ice crystals through interfacial mixing; third, the addition of condensate inhibited evaporation of the original pileus ice crystals in the warm phase of the ensuing gravity wave; fourth, through successive pulses, deep convection formed the observed layer of TTL cirrus. While the general incidence and longevity of pileus cloud remains unknown, in-situ measurements, and satellite-based Microwave Limb Sounder retrievals, suggest that much of the tropical TTL is sufficiently humid to be susceptible to its formation. Where these clouds form and persist, there is potential for an irreversible repartition from water vapor to ice at cold temperatures.

Organization of the Tropical Convective Cloud Population by Humidity and the Critical Transition to Heavy Precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igel, M.

2015-12-01

The tropical atmosphere exhibits an abrupt statistical switch between non-raining and heavily raining states as column moisture increases across a wide range of length scales. Deep convection occurs at values of column humidity above the transition point and induces drying of moist columns. With a 1km resolution, large domain cloud resolving model run in RCE, what will be made clear here for the first time is how the entire tropical convective cloud population is affected by and feeds back to the pickup in heavy precipitation. Shallow convection can act to dry the low levels through weak precipitation or vertical redistribution of moisture, or to moisten toward a transition to deep convection. It is shown that not only can deep convection dehydrate the entire column, it can also dry just the lower layer through intense rain. In the latter case, deep stratiform cloud then forms to dry the upper layer through rain with anomalously high rates for its value of column humidity until both the total column moisture falls below the critical transition point and the upper levels are cloud free. Thus, all major tropical cloud types are shown to respond strongly to the same critical phase-transition point. This mutual response represents a potentially strong organizational mechanism for convection, and the frequency of and logical rules determining physical evolutions between these convective regimes will be discussed. The precise value of the point in total column moisture at which the transition to heavy precipitation occurs is shown to result from two independent thresholds in lower-layer and upper-layer integrated humidity.

Improving Convection and Cloud Parameterization Using ARM Observations and NCAR Community Atmosphere Model CAM5

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Guang J.

2016-11-07

The fundamental scientific objectives of our research are to use ARM observations and the NCAR CAM5 to understand the large-scale control on convection, and to develop improved convection and cloud parameterizations for use in GCMs.

The interaction of a magnetic cloud with the Earth - Ionospheric convection in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres for a wide range of quasi-steady interplanetary magnetic field conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freeman, M. P.; Farrugia, C. J.; Burlaga, L. F.; Hairston, M. R.; Greenspan, M. E.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.; Lepping, R. P.

1993-01-01

Observations are presented of the ionospheric convection in cross sections of the polar cap and auroral zone as part of the study of the interaction of the Earth's magnetosphere with the magnetic cloud of January 13-15, 1988. For strongly northward IMF, the convection in the Southern Hemisphere is characterized by a two-cell convection pattern comfined to high latitudes with sunward flow over the pole. The strength of the flows is comparable to that later seen under southward IMF. Superimposed on this convection pattern there are clear dawn-dusk asymmetries associated with a one-cell convection component whose sense depends on the polarity of the magnetic cloud's large east-west magnetic field component. When the cloud's magnetic field turns southward, the convection is characterized by a two-cell pattern extending to lower latitude with antisunward flow over the pole. There is no evident interhemispheric difference in the structure and strength of the convection. Superimposed dawn-dusk asymmetries in the flow patterns are observed which are only in part attributable to the east-west component of the magnetic field.

Convection Fingerprints on the Vertical Profiles of Q1 and Q2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Lin, H.; Chou, C.

2013-12-01

Different types of tropical convection left their fingerprints on vertical structures of apparent heat source (Q1) and apparent moisture sink (Q2). Profile of deep convection on condensation heating and drying has been well-documented, yet direct assessment of shallow convection remains to be explored. Shallow convection prevails over subtropical ocean, where large-scale subsidence is primarily balanced by radiative cooling and moistening due to surface evaporation instead of moist convection. In this study a united framework is designed to investigate the vertical structures of tropical marine convections in three reanalysis data, including ERA-Interim, MERRA, and CFSR. It starts by sorting and binning data from the lightest to the heaviest rain. Then the differences between two neighboring bins are used to examine the direct effects for precipitation change, in light of the fact that non-convective processes would change slowly from bin to bin. It is shown that all three reanalyses reveal the shallow convective processes in light rain bins, featured by re-evaporating and detraining at the top of boundary layer and lower free troposphere. For heavy rain bins, three reanalyses mainly differ in their numbers and altitudes of heating and drying peaks, implying no universal agreement has been reached on partitioning of cloud populations. Coherent variations in temperature, moisture, and vertical motion are also discussed. This approach permits a systematical survey and comparison of tropical convection in GCM-type models, and preliminary studies of three reanalyses suggest certain degree of inconsistency in simulated convective feedback to large-scale heat and moisture budgets.

The impact of the diurnal cycle on the propagation of Madden-Julian Oscillation convection across the Maritime Continent

DOE PAGES

Hagos, Samson M.; Zhang, Chidong; Feng, Zhe; ...

2016-09-19

Influences of the diurnal cycle of convection on the propagation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) across the Maritime Continent (MC) are examined using cloud-permitting regional model simulations and observations. A pair of ensembles of control (CONTROL) and no-diurnal cycle (NODC) simulations of the November 2011 MJO episode are performed. In the CONTROL simulations, the MJO signal is weakened as it propagates across the MC, with much of the convection stalling over the large islands of Sumatra and Borneo. In the NODC simulations, where the incoming shortwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere is maintained at its daily mean value,more » the MJO signal propagating across the MC is enhanced. Examination of the surface energy fluxes in the simulations indicates that in the presence of the diurnal cycle, surface downwelling shortwave radiation in CONTROL simulations is larger because clouds preferentially form in the afternoon. Furthermore, the diurnal co-variability of surface wind speed and skin temperature results in a larger sensible heat flux and a cooler land surface in CONTROL compared to NODC simulations. Here, an analysis of observations indicates that the modulation of the downwelling shortwave radiation at the surface by the diurnal cycle of cloudiness negatively projects on the MJO intraseasonal cycle and therefore disrupts the propagation of the MJO across the MC.« less

Convectively-generated gravity waves and clear-air turbulence (CAT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharman, Robert; Lane, Todd; Trier, Stanley

2013-04-01

Upper-level turbulence is a well-known hazard to aviation that is responsible for numerous injuries each year, with occasional fatalities, and results in millions of dollars of operational costs to airlines each year. It has been widely accepted that aviation-scale turbulence that occurs in clear air (CAT) at upper levels (upper troposphere and lower stratosphere) has its origins in Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities induced by enhanced shears and reduced Richardson numbers associated with the jet stream and upper level fronts. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that gravity waves and gravity wave "breaking" also play a major role in instigating turbulence that affects aviation. Gravity waves and inertia-gravity waves may be produced by a variety of sources, but one major source that impacts aviation seems to be those produced by convection. The relation of convectively-induced gravity waves to turbulence outside the cloud (either above cloud or laterally away from cloud) is examined based on high resolution cloud-resolving simulations, both with and without cloud microphysics in the simulations. Results for both warm-season and cold-season cloud systems indicate that the turbulence in the clear air away from cloud is often caused by gravity wave production processes in or near the cloud which once initiated, are able to propagate away from the storm, and may eventually "break." Without microphysics of course this effect is absent and turbulence is not produced in the simulations. In some cases the convectively-induced turbulence may be many kilometers away from the active convection and can easily be misinterpreted as "clear-air turbulence" (CAT). This is a significant result, and may be cause for a reassessment of the working definition of CAT ("turbulence encountered outside of convective clouds", FAA Advisory Circular AC 00-30B, 1997).

Analysis of Ozone in Cloudy Versus Clear Sky Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strode, Sarah; Douglass, Anne; Ziemke, Jerald

2016-01-01

Convection impacts ozone concentrations by transporting ozone vertically and by lofting ozone precursors from the surface, while the clouds and lighting associated with convection affect ozone chemistry. Observations of the above-cloud ozone column (Ziemke et al., 2009) derived from the OMI instrument show geographic variability, and comparison of the above-cloud ozone with all-sky tropospheric ozone columns from OMI indicates important regional differences. We use two global models of atmospheric chemistry, the GMI chemical transport model (CTM) and the GEOS-5 chemistry climate model, to diagnose the contributions of transport and chemistry to observed differences in ozone between areas with and without deep convection, as well as differences in clean versus polluted convective regions. We also investigate how the above-cloud tropospheric ozone from OMI can provide constraints on the relationship between ozone and convection in a free-running climate simulation as well as a CTM.

How to assess the impact of a physical parameterization in simulations of moist convection?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabowski, Wojciech

2017-04-01

A numerical model capable in simulating moist convection (e.g., cloud-resolving model or large-eddy simulation model) consists of a fluid flow solver combined with required representations (i.e., parameterizations) of physical processes. The later typically include cloud microphysics, radiative transfer, and unresolved turbulent transport. Traditional approaches to investigate impacts of such parameterizations on convective dynamics involve parallel simulations with different parameterization schemes or with different scheme parameters. Such methodologies are not reliable because of the natural variability of a cloud field that is affected by the feedback between the physics and dynamics. For instance, changing the cloud microphysics typically leads to a different realization of the cloud-scale flow, and separating dynamical and microphysical impacts is difficult. This presentation will present a novel modeling methodology, the piggybacking, that allows studying the impact of a physical parameterization on cloud dynamics with confidence. The focus will be on the impact of cloud microphysics parameterization. Specific examples of the piggybacking approach will include simulations concerning the hypothesized deep convection invigoration in polluted environments, the validity of the saturation adjustment in modeling condensation in moist convection, and separation of physical impacts from statistical uncertainty in simulations applying particle-based Lagrangian microphysics, the super-droplet method.

Drivers in the Scaling Between Precipitation and Cloud Radiative Impacts in Deep Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapp, A. D.; Sun, L.; Smalley, K.

2017-12-01

The coupling between changes in radiation and precipitation has been demonstrated by a number of studies and suggests an important link between cloud and precipitation processes for defining climate sensitivity. Precipitation and radiative fluxes from CloudSat/CALIPSO retrieval products are used to examine the relationship between precipitation and cloud radiative impacts through two dimensionless parameters. The surface radiative cooling impact, Rc, represents the ratio of the surface shortwave cloud radiative effect to latent heating (LH) from precipitation. The atmospheric radiative heating impact, Rh, represents the ratio of the atmospheric cloud radiative effect to LH from precipitation. Together, these parameters describe the relationship between precipitation processes and how efficiently clouds cools the surface or heats the atmosphere. Deep convective clouds are identified using the 2B-GEOPROF-LIDAR joint radar-lidar product and the cloud radiative impact parameters are calculated from the 2B-FLXHR-LIDAR fluxes and 2C-RAIN-PROFILE precipitation. Deep convective clouds will be sampled according to their dynamic and thermodynamic regimes to provide insights into the factors that control the scaling between precipitation and radiative impacts. Preliminary results from analysis of precipitating deep convective pixels indicates a strong increase (decrease) in the ratio of atmospheric heating (surface cooling) and precipitation with thermodynamic environment, especially increasing water vapor; however, it remains to be seen whether these results hold when integrated over an entire deep convective cloud system. Analysis of the dependence of Rc and Rh on the cloud horizontal and vertical structure is also planned, which should lead to a better understanding of the role of non-precipitating anvil characteristics in modulating the relationship between precipitation and surface and atmospheric radiative effects.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Version 6 Cloud Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, B. H.; Irion, F. W.; Dang, V. T.; Manning, E. M.; Nasiri, S. L.; Naud, C. M.; Blaisdell, J. M.; Schreier, M. M..; Yue, Q.; Bowman, K. W.;

Stratocumulus Cloud Top Radiative Cooling and Cloud Base Updraft Speeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazil, J.; Feingold, G.; Balsells, J.; Klinger, C.

2017-12-01

Cloud top radiative cooling is a primary driver of turbulence in the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary. A functional relationship between cloud top cooling and cloud base updraft speeds may therefore exist. A correlation of cloud top radiative cooling and cloud base updraft speeds has been recently identified empirically, providing a basis for satellite retrieval of cloud base updraft speeds. Such retrievals may enable analysis of aerosol-cloud interactions using satellite observations: Updraft speeds at cloud base co-determine supersaturation and therefore the activation of cloud condensation nuclei, which in turn co-determine cloud properties and precipitation formation. We use large eddy simulation and an off-line radiative transfer model to explore the relationship between cloud-top radiative cooling and cloud base updraft speeds in a marine stratocumulus cloud over the course of the diurnal cycle. We find that during daytime, at low cloud water path (CWP < 50 g m-2), cloud base updraft speeds and cloud top cooling are well-correlated, in agreement with the reported empirical relationship. During the night, in the absence of short-wave heating, CWP builds up (CWP > 50 g m-2) and long-wave emissions from cloud top saturate, while cloud base heating increases. In combination, cloud top cooling and cloud base updrafts become weakly anti-correlated. A functional relationship between cloud top cooling and cloud base updraft speed can hence be expected for stratocumulus clouds with a sufficiently low CWP and sub-saturated long-wave emissions, in particular during daytime. At higher CWPs, in particular at night, the relationship breaks down due to saturation of long-wave emissions from cloud top.

Uncertainties related to the representation of momentum transport in shallow convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlemmer, Linda; Bechtold, Peter; Sandu, Irina; Ahlgrimm, Maike

2017-04-01

The vertical transport of horizontal momentum by convection has an important impact on the general circulation of the atmosphere as well as on the life cycle and track of cyclones. So far convective momentum transport (CMT) has mostly been studied for deep convection, whereas little is known about its characteristics and importance in shallow convection. In this study CMT by shallow convection is investigated by analyzing both data from large-eddy simulations (LES) and simulations performed with the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). In addition, the central terms underlying the bulk mass-flux parametrization of CMT are evaluated offline. Further, the uncertainties related to the representation of CMT are explored by running the stochastically perturbed parametrizations (SPP) approach of the IFS. The analyzed cases exhibit shallow convective clouds developing within considerable low-level wind shear. Analysis of the momentum fluxes in the LES data reveals significant momentum transport by the convection in both cases, which is directed down-gradient despite substantial organization of the cloud field. A detailed inspection of the convection parametrization reveals a very good representation of the entrainment and detrainment rates and an appropriate representation of the convective mass and momentum fluxes. To determine the correct values of mass-flux and in-cloud momentum at the cloud base in the parametrization yet remains challenging. The spread in convection-related quantities generated by the SPP is reasonable and addresses many of the identified uncertainties.

Distribution and Variability of Satellite-Derived Signals of Isolated Convection Initiation Events Over Central Eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yipeng; Meng, Zhiyong; Li, Jing; Li, Wanbiao; Bai, Lanqiang; Zhang, Murong; Wang, Xi

2017-11-01

This study combined measurements from the Chinese operational geostationary satellite Fengyun-2E (FY-2E) and ground-based weather radars to conduct a statistical survey of isolated convection initiation (CI) over central eastern China (CEC). The convective environment in CEC is modulated by the complex topography and monsoon climate. From May to August 2010, a total of 1,630 isolated CI signals were derived from FY-2E using a semiautomated method. The formation of these satellite-derived CI signals peaks in the early afternoon and occurs with high frequency in areas with remarkable terrain inhomogeneity (e.g., mountain, water, and mountain-water areas). The high signal frequency areas shift from northwest CEC (dry, high altitude) in early summer to southeast CEC (humid, low altitude) in midsummer along with an increasing monthly mean frequency. The satellite-derived CI signals tend to have longer lead times (the time difference between satellite-derived signal formation and radar-based CI) in the late morning and afternoon than in the early morning and night. During the early morning and night, the distinction between cloud top signatures and background terrestrial radiation becomes less apparent, resulting in delayed identification of the signals and thus short and even negative lead times. A decline in the lead time is observed from May to August, likely due to the increasing cloud growth rate and warm-rain processes. Results show increasing lead times with increasing landscape elevation, likely due to more warm-rain processes over the coastal sea and plain, along with a decreasing cloud growth rate from hill and mountain to the plateau.

A Convective Vorticity Vector Associated With Tropical Convection: A 2D Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Shou-Ting; Ping, Fan; Li, Xiao-Fan; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2004-01-01

Although dry/moist potential vorticity is a useful physical quantity for meteorological analysis, it cannot be applied to the analysis of 2D simulations. A convective vorticity vector (CVV) is introduced in this study to analyze 2D cloud-resolving simulation data associated with 2D tropical convection. The cloud model is forced by the vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal advection, and sea surface temperature obtained from the TOGA COARE, and is integrated for a selected 10-day period. The CVV has zonal and vertical components in the 2D x-z frame. Analysis of zonally-averaged and mass-integrated quantities shows that the correlation coefficient between the vertical component of the CVV and the sum of the cloud hydrometeor mixing ratios is 0.81, whereas the correlation coefficient between the zonal component and the sum of the mixing ratios is only 0.18. This indicates that the vertical component of the CVV is closely associated with tropical convection. The tendency equation for the vertical component of the CVV is derived and the zonally-averaged and mass-integrated tendency budgets are analyzed. The tendency of the vertical component of the CVV is determined by the interaction between the vorticity and the zonal gradient of cloud heating. The results demonstrate that the vertical component of the CVV is a cloud-linked parameter and can be used to study tropical convection.

A Model and Satellite-Based Analysis of the Tropospheric Ozone Distribution in Clear Versus Convectively Cloudy Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strode, Sarah A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Manyin, Michael; Nielsen, J. Eric; Oman, Luke D.

2017-01-01

Satellite observations of in-cloud ozone concentrations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument and Microwave Limb Sounder instruments show substantial differences from background ozone concentrations. We develop a method for comparing a free-running chemistry-climate model (CCM) to in-cloud and background ozone observations using a simple criterion based on cloud fraction to separate cloudy and clear-sky days. We demonstrate that the CCM simulates key features of the in-cloud versus background ozone differences and of the geographic distribution of in-cloud ozone. Since the agreement is not dependent on matching the meteorological conditions of a specific day, this is a promising method for diagnosing how accurately CCMs represent the relationships between ozone and clouds, including the lower ozone concentrations shown by in-cloud satellite observations. Since clouds are associated with convection as well as changes in chemistry, we diagnose the tendency of tropical ozone at 400 hPa due to chemistry, convection and turbulence, and large-scale dynamics. While convection acts to reduce ozone concentrations at 400 hPa throughout much of the tropics, it has the opposite effect over highly polluted regions of South and East Asia.

Radiative-convective equilibrium model intercomparison project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, Allison A.; Reed, Kevin A.; Satoh, Masaki; Stevens, Bjorn; Bony, Sandrine; Ohno, Tomoki

2018-03-01

RCEMIP, an intercomparison of multiple types of models configured in radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE), is proposed. RCE is an idealization of the climate system in which there is a balance between radiative cooling of the atmosphere and heating by convection. The scientific objectives of RCEMIP are three-fold. First, clouds and climate sensitivity will be investigated in the RCE setting. This includes determining how cloud fraction changes with warming and the role of self-aggregation of convection in climate sensitivity. Second, RCEMIP will quantify the dependence of the degree of convective aggregation and tropical circulation regimes on temperature. Finally, by providing a common baseline, RCEMIP will allow the robustness of the RCE state across the spectrum of models to be assessed, which is essential for interpreting the results found regarding clouds, climate sensitivity, and aggregation, and more generally, determining which features of tropical climate a RCE framework is useful for. A novel aspect and major advantage of RCEMIP is the accessibility of the RCE framework to a variety of models, including cloud-resolving models, general circulation models, global cloud-resolving models, single-column models, and large-eddy simulation models.

Rectification of the Diurnal Cycle and the Impact of Islands on the Tropical Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cronin, T. W.; Emanuel, K.

2012-12-01

Tropical islands are observed to be rainier than nearby ocean areas, and rainfall over the islands of the Maritime Continent plays an important role in the atmospheric general circulation. Convective heating over tropical islands is also strongly modulated by the diurnal cycle of solar insolation and surface enthalpy fluxes, and convective parameterizations in general circulation models are known to reproduce the phase and amplitude of the observed diurnal cycle of convection rather poorly. Connecting these ideas suggests that poor representation of the diurnal cycle of convection and precipitation over tropical islands in climate models may be a significant source of model biases. Here, we explore how a highly idealized island, which differs only in heat capacity from the surrounding ocean, could rectify the diurnal cycle and impact the tropical climate, especially the spatial distribution of rainfall. We perform simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium with the System for Atmospheric Modeling cloud-system-resolving model, with interactive surface temperature and a varied surface heat capacity. For the case of relatively small-scale simulations, where a shallow (~5 cm) slab-ocean "swamp island" surface is embedded in a deeper (~1 m) slab-ocean domain, the precipitation rate over the island is more than double the domain average value, with island rainfall occurring primarily in a strong regular convective event each afternoon. In addition to this island precipitation enhancement, the upper troposphere also warms with the inclusion of a low- heat capacity island. We discuss two radiative mechanisms that contribute to both island precipitation enhancement and free tropospheric warming, by producing a top-of-atmosphere radiative surplus over the island. The first radiative mechanism is a clear-sky effect, related to nonlinearities in the surface energy budget, and differences in how surface energy balance is achieved over surfaces of different heat capacities. The second radiative mechanism is a cloudy-sky effect, related to the timing of clouds with respect to solar forcing, as well as to the mean cloud fraction and height. We also discuss an advective mechanism for island precipitation enhancement, related to both the moist static energy convergence by the diurnally-reversing land/sea breeze, and the enhanced variability of moist static energy in the island subcloud layer. Preliminary results from larger-domain equatorial beta-channel simulations are also discussed, with potentially greater applicability to the impacts of islands on the large-scale tropical circulation.

Uncertainty associated with convective wet removal of entrained aerosols in a global climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croft, B.; Pierce, J. R.; Martin, R. V.; Hoose, C.; Lohmann, U.

2012-11-01

The uncertainties associated with the wet removal of aerosols entrained above convective cloud bases are investigated in a global aerosol-climate model (ECHAM5-HAM) under a set of limiting assumptions for the wet removal of the entrained aerosols. The limiting assumptions for the wet removal of entrained aerosols are negligible scavenging and vigorous scavenging (either through activation, with size-dependent impaction scavenging, or with the prescribed fractions of the standard model). To facilitate this process-based study, an explicit representation of cloud-droplet-borne and ice-crystal-borne aerosol mass and number, for the purpose of wet removal, is introduced into the ECHAM5-HAM model. This replaces and is compared with the prescribed cloud-droplet-borne and ice-crystal-borne aerosol fraction scavenging scheme of the standard model. A 20% to 35% uncertainty in simulated global, annual mean aerosol mass burdens and optical depth (AOD) is attributed to different assumptions for the wet removal of aerosols entrained above convective cloud bases. Assumptions about the removal of aerosols entrained above convective cloud bases control modeled upper tropospheric aerosol concentrations by as much as one order of magnitude. Simulated aerosols entrained above convective cloud bases contribute 20% to 50% of modeled global, annual mean aerosol mass convective wet deposition (about 5% to 10% of the total dry and wet deposition), depending on the aerosol species, when including wet scavenging of those entrained aerosols (either by activation, size-dependent impaction, or with the prescribed fraction scheme). Among the simulations, the prescribed fraction and size-dependent impaction schemes yield the largest global, annual mean aerosol mass convective wet deposition (by about two-fold). However, the prescribed fraction scheme has more vigorous convective mixed-phase wet removal (by two to five-fold relative to the size-dependent impaction scheme) since nearly all entrained accumulation and coarse mode aerosols are assumed to be cloud-droplet borne or ice-crystal borne, and evaporation due to the Bergeron-Findeisen process is neglected. The simulated convective wet scavenging of entrained accumulation and coarse mode aerosols has feedbacks on new particle formation and the number of Aitken mode aerosols, which control stratiform and convective cloud droplet number concentrations and yield precipitation changes in the ECHAM5-HAM model. However, the geographic distribution of aerosol annual mean convective wet deposition change in the model is driven by changes to the assumptions regarding the scavenging of aerosols entrained above cloud bases rather than by precipitation changes, except for sea salt deposition in the tropics. Uncertainty in the seasonal, regional cycles of AOD due to assumptions about entrained aerosol wet scavenging is similar in magnitude to the estimated error in the AOD retrievals. The uncertainty in aerosol concentrations, burdens, and AOD attributed to different assumptions for the wet scavenging of aerosols entrained above convective cloud bases in a global model motivates the ongoing need to better understand and model the activation and impaction processes that aerosols undergo after entrainment into convective updrafts.

Characterization of hydrometeors and precipitation over the Indian monsoon region using aircraft measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheskumar, R. S.; Padmakumari, B.; Konwar, Mahen; Morwal, S. B.; Deshpande, C. G.

2018-06-01

In-situ observations of cloud microphysical properties, carried out over different parts of Indian sub-continent using an instrumented research aircraft during Phase-I of Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement EXperiment (CAIPEEX) from June to September 2009, were studied. Different cloud probes were used to characterize the hydrometeor and precipitation types in the monsoon clouds. The results revealed that all liquid phase hydrometeors were present at temperatures -12 °C to 15 °C. Most of the presence of rain drops were found in the liquid water content (LWC) range from 0.5 to 2 g/m3. In general, rain drops are initiated when the droplet effective radius (Re) exceeded 12 μm. Rain dominated at the tops of young growing convective clouds even at temperatures colder than -10 °C. Mixed phase hydrometeors were present at temperatures from -2 °C to -18 °C. The cases where mixed phase precipitation occurred at temperatures warmer than about -7 °C were associated with influx of transported dust aerosol at the upper (supercooled) region of these cloud systems. Ice only hydrometeors were found at temperatures extending from -10 °C to -22 °C. Most of the monsoon rain is produced by warm and cold cloud/mixed-phase processes in the cloud. The combined Re from two different cloud probes is useful for validation of satellite derived cloud microphysical parameter.

The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

2018-03-01

Controls on precipitation onset and the transition from shallow cumulus to congestus are explored using a suite of 16 large-eddy simulations based on the 25 May 2011 event from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). The thermodynamic variables in the model are relaxed at various timescales to observationally constrained temperature and moisture profiles in order to better reproduce the observed behavior of precipitation onset and total precipitation. Three of the simulations stand out as best matching the precipitation observations and also perform well for independent comparisons of cloud fraction, precipitation area fraction, and evolution of cloud top occurrence. All three simulations exhibit a destabilization over time, which leads to a transition to deeper clouds, but the evolution of traditional stability metrics by themselves is not able to explain differences in the simulations. Conditionally sampled cloud properties (in particular, mean cloud buoyancy), however, do elicit differences among the simulations. The inability of environmental profiles alone to discern subtle differences among the simulations and the usefulness of conditionally sampled model quantities argue for hybrid observational/modeling approaches. These combined approaches enable a more complete physical understanding of cloud systems by combining observational sampling of time-varying three-dimensional meteorological quantities and cloud properties, along with detailed representation of cloud microphysical and dynamical processes from numerical models.

Comparison between SAGE II and ISCCP high-level clouds. 2: Locating clouds tops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liao, Xiaohan; Rossow, William B.; Rind, David

1995-01-01

A comparison is made of the vertical distribution of high-level cloud tops derived from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) occultation measurements and from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) for all Julys and Januarys in 1985 to 1990. The results suggest that ISCCP overestimates the pressure of high-level clouds by up to 50-150 mbar, particularly at low latitudes. This is caused by the frequent presence of clouds with diffuse tops (greater than 50% time when cloudy events are observed). The averaged vertical extent of the diffuse top is about 1.5 km. At midlatitudes where the SAGE II and ISCCP cloud top pressure agree best, clouds with distinct tops reach a maximum relative proportion of the total level cloud amount (about 30-40%), and diffuse-topped clouds are reduced to their minimum (30-40%). The ISCCP-defined cloud top pressure should be regarded not as the material physical height of the clouds but as the level which emits the same infrared radiance as observed. SAGE II and ISCCP cloud top pressures agree for clouds with distinct tops. There is also an indication that the cloud top pressures of optically thin clouds not overlying thicker clouds are poorly estimated by ISCCP at middle latitudes. The average vertical extent of these thin clouds is about 2.5 km.

The ACRIDICON-CHUVA observational study of tropical convective clouds and precipitation using the new German research aircraft HALO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendisch, Manfred; Pöschl, Ulrich; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Machado, Luiz A. T.; Albrecht, Rachel; Schlager, Hans; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Krämer, Martina

2015-04-01

An extensive airborne/ground-based measurement campaign to study tropical convective clouds is introduced. It was performed in Brazil with focus on the Amazon rainforest from 1 September to 4 October 2014. The project combined the joint German-Brazilian ACRIDICON (Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems) and CHUVA (Machado et al.2014) projects. ACRIDICON aimed at the quantification of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions and their thermodynamic, dynamic and radiative effects in convective cloud systems by in-situ aircraft observations and indirect measurements (aircraft, satellite, and ground-based). The ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign was conducted in cooperation with the second Intensive Operational Phase (IOP) of the GOAmazon (Green Ocean Amazon) program. The focus in this presentation is on the airborne observations within ACRIDICON-CHUVA. The German HALO (High Altitude and Long-Range Research Aircraft) was based in Manaus (Amazonas State); it carried out 14 research flights (96 flight hours in total). HALO was equipped with remote sensing and in-situ instrumentation for meteorological, trace gas, aerosol, cloud, and precipitation measurements. Five mission objectives were pursued: (1) cloud vertical evolution (cloud profiling), (2) aerosol processing (inflow and outflow), (3) satellite validation, (4) vertical transport and mixing (tracer experiment), and (5) clouds over forested and deforested areas. The five cloud missions collected data in clean atmospheric conditions and in contrasting polluted (urban and biomass burning) environments.

Synergistic observations of convective cloud life-cycle during the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, M. P.; Petersen, W. A.; Giangrande, S.; Heymsfield, G. M.; Kollias, P.; Rutledge, S. A.; Schwaller, M.; Zipser, E. J.

2011-12-01

The Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) took place from 22 April through 6 June 2011 centered at the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains Central Facility in north-central Oklahoma. This campaign was a joint effort between the ARM and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement mission Ground Validation program. It was the first major field campaign to take advantage of numerous new radars and other remote sensing instrumentation purchased through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The measurement strategy for this field campaign was to provide a well-defined forcing dataset for modeling efforts coupled with detailed observations of cloud/precipitation dynamics and microphysics within the domain highlighted by advanced multi-scale, multi-frequency radar remote sensing. These observations are aimed at providing important insights into eight different components of convective simulation and microphysical parameterization: (1) pre-convective environment, (2) convective initiation, (3) updraft/downdraft dynamics, (4) condensate transport/detrainment/entrainment, (5) precipitation and cloud microphysics, (6) influence on the environment, (7) influence on radiation, and (8) large-scale forcing. In order to obtain the necessary dataset, the MC3E surface-based observational network included six radiosonde launch sites each launching 4-8 sondes per day, three X-band scanning ARM precipitation radars, a C-band scanning ARM precipitation radar, the NASA N-Pol (S-band) scanning radar, the NASA D3R Ka/Ku-band radar, the Ka/W-band scanning ARM cloud radar, vertically pointing radar systems at Ka-, S- and UHF band, a network of over 20 disdrometers and rain gauges and the full complement of radiation, cloud and atmospheric state observations available at the ARM facility. This surface-based network was complemented by aircraft measurements by the NASA ER-2 high altitude aircraft which included a radar system (Ka/Ku band) and multiple passive microwave radiometers (10-183 GHz) and the University of North Dakota Citation which included a full suite of in situ microphysics instruments. The campaign was successful in providing observations over a wide variety of convective cloud types, from shallow non-precipitating cloud fields to shallow-to-deep transitions to mature deep convective systems some of which included severe weather. We will present an overview of the convective cloud conditions that were observed, the status MC3E datastreams and a summary of some of the preliminary results.

Cloud draft structure and trace gas transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scala, John R.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Thompson, Anne M.; Simpson, Joanne; Garstang, Michael; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Browell, Edward V.; Sachse, Glen W.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Torres, Arnold L.

1990-01-01

During the second Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE 2B), meteorological observations, chemical measurements, and model simulations are utilized in order to interpret convective cloud draft structure and to analyze its role in transport and vertical distribution of trace gases. One-dimensional photochemical model results suggest that the observed poststorm changes in ozone concentration can be attributed to convective transports rather than photochemical production and the results of a two-dimensional time-dependent cloud model simulation are presented for the May 6, 1987 squall system. The mesoscale convective system exhibited evidence of significant midlevel detrainment in addition to transports to anvil heights. Chemical measurements of O3 and CO obtained in the convective environment are used to predict photochemical production within the troposphere and to corroborate the cloud model results.

Substantial convection and precipitation enhancements by ultrafine aerosol particles

DOE PAGES

Fan, Jiwen; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Zhang, Yuwei; ...

2018-01-26

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain the largest uncertainty in climate projections. Ultrafine aerosol particles smaller than 50 nanometers (UAP <50) can be abundant in the troposphere, but are conventionally considered too small to affect cloud formation. However, observational evidence and numerical simulations of deep convective clouds (DCCs) over the Amazon show that DCCs forming in a low aerosol environment can develop very large vapor supersaturation because fast droplet coalescence reduces integrated droplet surface area and subsequent condensation. UAP <50 from pollution plumes that are ingested into such clouds can be activated to form additional cloud droplets on which excess supersaturation condenses andmore » forms additional cloud water and latent heating, thus intensifying convective strength. This mechanism suggests a strong anthropogenic invigoration of DCCs in previously pristine regions of the world.« less

Scales of convective activity in the MJO (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houze, R.

2013-12-01

One of the results of the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field experiment (DYNAMO) is the realization that an active period of the MJO is not a continuous stretch of time in which convection and rainfall are occurring. Rather, an active MJO period, as determined by standard statistical treatments of the wind and satellite data such as that of Wheeler and Hendon (2004), has periods of highly suppressed conditions interspersed with bursts or episodes of deep convection and rainfall. At a given location, an MJO cycle is of the order of 30-60 days. The active half of a cycle is then about 2-4 weeks. DYNAMO data show that within this multi-week period rain falls in intermittent bursts of deep convection at intervals of 2-6 days, with each burst lasting 1-2 days. The time between bursts is highly suppressed, such that the convective cloud population consists of shallow non-precipitating cumulus. This intermediate burst timescale is neither the MJO timescale nor the timescale of an individual convective cloud. The modulation on the 2-6 day timescale was related to various types of higher frequency equatorial waves (especially, inertio-gravity waves and easterly waves). The largest individual convective cloud element in the MJO environment is the mesoscale convective system (MCS), which lasts about a half day, much shorter than the time period of the wave-modulated bursts. The intermediate scale bursts reflect an evolution of the cloud population. Numerous individual cloud systems undergo their lifecycles within the envelope of the wave-controlled time period of a few days. At a given site, such as the principal island site of Addu Atoll in DYNAMO, radar observations show that in an intermediate timescale episode the convective ensemble goes through a systematic series of stages characterized by differing proportions of elements of different sizes and intensities. The first stage is a population of shallow non-precipitating cumulus, followed by an ensemble of clouds containing some deeper convective elements. At the time of maximum rain during the episode, the population contains growing mesoscale systems. As the rain episode declines the population contains a substantial number of MCSs with broad stratiform regions. Thus, at least three scales are critical in the active periods of an MJO: the MJO scale, the equatorial wave scale of 2-6 days, and the scale of individual clouds, the largest of which are MCSs. This presentation will document the large-scale environment conditions on each of these scales, the population characteristics of the convection during the wave-modulated bursts, and of the individual cloud systems themselves.

Development and Structure of Winter Monsoon Cloud Clusters On 10 December 1978.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churchill, Dean D.; Houze, Robert A., Jr.

1984-03-01

Data from the Winter Monsoon Experiment (WMONEX) are used to study cloud clusters that occurred over the South China Sea on 10 December 1978. These clusters underwent life cycles in which they began as groups of intense convective cells and then developed into mesoscale systems consisting partly of convective cells and partly of stratiform precipitation. In the cellular regions of clusters, ice particle concentrations (at the 8 km, or 17°C, level) were found to be of the order of hundreds per liter, local convective updrafts of 4-17 m s1 were observed, and the dominant ice-particle growth mechanism appeared to be riming. In the stratiform regions of clusters, the ice particles appeared to grow by vapor deposition and aggregation and weaker but more widespread mesoscale updraft motion was indicated at mid to upper levels by the observed ice-crystal structures, while unsaturated mesoscale downdraft motion was indicated at mid to lower levels by sounding data. The ice-particle concentrations at 8 km in stratiform regions were one to two orders of magnitude lower than in the convective regions; in areas of weaker stratiform precipitation the concentrations were 1-10 per liter, while in areas of stronger stratiform precipitation they were 20-70 per liter. Substructure within the stratiform regions was indicated by variations in observed ice-crystal habits over horizontal distances of 10-100 km.The dominant cluster observed on this day was initiated when a group of convective cells formed just off the Borneo coast, apparently in response to land-breeze convergence. During the mature stage of this cluster, the stratiform rain area became nearly surrounded by a broken line of convective cells of various intensity. The greatest concentration of intense cores was maintained in a generally stationary region on the southeast side of the cluster where the land-breeze convergence was located, while convection on the northwest side of the cluster propagated out to sea. The stratiform precipitation area of this cluster appeared to be formed and maintained by a combination of three processes: dying convective cells being transformed into stratiform structures, hydrometeors being advected from the tops of active cells into the stratiform precipitation region and condensation in the mesoscale updraft contributing to the growth of hydrometeors falling as stratiform rain. About 46% of the total precipitation from this cluster fell as stratiform rain.Other cloud clusters that occurred on this day generally formed around the periphery of the large land-breeze generated cluster and were of a smaller size. Convective downdraft outflows found in the regions between the old and new clusters may have been involved in triggering the new clusters.

The behavior of the radar parameters of cumulonimbus clouds during cloud seeding with AgI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vujović, D.; Protić, M.

2017-06-01

Deep convection yielding severe weather phenomena (hail, flash floods, thunder) is frequent in Serbia during the warmer part of the year, i.e. April to September. As an effort to mitigate any potential damage to material goods, agricultural crops and vegetation from larger hailstones, cloud seeding is performed. In this paper, we analyzed 29 severe hailstorms seeded by silver iodide. From these, we chose five intense summer thunderstorm cells to analyze in detail the influence of silver-iodide cloud seeding on the radar parameters. Four of them were seeded and one was not. We also used data from firing stations (hail fall occurrence, the size of the hailstones). The most sensitive radar parameter in seeding was the height where maximum reflectivity in the cloud was observed. Its cascade appeared in every case of seeding, but was absent from the non-seeded case. In the case of the supercell, increase and decrease of the height where maximum reflectivity in the cloud was observed occurred in almost regular intervals, 12 to 15 min. The most inert parameter in seeding was maximum radar reflectivity. It changed one to two dBz during one cycle. The height of the top of the cloud and the height of the zone exhibiting enhanced radar echo both had similar behavior. It seems that both increased after seeding due to a dynamic effect: upward currents increasing due to the release of latent heat during the freezing of supercooled droplets. Mean values of the height where maximum reflectivity in the cloud was observed, the height of the top of the cloud and the height of the zone exhibiting enhanced radar echo during seeded period were greater than during unseeded period in 75.9%, 72.4% and 79.3% cases, respectively. This is because the values of the chosen storm parameters were higher when the seeding started, and then those values decreased after the seeded was conducted.

An experimental study of the role of particle diffusive convection on the residence time of volcanic ash clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deal, E.; Carazzo, G.; Jellinek, M.

2013-12-01

The longevity of volcanic ash clouds generated by explosive volcanic plumes is difficult to predict. Diffusive convective instabilities leading to the production of internal layering are known to affect the stability and longevity of these clouds, but the detailed mechanisms controlling particle dynamics and sedimentation are poorly understood. We present results from a series of analog experiments reproducing diffusive convection in a 2D (Hele-Shaw) geometry, which allow us to constrain conditions for layer formation, sedimentation regime and cloud residence time as a function of only the source conditions. We inject a turbulent particle-laden jet sideways into a tank containing a basal layer of salt water and an upper layer of fresh water, which ultimately spreads as a gravity current. After the injection is stopped, particles in suspension settle through the cloud to form particle boundary layers (PBL) at the cloud base. We vary the initial particle concentration of the plume and the injection velocity over a wide range of conditions to identify and characterize distinct regimes of sedimentation. Our experiments show that convective instabilities driven as a result of differing diffusivities of salt and particles lead to periodic layering over a wide range of conditions expected in nature. The flux of particles from layered clouds and the thicknesses of the layers are understood using classical theory for double diffusive convection adjusted for the hydrodynamic diffusion of particles. Although diffusive convection increases sedimentation rates for the smallest particles (<30 μm) its overall effect is to extend the cloud residence time to several hours by maintaining larger particles in suspension within the layers, which is several orders of magnitude longer than expected when considering individual settling rates.

Tropical Oceanic Precipitation Processes over Warm Pool: 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.- K.; Johnson, D.

1998-01-01

Rainfall is a key link in the hydrologic cycle as well as the primary heat source for the atmosphere, The vertical distribution of convective latent-heat release modulates the large-scale circulations of the tropics, Furthermore, changes in the moisture distribution at middle and upper levels of the troposphere can affect cloud distributions and cloud liquid water and ice contents. How the incoming solar and outgoing longwave radiation respond to these changes in clouds is a major factor in assessing climate change. Present large-scale weather and climate models simulate cloud processes only crudely, reducing confidence in their predictions on both global and regional scales. One of the most promising methods to test physical parameterizations used in General Circulation Models (GCMS) and climate models is to use field observations together with Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs). The CRMs use more sophisticated and physically realistic parameterizations of cloud microphysical processes, and allow for their complex interactions with solar and infrared radiative transfer processes. The CRMs can reasonably well resolve the evolution, structure, and life cycles of individual clouds and cloud systems, The major objective of this paper is to investigate the latent heating, moisture and momenti,im budgets associated with several convective systems developed during the TOGA COARE IFA - westerly wind burst event (late December, 1992). The tool for this study is the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (CCE) model which includes a 3-class ice-phase microphysical scheme, The model domain contains 256 x 256 grid points (using 2 km resolution) in the horizontal and 38 grid points (to a depth of 22 km depth) in the vertical, The 2D domain has 1024 grid points. The simulations are performed over a 7 day time period. We will examine (1) the precipitation processes (i.e., condensation/evaporation) and their interaction with warm pool; (2) the heating and moisture budgets in the convective and stratiform regions; (3) the cloud (upward-downward) mass fluxes in convective and stratiform regions; (4) characteristics of clouds (such as cloud size, updraft intensity and cloud lifetime) and the comparison of clouds with Radar observations. Differences and similarities in organization of convection between simulated 2D and 3D cloud systems. Preliminary results indicated that there is major differences between 2D and 3D simulated stratiform rainfall amount and convective updraft and downdraft mass fluxes.

A CPT for Improving Turbulence and Cloud Processes in the NCEP Global Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krueger, S. K.; Moorthi, S.; Randall, D. A.; Pincus, R.; Bogenschutz, P.; Belochitski, A.; Chikira, M.; Dazlich, D. A.; Swales, D. J.; Thakur, P. K.; Yang, F.; Cheng, A.

2016-12-01

Our Climate Process Team (CPT) is based on the premise that the NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) global models can be improved by installing an integrated, self-consistent description of turbulence, clouds, deep convection, and the interactions between clouds and radiative and microphysical processes. The goal of our CPT is to unify the representation of turbulence and subgrid-scale (SGS) cloud processes and to unify the representation of SGS deep convective precipitation and grid-scale precipitation as the horizontal resolution decreases. We aim to improve the representation of small-scale phenomena by implementing a PDF-based SGS turbulence and cloudiness scheme that replaces the boundary layer turbulence scheme, the shallow convection scheme, and the cloud fraction schemes in the GFS (Global Forecast System) and CFS (Climate Forecast System) global models. We intend to improve the treatment of deep convection by introducing a unified parameterization that scales continuously between the simulation of individual clouds when and where the grid spacing is sufficiently fine and the behavior of a conventional parameterization of deep convection when and where the grid spacing is coarse. We will endeavor to improve the representation of the interactions of clouds, radiation, and microphysics in the GFS/CFS by using the additional information provided by the PDF-based SGS cloud scheme. The team is evaluating the impacts of the model upgrades with metrics used by the NCEP short-range and seasonal forecast operations.

Added Value of Far-Infrared Radiometry for Ice Cloud Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libois, Q.; Blanchet, J. P.; Ivanescu, L.; S Pelletier, L.; Laurence, C.

2017-12-01

Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, most of these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ < 15 μm) part of the spectrum, and none are available in the far-infrared (FIR, λ ≥ 15 μm). Recent developments in FIR sensors technology, though, now make it possible to consider spaceborne remote sensing in the FIR. Here we show that adding a few FIR channels with realistic radiometric performances to existing spaceborne narrowband radiometers would significantly improve their ability to retrieve ice cloud radiative properties. For clouds encountered in the polar regions and the upper troposphere, where the atmosphere above clouds is sufficiently transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. This would somehow extend the range of applicability of current infrared retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, which is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers, and for investigating the water cycle in the driest regions of the atmosphere.

A Mass-Flux Scheme View of a High-Resolution Simulation of a Transition from Shallow to Deep Cumulus Convection.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Zhiming; Bretherton, Christopher S.

2006-07-01

In this paper, an idealized, high-resolution simulation of a gradually forced transition from shallow, nonprecipitating to deep, precipitating cumulus convection is described; how the cloud and transport statistics evolve as the convection deepens is explored; and the collected statistics are used to evaluate assumptions in current cumulus schemes. The statistical analysis methodologies that are used do not require tracing the history of individual clouds or air parcels; instead they rely on probing the ensemble characteristics of cumulus convection in the large model dataset. They appear to be an attractive way for analyzing outputs from cloud-resolving numerical experiments. Throughout the simulation, it is found that 1) the initial thermodynamic properties of the updrafts at the cloud base have rather tight distributions; 2) contrary to the assumption made in many cumulus schemes, nearly undiluted air parcels are too infrequent to be relevant to any stage of the simulated convection; and 3) a simple model with a spectrum of entraining plumes appears to reproduce most features of the cloudy updrafts, but significantly overpredicts the mass flux as the updrafts approach their levels of zero buoyancy. A buoyancy-sorting model was suggested as a potential remedy. The organized circulations of cold pools seem to create clouds with larger-sized bases and may correspondingly contribute to their smaller lateral entrainment rates. Our results do not support a mass-flux closure based solely on convective available potential energy (CAPE), and are in general agreement with a convective inhibition (CIN)-based closure. The general similarity in the ensemble characteristics of shallow and deep convection and the continuous evolution of the thermodynamic structure during the transition provide justification for developing a single unified cumulus parameterization that encompasses both shallow and deep convection.

On the controls of deep convection and lightning in the Amazon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, R. I.; Giangrande, S. E.; Wang, D.; Morales, C. A.; Pereira, R. F. O.; Machado, L.; Silva Dias, M. A. F.

2017-12-01

Local observations and remote sensing have been extensively used to unravel cloud distribution and life cycle but yet their representativeness in cloud resolve models (CRMs) and global climate models (GCMs) are still very poor. In addition, the complex cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions (CAPI), as well as thermodynamics, dynamics and large scale controls on convection have been the focus of many studies in the last two decades but still no final answer has been reached on the overall impacts of these interactions and controls on clouds, especially on deep convection. To understand the environmental and CAPI controls of deep convection, cloud electrification and lightning activity in the pristine region of Amazon basin, in this study we use long term satellite and field campaign measurements to depict the characteristics of deep convection and the relationships between lightning and convective fluxes in this region. Precipitation and lightning activity from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite are combined with estimates of aerosol concentrations and reanalysis data to delineate the overall controls on thunderstorms. A more detailed analysis is obtained studying these controls on the relationship between lightning activity and convective mass fluxes using radar wind profiler and 3D total lightning during GoAmazon 2014/15 field campaign. We find evidences that the large scale conditions control the distribution of the precipitation, with widespread and more frequent mass fluxes of moderate intensity during the wet season, resulting in less vigorous convection and lower lightning activity. Under higher convective available potential energy, lightning is enhanced in polluted and background aerosol conditions. The relationships found in this study can be used in model parameterizations and ensemble evaluations of both lightning activity and lightning NOx from seasonal forecasting to climate projections and in a broader sense to Earth Climate System Modeling.

Interactions among Radiation, Convection, and Large-Scale Dynamics in a General Circulation Model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, David A.; Harshvardhan; Dazlich, Donald A.; Corsetti, Thomas G.

1989-07-01

We have analyzed the effects of radiatively active clouds on the climate simulated by the UCLA/GLA GCM, with particular attention to the effects of the upper tropospheric stratiform clouds associated with deep cumulus convection, and the interactions of these clouds with convection and the large-scale circulation.Several numerical experiments have been performed to investigate the mechanisms through which the clouds influence the large-scale circulation. In the `NODETLQ' experiment, no liquid water or ice was detrained from cumulus clouds into the environment; all of the condensate was rained out. Upper level supersaturation cloudiness was drastically reduced, the atmosphere dried, and tropical outgoing longwave radiation increased. In the `NOANVIL' experiment, the radiative effects of the optically thich upper-level cloud sheets associated with deep cumulus convection were neglected. The land surface received more solar radiation in regions of convection, leading to enhanced surface fluxes and a dramatic increase in precipitation. In the `NOCRF' experiment, the longwave atmospheric cloud radiative forcing (ACRF) was omitted, paralleling the recent experiment of Slingo and Slingo. The results suggest that the ACRF enhances deep penetrative convection and precipitation, while suppressing shallow convection. They also indicate that the ACRF warms and moistens the tropical troposphere. The results of this experiment are somewhat ambiguous, however; for example, the ACRF suppresses precipitation in some parts of the tropics, and enhances it in others.To isolate the effects of the ACRF in a simpler setting, we have analyzed the climate of an ocean-covered Earth, which we call Seaworld. The key simplicities of Seaworld are the fixed boundary temperature with no land points, the lack of mountains, and the zonal uniformity of the boundary conditions. Results are presented from two Seaworld simulations. The first includes a full suite of physical parameterizations, while the second omits all radiative effects of the clouds. The differences between the two runs are, therefore, entirely due to the direct and indirect and indirect effects of the ACRF. Results show that the ACRF in the cloudy run accurately represents the radiative heating perturbation relative to the cloud-free run. The cloudy run is warmer in the middle troposphere, contains much more precipitable water, and has about 15% more globally averaged precipitation. There is a double tropical rain band in the cloud-free run, and a single, more intense tropical rain band in the cloudy run. The cloud-free run produces relatively weak but frequent cumulus convection, while the cloudy run produces relatively intense but infrequent convection. The mean meridional circulation transport nearly twice as much mass in the cloudy run. The increased tropical rising motion in the cloudy run leads to a deeper boundary layer and also to more moisture in the troposphere above the boundary layer. This accounts for the increased precipitable water content of the atmosphere. The clouds lead to an increase in the intensity of the tropical easterlies, and cause the midlatitude westerly jets to shift equatorward.Taken together, our results show that upper tropospheric clouds associated with moist convection, whose importance has recently been emphasized in observational studies, play a very complex and powerful role in determining the model results. This points to a need to develop more realistic parameterizations of these clouds.

Introducing Subgrid-scale convective cloud and aerosol interactions to the WRF-CMAQ integrated modeling system

EPA Science Inventory

Many regional and global climate models include aerosol indirect effects (AIE) on grid-scale/resolved clouds. However, the interaction between aerosols and convective clouds remains highly uncertain, as noted in the IPCC AR4 report. The objective of this work is to help fill in ...

Characterization of clouds in Titan's tropical atmosphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffith, C.A.; Penteado, P.; Rodriguez, S.; Le, Mouelic S.; Baines, K.H.; Buratti, B.; Clark, R.; Nicholson, P.; Jaumann, R.; Sotin, Christophe

2009-01-01

Images of Titan's clouds, possible over the past 10 years, indicate primarily discrete convective methane clouds near the south and north poles and an immense stratiform cloud, likely composed of ethane, around the north pole. Here we present spectral images from Cassini's Visual Mapping Infrared Spectrometer that reveal the increasing presence of clouds in Titan's tropical atmosphere. Radiative transfer analyses indicate similarities between summer polar and tropical methane clouds. Like their southern counterparts, tropical clouds consist of particles exceeding 5 ??m. They display discrete structures suggestive of convective cumuli. They prevail at a specific latitude band between 8??-20?? S, indicative of a circulation origin and the beginning of a circulation turnover. Yet, unlike the high latitude clouds that often reach 45 km altitude, these discrete tropical clouds, so far, remain capped to altitudes below 26 km. Such low convective clouds are consistent with the highly stable atmospheric conditions measured at the Huygens landing site. Their characteristics suggest that Titan's tropical atmosphere has a dry climate unlike the south polar atmosphere, and despite the numerous washes that carve the tropical landscape. ?? 2009. The American Astronomical Society.

The Impact of the Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing on Deep Convection and Air Quality in the Pearl River Delta Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Z.; Yim, Steve H. L.; Wang, C.; Lau, N. C.

2018-05-01

Literature has reported the remarkable aerosol impact on low-level cloud by direct radiative forcing (DRF). Impacts on middle-upper troposphere cloud are not yet fully understood, even though this knowledge is important for regions with a large spatial heterogeneity of emissions and aerosol concentration. We assess the aerosol DRF and its cloud response in June (with strong convection) in Pearl River Delta region for 2008-2012 at cloud-resolving scale using an air quality-climate coupled model. Aerosols suppress deep convection by increasing atmospheric stability leading to less evaporation from the ground. The relative humidity is reduced in middle-upper troposphere due to induced reduction in both evaporation from the ground and upward motion. The cloud reduction offsets 20% of the aerosol DRF. The weaker vertical mixing further increases surface aerosol concentration by up to 2.90 μg/m3. These findings indicate the aerosol DRF impact on deep convection and in turn regional air quality.

Improving Representation of Convective Transport for Scale-Aware Parameterization – Part I: Convection and Cloud Properties Simulated with Spectral Bin and Bulk Microphysics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, Jiwen; Liu, Yi-Chin; Xu, Kuan-Man

2015-04-27

The ultimate goal of this study is to improve representation of convective transport by cumulus parameterization for meso-scale and climate models. As Part I of the study, we perform extensive evaluations of cloud-resolving simulations of a squall line and mesoscale convective complexes in mid-latitude continent and tropical regions using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with spectral-bin microphysics (SBM) and with two double-moment bulk microphysics schemes: a modified Morrison (MOR) and Milbrandt and Yau (MY2). Compared to observations, in general, SBM gives better simulations of precipitation, vertical velocity of convective cores, and the vertically decreasing trend of radar reflectivitymore » than MOR and MY2, and therefore will be used for analysis of scale-dependence of eddy transport in Part II. The common features of the simulations for all convective systems are (1) the model tends to overestimate convection intensity in the middle and upper troposphere, but SBM can alleviate much of the overestimation and reproduce the observed convection intensity well; (2) the model greatly overestimates radar reflectivity in convective cores (SBM predicts smaller radar reflectivity but does not remove the large overestimation); and (3) the model performs better for mid-latitude convective systems than tropical system. The modeled mass fluxes of the mid latitude systems are not sensitive to microphysics schemes, but are very sensitive for the tropical case indicating strong microphysics modification to convection. Cloud microphysical measurements of rain, snow and graupel in convective cores will be critically important to further elucidate issues within cloud microphysics schemes.« less

The variable nature of convection in the tropics and subtropics: A legacy of 16 years of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite

PubMed Central

Rasmussen, Kristen L.; Zuluaga, Manuel D.; Brodzik, Stella R.

2015-01-01

Abstract For over 16 years, the Precipitation Radar of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite detected the three‐dimensional structure of significantly precipitating clouds in the tropics and subtropics. This paper reviews and synthesizes studies using the TRMM radar data to present a global picture of the variation of convection throughout low latitudes. The multiyear data set shows convection varying not only in amount but also in its very nature across the oceans, continents, islands, and mountain ranges of the tropics and subtropics. Shallow isolated raining clouds are overwhelmingly an oceanic phenomenon. Extremely deep and intense convective elements occur almost exclusively over land. Upscale growth of convection into mesoscale systems takes a variety of forms. Oceanic cloud systems generally have less intense embedded convection but can form very wide stratiform regions. Continental mesoscale systems often have more intense embedded convection. Some of the most intense convective cells and mesoscale systems occur near the great mountain ranges of low latitudes. The Maritime Continent and Amazonia exhibit convective clouds with maritime characteristics although they are partially or wholly land. Convective systems containing broad stratiform areas manifest most strongly over oceans. The stratiform precipitation occurs in various forms. Often it occurs as quasi‐uniform precipitation with strong melting layers connected with intense convection. In monsoons and the Intertropical Convergence Zone, it takes the form of closely packed weak convective elements. Where fronts extend into the subtropics, broad stratiform regions are larger and have lower and sloping melting layers related to the baroclinic origin of the precipitation. PMID:27668295

The role of global cloud climatologies in validating numerical models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

HARSHVARDHAN

1992-01-01

Global maps of the monthly mean net upward longwave radiation flux at the ocean surface were obtained for April, July, October 1985 and January 1986. These maps were produced by blending information obtained from a combination of general circulation model cloud radiative forcing fields, the top of the atmosphere cloud radiative forcing from ERBE and TOVS profiles and sea surface temperature on ISCCP C1 tapes. The fields are compatible with known meteorological regimes of atmospheric water vapor content and cloudiness. There is a vast area of high net upward longwave radiation flux (greater than 80/sq Wm) in the eastern Pacific Ocean throughout most of the year. Areas of low net upward longwave radiation flux ((less than 40/sq Wm) are the tropical convective regions and extra tropical regions that tend to have persistent low cloud cover.The technique used relies on General Circulation Model simulations and so is subject to some of the uncertainties associated with the model. However, all input information regarding temperature, moisture, and cloud cover is from satellite data having near global coverage. This feature of the procedure alone warrants its consideration for further use in compiling global maps of longwave radiation.

Evaluation of high-level clouds in cloud resolving model simulations with ARM and KWAJEX observations

DOE PAGES

Liu, Zheng; Muhlbauer, Andreas; Ackerman, Thomas

2015-11-05

In this paper, we evaluate high-level clouds in a cloud resolving model during two convective cases, ARM9707 and KWAJEX. The simulated joint histograms of cloud occurrence and radar reflectivity compare well with cloud radar and satellite observations when using a two-moment microphysics scheme. However, simulations performed with a single moment microphysical scheme exhibit low biases of approximately 20 dB. During convective events, two-moment microphysical overestimate the amount of high-level cloud and one-moment microphysics precipitate too readily and underestimate the amount and height of high-level cloud. For ARM9707, persistent large positive biases in high-level cloud are found, which are not sensitivemore » to changes in ice particle fall velocity and ice nuclei number concentration in the two-moment microphysics. These biases are caused by biases in large-scale forcing and maintained by the periodic lateral boundary conditions. The combined effects include significant biases in high-level cloud amount, radiation, and high sensitivity of cloud amount to nudging time scale in both convective cases. The high sensitivity of high-level cloud amount to the thermodynamic nudging time scale suggests that thermodynamic nudging can be a powerful ‘‘tuning’’ parameter for the simulated cloud and radiation but should be applied with caution. The role of the periodic lateral boundary conditions in reinforcing the biases in cloud and radiation suggests that reducing the uncertainty in the large-scale forcing in high levels is important for similar convective cases and has far reaching implications for simulating high-level clouds in super-parameterized global climate models such as the multiscale modeling framework.« less

Spectral Retrieval of Latent Heating Profiles from TRMM PR Data: Comparison of Look-Up Tables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shige, Shoichi; Takayabu, Yukari N.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Johnson, Daniel E.; Shie, Chung-Lin

2003-01-01

The primary goal of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is to use the information about distributions of precipitation to determine the four dimensional (i.e., temporal and spatial) patterns of latent heating over the whole tropical region. The Spectral Latent Heating (SLH) algorithm has been developed to estimate latent heating profiles for the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) with a cloud- resolving model (CRM). The method uses CRM- generated heating profile look-up tables for the three rain types; convective, shallow stratiform, and anvil rain (deep stratiform with a melting level). For convective and shallow stratiform regions, the look-up table refers to the precipitation top height (PTH). For anvil region, on the other hand, the look- up table refers to the precipitation rate at the melting level instead of PTH. For global applications, it is necessary to examine the universality of the look-up table. In this paper, we compare the look-up tables produced from the numerical simulations of cloud ensembles forced with the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Response Experiment (COARE) data and the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) data. There are some notable differences between the TOGA-COARE table and the GATE table, especially for the convective heating. First, there is larger number of deepest convective profiles in the TOGA-COARE table than in the GATE table, mainly due to the differences in SST. Second, shallow convective heating is stronger in the TOGA COARE table than in the GATE table. This might be attributable to the difference in the strength of the low-level inversions. Third, altitudes of convective heating maxima are larger in the TOGA COARE table than in the GATE table. Levels of convective heating maxima are located just below the melting level, because warm-rain processes are prevalent in tropical oceanic convective systems. Differences in levels of convective heating maxima probably reflect differences in melting layer heights. We are now extending our study to simulations of other field experiments (e.g. SCSMEX and ARM) in order to examine the universality of the look-up table. The impact of look-up tables on the retrieved latent heating profiles will also be assessed.

A New Method for Detecting and Monitoring Atmospheric Natural Hazards with GPS RO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biondi, R.; Steiner, A. K.; Rieckh, T. M.; Kirchengast, G.

2014-12-01

Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) allows measurements in any meteorological condition, with global coverage, high vertical resolution, and high accuracy. With more than 13 years of data availability, RO also became a fundamental tool for studying climate change. We present here the application of RO for detecting and monitoring tropical cyclones (TCs), deep convective systems (CSs) and volcanic ash clouds (ACs).Deep CSs and TCs play a fundamental role in atmospheric circulation producing vertical transport, redistributing water vapor and trace gases, changing the thermal structure of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) and affecting climate through overshooting into the stratosphere. Explosive volcanic eruptions produce large ACs dangerous for the aviation and they can impact climate when the ash is injected into the UTLS.The detection of cloud top height, the determination of cloud extent, the discrimination of ACs from CSs clouds and the detection of overshooting are main challenges for atmospheric natural hazards study. We created a reference atmosphere with a resolution of 5° in latitude and longitude, sampled on a 1° x 1° grid, and a vertical sampling of 100 m. We then compared RO profiles acquired during TCs, CSs and ACs to the reference atmosphere and computed anomaly profiles.CSs, TCs and the ACs leave a clear signature in the atmosphere which can be detected by RO. Using RO temperature and bending angle profiles we gain insight into the vertical thermal structure and developed a new method for detecting the cloud top altitude with high accuracy.We have characterized the TCs by ocean basins and intensities, showing that they have a different thermal structure and reach to different altitudes according to the basin. We provide statistics on overshooting frequency, achieving results consistent with patterns found in the literature and demonstrating that RO is well suited for this kind of study. We have analyzed the Nabro 2010 eruption determining the AC top height and analyzing the long term impact of the eruption in the zonal UTLS thermal structure. The results show that there is a signature allowing the discrimination of ACs from CSs clouds. The comparison of AC top height with the tropopause altitude shows that during Nabro eruption the ash reached the UTLS.

MISR CMVs and Multiangular Views of Tropical Cyclone Inner-Core Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Dong L.; Diner, David J.; Garay, Michael J; Jovanovic, Veljko M.; Lee, Jae N.; Moroney, Catherine M.; Mueller, Kevin J.; Nelson, David L.

2010-01-01

Multi-camera stereo imaging of cloud features from the MISR (Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite provides accurate and precise measurements of cloud top heights (CTH) and cloud motion vector (CMV) winds. MISR observes each cloudy scene from nine viewing angles (Nadir, +/-26(sup o), +/-46(sup o), +/-60(sup o), +/-70(sup o)) with approximatel 275-m pixel resolution. This paper provides an update on MISR CMV and CTH algorithm improvements, and explores a high-resolution retrieval of tangential winds inside the eyewall of tropical cyclones (TC). The MISR CMV and CTH retrievals from the updated algorithm are significantly improved in terms of spatial coverage and systematic errors. A new product, the 1.1-km cross-track wind, provides high accuracy and precision in measuring convective outflows. Preliminary results obtained from the 1.1-km tangential wind retrieval inside the TC eyewall show that the inner-core rotation is often faster near the eyewall, and this faster rotation appears to be related linearly to cyclone intensity.

A Diagnostic PDF Cloud Scheme to Improve Subtropical Low Clouds in NCAR Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Yi; Lin, Yanluan; Xu, Shiming; Ma, Hsi-Yen; Xie, Shaocheng

2018-02-01

Low clouds strongly impact the radiation budget of the climate system, but their simulation in most GCMs has remained a challenge, especially over the subtropical stratocumulus region. Assuming a Gaussian distribution for the subgrid-scale total water and liquid water potential temperature, a new statistical cloud scheme is proposed and tested in NCAR Community Atmospheric Model version 5 (CAM5). The subgrid-scale variance is diagnosed from the turbulent and shallow convective processes in CAM5. The approach is able to maintain the consistency between cloud fraction and cloud condensate and thus alleviates the adjustment needed in the default relative humidity-based cloud fraction scheme. Short-term forecast simulations indicate that low cloud fraction and liquid water content, including their diurnal cycle, are improved due to a proper consideration of subgrid-scale variance over the southeastern Pacific Ocean region. Compared with the default cloud scheme, the new approach produced the mean climate reasonably well with improved shortwave cloud forcing (SWCF) due to more reasonable low cloud fraction and liquid water path over regions with predominant low clouds. Meanwhile, the SWCF bias over the tropical land regions is also alleviated. Furthermore, the simulated marine boundary layer clouds with the new approach extend further offshore and agree better with observations. The new approach is able to obtain the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiation balance with a slightly alleviated double ITCZ problem in preliminary coupled simulations. This study implies that a close coupling of cloud processes with other subgrid-scale physical processes is a promising approach to improve cloud simulations.

A cloud, precipitation and electrification modeling effort for COHMEX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orville, Harold D.; Helsdon, John H.; Farley, Richard D.

1991-01-01

In mid-1987, the Modeling Group of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences (IAS) began to simulate and analyze cloud runs that were made during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) Project and later. The cloud model was run nearly every day during the summer 1986 COHMEX Project. The Modeling Group was then funded to analyze the results, make further modeling tests, and help explain the precipitation processes in the Southeastern United States. The main science objectives of COHMEX were: (1) to observe the prestorm environment and understand the physical mechanisms leading to the formation of small convective systems and processes controlling the production of precipitation; (2) to describe the structure of small convective systems producing precipitation including the large and small scale events in the environment surrounding the developing and mature convective system; (3) to understand the interrelationships between electrical activity within the convective system and the process of precipitation; and (4) to develop and test numerical models describing the boundary layer, tropospheric, and cloud scale thermodynamics and dynamics associated with small convective systems. The latter three of these objectives were addressed by the modeling activities of the IAS. A series of cloud modes were used to simulate the clouds that formed during the operational project. The primary models used to date on the project were a two dimensional bulk water model, a two dimensional electrical model, and to a lesser extent, a two dimensional detailed microphysical cloud model. All of the models are based on fully interacting microphysics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and electrical equations. Only the 20 July 1986 case was analyzed in detail, although all of the cases run during the summer were analyzed as to how well they did in predicting the characteristics of the convection for that day.

Aerosol Enhancements in the Upper Troposphere Over The Amazon Forest: Do Amazonian Clouds Produce Aerosols?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreae, M. O.; Afchine, A.; Albrecht, R. I.; Artaxo, P.; Borrmann, S.; Cecchini, M. A.; Costa, A.; Dollner, M.; Fütterer, D.; Järvinen, E.; Klimach, T.; Konemann, T.; Kraemer, M.; Krüger, M. L.; Machado, L.; Mertes, S.; Pöhlker, C.; Poeschl, U.; Sauer, D. N.; Schnaiter, M.; Schneider, J.; Schulz, C.; Spanu, A.; Walser, A.; Weinzierl, B.; Wendisch, M.

2015-12-01

The German-Brazilian cooperative aircraft campaign ACRIDICON-CHUVA (Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems) on the German research aircraft HALO took place over the Amazon Basin in September/October 2014, with the objective of studying tropical deep convective clouds over the Amazon rainforest and their interactions with trace gases, aerosol particles, and atmospheric radiation. The aircraft was equipped with about 30 remote sensing and in-situ instruments for meteorological, trace gas, aerosol, cloud, precipitation, and solar radiation measurements. Fourteen research flights were conducted during this campaign. Observations during ACRIDICON-CHUVA showed high aerosol concentrations in the upper troposphere (UT) over the Amazon Basin, with concentrations after normalization to standard conditions often exceeding those in the boundary layer (BL). This behavior was consistent between several aerosol metrics, including condensation nuclei (CN), cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and chemical species mass concentrations. These UT aerosols were different in their composition and size distribution from the aerosol in the BL, making convective transport of particles unlikely as a source. The regions in the immediate outflow of deep convective clouds were found to be depleted in aerosol particles, whereas enhanced aerosol number and mass concentrations were found in UT regions that had experienced outflow from deep convection in the preceding 24-48 hours. This suggests that aerosol production takes place in the UT based on volatile and condensable material brought up by deep convection. Subsequently, downward mixing and transport of upper tropospheric aerosol may be a source of particles to the BL, where they increase in size by the condensation of biogenic volatile organic carbon (BVOC) oxidation products. This may be an important source of aerosol particles in the Amazonian BL, where aerosol nucleation and new particle formation has not been observed.

Enhanced stratospheric water vapor over the summertime continental United States and the role of overshooting convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Robert L.; Ray, Eric A.; Rosenlof, Karen H.; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Schwartz, Michael J.; Read, William G.; Troy, Robert F.; Chin, Keith; Christensen, Lance E.; Fu, Dejian; Stachnik, Robert A.; Bui, T. Paul; Dean-Day, Jonathan M.

2017-05-01

The NASA ER-2 aircraft sampled the lower stratosphere over North America during the field mission for the NASA Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS). This study reports observations of convectively influenced air parcels with enhanced water vapor in the overworld stratosphere over the summertime continental United States and investigates three case studies in detail. Water vapor mixing ratios greater than 10 ppmv, which is much higher than the background 4 to 6 ppmv of the overworld stratosphere, were measured by the JPL Laser Hygrometer (JLH Mark2) at altitudes between 16.0 and 17.5 km (potential temperatures of approximately 380 to 410 K). Overshooting cloud tops (OTs) are identified from a SEAC4RS OT detection product based on satellite infrared window channel brightness temperature gradients. Through trajectory analysis, we make the connection between these in situ water measurements and OT. Back trajectory analysis ties enhanced water to OT 1 to 7 days prior to the intercept by the aircraft. The trajectory paths are dominated by the North American monsoon (NAM) anticyclonic circulation. This connection suggests that ice is convectively transported to the overworld stratosphere in OT events and subsequently sublimated; such events may irreversibly enhance stratospheric water vapor in the summer over Mexico and the United States. A regional context is provided by water observations from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS).

Observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties regulated by cloud/aerosol types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B.; Gu, Y.; Liou, K. N.; Jiang, J. H.; Li, Q.; Liu, X.; Huang, L.; Wang, Y.; Su, H.

2016-12-01

The interactions between aerosols and ice clouds (consisting only of ice) represent one of the largest uncertainties in global radiative forcing from pre-industrial time to the present. The observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties has been quite limited and showed conflicting results, partly because previous observational studies did not consider the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types. Using 9-year satellite observations, we find that, for ice clouds generated from deep convection, cloud thickness, cloud optical thickness (COT), and ice cloud fraction increase and decrease with small-to-moderate and high aerosol loadings, respectively. For in-situ formed ice clouds, however, the preceding cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. The case is more complicated for ice crystal effective radius (Rei). For both convection-generated and in-situ ice clouds, the responses of Rei to aerosol loadings are modulated by water vapor amount in conjunction with several other meteorological parameters, but the sensitivities of Rei to aerosols under the same water vapor amount differ remarkably between the two ice cloud types. As a result, overall Rei slightly increases with aerosol loading for convection-generated ice clouds, but decreases for in-situ ice clouds. When aerosols are decomposed into different types, an increase in the loading of smoke aerosols generally leads to a decrease in COT of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution. In contrast, an increase in the loading of any aerosol type can significantly enhance COT of in-situ ice clouds. The modulation of the aerosol impacts by cloud/aerosol types is demonstrated and reproduced by simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Adequate and accurate representations of the impact of different cloud/aerosol types in climate models are crucial for reducing the substantial uncertainty in assessment of the aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties regulated by cloud/aerosol types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B.; Gu, Y.; Liou, K. N.; Jiang, J. H.; Li, Q.; Liu, X.; Huang, L.; Wang, Y.; Su, H.

2017-12-01

The interactions between aerosols and ice clouds (consisting only of ice) represent one of the largest uncertainties in global radiative forcing from pre-industrial time to the present. The observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice cloud properties has been quite limited and showed conflicting results, partly because previous observational studies did not consider the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types. Using 9-year satellite observations, we find that, for ice clouds generated from deep convection, cloud thickness, cloud optical thickness (COT), and ice cloud fraction increase and decrease with small-to-moderate and high aerosol loadings, respectively. For in-situ formed ice clouds, however, the preceding cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. The case is more complicated for ice crystal effective radius (Rei). For both convection-generated and in-situ ice clouds, the responses of Rei to aerosol loadings are modulated by water vapor amount in conjunction with several other meteorological parameters, but the sensitivities of Rei to aerosols under the same water vapor amount differ remarkably between the two ice cloud types. As a result, overall Rei slightly increases with aerosol loading for convection-generated ice clouds, but decreases for in-situ ice clouds. When aerosols are decomposed into different types, an increase in the loading of smoke aerosols generally leads to a decrease in COT of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution. In contrast, an increase in the loading of any aerosol type can significantly enhance COT of in-situ ice clouds. The modulation of the aerosol impacts by cloud/aerosol types is demonstrated and reproduced by simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Adequate and accurate representations of the impact of different cloud/aerosol types in climate models are crucial for reducing the substantial uncertainty in assessment of the aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Characteristics of Deep Tropical and Subtropical Convection from Nadir-Viewing High-Altitude Airborne Doppler Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Tian, Lin; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Li, Lihua; Guimond, Stephen

2010-01-01

This paper presents observations of deep convection characteristics in the tropics and subtropics that have been classified into four categories: tropical cyclone, oceanic, land, and sea breeze. Vertical velocities in the convection were derived from Doppler radar measurements collected during several NASA field experiments from the nadir-viewing high-altitude ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP). Emphasis is placed on the vertical structure of the convection from the surface to cloud top (sometimes reaching 18-km altitude). This unique look at convection is not possible from other approaches such as ground-based or lower-altitude airborne scanning radars. The vertical motions from the radar measurements are derived using new relationships between radar reflectivity and hydrometeor fall speed. Various convective properties, such as the peak updraft and downdraft velocities and their corresponding altitude, heights of reflectivity levels, and widths of reflectivity cores, are estimated. The most significant findings are the following: 1) strong updrafts that mostly exceed 15 m/s, with a few exceeding 30 m/s, are found in all the deep convection cases, whether over land or ocean; 2) peak updrafts were almost always above the 10-km level and, in the case of tropical cyclones, were closer to the 12-km level; and 3) land-based and sea-breeze convection had higher reflectivities and wider convective cores than oceanic and tropical cyclone convection. In addition, the high-resolution EDOP data were used to examine the connection between reflectivity and vertical velocity, for which only weak linear relationships were found. The results are discussed in terms of dynamical and microphysical implications for numerical models and future remote sensors.

Photochemical ozone production in tropical squall line convection during NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment/Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment 2A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pickering, Kenneth E.; Thompson, Anne M.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, Joanne; Scala, John R.

1991-01-01

The role of convection was examined in trace gas transport and ozone production in a tropical dry season squall line sampled on August 3, 1985, during NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment/Amazon Boundary Layer Experiment 2A (NASA GTE/ABLE 2A) in Amazonia, Brazil. Two types of analyses were performed. Transient effects within the cloud are examined with a combination of two-dimensional cloud and one-dimensional photochemical modeling. Tracer analyses using the cloud model wind fields yield a series of cross sections of NO(x), CO, and O3 distribution during the lifetime of the cloud; these fields are used in the photochemical model to compute the net rate of O3 production. At noon, when the cloud was mature, the instantaneous ozone production potential in the cloud is between 50 and 60 percent less than in no-cloud conditions due to reduced photolysis and cloud scavenging of radicals. Analysis of cloud inflows and outflows is used to differentiate between air that is undisturbed and air that has been modified by the storm. These profiles are used in the photochemical model to examine the aftereffects of convective redistribution in the 24-hour period following the storm. Total tropospheric column O3 production changed little due to convection because so little NO(x) was available in the lower troposphere. However, the integrated O3 production potential in the 5- to 13-km layer changed from net destruction to net production as a result of the convection. The conditions of the August 3, 1985, event may be typical of the early part of the dry season in Amazonia, when only minimal amounts of pollution from biomass burning have been transported into the region.

A cloud-ozone data product from Aura OMI and MLS satellite measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemke, Jerald R.; Strode, Sarah A.; Douglass, Anne R.; Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Oman, Luke D.; Liu, Junhua; Strahan, Susan E.; Bhartia, Pawan K.; Haffner, David P.

2017-11-01

Ozone within deep convective clouds is controlled by several factors involving photochemical reactions and transport. Gas-phase photochemical reactions and heterogeneous surface chemical reactions involving ice, water particles, and aerosols inside the clouds all contribute to the distribution and net production and loss of ozone. Ozone in clouds is also dependent on convective transport that carries low-troposphere/boundary-layer ozone and ozone precursors upward into the clouds. Characterizing ozone in thick clouds is an important step for quantifying relationships of ozone with tropospheric H2O, OH production, and cloud microphysics/transport properties. Although measuring ozone in deep convective clouds from either aircraft or balloon ozonesondes is largely impossible due to extreme meteorological conditions associated with these clouds, it is possible to estimate ozone in thick clouds using backscattered solar UV radiation measured by satellite instruments. Our study combines Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite measurements to generate a new research product of monthly-mean ozone concentrations in deep convective clouds between 30° S and 30° N for October 2004-April 2016. These measurements represent mean ozone concentration primarily in the upper levels of thick clouds and reveal key features of cloud ozone including: persistent low ozone concentrations in the tropical Pacific of ˜ 10 ppbv or less; concentrations of up to 60 pphv or greater over landmass regions of South America, southern Africa, Australia, and India/east Asia; connections with tropical ENSO events; and intraseasonal/Madden-Julian oscillation variability. Analysis of OMI aerosol measurements suggests a cause and effect relation between boundary-layer pollution and elevated ozone inside thick clouds over landmass regions including southern Africa and India/east Asia.

A Cloud-Ozone Data Product from Aura OMI and MLS Satellite Measurements.

PubMed

Ziemke, Jerald R; Strode, Sarah A; Douglass, Anne R; Joiner, Joanna; Vasilkov, Alexander; Oman, Luke D; Liu, Junhua; Strahan, Susan E; Bhartia, Pawan K; Haffner, David P

2017-01-01

Ozone within deep convective clouds is controlled by several factors involving photochemical reactions and transport. Gas-phase photochemical reactions and heterogeneous surface chemical reactions involving ice, water particles, and aerosols inside the clouds all contribute to the distribution and net production and loss of ozone. Ozone in clouds is also dependent on convective transport that carries low troposphere/boundary layer ozone and ozone precursors upward into the clouds. Characterizing ozone in thick clouds is an important step for quantifying relationships of ozone with tropospheric H 2 O, OH production, and cloud microphysics/transport properties. Although measuring ozone in deep convective clouds from either aircraft or balloon ozonesondes is largely impossible due to extreme meteorological conditions associated with these clouds, it is possible to estimate ozone in thick clouds using backscattered solar UV radiation measured by satellite instruments. Our study combines Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite measurements to generate a new research product of monthly-mean ozone concentrations in deep convective clouds between 30°S to 30°N for October 2004 - April 2016. These measurements represent mean ozone concentration primarily in the upper levels of thick clouds and reveal key features of cloud ozone including: persistent low ozone concentrations in the tropical Pacific of ~10 ppbv or less; concentrations of up to 60 pphv or greater over landmass regions of South America, southern Africa, Australia, and India/east Asia; connections with tropical ENSO events; and intra-seasonal/Madden-Julian Oscillation variability. Analysis of OMI aerosol measurements suggests a cause and effect relation between boundary layer pollution and elevated ozone inside thick clouds over land-mass regions including southern Africa and India/east Asia.

A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riihimaki, L. D.; Comstock, J. M.; Luke, E.; Thorsen, T. J.; Fu, Q.

2017-07-01

To understand the microphysical processes that impact diabatic heating and cloud lifetimes in convection, we need to characterize the spatial distribution of supercooled liquid water. To address this observational challenge, ground-based vertically pointing active sensors at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site are used to classify cloud phase within a deep convective cloud. The cloud cannot be fully observed by a lidar due to signal attenuation. Therefore, we developed an objective method for identifying hydrometeor classes, including mixed-phase conditions, using k-means clustering on parameters that describe the shape of the Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar. This approach shows that multiple, overlapping mixed-phase layers exist within the cloud, rather than a single region of supercooled liquid. Diffusional growth calculations show that the conditions for the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process exist within one of these mixed-phase microstructures.

In-Situ Data for Microphysical Retrievals: TC4, 2007

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mace, Gerald

This data set is derived from measurements collected in situ by the NASA DC8 during the Tropical Cloud Climate Composition Coupling Experiment (TC4) that was conducted during July and August, 2007 (Toon et al., 2010). During this experiment the DC8 was based in San Jose, Costa Rica and sampled clouds in the maritime region of the Eastern Pacific and adjoining continental areas. The primary objective of the DC8 during this deployment was to sample ice clouds associated with convective activity. While the vast majority of the data are from ice-phase clouds that have recent association with convection, other types ofmore » clouds such as boundary layer clouds and active convection were also sampled and are represented in this data set. The derived data set, as compiled in this delivery, includes approximately 15,000 5-second averaged measurements collected by the NASA DC8.« less

Exploring Stratocumulus Cloud-Top Entrainment Processes and Parameterizations by Using Doppler Cloud Radar Observations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Albrecht, Bruce; Fang, Ming; Ghate, Virendra

2016-02-01

Observations from an upward-pointing Doppler cloud radar are used to examine cloud-top entrainment processes and parameterizations in a non-precipitating continental stratocumulus cloud deck maintained by time varying surface buoyancy fluxes and cloud-top radiative cooling. Radar and ancillary observations were made at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM)’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site located near Lamont, Oklahoma of unbroken, non-precipitating stratocumulus clouds observed for a 14-hour period starting 0900 Central Standard Time on 25 March 2005. The vertical velocity variance and energy dissipation rate (EDR) terms in a parameterized turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) budget of the entrainment zone are estimated using themore » radar vertical velocity and the radar spectrum width observations from the upward-pointing millimeter cloud radar (MMCR) operating at the SGP site. Hourly averages of the vertical velocity variance term in the TKE entrainment formulation correlates strongly (r=0.72) to the dissipation rate term in the entrainment zone. However, the ratio of the variance term to the dissipation decreases at night due to decoupling of the boundary layer. When the night -time decoupling is accounted for, the correlation between the variance and the EDR term increases (r=0.92). To obtain bulk coefficients for the entrainment parameterizations derived from the TKE budget, independent estimate of entrainment were obtained from an inversion height budget using ARM SGP observations of the local time derivative and the horizontal advection of the cloud-top height. The large-scale vertical velocity at the inversion needed for this budget from EMWF reanalysis. This budget gives a mean entrainment rate for the observing period of 0.76±0.15 cm/s. This mean value is applied to the TKE budget parameterizations to obtain the bulk coefficients needed in these parameterizations. These bulk coefficients are compared with those from previous and are used to in the parameterizations to give hourly estimates of the entrainment rates using the radar derived vertical velocity variance and dissipation rates. Hourly entrainment rates were estimated from a convective velocity w* parameterization depends on the local surface buoyancy fluxes and the calculated radiative flux divergence, parameterization using a bulk coefficient obtained from the mean inversion height budget. The hourly rates from the cloud turbulence estimates and the w* parameterization, which is independent of the radar observations, are compared with the hourly we values from the budget. All show rough agreement with each other and capture the entrainment variability associated with substantial changes in the surface flux and radiative divergence at cloud top. Major uncertainties in the hourly estimates from the height budget and w* are discussed. The results indicate a strong potential for making entrainment rate estimates directly from the radar vertical velocity variance and the EDR measurements—a technique that has distinct advantages over other methods for estimating entrainment rates. Calculations based on the EDR alone can provide high temporal resolution (for averaging intervals as small as 10 minutes) of the entrainment processes and do not require an estimate of the boundary layer depth, which can be difficult to define when the boundary layer is decoupled.« less

Precipitation Characteristics of ISCCP Cloud Regimes for Improving Model Hydrological Budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, D.; Oreopoulos, L.

2011-01-01

The key in unraveling relationships between precipitation and atmospheric circulations is their common linkage to clouds. Clouds can be described in a variety of ways and several approaches can be adopted to examine their connections to precipitation. We claim that when cloud regimes (aka weather states) from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) are used to conditionally sample/sort and average precipitation data, useful insight and GCM-appropriate diagnostics on the origins and distribution of precipitation can be obtained. The ISCCP cloud regimes are mesoscale (2.5 ) cloud mixtures determined by cluster analysis on joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and cloud top pressure inferred from geostationary and polar orbiter satellite passive retrievals. The ISCCP cloud regime data are combined with GPCP IDD merged surface precipitation data and/or higher temporal and spatial resolution TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) data. The analysis is performed separately for three geographical zones, tropics, and northern/southern midlatitudes (for GPCP; only the tropics can be examined with TMPA data). Our presentation aspires to provide answers to the following questions: (l) What is the mean and variability of surface precipitation produced by each cloud regime at the time of regime occurrence? (2) What is the relative contribution of each cloud regime to the total precipitation within its geographical zone? (3) What is the geographical distribution of precipitation corresponding to particular cloud regime? (4) To what extent are the cloud regimes distinct in terms of their precipitation characteristics and is the regime ordering in terms of convective strength consistent with the observed precipitation intensity?

The Impact of Horizontal and Temporal Resolution on Convection and Precipitation with High-Resolution GEOS-5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, William P.

2012-01-01

Using a high-resolution non-hydrostatic version of GEOS-5 with the cubed-sphere finite-volume dynamical core, the impact of spatial and temporal resolution on cloud properties will be evaluated. There are indications from examining convective cluster development in high resolution GEOS-5 forecasts that the temporal resolution within the model may playas significant a role as horizontal resolution. Comparing modeled convective cloud clusters versus satellite observations of brightness temperature, we have found that improved. temporal resolution in GEOS-S accounts for a significant portion of the improvements in the statistical distribution of convective cloud clusters. Using satellite simulators in GEOS-S we will compare the cloud optical properties of GEOS-S at various spatial and temporal resolutions with those observed from MODIS. The potential impact of these results on tropical cyclone formation and intensity will be examined as well.

Spatial characteristics of the tropical cloud systems: comparison between model simulation and satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Guang J.; Zurovac-Jevtic, Dance; Boer, Erwin R.

1999-10-01

A Lagrangian cloud classification algorithm is applied to the cloud fields in the tropical Pacific simulated by a high-resolution regional atmospheric model. The purpose of this work is to assess the model's ability to reproduce the observed spatial characteristics of the tropical cloud systems. The cloud systems are broadly grouped into three categories: deep clouds, mid-level clouds and low clouds. The deep clouds are further divided into mesoscale convective systems and nonmesoscale convective systems. It is shown that the model is able to simulate the total cloud cover for each category reasonably well. However, when the cloud cover is broken down into contributions from cloud systems of different sizes, it is shown that the simulated cloud size distribution is biased toward large cloud systems, with contribution from relatively small cloud systems significantly under-represented in the model for both deep and mid-level clouds. The number distribution and area contribution to the cloud cover from mesoscale convective systems are very well simulated compared to the satellite observations, so are low clouds as well. The dependence of the cloud physical properties on cloud scale is examined. It is found that cloud liquid water path, rainfall, and ocean surface sensible and latent heat fluxes have a clear dependence on cloud types and scale. This is of particular interest to studies of the cloud effects on surface energy budget and hydrological cycle. The diurnal variation of the cloud population and area is also examined. The model exhibits a varying degree of success in simulating the diurnal variation of the cloud number and area. The observed early morning maximum cloud cover in deep convective cloud systems is qualitatively simulated. However, the afternoon secondary maximum is missing in the model simulation. The diurnal variation of the tropospheric temperature is well reproduced by the model while simulation of the diurnal variation of the moisture field is poor. The implication of this comparison between model simulation and observations on cloud parameterization is discussed.

Cloud cover analysis associated to cut-off low-pressure systems over Europe using Meteosat Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, G.; Redaño, A.; Lorente, J.; Nieto, R.; Gimeno, L.; Ribera, P.; Barriopedro, D.; García-Herrera, R.; Serrano, A.

2007-04-01

This paper reports a cloud cover analysis of cut-off low pressure systems (COL) using a pattern recognition method applied to IR and VIS bispectral histograms. 35 COL occurrences were studied over five years (1994-1998). Five cloud types were identified in COLs, of which high clouds (HCC) and deep convective clouds (DCC) were found to be the most relevant to characterize COL systems, though not the most numerous. Cloud cover in a COL is highly dependent on its stage of development, but a higher percentage of cloud cover is always present in the frontal zone, attributable due to higher amounts of high and deep convective clouds. These general characteristics are most marked during the first stage (when the amplitude of the geopotencial wave increases) and second stage (characterized by the development of a cold upper level low), closed cyclonic circulation minimizing differences between rearward and frontal zones during the third stage. The probability of heavy rains during this stage decreases considerably. The centres of mass of high and deep convective clouds move towards the COL-axis centre during COL evolution.

Cloud Resolving Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo

2007-01-01

One of the most promising methods to test the representation of cloud processes used in climate models is to use observations together with cloud-resolving models (CRMs). CRMs use more sophisticated and realistic representations of cloud microphysical processes, and they can reasonably well resolve the time evolution, structure, and life cycles of clouds and cloud systems (with sizes ranging from about 2-200 km). CRMs also allow for explicit interaction between clouds, outgoing longwave (cooling) and incoming solar (heating) radiation, and ocean and land surface processes. Observations are required to initialize CRMs and to validate their results. This paper provides a brief discussion and review of the main characteristics of CRMs as well as some of their major applications. These include the use of CRMs to improve our understanding of: (1) convective organization, (2) cloud temperature and water vapor budgets, and convective momentum transport, (3) diurnal variation of precipitation processes, (4) radiative-convective quasi-equilibrium states, (5) cloud-chemistry interaction, (6) aerosol-precipitation interaction, and (7) improving moist processes in large-scale models. In addition, current and future developments and applications of CRMs will be presented.

Use of MISR measurements to study the radiative transfer of an isolated convective cloud: Implications for cloud optical thickness retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornet, C.; Davies, R.

2008-02-01

Radiative transfer simulations of an isolated deep convective cloud reconstructed with stereo-techniques from the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) are compared with the reflectances measured at the nine MISR viewing angles. The simulations were done using a three dimensional Monte Carlo model, in which ocean reflectance, aerosol and Rayleigh scattering were prescribed to match the surrounding clear-sky MISR measurements. Making reasonable assumptions regarding the vertical and horizontal distribution of the volume extinction coefficient, we were able to reproduce the MISR measurements with the 3D radiative calculations. While the uniqueness of the these distributions cannot be proven, they all lead to retrievals of much larger cloud optical thickness and cloud water content than for a 1D retrieval. Averaged over the cloud, the difference was a factor of about 3, rising to 9 locally. This is a consequence of horizontal photon transport that serves to highlight the inadequacy of 1D retrievals for the case of deep convective cloud. Concerning the internal cloud properties, we noticed the angular distribution of modeled radiances did not match the measured radiances when an ice crystal phase function was applied. Better estimates of the optical depths and water contents of deep convective clouds appear to be obtainable by integrating an estimate of the extinction coefficient over the vertical cloud extent (when this can assessed) than by attempting to invert the radiance measured from a single-angle view using 1D theory.

Dehydration of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere by Subvisible Cirrus Clouds Near the Tropical Tropopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eric J.; Toon, Owen B.; Pfister, Leonhard; Selkirk, Henry B.

1996-01-01

The extreme dryness of the lower stratosphere is believed to be caused by freeze-drying of air as it enters the stratosphere through the cold tropical tropopause. Previous investigations have been focused on dehydration occurring at the tops of deep convective cloud systems, However, recent observations of a ubiquitous stratiform cirrus cloud layer near the tropical tropopause suggest the possibility of dehydration as air is slowly lifted by large-scale motions, In this study, we have evaluated this possibility using a detailed ice cloud model. Simulations of ice cloud formation in the temperature minima of gravity waves (wave periods of 1 - 2 hours) indicate that large numbers of ice crystals will likely form due to the low temperatures and rapid cooling. As a result, the crystals do not grow larger than about 10 microns, fallspeeds are no greater than a few cm/s, and little or no precipitation or dehydration occurs. However, ice cloud's formed by large-scale vertical motions (with lifetimes of a day or more) should have,fever crystals and more time for crystal sedimentation to occur, resulting in water vapor depletions as large as 1 ppmv near the tropopause. We suggest that gradual lifting near the tropical tropopause, accompanied by formation of thin cirrus, may account for the dehydration.

Cloud-top height retrieval from polarizing remote sensor POLDER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xianqiang; Pan, Delu; Yan, Bai; Mao, Zhihua

2006-10-01

A new cloud-top height retrieval method is proposed by using polarizing remote sensing. In cloudy conditions, it shows that, in purple and blue bands, linear polarizing radiance at the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) is mainly contributed by Rayleigh scattering of the atmosphere's molecules above cloud, and the contribution by cloud reflection and aerosol scattering can be neglected. With such characteristics, the basis principle and method of cloud-top height retrieval using polarizing remote sensing are presented in detail, and tested by the polarizing remote sensing data of POLDER. The satellite-derived cloud-top height product can not only show the distribution of global cloud-top height, but also obtain the cloud-top height distribution of moderate-scale meteorological phenomena like hurricanes and typhoons. This new method is promising to become the operational algorithm for cloud-top height retrieval for POLDER and the future polarizing remote sensing satellites.

Three-dimensional Numerical Simulation of Venus' Cloud-level Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, K. I.; Nakajima, K.; Odaka, M.; Imamura, T.; Hayashi, Y. Y.; Ishiwatari, M.; Kawabata, T.

2015-12-01

Although some observational evidences have suggested the occurrence of convection in the lower part of Venus' cloud layer, its structure remains to be clarified. To date, a few numerical studies have examined the structure of convective motion (Baker et al., 1998, 2000; Imamura et al., 2014), but the model they utilized is two-dimensional. Here we report on the results of our numerical calculations performed in order to investigate possible three-dimensional structure of the convection. We use a convection resolving model developed by Sugiyama et al. (2009), which is used in the simulations of the atmospheric convection of Jupiter (Sugiyama et al., 2011,2014) and Mars (Yamashita et al., submitted). We perform two experiments. The first one, which we call Ext.B, is based on Baker et al. (1998). A constant turbulent mixing coefficient is used in the whole domain, and a constant thermal flux is given at the upper and lower boundaries as a substitute for infrared heating. The second one, which we call Exp.I, is based on Imamura et al. (2014). The sub-grid turbulence process is implemented by Klemp and Wilhelmson (1989), and an infrared heating profile obtained in a radiative-convective equilibrium calculation (Ikeda, 2011) is used. In both experiments, the averaged solar heating profile is used. The spatial resolution is 200 m in the horizontal direction and 125 m in the vertical direction. The domain covers 128km x 128km horizontally and altitudes from 40 km to 60 km. Obtained structures of convection moderately differ in the two experiments. Although the depth of convection layer is almost the same, the horizontal cell size of Exp.B is larger than that of Exp.I; the cell sizes in Exp.B and Exp.I are about 40 km and 25 km, respectively. The vertical motion in Exp.B is asymmetric; updrafts are widespread and weak (~3m/s), whereas downdrafts are narrow and strong (~10m/s). On the other hand, the vertical motion in Exp.I is nearly symmetric and weaker (~2m/s) compared with those in Exp.B. The difference of convective structure results from the different vertical distributions of implemented infrared heating. Namely, the intense downdrafts in Exp.B are forced by the strong cooling concentrated near the top of convection layer. In Exp.I, the heating is distributed in a thick layer, so that relatively symmetric vertical motion occurs.

Nighttime observations of thunderstorm electrical activity from a high altitude airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brook, M.; Vonnegut, B.; Orville, R. E.; Vaughan, O. H., Jr.

1984-01-01

Nocturnal thunderstorms were observed from above and features of cloud structure and lightning which are not generally visible from the ground are discussed. Most, lightning activity seems to be associated with clouds with strong convective cauliflower tops. In both of the storms lightning channels were visible in the clear air above the cloud. It is shown that substances produced by thunderstorm electrical discharges can be introduced directly into the stratosphere. The cause and nature of the discharges above the cloud are not clear. They may be produced by accumulations of space charge in the clear air above the cloud. The discharges may arise solely because of the intense electric fields produced by charges within the cloud. In the latter case the ions introduced by these discharges will increase the electrical conductivity of the air above the cloud and increase the conduction current that flows from the cloud to the electrosphere. More quantitative data at higher resolution may show significant spectral differences between cloud to ground and intracloud strokes. It is shown that electric field change data taken with an electric field change meter mounted in an airplane provide data on lightning discharges from above that are quite similar to those obtained from the ground in the past. The optical signals from dart leaders, from return strokes, and from continuing currents are recognizable, can be used to provide information on the fine structure of lightning, and can be used to distinguish between cloud to ground and intracloud flashes.

Dryline on 22 May 2002 During IHOP: Convective Scale Measurements at the Profiling Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demoz, Belay; Flamant, Cyrille; Miller, David; Evans, Keith; Fabry, Federic; DiGirolamo, Paolo; Whiteman, David; Geerts, Bart; Weckwerth, Tammy; Brown, William

2004-01-01

A unique set of measurements of wind, water vapor mixing ratio and boundary layer height variability was observed during the first MOP dryline mission of 22 May 2002. Water vapor mixing ratio from the Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL), high-resolution profiles of aerosol backscatter from the HARLIE and wind profiles from the GLOW are combined with the vertical velocity derived from the NCAR/ISS/MAPR and the high-resolution FMCW radar to reveal the convective variability of the cumulus cloud-topped boundary layer. A combined analysis of the in-situ and remote sensing data from aircraft, radiosonde, lidars, and radars reveals moisture variability within boundary layer updraft and downdraft regions as well as characterizes the boundary layer height variability in the dry and moist sides of the dryline. The profiler site measurements will be tied to aircraft data to reveal the relative intensity and location of these updrafts to the dry line. This study provides unprecedented high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of wind, moisture and backscatter within a dryline and the associated convective boundary layer.

How do changes in warm-phase microphysics affect deep convective clouds?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qian; Koren, Ilan; Altaratz, Orit; Heiblum, Reuven H.; Dagan, Guy; Pinto, Lital

2017-08-01

Understanding aerosol effects on deep convective clouds and the derived effects on the radiation budget and rain patterns can largely contribute to estimations of climate uncertainties. The challenge is difficult in part because key microphysical processes in the mixed and cold phases are still not well understood. For deep convective clouds with a warm base, understanding aerosol effects on the warm processes is extremely important as they set the initial and boundary conditions for the cold processes. Therefore, the focus of this study is the warm phase, which can be better resolved. The main question is: How do aerosol-derived changes in the warm phase affect the properties of deep convective cloud systems? To explore this question, we used a weather research and forecasting (WRF) model with spectral bin microphysics to simulate a deep convective cloud system over the Marshall Islands during the Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX). The model results were validated against observations, showing similarities in the vertical profile of radar reflectivity and the surface rain rate. Simulations with larger aerosol loading resulted in a larger total cloud mass, a larger cloud fraction in the upper levels, and a larger frequency of strong updrafts and rain rates. Enlarged mass both below and above the zero temperature level (ZTL) contributed to the increase in cloud total mass (water and ice) in the polluted runs. Increased condensation efficiency of cloud droplets governed the gain in mass below the ZTL, while both enhanced condensational and depositional growth led to increased mass above it. The enhanced mass loading above the ZTL acted to reduce the cloud buoyancy, while the thermal buoyancy (driven by the enhanced latent heat release) increased in the polluted runs. The overall effect showed an increased upward transport (across the ZTL) of liquid water driven by both larger updrafts and larger droplet mobility. These aerosol effects were reflected in the larger ratio between the masses located above and below the ZTL in the polluted runs. When comparing the net mass flux crossing the ZTL in the clean and polluted runs, the difference was small. However, when comparing the upward and downward fluxes separately, the increase in aerosol concentration was seen to dramatically increase the fluxes in both directions, indicating the aerosol amplification effect of the convection and the affected cloud system properties, such as cloud fraction and rain rate.

TRMM Validation: Integration of TRMM Satellite and Ground-Validation Data to Determine Tropical Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Houze, Robert A., Jr.

2001-01-01

Steiner and Houze showed from ground validation data that the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite Precipitation Radar's (PR's) twice daily only sampling should lead to an uncertainty of approximately 20% in rain estimates. They further showed that the uncertainties are smallest at the 5-7.5 km level. Schumacher and Houze used Kwajalein ground validation data to show that the TRMM PR misses only 2.3% of the near surface rainfall but does not see 46% of the area where rain occurs, because of the 17 dBZ PR reflectivity threshold. Houze discusses how the TRMM data extend earlier tropical convective studies to global coverage of the vertical profile of latent heating via the TRMM PR''s ability to distinguish and globally map convective and stratiform precipitation. Process studies carried out under this TRMM grant Yuter and Houze and Yuter et al. studied ship-based radar observations in the tropical eastern Pacific ITCZ. The eastern Pacific precipitation process is different from the western Pacific (the COARE area); rain is heavier but the clouds are not as deep. These process differences may affect the ability to remotely sense precipitation accurately in the two regions. Satellite microwave data were able to detect the precipitation as long as the rain areas exceeded 10 km in dimension. However, the microwave algorithms had difficulty distinguishing light and heavy rain. Satellite IR algorithms only partially detected the rain because the tops of the smaller and more short-lived rain clouds were sometimes not cold enough for the IR algorithms to detect them. Houze et al. focused on the west Pacific precipitating mesoscale convective systems and showed how their precipitation and internal dynamics vary in relation to the slowly varying large-scale heating-driven circulation, which has a structure described by a combination of Kelvin and Rossby wave response to the near-equatorial convective heating constituted by the mesoscale convective systems. Ship and aircraft radar data were used in this study.

Venus atmosphere from Venus Express

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titov, Dmitri; Taylor, Fredric W.; Svedhem, Håkan; Titov, D.; Svedhem, H.; Taylor, F. W.; Bertaux, J.-L.; Drossart, P.; Haeusler, B.; Korablev, O. I.; Markiewicz, W. J.; Paetzold, M.; Piccioni, G.; Vandaele, A.-C.

Since April 2006 Venus Express has been performing a global survey of the remarkably dense, cloudy, and dynamic atmosphere of our near neighbour. A consistent picture of the climate on Venus is emerging on the basis of the new data on the global temperature structure, the com-position and its variations, the cloud morphology at various levels, the atmospheric dynamics and general circulation, and near-infrared emissions from trace species such as oxygen in the mesosphere. Vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature in the mesosphere and upper tropo-sphere show strong variability correlated with changes in the cloud top structure and many fine details indicating dynamical processes. Temperature sounding also shows that the main cloud deck at 50-60 km is convectively unstable over large portion of the planet, in agreement with the analysis of UV images. Imaging also reveals strong latitudinal variations and significant temporal changes in the global cloud top morphology, which will inevitably modulate the solar energy deposited in the atmosphere. The cloud top altitude varies from 72 km in the low and middle latitudes to 64 km in the polar region, marking vast polar depressions that form as a re-sult of the Hadley-type meridional circulation. Stellar and solar occultation measurements have revealed an extended upper haze of submicron particles and provided information on its optical properties. Solar occultation observations and deep atmosphere spectroscopy have quantified the distribution of the major trace gases H2O, SO2, CO, COS above and below the clouds, and so provided important input and validation for models of chemical cycles and dynamical trans-port. Cloud motion monitoring has characterised the mean state of the atmospheric circulation as well as its variability. Low and middle latitudes show an almost constant zonal wind speed of 100+/-20 m/s at the cloud tops and vertical wind shear of 2-3 m/s/km. Towards the pole, the wind speed drops quickly and the vertical shear vanishes. The meridional poleward wind ranges from 0 to about 15 m/s and there is some indication that it may change its direction at high latitudes. Comparison of the thermal wind field derived from temperature sounding to the cloud tracked winds confirms the approximate validity of cyclostrophic balance, at least in the latitude range from 30 S to 70 S. Maps of the non-LTE infrared emissions in the lines of O2, NO, CO2, OH originating near the mesopause at 95-105 km altitude show that the airglow peak intensity occurs close to the anti-solar point and its location depends on species. These observations promise significant improvement of thermospheric circulation models.

Double-moment Cloud Microphysics Scheme for the Deep Convection Parameterization in the GFDL AM3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belochitski, A.; Donner, L.

2013-12-01

A double-moment cloud microphysical scheme originally developed by Morrision and Gettelman (2008) for the stratiform clouds and later adopted for the deep convection by Song and Zhang (2011) is being implemented in to the deep convection parameterization of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's atmospheric general circulation model AM3. The scheme treats cloud drop, cloud ice, rain, and snow number concentrations and mixing ratios as diagnostic variables and incorporates processes of autoconversion, self-collection, collection between hydrometeor species, sedimentation, ice nucleation, drop activation, homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing, and the Bergeron-Findeisen process. Detailed representation of microphysical processes makes the scheme suitable for studying the interactions between aerosols and convection, as well as aerosols' indirect effects on clouds and the roles of these effects in climate change. The scheme is implemented into the single column version of the GFDL AM3 and evaluated using large scale forcing data obtained at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurment project's Southern Great Planes and Tropical West Pacific sites. Sensitivity of the scheme to formulations for autoconversion of cloud water and its accretion by rain, self-collection of rain and self-collection of snow, as well as the formulation for heterogenous ice nucleation is investigated. In the future, tests with the full atmospheric GCM will be conducted.

EUREC4A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds, Convection and Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Ament, Felix; Bigorre, Sebastien; Chazette, Patrick; Crewell, Susanne; Delanoë, Julien; Emanuel, Kerry; Farrell, David; Flamant, Cyrille; Gross, Silke; Hirsch, Lutz; Karstensen, Johannes; Mayer, Bernhard; Nuijens, Louise; Ruppert, James H.; Sandu, Irina; Siebesma, Pier; Speich, Sabrina; Szczap, Frédéric; Totems, Julien; Vogel, Raphaela; Wendisch, Manfred; Wirth, Martin

2017-11-01

Trade-wind cumuli constitute the cloud type with the highest frequency of occurrence on Earth, and it has been shown that their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions will critically influence the magnitude and pace of future global warming. Research over the last decade has pointed out the importance of the interplay between clouds, convection and circulation in controling this sensitivity. Numerical models represent this interplay in diverse ways, which translates into different responses of trade-cumuli to climate perturbations. Climate models predict that the area covered by shallow cumuli at cloud base is very sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, while process models suggest the opposite. To understand and resolve this contradiction, we propose to organize a field campaign aimed at quantifying the physical properties of trade-cumuli (e.g., cloud fraction and water content) as a function of the large-scale environment. Beyond a better understanding of clouds-circulation coupling processes, the campaign will provide a reference data set that may be used as a benchmark for advancing the modelling and the satellite remote sensing of clouds and circulation. It will also be an opportunity for complementary investigations such as evaluating model convective parameterizations or studying the role of ocean mesoscale eddies in air-sea interactions and convective organization.

EUREC4A: A Field Campaign to Elucidate the Couplings Between Clouds, Convection and Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Ament, Felix; Bigorre, Sebastien; Chazette, Patrick; Crewell, Susanne; Delanoë, Julien; Emanuel, Kerry; Farrell, David; Flamant, Cyrille; Gross, Silke; Hirsch, Lutz; Karstensen, Johannes; Mayer, Bernhard; Nuijens, Louise; Ruppert, James H.; Sandu, Irina; Siebesma, Pier; Speich, Sabrina; Szczap, Frédéric; Totems, Julien; Vogel, Raphaela; Wendisch, Manfred; Wirth, Martin

Trade-wind cumuli constitute the cloud type with the highest frequency of occurrence on Earth, and it has been shown that their sensitivity to changing environmental conditions will critically influence the magnitude and pace of future global warming. Research over the last decade has pointed out the importance of the interplay between clouds, convection and circulation in controling this sensitivity. Numerical models represent this interplay in diverse ways, which translates into different responses of tradecumuli to climate perturbations. Climate models predict that the area covered by shallow cumuli at cloud base is very sensitive to changes in environmental conditions, while process models suggest the opposite. To understand and resolve this contradiction, we propose to organize a field campaign aimed at quantifying the physical properties of tradecumuli (e.g., cloud fraction and water content) as a function of the large-scale environment. Beyond a better understanding of clouds-circulation coupling processes, the campaign will provide a reference data set that may be used as a benchmark for advancing the modelling and the satellite remote sensing of clouds and circulation. It will also be an opportunity for complementary investigations such as evaluating model convective parameterizations or studying the role of ocean mesoscale eddies in air-sea interactions and convective organization.

Rain-shadow: An area harboring "Gray Ocean" clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padmakumari, B.; Maheskumar, R. S.; Harikishan, G.; Morwal, S. B.; Kulkarni, J. R.

2018-06-01

The characteristics of monsoon convective clouds over the rain-shadow region of north peninsular India have been investigated using in situ aircraft cloud microphysical observations collected during Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement EXperiment (CAIPEEX). The parameters considered for characterization are: liquid water content (LWC), cloud vertical motion (updraft, downdraft: w), cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and effective radius (Re). The results are based on 15 research flights which were conducted from the base station Hyderabad during summer monsoon season. The clouds studied were developing congestus. The clouds have low CDNC and low updraft values resembling the oceanic convective clouds. The super-saturation in clouds is found to be low (≤0.2%) due to low updrafts. The land surface behaves like ocean surface during monsoon as deduced from Bowen ratio. Microphysically the clouds showed oceanic characteristics. However, these clouds yield low rainfall due to their low efficiency (mean 14%). The cloud parameters showed a large variability; hence their characteristic values are reported in terms of median values. These values will serve the numerical models for rainfall simulations over the region and also will be useful as a scientific basis for cloud seeding operations to increase the rainfall efficiency. The study revealed that monsoon convective clouds over the rain-shadow region are of oceanic type over the gray land, and therefore we christen them as "Gray Ocean" clouds.

Relationships among cloud occurrence frequency, overlap, and effective thickness derived from CALIPSO and CloudSat merged cloud vertical profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Seiji; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Miller, Walter F.; Rose, Fred G.; Chen, Yan; Minnis, Patrick; Wielicki, Bruce A.

2010-01-01

A cloud frequency of occurrence matrix is generated using merged cloud vertical profiles derived from the satellite-borne Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and cloud profiling radar. The matrix contains vertical profiles of cloud occurrence frequency as a function of the uppermost cloud top. It is shown that the cloud fraction and uppermost cloud top vertical profiles can be related by a cloud overlap matrix when the correlation length of cloud occurrence, which is interpreted as an effective cloud thickness, is introduced. The underlying assumption in establishing the above relation is that cloud overlap approaches random overlap with increasing distance separating cloud layers and that the probability of deviating from random overlap decreases exponentially with distance. One month of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) and CloudSat data (July 2006) support these assumptions, although the correlation length sometimes increases with separation distance when the cloud top height is large. The data also show that the correlation length depends on cloud top hight and the maximum occurs when the cloud top height is 8 to 10 km. The cloud correlation length is equivalent to the decorrelation distance introduced by Hogan and Illingworth (2000) when cloud fractions of both layers in a two-cloud layer system are the same. The simple relationships derived in this study can be used to estimate the top-of-atmosphere irradiance difference caused by cloud fraction, uppermost cloud top, and cloud thickness vertical profile differences.

3CPO, Cloud Chemistry and Cloud Physics Organization: Data index, June 1988

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tichler, J.; Norden, K.; Sharp, D.

This document is an index of the data that was collected as part of the Cloud Chemistry and Cloud Physics Organization (3CPO) cooperative convective storms program which took place in June 1988 in east central Illinois. The objective of 3CPO was to ''assemble at a common time and location, the necessary measurement facilities to provide a previously unattained description of convective storm characteristics in polluted environments. 6 figs., 2 tabs.

Influences of Gravity Waves on Convectively Induced Turbulence (CIT): A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharman, Robert D.; Trier, S. B.

2018-03-01

Thunderstorms are known to produce turbulence. Such turbulence is commonly referred to as convectively induced turbulence or CIT, and can be hazardous to aviation. Although this turbulence can occur both within and outside the convection, out-of-cloud CIT is particularly hazardous, since it occurs in clear air and cannot be seen by eye or onboard radar. Furthermore, due to its small scale and its ties to the underlying convection, it is very difficult to forecast. Guidelines for out-of-cloud CIT avoidance are available, but they are oversimplified and can be misleading. In the search for more appropriate and physically based avoidance guidelines, considerable research has been conducted in recent years on the nature of the phenomenon, and in particular, its connection to gravity waves generated by the convection. This paper reviews the advances in our understanding of out-of-cloud CIT and its relation to convective gravity waves, and provides several detailed examples of observed cases to elucidate some of the underlying dynamics.

Parameterizing deep convection using the assumed probability density function method

DOE PAGES

Storer, R. L.; Griffin, B. M.; Höft, J.; ...

2014-06-11

Due to their coarse horizontal resolution, present-day climate models must parameterize deep convection. This paper presents single-column simulations of deep convection using a probability density function (PDF) parameterization. The PDF parameterization predicts the PDF of subgrid variability of turbulence, clouds, and hydrometeors. That variability is interfaced to a prognostic microphysics scheme using a Monte Carlo sampling method. The PDF parameterization is used to simulate tropical deep convection, the transition from shallow to deep convection over land, and mid-latitude deep convection. These parameterized single-column simulations are compared with 3-D reference simulations. The agreement is satisfactory except when the convective forcing ismore » weak. The same PDF parameterization is also used to simulate shallow cumulus and stratocumulus layers. The PDF method is sufficiently general to adequately simulate these five deep, shallow, and stratiform cloud cases with a single equation set. This raises hopes that it may be possible in the future, with further refinements at coarse time step and grid spacing, to parameterize all cloud types in a large-scale model in a unified way.« less

Parameterizing deep convection using the assumed probability density function method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Storer, R. L.; Griffin, B. M.; Höft, J.

2015-01-06

Due to their coarse horizontal resolution, present-day climate models must parameterize deep convection. This paper presents single-column simulations of deep convection using a probability density function (PDF) parameterization. The PDF parameterization predicts the PDF of subgrid variability of turbulence, clouds, and hydrometeors. That variability is interfaced to a prognostic microphysics scheme using a Monte Carlo sampling method.The PDF parameterization is used to simulate tropical deep convection, the transition from shallow to deep convection over land, and midlatitude deep convection. These parameterized single-column simulations are compared with 3-D reference simulations. The agreement is satisfactory except when the convective forcing is weak.more » The same PDF parameterization is also used to simulate shallow cumulus and stratocumulus layers. The PDF method is sufficiently general to adequately simulate these five deep, shallow, and stratiform cloud cases with a single equation set. This raises hopes that it may be possible in the future, with further refinements at coarse time step and grid spacing, to parameterize all cloud types in a large-scale model in a unified way.« less

Parameterizing deep convection using the assumed probability density function method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Storer, R. L.; Griffin, B. M.; Hoft, Jan

2015-01-06

Due to their coarse horizontal resolution, present-day climate models must parameterize deep convection. This paper presents single-column simulations of deep convection using a probability density function (PDF) parameterization. The PDF parameterization predicts the PDF of subgrid variability of turbulence, clouds, and hydrometeors. That variability is interfaced to a prognostic microphysics scheme using a Monte Carlo sampling method.The PDF parameterization is used to simulate tropical deep convection, the transition from shallow to deep convection over land, and mid-latitude deep convection.These parameterized single-column simulations are compared with 3-D reference simulations. The agreement is satisfactory except when the convective forcing is weak. Themore » same PDF parameterization is also used to simulate shallow cumulus and stratocumulus layers. The PDF method is sufficiently general to adequately simulate these five deep, shallow, and stratiform cloud cases with a single equation set. This raises hopes that it may be possible in the future, with further refinements at coarse time step and grid spacing, to parameterize all cloud types in a large-scale model in a unified way.« less

The "Grey Zone" cold air outbreak global model intercomparison: A cross evaluation using large-eddy simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomassini, Lorenzo; Field, Paul R.; Honnert, Rachel; Malardel, Sylvie; McTaggart-Cowan, Ron; Saitou, Kei; Noda, Akira T.; Seifert, Axel

2017-03-01

A stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition as observed in a cold air outbreak over the North Atlantic Ocean is compared in global climate and numerical weather prediction models and a large-eddy simulation model as part of the Working Group on Numerical Experimentation "Grey Zone" project. The focus of the project is to investigate to what degree current convection and boundary layer parameterizations behave in a scale-adaptive manner in situations where the model resolution approaches the scale of convection. Global model simulations were performed at a wide range of resolutions, with convective parameterizations turned on and off. The models successfully simulate the transition between the observed boundary layer structures, from a well-mixed stratocumulus to a deeper, partly decoupled cumulus boundary layer. There are indications that surface fluxes are generally underestimated. The amount of both cloud liquid water and cloud ice, and likely precipitation, are under-predicted, suggesting deficiencies in the strength of vertical mixing in shear-dominated boundary layers. But also regulation by precipitation and mixed-phase cloud microphysical processes play an important role in the case. With convection parameterizations switched on, the profiles of atmospheric liquid water and cloud ice are essentially resolution-insensitive. This, however, does not imply that convection parameterizations are scale-aware. Even at the highest resolutions considered here, simulations with convective parameterizations do not converge toward the results of convection-off experiments. Convection and boundary layer parameterizations strongly interact, suggesting the need for a unified treatment of convective and turbulent mixing when addressing scale-adaptivity.

Tropical Cyclone Diurnal Cycle as Observed by TRMM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leppert, Kenneth D., II; Cecil, D. J.

2015-01-01

Using infrared satellite data, previous work has shown a consistent diurnal cycle in the pattern of cold cloud tops around mature tropical cyclones. In particular, an increase in the coverage by cold cloud tops often occurs in the inner core of the storm around the time of sunset and subsequently propagates outward to several hundred kilometers over the course of the following day. This consistent cycle may have important implications for structure and intensity changes of tropical cyclones and the forecasting of such changes. Because infrared satellite measurements are primarily sensitive to cloud top, the goal of this study is to use passive and active microwave measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR), respectively, to examine and better understand the tropical cyclone diurnal cycle throughout a larger depth of the storm's clouds. The National Hurricane Center's best track dataset was used to extract all PR and TMI pixels within 1000 km of each tropical cyclone that occurred in the Atlantic basin between 1998-2011. Then the data was composited according to radius (100-km bins from 0-1000 km) and local standard time (LST; 3-hr bins). Specifically, PR composites involved finding the percentage of pixels with reflectivity greater than or equal to 20 dBZ at various heights (i.e., 2-14 km in increments of 2 km) as a function of radius and time. The 37- and 85- GHz TMI channels are especially sensitive to scattering by precipitation-sized ice in the mid to upper portions of clouds. Hence, the percentage of 37- and 85-GHz polarization corrected temperatures less than various thresholds were calculated using data from all storms as a function of radius and time. For 37 GHz, thresholds of 260 K, 265 K, 270 K, and 275 K were used, and for 85 GHz, thresholds of 200-270 K in increments of 10 K were utilized. Note that convection forced by the interactions of a tropical cyclone with land (e.g., due to frictional convergence) may disrupt the natural convective cycle of a cyclone. Hence, only data pertaining to storms whose centers were greater than 300 km from land were included in the composites. Early results suggest the presence of a diurnal cycle in the PR composites of all Atlantic basin tropical cyclones from a height of 2-12 km from approximately 0-400 km radius, but the cycle is most apparent above 6 km. At a height of 8 km, there is a peak (minimum) in the percentage of PR pixels greater than or equal to 20 dBZ near 0 (21) LST in the inner core with some indication that this signal propagates outward with time. In contrast, the 37- and 85-GHz composites show little indication of a diurnal cycle at any radii, regardless of the threshold used. Ongoing work with this project will involve sub-setting the composites according to storm intensity to see if the diurnal cycle varies with storm strength. Moderate to strong vertical wind shear often leads to asymmetries in tropical cyclone convection and may disrupt the cyclone's natural diurnal cycle. Therefore, wind shear thresholds will be applied to the composites to determine if the diurnal cycle becomes more apparent in a low shear environment. Finally, other work to be completed will involve developing composites for other tropical cyclone basins, including the East Pacific, Northwest Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean.

Origin of the pre-tropical storm Debby (2006) African easterly wave-mesoscale convective system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yuh-Lang; Liu, Liping; Tang, Guoqing; Spinks, James; Jones, Wilson

2013-05-01

The origins of the pre-Debby (2006) mesoscale convective system (MCS) and African easterly wave (AEW) and their precursors were traced back to the southwest Arabian Peninsula, Asir Mountains (AS), and Ethiopian Highlands (EH) in the vicinity of the ITCZ using satellite imagery, GFS analysis data and ARW model. The sources of the convective cloud clusters and vorticity perturbations were attributed to the cyclonic convergence of northeasterly Shamal wind and the Somali jet, especially when the Mediterranean High shifted toward east and the Indian Ocean high strengthened and its associated Somali jet penetrated farther to the north. The cyclonic vorticity perturbations were strengthened by the vorticity stretching associated with convective cloud clusters in the genesis region—southwest Arabian Peninsula. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the genesis of convective cloud clusters and cyclonic vorticity perturbations preceding the pre-Debby (2006) AEW-MCS system.

DC3 Data and Information Page

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-03-16

Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) Data and Information The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry ( DC3 ) field campaign is investigating the impact of deep, ... processes, on upper tropospheric (UT) composition and chemistry. The primary science objectives are:   To quantify and ...

Introducing Subrid-scale Cloud Feedbacks to Radiation for Regional Meteorological and Cllimate Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Convection systems and associated cloudiness directly influence regional and local radiation budgets, and dynamics and thermodynamics through feedbacks. However, most subgrid-scale convective parameterizations in regional weather and climate models do not consider cumulus cloud ...

Evaluation of NCMRWF unified model vertical cloud structure with CloudSat over the Indian summer monsoon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayakumar, A.; Mamgain, Ashu; Jisesh, A. S.; Mohandas, Saji; Rakhi, R.; Rajagopal, E. N.

2016-05-01

Representation of rainfall distribution and monsoon circulation in the high resolution versions of NCMRWF Unified model (NCUM-REG) for the short-range forecasting of extreme rainfall event is vastly dependent on the key factors such as vertical cloud distribution, convection and convection/cloud relationship in the model. Hence it is highly relevant to evaluate the vertical structure of cloud and precipitation of the model over the monsoon environment. In this regard, we utilized the synergy of the capabilities of CloudSat data for long observational period, by conditioning it for the synoptic situation of the model simulation period. Simulations were run at 4-km grid length with the convective parameterization effectively switched off and on. Since the sample of CloudSat overpasses through the monsoon domain is small, the aforementioned methodology may qualitatively evaluate the vertical cloud structure for the model simulation period. It is envisaged that the present study will open up the possibility of further improvement in the high resolution version of NCUM in the tropics for the Indian summer monsoon associated rainfall events.

CGILS: Results from the First Phase of an International Project to Understand the Physical Mechanisms of Low Cloud Feedbacks in Single Column Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Minghua; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Blossey, Peter N.; Austin, Phillip H.; Bacmeister, Julio T.; Bony, Sandrine; Brient, Florent; Cheedela, Suvarchal K.; Cheng, Anning; DelGenio, Anthony;

Tropical cloud and precipitation regimes as seen from near-simultaneous TRMM, CloudSat, and CALIPSO observations and comparison with ISCCP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Zhengzhao Johnny; Anderson, Ricardo C.; Rossow, William B.; Takahashi, Hanii

2017-06-01

Although Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and CloudSat/CALIPSO fly in different orbits, they frequently cross each other so that for the period between 2006 and 2010, a total of 15,986 intersect lines occurred within 20 min of each other from 30°S to 30°N, providing a rare opportunity to study tropical cloud and precipitation regimes and their internal vertical structure from near-simultaneous measurements by these active sensors. A k-means cluster analysis of TRMM and CloudSat matchups identifies three tropical cloud and precipitation regimes: the first two regimes correspond to, respectively, organized deep convection with heavy rain and cirrus anvils with moderate rain; the third regime is a convectively suppressed regime that can be further divided into three subregimes, which correspond to, respectively, stratocumulus clouds with drizzle, cirrus overlying low clouds, and nonprecipitating cumulus. Inclusion of CALIPSO data adds to the dynamic range of cloud properties and identifies one more cluster; subcluster analysis further identifies a thin, midlevel cloud regime associated with tropical mountain ranges. The radar-lidar cloud regimes are compared with the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) weather states (WSs) for the extended tropics. Focus is placed on the four convectively active WSs, namely, WS1-WS4. ISCCP WS1 and WS2 are found to be counterparts of Regime 1 and Regime 2 in radar-lidar observations, respectively. ISCCP WS3 and WS4, which are mainly isolated convection and broken, detached cirrus, do not have a strong association with any individual radar and lidar regimes, a likely effect of the different sampling strategies between ISCCP and active sensors and patchy cloudiness of these WSs.

Intensive probing of a clear air convective field by radar and instrumental drone aircraft.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowland, J. R.

1973-01-01

An instrumented drone aircraft was used in conjunction with ultrasensitive radar to study the development of a convective field in the clear air. Radar data are presented which show an initial constant growth rate in the height of the convective field of 3.8 m/min, followed by a short period marked by condensation and rapid growth at a rate in excess of 6.1 m/min. Drone aircraft soundings show general features of a convective field including progressive lifting of the inversion at the top of the convection and a cooling of the air at the top of the field. Calculations of vertical heat flux as a function of time and altitude during the early stages of convection show a linear decrease in heat flux with altitude to near the top of the convective field and a negative heat flux at the top. Evidence is presented which supports previous observations that convective cells overshoot their neutral buoyancy level into a region where they are cool and moist compared to their surroundings. Furthermore, only that portion of the convective cell that has overshot its neutral buoyancy level is generally visible to the radar.

The Diagnosis and application of a convective vorticity vector associated with convective systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, S.; Zhou, Y.; Tao, W.

2005-05-01

Although dry/moist potential vorticity is a very useful and powerful physical quantity in the large scale dynamics, it is not a quite ideal dynamical tool for the study of convective systems or severe storms. A new convective vorticity vector (CVV) is introduced in this study to identify the development of convective systems or severe storms. The daily Aviation (AVN) Model Data is used to diagnose the distribution of the CVV associated with rain storms occurred in the period of Meiyu in 1998. The results have clearly demonstrated that the CVV is an effective vector for indicating the convective actions along the Meiyu front. The CVV also is used to diagnose a 2-D cloud-resolving simulation data associated with 2-D tropical convection. The cloud model is forced by the vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal advection, and sea surface temperature obtained from the Tropical cean-Global tmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) and is integrated for a selected 10-day period. The CVV has zonal and vertical components in the 2-D x-z frame. Analysis of zonally averaged and mass-integrated quantities shows that the correlation coefficient between the vertical component of the CVV and the sum of the cloud hydrometeor mixing ratios is 0.81, whereas the correlation coefficient between the zonal component and the sum of the mixing ratios is only 0.18. This indicates that the vertical component of the CVV is closely associated with tropical convection. The tendency equation for the vertical component of the CVV is derived and the zonally averaged and mass-integrated tendency budgets are analyzed. The tendency of the vertical component of the CVV is determined by the interaction between the vorticity and the zonal gradient of cloud heating. The results demonstrate that the vertical component of the CVV is a cloud-linked parameter and can be used to study tropical convection.

Polarimetric Radar Characteristics of Simulated and Observed Intense Convection Between Continental and Maritime Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, T.; Dolan, B.; Tao, W. K.; Rutledge, S. A.; Iguchi, T.; Barnum, J. I.; Lang, S. E.

2017-12-01

This study presents polarimetric radar characteristics of intense convective cores derived from observations as well as a polarimetric-radar simulator from cloud resolving model (CRM) simulations from Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) May 23 case over Oklahoma and a Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) Jan 23 case over Darwin, Australia to highlight the contrast between continental and maritime convection. The POLArimetric Radar Retrieval and Instrument Simulator (POLARRIS) is a state-of-art T-matrix-Mueller-Matrix-based polarimetric radar simulator that can generate synthetic polarimetric radar signals (reflectivity, differential reflectivity, specific differential phase, co-polar correlation) as well as synthetic radar retrievals (precipitation, hydrometeor type, updraft velocity) through the consistent treatment of cloud microphysics and dynamics from CRMs. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is configured to simulate continental and maritime severe storms over the MC3E and TWP-ICE domains with the Goddard bulk 4ICE single-moment microphysics and HUCM spectra-bin microphysics. Various statistical diagrams of polarimetric radar signals, hydrometeor types, updraft velocity, and precipitation intensity are investigated for convective and stratiform precipitation regimes and directly compared between MC3E and TWP-ICE cases. The result shows MC3E convection is characterized with very strong reflectivity (up to 60dBZ), slight negative differential reflectivity (-0.8 0 dB) and near-zero specific differential phase above the freezing levels. On the other hand, TWP-ICE convection shows strong reflectivity (up to 50dBZ), slight positive differential reflectivity (0 1.0 dB) and differential phase (0 0.8 dB/km). Hydrometeor IDentification (HID) algorithm from the observation and simulations detect hail-dominant convection core in MC3E, while graupel-dominant convection core in TWP-ICE. This land-ocean contrast agrees with the previous studies using the radar and radiometer signals from TRMM satellite climatology associated with warm-cloud depths and vertical structure of buoyancy.

The parameterization of the planetary boundary layer in the UCLA general circulation model - Formulation and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suarez, M. J.; Arakawa, A.; Randall, D. A.

1983-01-01

A planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization for general circulation models (GCMs) is presented. It uses a mixed-layer approach in which the PBL is assumed to be capped by discontinuities in the mean vertical profiles. Both clear and cloud-topped boundary layers are parameterized. Particular emphasis is placed on the formulation of the coupling between the PBL and both the free atmosphere and cumulus convection. For this purpose a modified sigma-coordinate is introduced in which the PBL top and the lower boundary are both coordinate surfaces. The use of a bulk PBL formulation with this coordinate is extensively discussed. Results are presented from a July simulation produced by the UCLA GCM. PBL-related variables are shown, to illustrate the various regimes the parameterization is capable of simulating.

Interannual variability of high ice cloud properties over the tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamura, S.; Iwabuchi, H.

2015-12-01

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects atmospheric conditions and cloud physical properties such as cloud fraction (CF) and cloud top height (CTH). However, an impact of the ENSO on physical properties in high-ice cloud is not well known. Therefore, this study attempts to reveal relationship between variability of ice cloud physical properties and ENSO. Ice clouds are inferred with the multiband IR method in this study. Ice clouds are categorized in terms of cloud optical thickness (COT) as thin (0.1< COT <0.3), opaque (0.3< COT <3.6), thick (3.6< COT <11), and deep convective (DC) (11< COT) clouds, and relationship between ENSO and interannual variability of cloud physical properties is investigated for each category during the period from January 2003 to December 2014. The deseasonalized anomalies of CF and CTH in all categories correlate well with Niño3.4 index, with positive anomaly over the eastern Pacific and negative anomaly over the western Pacific during El Niño condition. However, the global distribution of these correlation coefficients is different by cloud categories. For example, CF of DC correlates well with Niño3.4 index over the convergence zone, while, that of thin cloud shows high correlation extending to high latitude from convergence zone, suggesting a connection with cloud formation. The global distributions of average rate of change differ by cloud category, because the different associate with ENSO and gradual trend toward La Niña condition had occurred over the analysis period. In this conference, detailed results and relationship between variability of cloud physical properties and atmospheric conditions will be shown.

Contrasting the co-variability of daytime cloud and precipitation over tropical land and ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Daeho; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Lee, Dongmin; Cho, Nayeong; Tan, Jackson

2018-03-01

The co-variability of cloud and precipitation in the extended tropics (35° N-35° S) is investigated using contemporaneous data sets for a 13-year period. The goal is to quantify potential relationships between cloud type fractions and precipitation events of particular strength. Particular attention is paid to whether the relationships exhibit different characteristics over tropical land and ocean. A primary analysis metric is the correlation coefficient between fractions of individual cloud types and frequencies within precipitation histogram bins that have been matched in time and space. The cloud type fractions are derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) joint histograms of cloud top pressure and cloud optical thickness in 1° grid cells, and the precipitation frequencies come from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) data set aggregated to the same grid.

It is found that the strongest coupling (positive correlation) between clouds and precipitation occurs over ocean for cumulonimbus clouds and the heaviest rainfall. While the same cloud type and rainfall bin are also best correlated over land compared to other combinations, the correlation magnitude is weaker than over ocean. The difference is attributed to the greater size of convective systems over ocean. It is also found that both over ocean and land the anti-correlation of strong precipitation with weak (i.e., thin and/or low) cloud types is of greater absolute strength than positive correlations between weak cloud types and weak precipitation. Cloud type co-occurrence relationships explain some of the cloud-precipitation anti-correlations. Weak correlations between weaker rainfall and clouds indicate poor predictability for precipitation when cloud types are known, and this is even more true over land than over ocean.

Near-Real Time Satellite-Retrieved Cloud and Surface Properties for Weather and Aviation Safety Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L., Jr.; Bedka, Kristopher M.; Nguyen, Louis; Palikonda, Rabindra; Hong, Gang; Trepte, Qing Z.; Chee, Thad; Scarino, Benjamin; Spangenberg, Douglas A.;

Near-Real Time Satellite-Retrieved Cloud and Surface Properties for Weather and Aviation Safety Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minnis, P.; Smith, W., Jr.; Bedka, K. M.; Nguyen, L.; Palikonda, R.; Hong, G.; Trepte, Q.; Chee, T.; Scarino, B. R.; Spangenberg, D.; Sun-Mack, S.; Fleeger, C.; Ayers, J. K.; Chang, F. L.; Heck, P. W.

2014-12-01

Cloud properties determined from satellite imager radiances provide a valuable source of information for nowcasting and weather forecasting. In recent years, it has been shown that assimilation of cloud top temperature, optical depth, and total water path can increase the accuracies of weather analyses and forecasts. Aircraft icing conditions can be accurately diagnosed in near-real time (NRT) retrievals of cloud effective particle size, phase, and water path, providing valuable data for pilots. NRT retrievals of surface skin temperature can also be assimilated in numerical weather prediction models to provide more accurate representations of solar heating and longwave cooling at the surface, where convective initiation. These and other applications are being exploited more frequently as the value of NRT cloud data become recognized. At NASA Langley, cloud properties and surface skin temperature are being retrieved in near-real time globally from both geostationary (GEO) and low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellite imagers for weather model assimilation and nowcasting for hazards such as aircraft icing. Cloud data from GEO satellites over North America are disseminated through NCEP, while those data and global LEO and GEO retrievals are disseminated from a Langley website. This paper presents an overview of the various available datasets, provides examples of their application, and discusses the use of the various datasets downstream. Future challenges and areas of improvement are also presented.

Mixing Layer Formation near the Tropopause Due to Gravity Wave Critical Level Interactions in a Cloud-Resolving Model.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moustaoui, Mohamed; Joseph, Binson; Teitelbaum, Hector

2004-12-01

A plausible mechanism for the formation of mixing layers in the lower stratosphere above regions of tropical convection is demonstrated numerically using high-resolution, two-dimensional (2D), anelastic, nonlinear, cloud-resolving simulations. One noteworthy point is that the mixing layer simulated in this study is free of anvil clouds and well above the cloud anvil top located in the upper troposphere. Hence, the present mechanism is complementary to the well-known process by which overshooting cloud turrets causes mixing within stratospheric anvil clouds. The paper is organized as a case study verifying the proposed mechanism using atmospheric soundings obtained during the Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment (CEPEX), when several such mixing layers, devoid of anvil clouds, had been observed. The basic dynamical ingredient of the present mechanism is (quasi stationary) gravity wave critical level interactions, occurring in association with a reversal of stratospheric westerlies to easterlies below the tropopause region. The robustness of the results is shown through simulations at different resolutions. The insensitivity of the qualitative results to the details of the subgrid scheme is also evinced through further simulations with and without subgrid mixing terms. From Lagrangian reconstruction of (passive) ozone fields, it is shown that the mixing layer is formed kinematically through advection by the resolved-scale (nonlinear) velocity field.

Toward low-cloud-permitting cloud superparameterization with explicit boundary layer turbulence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parishani, Hossein; Pritchard, Michael S.; Bretherton, Christopher S.

Systematic biases in the representation of boundary layer (BL) clouds are a leading source of uncertainty in climate projections. A variation on superparameterization (SP) called “ultraparameterization” (UP) is developed, in which the grid spacing of the cloud-resolving models (CRMs) is fine enough (250 × 20 m) to explicitly capture the BL turbulence, associated clouds, and entrainment in a global climate model capable of multiyear simulations. UP is implemented within the Community Atmosphere Model using 2° resolution (~14,000 embedded CRMs) with one-moment microphysics. By using a small domain and mean-state acceleration, UP is computationally feasible today and promising for exascale computers.more » Short-duration global UP hindcasts are compared with SP and satellite observations of top-of-atmosphere radiation and cloud vertical structure. The most encouraging improvement is a deeper BL and more realistic vertical structure of subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) clouds, due to stronger vertical eddy motions that promote entrainment. Results from 90 day integrations show climatological errors that are competitive with SP, with a significant improvement in the diurnal cycle of offshore Sc liquid water. Ongoing concerns with the current UP implementation include a dim bias for near-coastal Sc that also occurs less prominently in SP and a bright bias over tropical continental deep convection zones. Nevertheless, UP makes global eddy-permitting simulation a feasible and interesting alternative to conventionally parameterized GCMs or SP-GCMs with turbulence parameterizations for studying BL cloud-climate and cloud-aerosol feedback.« less

Toward low-cloud-permitting cloud superparameterization with explicit boundary layer turbulence

DOE PAGES

Parishani, Hossein; Pritchard, Michael S.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; ...

2017-06-19

Systematic biases in the representation of boundary layer (BL) clouds are a leading source of uncertainty in climate projections. A variation on superparameterization (SP) called “ultraparameterization” (UP) is developed, in which the grid spacing of the cloud-resolving models (CRMs) is fine enough (250 × 20 m) to explicitly capture the BL turbulence, associated clouds, and entrainment in a global climate model capable of multiyear simulations. UP is implemented within the Community Atmosphere Model using 2° resolution (~14,000 embedded CRMs) with one-moment microphysics. By using a small domain and mean-state acceleration, UP is computationally feasible today and promising for exascale computers.more » Short-duration global UP hindcasts are compared with SP and satellite observations of top-of-atmosphere radiation and cloud vertical structure. The most encouraging improvement is a deeper BL and more realistic vertical structure of subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) clouds, due to stronger vertical eddy motions that promote entrainment. Results from 90 day integrations show climatological errors that are competitive with SP, with a significant improvement in the diurnal cycle of offshore Sc liquid water. Ongoing concerns with the current UP implementation include a dim bias for near-coastal Sc that also occurs less prominently in SP and a bright bias over tropical continental deep convection zones. Nevertheless, UP makes global eddy-permitting simulation a feasible and interesting alternative to conventionally parameterized GCMs or SP-GCMs with turbulence parameterizations for studying BL cloud-climate and cloud-aerosol feedback.« less

Toward low-cloud-permitting cloud superparameterization with explicit boundary layer turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parishani, Hossein; Pritchard, Michael S.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Wyant, Matthew C.; Khairoutdinov, Marat

2017-07-01

Systematic biases in the representation of boundary layer (BL) clouds are a leading source of uncertainty in climate projections. A variation on superparameterization (SP) called "ultraparameterization" (UP) is developed, in which the grid spacing of the cloud-resolving models (CRMs) is fine enough (250 × 20 m) to explicitly capture the BL turbulence, associated clouds, and entrainment in a global climate model capable of multiyear simulations. UP is implemented within the Community Atmosphere Model using 2° resolution (˜14,000 embedded CRMs) with one-moment microphysics. By using a small domain and mean-state acceleration, UP is computationally feasible today and promising for exascale computers. Short-duration global UP hindcasts are compared with SP and satellite observations of top-of-atmosphere radiation and cloud vertical structure. The most encouraging improvement is a deeper BL and more realistic vertical structure of subtropical stratocumulus (Sc) clouds, due to stronger vertical eddy motions that promote entrainment. Results from 90 day integrations show climatological errors that are competitive with SP, with a significant improvement in the diurnal cycle of offshore Sc liquid water. Ongoing concerns with the current UP implementation include a dim bias for near-coastal Sc that also occurs less prominently in SP and a bright bias over tropical continental deep convection zones. Nevertheless, UP makes global eddy-permitting simulation a feasible and interesting alternative to conventionally parameterized GCMs or SP-GCMs with turbulence parameterizations for studying BL cloud-climate and cloud-aerosol feedback.

Tracking the MJO Convection and its Impact on the Diurnal Cycle over the Maritime Continent Using Satellite Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerns, B. W.; Chen, S. S.

2017-12-01

The Indo-Pacific Maritime Continent (MC) is the most active convection center in the tropics, and the most important modes of variability are the diurnal cycle and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Previous studies have shown that the MC has strong diurnal variability compared with the rest of the tropics, and the diurnal cycle of convection over the MC is amplified during the passage of an MJO. One outstanding science question is how the passage of the active MJO affects the diurnal cycle. The atmospheric, upper ocean, and land surface forcing factors contributing to the diurnal cycle need to be clarified. In order to address this, large scale precipitation tracking (LPT) is used to identify MJO active and suppressed periods for 2000-2015. To document the diurnal cycle of convection during the active and suppressed periods, TRMM/GPM and mesoscale cloud cluster tracking are used. Finally, the LPT tracking is used to composite the satellite-estimated surface wind, humidity, temperature, cloud cover, and soil moisture over the islands for active versus suppressed MJO periods. In active MJO periods, the diurnal convection in the surrounding marginal seas is enhanced and the diurnal convection over land is decreased. The islands of the MC have greater soil moisture, more cloud cover, and do not warm up as much during the day, leading to a weaker afternoon maximum over land. But how is nocturnal convection over the sea increased? The largest, most mature convective cloud systems are found over the marginal seas in the early morning. This is hypothesized to mainly be a consequence of the longer life cycle of convective systems in the favorable large-scale active MJO. The propagation of the MJO across the MC is facilitated by the enhanced nocturnal deep convection over the sea. In contrast, In the suppressed period the convection is mostly daytime forced convection over land which is locked to the terrain.

Conceptualizing the self organization of cloud cells, cold pools and soil moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henneberg, O.; Härter, J. O. M.

2017-12-01

Convective-type cloud is the cause of extreme, short-duration precipitation, challenging weather forecasting and climate modeling. Such extremes are ultimately tied to the uneven redistribution of water in the course of convective self organization and possibly the interaction between clouds [1]. Over land, moisture is organized through: cloud cells, cold pools, and the land surface. Each of these generally capture and release moisture at different rates, e.g. cold pools form quickly but dissipate slowly. Such distinct timescales have implications for the emergent dynamics.Incorporating such distinct time scales, we here present a conceptual model for the spatio-temporal self organization within the diurnal cycle of convection and describe the possible role of soil moisture memory in serving as a predisposition for extremes.We bolster our findings by high resolution, large eddy simulations: Sensible and latent heat fluxes, which are determined by the soil moisture content, can influence the stability of the atmosphere. The onset of initial precipitation is affected by such heat release, which in turn is modified by previous precipitation. Starting from static heat sources, we quantify how their spatial distribution affects the self organization and thus onset, duration and strength of precipitation events in an idealized model setup. Furthermore, an extended model setup with inhomogeneous, self organized distributions of latent and sensible heat fluxes is used to contrast how emergent soil moisture patterns impact on the selforganization structure of convection. Our findings may have implications for the role of land use changes regarding the development of extreme convective precipitation.Reference[1] Moseley et al. (2016) "Intensification of convective extremes driven by cloud-cloud interaction", Nature Geosc. , 9, 748-752

Characteristics and possible formation mechanisms of severe storms in the outer rainbands of Typhoon Mujiga (1522)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bingyun; Wei, Ming; Hua, Wei; Zhang, Yongli; Wen, Xiaohang; Zheng, Jiafeng; Li, Nan; Li, Han; Wu, Yu; Zhu, Jie; Zhang, Mingjun

2017-06-01

To better understand how severe storms form and evolve in the outer rainbands of typhoons, in this study, we investigate the evolutionary characteristics and possible formation mechanisms for severe storms in the rainbands of Typhoon Mujigae, which occurred during 2-5 October 2015, based on the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis data, conventional observations, and Doppler radar data. For the rainbands far from the inner core (eye and eyewall) of Mujigae (distance of approximately 70-800 km), wind speed first increased with the radius expanding from the inner core, and then decreased as the radius continued to expand. The Rankine Vortex Model was used to explore such variations in wind speed. The areas of strong stormy rainbands were mainly located in the northeast quadrant of Mujigae, and overlapped with the areas of high winds within approximately 300-550 km away from the inner core, where the strong winds were conducive to the development of strong storms. A severe convective cell in the rainbands developed into waterspout at approximately 500 km to the northeast of the inner core, when Mujigae was strengthening before it made landfall. Two severe convective cells in the rainbands developed into two tornadoes at approximately 350 km to the northeast of the inner core after Mujigae made landfall. The radar echo bands enhanced to 60 dBZ when mesocyclones occurred in the rainbands and induced tornadoes. The radar echoes gradually weakened after the mesocyclones weakened. The tops of parent clouds of the mesocyclones elevated at first, and then suddenly dropped about 20 min before the tornadoes appeared. Thereby, the cloud top variation has the potential to be used as an early warning of tornado occurrence.

The Effect of Environmental Conditions on Tropical Deep Convective Systems Observed from the TRMM Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Bing; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Minnis, Patrick; Chambers, Lin H.; Xu, Kuan-Man; Hu, Yongxiang; Fan, Tai-Fang

2005-01-01

This study uses measurements of radiation and cloud properties taken between January and August 1998 by three Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) instruments, the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) scanner, the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), and the Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS), to evaluate the variations of tropical deep convective systems (DCS) with sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitation. This study finds that DCS precipitation efficiency increases with SST at a rate of approx. 2%/K. Despite increasing rainfall efficiency, the cloud areal coverage rises with SST at a rate of about 7%/K in the warm tropical seas. There, the boundary layer moisture supply for deep convection and the moisture transported to the upper troposphere for cirrus-anvil cloud formation increase by approx. 6.3%/K and approx. 4.0%/K, respectively. The changes in cloud formation efficiency, along with the increased transport of moisture available for cloud formation, likely contribute to the large rate of increasing DCS areal coverage. Although no direct observations are available, the increase of cloud formation efficiency with rising SST is deduced indirectly from measurements of changes in the ratio of DCS ice water path and boundary layer water vapor amount with SST. Besides the cloud areal coverage, DCS cluster effective sizes also increase with precipitation. Furthermore, other cloud properties, such as cloud total water and ice water paths, increase with SST. These changes in DCS properties will produce a negative radiative feedback for the earth's climate system due to strong reflection of shortwave radiation by the DCS. These results significantly differ from some previous hypothesized dehydration scenarios for warmer climates, and have great potential in testing current cloud-system resolving models and convective parameterizations of general circulation models.

An application of statistical mechanics for representing equilibrium perimeter distributions of tropical convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrett, T. J.; Alva, S.; Glenn, I. B.; Krueger, S. K.

2015-12-01

There are two possible approaches for parameterizing sub-grid cloud dynamics in a coarser grid model. The most common is to use a fine scale model to explicitly resolve the mechanistic details of clouds to the best extent possible, and then to parameterize these behaviors cloud state for the coarser grid. A second is to invoke physical intuition and some very general theoretical principles from equilibrium statistical mechanics. This approach avoids any requirement to resolve time-dependent processes in order to arrive at a suitable solution. The second approach is widely used elsewhere in the atmospheric sciences: for example the Planck function for blackbody radiation is derived this way, where no mention is made of the complexities of modeling a large ensemble of time-dependent radiation-dipole interactions in order to obtain the "grid-scale" spectrum of thermal emission by the blackbody as a whole. We find that this statistical approach may be equally suitable for modeling convective clouds. Specifically, we make the physical argument that the dissipation of buoyant energy in convective clouds is done through mixing across a cloud perimeter. From thermodynamic reasoning, one might then anticipate that vertically stacked isentropic surfaces are characterized by a power law dlnN/dlnP = -1, where N(P) is the number clouds of perimeter P. In a Giga-LES simulation of convective clouds within a 100 km square domain we find that such a power law does appear to characterize simulated cloud perimeters along isentropes, provided a sufficient cloudy sample. The suggestion is that it may be possible to parameterize certain important aspects of cloud state without appealing to computationally expensive dynamic simulations.

Seasonal Differences in Tropical Western Pacific Cloud Ice, Water Vapor and Aerosols Observed From Space During ATTREX-III and POSIDON

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, M. A.; Rosenlof, K. H.; Vaughan, M.; Getzewich, B. J.; Thornberry, T. D.; Gao, R. S.; Rollins, A. W.; Woods, S.; Yorks, J. E.; Jensen, E. J.

2017-12-01

Recent aircraft missions sampling the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) in the tropical Western Pacific have provided a wealth of detailed cloud microphysical and associated aerosol, water vapor and temperature data for understanding processes that regulate stratospheric composition and hydration. This presentation seeks to provide a regional context for these measurements by comparing and contrasting active space-based observations from these time periods (Feb-Mar 2014 for ATTREX-III and Oct 2016 for POSIDON), primarily from the Clouds and Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), with the addition of Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) where these data sets are available. While the ATTREX III and POSIDON aircraft field missions both took place from Guam in the Western Pacific, there were striking differences between the amount, geographical distribution and properties of cirrus clouds and aerosols in the Tropical TTL. In addition to cloud and aerosol amount and location, we present geometric properties, including cloud top heights, transparent cloud and aerosol layer thicknesses and location of the 532 nm backscatter centroid, which is roughly equivalent to the layer vertical center of mass. We also present differences in the distribution of cirrus cloud extinction coefficients and ice water content, and aerosol optical depths, as detected from space, and compare these with in situ measurements and with temperature and water vapor distributions from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). We find that there is more intense convection reaching the tropical tropopause during the POSIDON mission, and consequently more associated cloud ice observed during POSIDON than during ATTREX-III.

Cloud Thickness from Offbeam Returns (THOR) Validation Campaign on NASA's P3B Over the ARM/SGP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cahalan, R. F.; Kolasinski, J.; McGill, M.; Lau, William K. M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Physical thickness of a cloud layer, sometimes multiple cloud layers, is a crucial controller of solar heating of the Earth- atmosphere system, which drives the convective processes that produce storm systems. Yet clouds of average optical thickness are opaque to conventional lidar, so their thickness is well estimated only by combining a lidar above and another below cloud, or a radar and lidar on the same side, dual facilities not widely available. Here we report initial observations of a new airborne multiple field of view lidar, capable of determining physical thickness of cloud layers from time signatures of off-beam returns from a I kHz micropulse lidar at 540 rim. For a single layer, the time delay of light returning from the outer diffuse halo of light surrounding the beam entry point, relative to the time delay at beam center, determines the cloud physical thickness. The delay combined with the pulse stretch gives the optical thickness. This halo method requires cloud optical thickness exceeding 2, and improves with cloud thickness, thus complimenting conventional lidar, which cannot penetrate thick clouds. Results are presented from March 25, 2002, when THOR flew a butterfly pattern over the ARM site at 8.3 km, above a thin ice cloud at 5 km, and a thick boundary-layer stratus deck with top at 1.3 km, as shown by THOR channel 1, and a base at about 0.3 km as shown by the ground-based MPL. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Variability of cirrus clouds in a convective outflow during the Hibiscus campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fierli, F.; di Donfrancesco, G.; Cairo, F.; Marécal, V.; Zampieri, M.; Orlandi, E.; Durry, G.

2008-08-01

Light-weight microlidar and water vapour measurements were taken on-board a stratospheric balloon during the HIBISCUS 2004 campaign, held in Bauru, Brazil (49° W, 22° S). Cirrus clouds were observed throughout the flight between 12 and 15 km height with a high mesoscale variability in optical and microphysical properties. It was found that the cirrus clouds were composed of different layers characterized by marked differences in height, thickness and optical properties. Simultaneous water vapour observations show that the different layers are characterized by different values of the saturation with respect to ice. A mesoscale simulation and a trajectory analysis clearly revealed that the clouds had formed in the outflow of a large and persistent convective region and that the observed variability of the optical properties and of the cloud structure is likely linked to the different residence times of the convectively-processed air in the upper troposphere.

Stochasticity of convection in Giga-LES data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De La Chevrotière, Michèle; Khouider, Boualem; Majda, Andrew J.

2016-09-01

The poor representation of tropical convection in general circulation models (GCMs) is believed to be responsible for much of the uncertainty in the predictions of weather and climate in the tropics. The stochastic multicloud model (SMCM) was recently developed by Khouider et al. (Commun Math Sci 8(1):187-216, 2010) to represent the missing variability in GCMs due to unresolved features of organized tropical convection. The SMCM is based on three cloud types (congestus, deep and stratiform), and transitions between these cloud types are formalized in terms of probability rules that are functions of the large-scale environment convective state and a set of seven arbitrary cloud timescale parameters. Here, a statistical inference method based on the Bayesian paradigm is applied to estimate these key cloud timescales from the Giga-LES dataset, a 24-h large-eddy simulation (LES) of deep tropical convection (Khairoutdinov et al. in J Adv Model Earth Syst 1(12), 2009) over a domain comparable to a GCM gridbox. A sequential learning strategy is used where the Giga-LES domain is partitioned into a few subdomains, and atmospheric time series obtained on each subdomain are used to train the Bayesian procedure incrementally. Convergence of the marginal posterior densities for all seven parameters is demonstrated for two different grid partitions, and sensitivity tests to other model parameters are also presented. A single column model simulation using the SMCM parameterization with the Giga-LES inferred parameters reproduces many important statistical features of the Giga-LES run, without any further tuning. In particular it exhibits intermittent dynamical behavior in both the stochastic cloud fractions and the large scale dynamics, with periods of dry phases followed by a coherent sequence of congestus, deep, and stratiform convection, varying on timescales of a few hours consistent with the Giga-LES time series. The chaotic variations of the cloud area fractions were captured fairly well both qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrating the stochastic nature of convection in the Giga-LES simulation.

A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia

DOE PAGES

Riihimaki, Laura D.; Comstock, J. M.; Luke, E.; ...

2017-07-12

To understand the microphysical processes that impact diabatic heating and cloud lifetimes in convection, we need to characterize the spatial distribution of supercooled liquid water. To address this observational challenge, ground-based vertically pointing active sensors at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site are used to classify cloud phase within a deep convective cloud. The cloud cannot be fully observed by a lidar due to signal attenuation. Therefore, we developed an objective method for identifying hydrometeor classes, including mixed-phase conditions, using k-means clustering on parameters that describe the shape of the Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar. Furthermore, thismore » approach shows that multiple, overlapping mixed-phase layers exist within the cloud, rather than a single region of supercooled liquid. Diffusional growth calculations show that the conditions for the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process exist within one of these mixed-phase microstructures.« less

A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riihimaki, Laura D.; Comstock, J. M.; Luke, E.

To understand the microphysical processes that impact diabatic heating and cloud lifetimes in convection, we need to characterize the spatial distribution of supercooled liquid water. To address this observational challenge, ground-based vertically pointing active sensors at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site are used to classify cloud phase within a deep convective cloud. The cloud cannot be fully observed by a lidar due to signal attenuation. Therefore, we developed an objective method for identifying hydrometeor classes, including mixed-phase conditions, using k-means clustering on parameters that describe the shape of the Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar. Furthermore, thismore » approach shows that multiple, overlapping mixed-phase layers exist within the cloud, rather than a single region of supercooled liquid. Diffusional growth calculations show that the conditions for the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process exist within one of these mixed-phase microstructures.« less

Estimation of Cloud Fraction Profile in Shallow Convection Using a Scanning Cloud Radar

DOE PAGES

Oue, Mariko; Kollias, Pavlos; North, Kirk W.; ...

2016-10-18

Large spatial heterogeneities in shallow convection result in uncertainties in estimations of domain-averaged cloud fraction profiles (CFP). This issue is addressed using large eddy simulations of shallow convection over land coupled with a radar simulator. Results indicate that zenith profiling observations are inadequate to provide reliable CFP estimates. Use of Scanning Cloud Radar (SCR), performing a sequence of cross-wind horizon-to-horizon scans, is not straightforward due to the strong dependence of radar sensitivity to target distance. An objective method for estimating domain-averaged CFP is proposed that uses observed statistics of SCR hydrometeor detection with height to estimate optimum sampling regions. Thismore » method shows good agreement with the model CFP. Results indicate that CFP estimates require more than 35 min of SCR scans to converge on the model domain average. Lastly, the proposed technique is expected to improve our ability to compare model output with cloud radar observations in shallow cumulus cloud conditions.« less

Effects of Doubled CO2 on Tropical Sea-Surface Temperature (SSTs) for Onset of Deep Convection and Maximum SST-GCM Simulations Based Inferences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.; Zhou, Y. P.; Schmidt, Gavin A.; Lau, K. M.; Cahalan, R. F.

2008-01-01

A primary concern of CO2-induced warming is the associated rise of tropical (10S-10N) seasurface temperatures (SSTs). GISS Model-E was used to produce two sets of simulations-one with the present-day and one with doubled CO2 in the atmosphere. The intrinsic usefulness of model guidance in the tropics was confirmed when the model simulated realistic convective coupling between SSTs and atmospheric soundings and that the simulated-data correlations between SSTs and 300 hPa moiststatic energies were found to be similar to the observed. Model predicted SST limits: (i) one for the onset of deep convection and (ii) one for maximum SST, increased in the doubled C02 case. Changes in cloud heights, cloud frequencies, and cloud mass-fractions showed that convective-cloud changes increased the SSTs, while warmer mixed-layer of the doubled CO2 contained approximately 10% more water vapor; clearly that would be conducive to more intense storms and hurricanes.

A Generalized Simple Formulation of Convective Adjustment Timescale for Cumulus Convection Parameterizations

EPA Science Inventory

Convective adjustment timescale (τ) for cumulus clouds is one of the most influential parameters controlling parameterized convective precipitation in climate and weather simulation models at global and regional scales. Due to the complex nature of deep convection, a pres...

Radiatively driven stratosphere-troposphere interactions near the tops of tropical cloud clusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Churchill, Dean D.; Houze, Robert A., Jr.

1990-01-01

Results are presented of two numerical simulations of the mechanism involved in the dehydration of air, using the model of Churchill (1988) and Churchill and Houze (1990) which combines the water and ice physics parameterizations and IR and solar-radiation parameterization with a convective adjustment scheme in a kinematic nondynamic framework. One simulation, a cirrus cloud simulation, was to test the Danielsen (1982) hypothesis of a dehydration mechanism for the stratosphere; the other was to simulate the mesoscale updraft in order to test an alternative mechanism for 'freeze-drying' the air. The results show that the physical processes simulated in the mesoscale updraft differ from those in the thin-cirrus simulation. While in the thin-cirrus case, eddy fluxes occur in response to IR radiative destabilization, and, hence, no net transfer occurs between troposphere and stratosphere, the mesosphere updraft case has net upward mass transport into the lower stratosphere.

Odd cloud in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

On January 28, 2002, MODIS captured this image of an interesting cloud formation in the boundary waters between Antarctica's Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean. A dragon? A snake? A fish? No, but it is an interesting example of the atmospheric physics of convection. The 'eye' of this dragon-looking cloud is likely a small spot of convection, the process by which hot moist air rises up into the atmosphere, often producing big, fluffy clouds as moisture in the air condenses as rises into the colder parts of the atmosphere. A false color analysis that shows different kinds of clouds in different colors reveals that the eye is composed of ice crystals while the 'body' is a liquid water cloud. This suggests that the eye is higher up in the atmosphere than the body. The most likely explanation for the eye feature is that the warm, rising air mass had enough buoyancy to punch through the liquid water cloud. As a convective parcel of air rises into the atmosphere, it pushes the colder air that is higher up out of its way. That cold air spills down over the sides of the convective air mass, and in this case has cleared away part of the liquid cloud layer below in the process. This spilling over of cold air from higher up in the atmosphere is the reason why thunderstorms are often accompanied by a cool breeze. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Improving Mixed-phase Cloud Parameterization in Climate Model with the ACRF Measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Zhien

Mixed-phase cloud microphysical and dynamical processes are still poorly understood, and their representation in GCMs is a major source of uncertainties in overall cloud feedback in GCMs. Thus improving mixed-phase cloud parameterizations in climate models is critical to reducing the climate forecast uncertainties. This study aims at providing improved knowledge of mixed-phase cloud properties from the long-term ACRF observations and improving mixed-phase clouds simulations in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5). The key accomplishments are: 1) An improved retrieval algorithm was developed to provide liquid droplet concentration for drizzling or mixed-phase stratiform clouds. 2) A new ice concentrationmore » retrieval algorithm for stratiform mixed-phase clouds was developed. 3) A strong seasonal aerosol impact on ice generation in Arctic mixed-phase clouds was identified, which is mainly attributed to the high dust occurrence during the spring season. 4) A suite of multi-senor algorithms was applied to long-term ARM observations at the Barrow site to provide a complete dataset (LWC and effective radius profile for liquid phase, and IWC, Dge profiles and ice concentration for ice phase) to characterize Arctic stratiform mixed-phase clouds. This multi-year stratiform mixed-phase cloud dataset provides necessary information to study related processes, evaluate model stratiform mixed-phase cloud simulations, and improve model stratiform mixed-phase cloud parameterization. 5). A new in situ data analysis method was developed to quantify liquid mass partition in convective mixed-phase clouds. For the first time, we reliably compared liquid mass partitions in stratiform and convective mixed-phase clouds. Due to the different dynamics in stratiform and convective mixed-phase clouds, the temperature dependencies of liquid mass partitions are significantly different due to much higher ice concentrations in convective mixed phase clouds. 6) Systematic evaluations of mixed-phase cloud simulations by CAM5 were performed. Measurement results indicate that ice concentrations control stratiform mixed-phase cloud properties. The improvement of ice concentration parameterization in the CAM5 was done in close collaboration with Dr. Xiaohong Liu, PNNL (now at University of Wyoming).« less

Quasi-Equilibrium States in the Tropics Simulated by a Cloud-Resolving Model. Part 1; Specific Features and Budget Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shie, C.-L.; Tao, W.-K.; Simpson, J.; Sui, C.-H.; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A series of long-term integrations using the two-dimensional Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model were performed by altering imposed environmental components to produce various quasi-equilibrium thermodynamic states. Model results show that the genesis of a warm/wet quasi-equilibrium state is mainly due to either strong vertical wind shear (from nudging) or large surface fluxes (from strong surface winds), while a cold/dry quasi-equilibrium state is attributed to a remarkably weakened mixed-wind shear (from vertical mixing due to deep convection) along with weak surface winds. In general, latent heat flux and net large-scale temperature forcing, the two dominant physical processes, dominate in the beginning stage of the simulated convective systems, then considerably weaken in the final stage, which leads to quasi-equilibrium states. A higher thermodynamic regime is found to produce a larger rainfall amount, as convective clouds are the leading source of rainfall over stratiform clouds even though the former occupy much less area. Moreover, convective clouds are more likely to occur in the presence of strong surface winds (latent heat flux), while stratiform clouds (especially the well-organized type) are favored in conditions with strong wind shear (large-scale forcing). The convective systems, which consist of distinct cloud types due to the variation in horizontal winds, are also found to propagate differently. Accordingly, convective systems with mixed-wind shear generally propagate in the direction of shear, while the system with strong (multidirectional) wind shear propagates in a more complex way. Based on the results from the temperature (Q1) and moisture (Q2) budgets, cloud-scale eddies are found to act as a hydrodynamic 'vehicle' that cascades the heat and moisture vertically. Several other specific features such as atmospheric stability, CAPE, and mass fluxes are also investigated and found to be significantly different between diverse quasi-equilibrium states. Detailed comparisons between the various states are presented.

A New WRF-Chem Treatment for Studying Regional Scale Impacts of Cloud-Aerosol Interactions in Parameterized Cumuli

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry K.; Shrivastava, ManishKumar B.; Easter, Richard C.

A new treatment of cloud-aerosol interactions within parameterized shallow and deep convection has been implemented in WRF-Chem that can be used to better understand the aerosol lifecycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model to represent cloud-aerosol interactions include treatment of the cloud dropletnumber mixing ratio; key cloud microphysical and macrophysical parameters (including the updraft fractional area, updraft and downdraft mass fluxes, and entrainment) averaged over the population of shallow clouds, or a single deep convective cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. Thesechanges have beenmore » implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain-Fritsch cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Preliminary testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) as well as a high-resolution simulation that does not include parameterized convection. The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud-aerosol interactions on the regional scale transport of black carbon (BC), organic aerosol (OA), and sulfate aerosol. Based on the simulations presented here, changes in the column integrated BC can be as large as -50% when cloud-aerosol interactions are considered (due largely to wet removal), or as large as +35% for sulfate in non-precipitating conditions due to the sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem version 3.2.1 are found to account for changes in the cloud drop number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud-drop residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to WRF-Chem version 3.5, and it is anticipated that they will be included in a future public release of WRF-Chem.« less

Combining In-situ Measurements, Passive Satellite Imagery, and Active Radar Retrievals for the Detection of High Ice Water Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yost, C. R.; Minnis, P.; Bedka, K. M.; Nguyen, L.; Palikonda, R.; Spangenberg, D.; Strapp, J. W.; Delanoë, J.; Protat, A.

2016-12-01

At least one hundred jet engine power loss events since the 1990s have been attributed to the phenomenon known as ice crystal icing (ICI). Ingestion of high concentrations of ice particles into aircraft engines is thought to cause these events, but it is clear that the use of current on-board weather radar systems alone is insufficient for detecting conditions that might cause ICI. Passive radiometers in geostationary orbit are valuable for monitoring systems that produce high ice water content (HIWC) and will play an important role in nowcasting, but are incapable of making vertically resolved measurements of ice particle concentration, i.e., ice water content (IWC). Combined radar, lidar, and in-situ measurements are essential for developing a skilled satellite-based HIWC nowcasting technique. The High Altitude Ice Crystals - High Ice Water Content (HAIC-HIWC) field campaigns in Darwin, Australia, and Cayenne, French Guiana, have produced a valuable dataset of in-situ total water content (TWC) measurements with which to study conditions that produce HIWC. The NASA Langley Satellite ClOud and Radiative Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) was used to derive cloud physical and optical properties such cloud top height, temperature, optical depth, and ice water path from multi-spectral satellite imagery acquired throughout the HAIC-HIWC campaigns. These cloud properties were collocated with the in-situ TWC measurements in order to characterize cloud properties in the vicinity of HIWC. Additionally, a database of satellite-derived overshooting cloud top (OT) detections was used to identify TWC measurements in close proximity to convective cores likely producing large concentrations of ice crystals. Certain cloud properties show some sensitivity to increasing TWC and a multivariate probabilistic indicator of HIWC was developed from these datasets. This paper describes the algorithm development and demonstrates the HIWC indicator with imagery from the HAIC-HIWC campaigns. Vertically resolved IWC retrievals from active sensors such as the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) on CloudSat and the Doppler Radar System Airborne (RASTA) provide IWC profiles with which to validate and potentially enhance the satellite-based HIWC indicator.

Behavior of predicted convective clouds and precipitation in the high-resolution Unified Model over the Indian summer monsoon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayakumar, A.; Sethunadh, Jisesh; Rakhi, R.; Arulalan, T.; Mohandas, Saji; Iyengar, Gopal R.; Rajagopal, E. N.

2017-05-01

National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting high-resolution regional convective-scale Unified Model with latest tropical science settings is used to evaluate vertical structure of cloud and precipitation over two prominent monsoon regions: Western Ghats (WG) and Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ). Model radar reflectivity generated using Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observation Simulator Package along with CloudSat profiling radar reflectivity is sampled for an active synoptic situation based on a new method using Budyko's index of turbulence (BT). Regime classification based on BT-precipitation relationship is more predominant during the active monsoon period when convective-scale model's resolution increases from 4 km to 1.5 km. Model predicted precipitation and vertical distribution of hydrometeors are found to be generally in agreement with Global Precipitation Measurement products and BT-based CloudSat observation, respectively. Frequency of occurrence of radar reflectivity from model implies that the low-level clouds below freezing level is underestimated compared to the observations over both regions. In addition, high-level clouds in the model predictions are much lesser over WG than MCZ.

Using Observations of Deep Convective Systems to Constrain Atmospheric Column Absorption of Solar Radiation in the Optically Thick Limit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dong, Xiquan; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Xi, Baike; Hu, Yongxiang; Mace, Gerald G.; Benson, Sally; Rose, Fred; Kato, Seiji; Charlock, Thomas; Minnis, Patrick

2008-01-01

Atmospheric column absorption of solar radiation A(sub col) is a fundamental part of the Earth's energy cycle but is an extremely difficult quantity to measure directly. To investigate A(sub col), we have collocated satellite-surface observations for the optically thick Deep Convective Systems (DCS) at the Department of Energy Atmosphere Radiation Measurement (ARM) Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) and Southern Great Plains (SGP) sites during the period of March 2000 December 2004. The surface data were averaged over a 2-h interval centered at the time of the satellite overpass, and the satellite data were averaged within a 1 deg X 1 deg area centered on the ARM sites. In the DCS, cloud particle size is important for top-of-atmosphere (TOA) albedo and A(sub col) although the surface absorption is independent of cloud particle size. In this study, we find that the A(sub col) in the tropics is approximately 0.011 more than that in the middle latitudes. This difference, however, disappears, i.e., the A(sub col) values at both regions converge to the same value (approximately 0.27 of the total incoming solar radiation) in the optically thick limit (tau greater than 80). Comparing the observations with the NASA Langley modified Fu_Liou 2-stream radiative transfer model for optically thick cases, the difference between observed and model-calculated surface absorption, on average, is less than 0.01, but the model-calculated TOA albedo and A(sub col) differ by 0.01 to 0.04, depending primarily on the cloud particle size observation used. The model versus observation discrepancies found are smaller than many previous studies and are just within the estimated error bounds. We did not find evidence for a large cloud absorption anomaly for the optically thick limit of extensive ice cloud layers. A more modest cloud absorption difference of 0.01 to 0.04 cannot yet be ruled out. The remaining uncertainty could be reduced with additional cases, and by reducing the current uncertainty in cloud particle size.

Polarimetric radar convective cell tracking reveals large sensitivity of cloud precipitation and electrification properties to CCN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, J.; Rosenfeld, D.; Zhang, P.; Snyder, J.; Orville, R. E.; Ryzhkov, A.; Zrnic, D.; Williams, E. R.; Zhang, R.

2017-12-01

Here we apply the cell tracking methodology, shown in our companion poster, to quantifying factors affecting the vigor and the time-height evolution of hydrometeors and electrification properties of convective cells. Benefitting from the Dual-polarimetric NEXRAD radar network, we composite more than 5000 well-tracked cells among three radars (at Houston, Lubbock and Oklahoma City), stratified by CCN, CAPE and land/sea locations. The analyzed cell properties include Z, ZDR, Kdp, and ρhv, Dm (raindrop diameter) and Nw (raindrop concentration) by the algorithm of Bringi et al. (2003). Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) data is also included in the analysis, which provides a 3D structure of lightning occurrence and RF power. The contrasting CCN conditions over marine, land, pristine and polluted areas are identified based on the satellite retrieval technique described in Rosenfeld et al. (2016). The results show that more CCN are associated with: Increased echo top height, manifesting the invigoration effect. Enhanced reflectivities, especially above the freezing level at around 4.5 km. Raindrop sizes at the initial stage increase at the expense of their concentrations, due to the smaller cloud droplets and suppressed coalescence. Larger propensity for hail. Lightning sources increase with greater CCN concentration and is likely due to the delayed warm rain process and enhanced mixed phase process under more CCN condition, when activated CCN into cloud droplets is too high (> 1000 cm-3) the glaciation is delayed too much and leave little ice at lower levels and thus decrease lightning activity. Land pristine clouds have fewer lightning sources than polluted clouds. Marine pristine clouds seldom have lightning Increased CAPE had a similar effect to the effect of added CCN. The cloud tracking and properties are obtained by a new methodology of Multi-Cell Identification and Tracking (MCIT) algorithm (Hu et al, 2017), with details about the algorithm to be found in the author's accompanying poster session. References [1] Bringi, V. et al., J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 354-365. (2003) [2] Rosenfeld, D. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 113, 5828-5834. (2016) [3] Hu, J. et al., in preparation.

The Role of Moist Processes in the Intrinsic Predictability of Indian Ocean Cyclones

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taraphdar, Sourav; Mukhopadhyay, P.; Leung, Lai-Yung R.

The role of moist processes and the possibility of error cascade from cloud scale processes affecting the intrinsic predictable time scale of a high resolution convection permitting model within the environment of tropical cyclones (TCs) over the Indian region are investigated. Consistent with past studies of extra-tropical cyclones, it is demonstrated that moist processes play a major role in forecast error growth which may ultimately limit the intrinsic predictability of the TCs. Small errors in the initial conditions may grow rapidly and cascades from smaller scales to the larger scales through strong diabatic heating and nonlinearities associated with moist convection.more » Results from a suite of twin perturbation experiments for four tropical cyclones suggest that the error growth is significantly higher in cloud permitting simulation at 3.3 km resolutions compared to simulations at 3.3 km and 10 km resolution with parameterized convection. Convective parameterizations with prescribed convective time scales typically longer than the model time step allows the effects of microphysical tendencies to average out so convection responds to a smoother dynamical forcing. Without convective parameterizations, the finer-scale instabilities resolved at 3.3 km resolution and stronger vertical motion that results from the cloud microphysical parameterizations removing super-saturation at each model time step can ultimately feed the error growth in convection permitting simulations. This implies that careful considerations and/or improvements in cloud parameterizations are needed if numerical predictions are to be improved through increased model resolution. Rapid upscale error growth from convective scales may ultimately limit the intrinsic mesoscale predictability of the TCs, which further supports the needs for probabilistic forecasts of these events, even at the mesoscales.« less

Impacts of model spatial resolution on the vertical structure of convection in the tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bui, Hien Xuan; Yu, Jia-Yuh; Chou, Chia

2018-02-01

This study examined the impacts of model horizontal resolution on vertical structures of convection in the tropics by performing sensitivity experiments with the NCAR CESM1. It was found that contributions to the total precipitation between top-heavy and bottom-heavy convection are different among various resolutions. A coarser resolution tends to produce a greater contribution from top-heavy convection and, as a result, stronger precipitation in the western Pacific ITCZ; while there is less contribution from bottom-heavy convection and weaker precipitation in the eastern Pacific ITCZ. In the western Pacific ITCZ, where the convection is dominated by a top-heavy structure, the stronger precipitation in coarser resolution experiments is due to changes in temperature and moisture profiles associated with a warmer environment (i.e., thermodynamical effect). In the eastern Pacific ITCZ, where the convection is dictated by a bottom-heavy structure, the stronger precipitation in finer resolution experiments comes from changes in convection structure (i.e., dynamic effect) which favors a greater contribution of bottom-heavy convection as the model resolution goes higher. The moisture budget analysis further suggested that the very different behavior in precipitation tendencies in response to model resolution changes between the western and eastern Pacific ITCZs are determined mainly by changes in convective structure rather than changes in convective strength. This study pointed out the importance of model spatial resolution in reproducing a reasonable contribution to the total precipitation between top-heavy and bottom-heavy structure of convection in the tropical Pacific ITCZs.

Bias Reduction as Guidance for Developing Convection and Cloud Parameterization in GFDL AM4/CM4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, M.; Held, I.; Golaz, C.

2016-12-01

The representations of moist convection and clouds are challenging in global climate models and they are known to be important to climate simulations at all spatial and temporal scales. Many climate simulation biases can be traced to deficiencies in convection and cloud parameterizations. I will present some key biases that we are concerned about and the efforts that we have made to reduce the biases during the development of NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) new generation global climate model AM4/CM4. In particular, I will present a modified version of the moist convection scheme that is based on the University of Washington Shallow Cumulus scheme (UWShCu, Bretherton et. al 2004). The new scheme produces marked improvement in simulation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) compared to that used in AM3 and HIRAM. AM4/CM4 also produces high quality simulation of global distribution of cloud radiative effects and the precipitation with realistic mean climate state. This differs from models of improved MJO but with a much deteriorated mean state. The modifications to the UWShCu include an additional bulk plume for representing deep convection. The entrainment rate in the deep plume is parameterized to be a function of column-integrated relative humidity. The deep convective closure is based on relaxation of the convective available potential energy (CAPE) or cloud work function. The plumes' precipitation efficiency is optimized for better simulations of the cloud radiative effects. Precipitation re-evaporation is included in both shallow and deep plumes. In addition, a parameterization of convective gustiness is included with an energy source driven by cold pool derived from precipitation re-evaporation within the boundary layer and energy sink due to dissipation. I will present the motivations of these changes which are driven by reducing some aspects of the AM4/CM4 biases. Finally, I will also present the biases in current AM4/CM4 and challenges to further reduce them.

An automated cirrus classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gryspeerdt, Edward; Quaas, Johannes; Goren, Tom; Klocke, Daniel; Brueck, Matthias

2018-05-01

Cirrus clouds play an important role in determining the radiation budget of the earth, but many of their properties remain uncertain, particularly their response to aerosol variations and to warming. Part of the reason for this uncertainty is the dependence of cirrus cloud properties on the cloud formation mechanism, which itself is strongly dependent on the local meteorological conditions. In this work, a classification system (Identification and Classification of Cirrus or IC-CIR) is introduced to identify cirrus clouds by the cloud formation mechanism. Using reanalysis and satellite data, cirrus clouds are separated into four main types: orographic, frontal, convective and synoptic. Through a comparison to convection-permitting model simulations and back-trajectory-based analysis, it is shown that these observation-based regimes can provide extra information on the cloud-scale updraughts and the frequency of occurrence of liquid-origin ice, with the convective regime having higher updraughts and a greater occurrence of liquid-origin ice compared to the synoptic regimes. Despite having different cloud formation mechanisms, the radiative properties of the regimes are not distinct, indicating that retrieved cloud properties alone are insufficient to completely describe them. This classification is designed to be easily implemented in GCMs, helping improve future model-observation comparisons and leading to improved parametrisations of cirrus cloud processes.

Characteristics of Moderately Deep Tropical Convection Observed by Dual-Polarimetric Radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Scott

2017-04-01

Moderately deep cumulonimbus clouds (often erroneously called congestus) over the tropical warm pool play an important role in large-scale dynamics by moistening the free troposphere, thus allowing for the upscale growth of convection into mesoscale convective systems. Direct observational analysis of such convection has been limited despite a wealth of radar data collected during several field experiments in the tropics. In this study, the structure of isolated cumulonimbus clouds, particularly those in the moderately deep mode with heights of up to 8 km, as observed by RHI scans obtained with the S-PolKa radar during DYNAMO is explored. Such elements are first identified following the algorithm of Powell et al (2016); small contiguous regions of echo are considered isolated convection. Within isolated echo objects, echoes are further subdivided into core echoes, which feature vertical profiles reflectivity and differential reflectivity that is similar to convection embedded in larger cloud complexes, and fringe echoes, which contain vertical profiles of differential reflectivity that are more similar to stratiform regions. Between the surface and 4 km, reflectivities of 30-40 (10-20) dBZ are most commonly observed in isolated convective core (fringe) echoes. Convective cores in echo objects too wide to be considered isolated have a ZDR profile that peaks near the surface (with values of 0.5-1 dB common), and decays linearly to about 0.3 dB at and above an altitude of 6 km. Stratiform echoes have a minimum ZDR below of 0-0.5 dB below the bright band and a constant distribution centered on 0.5 dB above the bright band. The isolated convective core and fringe respectively possess composite vertical profiles of ZDR that resemble convective and stratiform echoes. The mode of the distribution of aspect ratios of isolated convection is approximately 2.3, but the long axis of isolated echo objects demonstrates no preferred orientation. An early attempt at illustrating composite radial velocity profiles within isolated convection is made. When the mean flow (determined from sounding data) is subtracted, a clear picture of radial velocities inside a composite representation of convection is obtained. As expected, Doppler radar data shows convergence in the lowest 1-2 km of isolated convective elements and divergence in the upper portions of the clouds. The composite velocity profiles can be used to compute crude profiles of horizontal divergence. Because the analysis uses data along radar rays (with gate size of 150 m) instead of data interpolated to a Cartesian grid, features in composited clouds can be observed at high vertical and horizontal resolution.

The effect of ice nuclei on a deep convective cloud in South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xin; Xue, Huiwen; Meng, Zhiyong

2018-07-01

This study uses the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to simulate a deep convective cloud under a relatively polluted condition in South China. Ice nuclei (IN) aerosols near the surface are effectively transported upwards to above the 0 °C level by the strong updrafts in the convective cloud. Four cases with initial surface IN aerosol concentrations of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 L-1 are simulated. All simulations can well reproduce the major characteristics of the deep convective cloud in terms of the evolution, spatial distribution, and its track. IN aerosols have little effect on these macrophysical characteristics but can significantly affect ice formation. When IN concentration is increased, all heterogeneous nucleation modes are significantly enhanced, whereas the homogeneous freezing of cloud droplets is unchanged or weakened depending on the IN concentration and the development stages of the deep convective cloud. The homogeneous freezing of haze particles is generally not affected by increased IN but is slightly weakened in the extremely high IN case. As IN concentration is increased by 10 and 100 times, the enhanced heterogeneous nucleation is still not strong enough to compete with homogeneous freezing. Ice formation is hence still dominated by the homogenous freezing of cloud droplets and haze particles in the layer of 9-14 km, where most of the ice crystals are produced. The microphysical properties are generally unaffected in all the stages of cloud evolution. As IN concentration is increased by 1000 times and heterogeneous nucleation is further enhanced, the homogeneous freezing of cloud droplets and haze particles dominates only in the mature and dissipating stages, leading to unaffected ice number mixing ratio in the anvil region (approximately above 9 km) for these two stages. However, in the developing stage, when the supply of cloud droplets is limited, the homogeneous freezing of cloud droplets is weakened or even suppressed due to the very strong competition for liquid water with heterogeneous nucleation, leading to significantly lower ice number mixing ratio in the anvil regions. In addition, the microphysical properties in the convective core regions below the cloud anvil (approximately below 9 km) are also affected in the case of 1000 L-1. The enhanced heterogeneous nucleation produces more ice crystals below 9 km, leading to a stronger conversion from ice crystals to snow particles, and hence higher number and mass mixing ratios of snow. The IN effect on the spatial distributions and temporal evolutions of the surface precipitation and updraft velocity is generally insignificant.

Analysis of TRMM Microphysical Measurements: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

SPEC Incorporated participated in three of the four TRMM field campaigns (TEFLUN-A, TEFLUN-B and KWAJEX), installing and operating a cloud particle imager (CPI) and a high volume precipitation spectrometer (HVPS) on the SPEC Learjet in TEFLUN-A, the University of North Dakota Citation in TEFLUN-B and KWAJEX, and a CPI on the NASA DC-8 in KWAJEX. This report presents and discusses new software tools and algorithms that were developed to analyze microphysical data collected during these field campaigns, as well as scientific interpretations of the data themselves. Software algorithms were developed to improve the analysis of microphysical measurements collected by the TRMM aircraft during the field campaigns. Particular attention was paid to developing and/or improving algorithms used to compute particle size distributions and ice water content. Software was also developed in support of production of the TRMM Common Microphysical Product (CMP) data files. CMP data files for TEFLUN-A field campaign were produced and submitted to the DAAC. Typical microphysical properties of convective and stratiform regions from TEFLUN-A and KWAJEX clouds were produced. In general, it was found that in the upper cloud region near -20 to -25 C, stratiform clouds contain very high (greater than 1 per cubic centimeter) concentrations of small ice particles, which are suspected to be a residual from homogeneous freezing and sedimentation of small drops in a convective updraft. In the upper cloud region near -20 to -25 C, convective clouds contain aggregates, which are not found lower in the cloud. Stratiform clouds contain aggregates at all levels, with the majority in the lowest levels. Convective cloud regions contain much higher LWC and drop concentrations than stratiform regions at all levels, and higher LWC in the middle and upper regions. Stratiform clouds contain higher IWC than convective clouds only at the lowest level. Irregular shaped ice particles are found in very high concentrations throughout both convective and stratiform cloud regions. A striking difference in particle shape in cirrus formed in situ, cirrus formed from maritime anvils and cirrus formed from continental anvils. Over 50% of the mass of in situ cirrus ice particles is composed of bullet rosettes, while bullet rosettes are virtually non-existent in maritime and tropical anvils. Tropical anvils are composed of mostly singular, plates, capped columns, and blocky irregular shapes, while continental anvils have a much higher percentage of aggregates, some of which are chains of small spheroidal particles that appear to result from homogeneous freezing of drops. A correlation between high electric fields in continental anvils and the formation of aggregates is hypothesized.

Short-interval SMS wind vector determinations for a severe local storms area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peslen, C. A.

1980-01-01

Short-interval SMS-2 visible digital image data are used to derive wind vectors from cloud tracking on time-lapsed sequences of geosynchronous satellite images. The cloud tracking areas are located in the Central Plains, where on May 6, 1975 hail-producing thunderstorms occurred ahead of a well defined dry line. Cloud tracking is performed on the Goddard Space Flight Center Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System. Lower tropospheric cumulus tracers are selected with the assistance of a cloud-top height algorithm. Divergence is derived from the cloud motions using a modified Cressman (1959) objective analysis technique which is designed to organize irregularly spaced wind vectors into uniformly gridded wind fields. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using satellite-derived wind vectors and their associated divergence fields in describing the conditions preceding severe local storm development. For this case, an area of convergence appeared ahead of the dry line and coincided with the developing area of severe weather. The magnitude of the maximum convergence varied between -10 to the -5th and -10 to the -14th per sec. The number of satellite-derived wind vectors which were required to describe conditions of the low-level atmosphere was adequate before numerous cumulonimbus cells formed. This technique is limited in areas of advanced convection.

First observations of Gigantic Jets from Monsoon Thunderstorms over India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajesh; Maurya, Ajeet; Chanrion, Olivier; Neubert, Torsten; Cummer, Steven; Mlynarczyk, Janusz; Bór, József; Siingh, Devendraa; Cohen, Morris; Kumar, Sushil

2016-04-01

Gigantic Jets are electric discharges from thunderstorm cloud tops to the bottom of the ionosphere at ~80 km altitude. After their first discovery in 2001, relatively few observations have been reported. Most of these are from satellites at large distances and a few tens from the ground at higher spatial resolution. Here we report the first Gigantic Jets observed in India from two thunderstorm systems that developed over the land surface from monsoon activity, each storm producing two Gigantic Jets. The jets were recorded by a video camera system at standard video rate (20 ms exposure) at a few hundred km distance. ELF measurements suggest that the jets are of the usual negative polarity and that they develop in less than 40 ms, which is faster than most jets reported in the past. The jets originate from the leading edge of a slowly drifting convective cloud complex close to the highest regions of the clouds and carry ~25 Coulomb of charge to the ionosphere. One jet has a markedly horizontal displacement that we suggest is caused by a combination of close-range cloud electric fields at inception, and longer-range cloud fields at larger distances during full development. The Gigantic Jets are amongst the few that have been observed over land.

A Comparison of High Spectral Resolution Infrared Cloud-Top Pressure Altitude Algorithms Using S-HIS Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holz, Robert E.; Ackerman, Steve; Antonelli, Paolo; Nagle, Fred; McGill, Matthew; Hlavka, Dennis L.; Hart, William D.

2005-01-01

This paper presents a comparison of cloud-top altitude retrieval methods applied to S-HIS (Scanning High Resolution Interferometer Sounder) measurements. Included in this comparison is an improvement to the traditional CO2 Slicing method. The new method, CO2 Sorting, determines optimal channel pairs to apply the CO2 Slicing. Measurements from collocated samples of the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) and Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS) instruments assist in the comparison. For optically thick clouds good correlation between the S-HIS and lidar cloud-top retrievals are found. For tenuous ice clouds there can be large differences between lidar (CPL) and S-HIS retrieved cloud-tops. It is found that CO2 Sorting significantly reduces the cloud height biases for the optically thin cloud (total optical depths less then 1.0). For geometrically thick but optically thin cirrus clouds large differences between the S-HIS infrared cloud top retrievals and the CPL detected cloud top where found. For these cases the cloud height retrieved by the S-HIS cloud retrievals correlated closely with the level the CPL integrated cloud optical depth was approximately 1.0.

Using ISCCP Weather States to Decompose Cloud Radiative Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oreopoulos, L.; Rossow, W. B.

2012-01-01

The presentation will examine the shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) cloud radiative effect CRE (aka "cloud radiative forcing") at the top-of-the-atmosphere and surface of ISCCP weather states (aka "cloud regimes") in three distinct geographical zones, one tropical and two mid-latitude. Our goal is to understand and quantify the contribution of the different cloud regimes to the planetary radiation budget. In the tropics we find that the three most convectively active states are the ones with largest SW, LW and net TOA CRE contributions to the overall daytime tropical CRE budget. They account for 59%, 71% and 55% of the total CRE, respectively. The boundary layer-dominated weather states account for only 34% of the total SW CRE and 41% of the total net CRE, so to focus only on them in cloud feedback studies may be imprudent. We also find that in both the northern and southern midlatitude zones only two weather states, the first and third most convectively active with large amounts of nimbostratus-type clouds, contribute ",40% to both the SW and net TOA CRE budgets, highlighting the fact that cloud regimes associated with frontal systems are not only important for weather (precipitation) but also for climate (radiation budget). While all cloud regimes in all geographical zones have a slightly larger SFC than TOA SW CRE, implying cooling of the surface and slight warming of the atmosphere, their LW radiative effects are more subtle: in the tropics the weather states with plentiful high clouds warm the atmosphere while those with copious amounts of low clouds cool the atmosphere. In both midlatitude zones only the weather states with peak cloud fractions at levels above 440 mbar warm the atmosphere while all the rest cool it. These results make the connection of the contrasting CRE effects to the atmospheric dynamics more explicit - "storms" tend to warm the atmosphere whereas fair weather clouds cool it, suggesting a positive feedback of clouds on weather systems. The breakdown of CRE by cloud regime are however not entirely similar between the two midlatitude zones. Despite the existence of an additional state in the nort!lern midlatitudes, only four weather states have net daytime CREs with absolute values above 100 Watts per square meter compared to six in the south. This reminds us that the environment where clouds occur also has a crucial role in determining their radiative effects. All the above make evident that reproducing grand averages of current CRE by climate models in only part of the challenge. If existing cloud regimes and shifts in their distributions and frequency of occurrence in a changed climate are not properly simulated, the radiative role of clouds will not be adequately predicted.

The diurnal interaction between convection and peninsular-scale forcing over South Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, H. J.; Simpson, J.; Garstang, M.

1982-01-01

One of the outstanding problems in modern meterology is that of describing in detail the manner in which larger scales of motion interact with, influence and are influenced by successively smaller scales of motion. The present investigation is concerned with a study of the diurnal evolution of convection, the interaction between the peninsular-scale convergence and convection, and the role of the feedback produced by the cloud-scale downdrafts in the maintenance of the convection. Attention is given to the analysis, the diurnal cycle of the network area-averaged divergence, convective-scale divergence, convective mass transports, and the peninsular scale divergence. The links established in the investigation between the large scale (peninsular), the mesoscale (network), and the convective scale (cloud) are found to be of fundamental importance to the understanding of the initiation, maintenance, and decay of deep precipitating convection and to its theoretical parameterization.

Intercomparison of methods of coupling between convection and large-scale circulation: 2. Comparison over nonuniform surface conditions

DOE PAGES

Daleu, C. L.; Plant, R. S.; Woolnough, S. J.; ...

2016-03-18

As part of an international intercomparison project, the weak temperature gradient (WTG) and damped gravity wave (DGW) methods are used to parameterize large-scale dynamics in a set of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) and single column models (SCMs). The WTG or DGW method is implemented using a configuration that couples a model to a reference state defined with profiles obtained from the same model in radiative-convective equilibrium. We investigated the sensitivity of each model to changes in SST, given a fixed reference state. We performed a systematic comparison of the WTG and DGW methods in different models, and a systematic comparison ofmore » the behavior of those models using the WTG method and the DGW method. The sensitivity to the SST depends on both the large-scale parameterization method and the choice of the cloud model. In general, SCMs display a wider range of behaviors than CRMs. All CRMs using either the WTG or DGW method show an increase of precipitation with SST, while SCMs show sensitivities which are not always monotonic. CRMs using either the WTG or DGW method show a similar relationship between mean precipitation rate and column-relative humidity, while SCMs exhibit a much wider range of behaviors. DGW simulations produce large-scale velocity profiles which are smoother and less top-heavy compared to those produced by the WTG simulations. Lastly, these large-scale parameterization methods provide a useful tool to identify the impact of parameterization differences on model behavior in the presence of two-way feedback between convection and the large-scale circulation.« less

The Role of Atmospheric Aerosol Concentration on Deep Convective Precipitation: Cloud-resolving Model Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, W.-K.; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Mastsui, T.; Lang, S.; Simpson, J.

2007-01-01

Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 20011. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds NRC [2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect, is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. ln this paper, a cloud-resolving model (CRM) with detailed spectral-bin microphysics was used to examine the effect of aerosols on three different deep convective cloud systems that developed in different geographic locations: South Florida, Oklahoma and the Central Pacific. In all three cases, rain reaches the ground earlier for the low CCN (clean) case. Rain suppression is also evident in all three cases with high CCN (dirty) case. However, this suppression only occurs during the first hour of the simulations. During the mature stages of the simulations, the effects of increasing aerosol concentration range from rain suppression in the Oklahoma case, to almost no effect in the Florida case, to rain enhancement in the Pacific case. These results show the complexity of aerosol interactions with convection.

Added value of far-infrared radiometry for remote sensing of ice clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libois, Quentin; Blanchet, Jean-Pierre

2017-06-01

Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ < 15 μm) part of the spectrum, and none are available in the far-infrared (FIR, λ≥ 15 μm). Using the optimal estimation method, we show that adding a few FIR channels to existing spaceborne radiometers would significantly improve their ability to retrieve ice cloud radiative properties. For clouds encountered in the polar regions and the upper troposphere, where the atmosphere is sufficiently transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. Notably, this would extend the range of applicability of current retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Since the sensitivity of ice cloud thermal emission to effective particle diameter is approximately 5 times larger in the FIR than in the MIR, using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes. This is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers. This is also essential to study precipitation in the driest regions of the atmosphere, where strong feedbacks are at play between clouds and water vapor. The deployment in the near future of a FIR spaceborne radiometer is technologically feasible and should be strongly supported.

Effects of environment forcing on marine boundary layer cloud-drizzle processes: MBL Cloud-Drizzle Processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Peng; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike

Determining the factors affecting drizzle formation in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds remains a challenge for both observation and modeling communities. To investigate the roles of vertical wind shear and buoyancy (static instability) in drizzle formation, ground-based observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program at the Azores are analyzed for two types of conditions. The type I clouds should last for at least five hours and more than 90% time must be non-drizzling, and then followed by at least two hours of drizzling periods while the type II clouds are characterized by mesoscale convection cellular (MCC) structures with drizzlemore » occur every two to four hours. By analyzing the boundary layer wind profiles (direction and speed), it was found that either directional or speed shear is required to promote drizzle production in the type I clouds. Observations and a recent model study both suggest that vertical wind shear helps the production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), stimulates turbulence within cloud layer, and enhances drizzle formation near the cloud top. The type II clouds do not require strong wind shear to produce drizzle. The small values of lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) and negative Richardson number ( Ri) in the type II cases suggest that boundary layer instability plays an important role in TKE production and cloud-drizzle processes. As a result, by analyzing the relationships between LTS and wind shear for all cases and all time periods, a stronger connection was found between LTS and wind directional shear than that between LTS and wind speed shear.« less

Effects of environment forcing on marine boundary layer cloud-drizzle processes: MBL Cloud-Drizzle Processes

DOE PAGES

Wu, Peng; Dong, Xiquan; Xi, Baike; ...

2017-04-20

Determining the factors affecting drizzle formation in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds remains a challenge for both observation and modeling communities. To investigate the roles of vertical wind shear and buoyancy (static instability) in drizzle formation, ground-based observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program at the Azores are analyzed for two types of conditions. The type I clouds should last for at least five hours and more than 90% time must be non-drizzling, and then followed by at least two hours of drizzling periods while the type II clouds are characterized by mesoscale convection cellular (MCC) structures with drizzlemore » occur every two to four hours. By analyzing the boundary layer wind profiles (direction and speed), it was found that either directional or speed shear is required to promote drizzle production in the type I clouds. Observations and a recent model study both suggest that vertical wind shear helps the production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), stimulates turbulence within cloud layer, and enhances drizzle formation near the cloud top. The type II clouds do not require strong wind shear to produce drizzle. The small values of lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) and negative Richardson number ( Ri) in the type II cases suggest that boundary layer instability plays an important role in TKE production and cloud-drizzle processes. As a result, by analyzing the relationships between LTS and wind shear for all cases and all time periods, a stronger connection was found between LTS and wind directional shear than that between LTS and wind speed shear.« less

Normalized vertical ice mass flux profiles from vertically pointing 8-mm-wavelength Doppler radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, Brad W.; Kropfli, Robert A.

1993-01-01

During the FIRE 2 (First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project Regional Experiment) project, NOAA's Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) operated its 8-mm wavelength Doppler radar extensively in the vertically pointing mode. This allowed for the calculation of a number of important cirrus cloud parameters, including cloud boundary statistics, cloud particle characteristic sizes and concentrations, and ice mass content (imc). The flux of imc, or, alternatively, ice mass flux (imf), is also an important parameter of a cirrus cloud system. Ice mass flux is important in the vertical redistribution of water substance and thus, in part, determines the cloud evolution. It is important for the development of cloud parameterizations to be able to define the essential physical characteristics of large populations of clouds in the simplest possible way. One method would be to normalize profiles of observed cloud properties, such as those mentioned above, in ways similar to those used in the convective boundary layer. The height then scales from 0.0 at cloud base to 1.0 at cloud top, and the measured cloud parameter scales by its maximum value so that all normalized profiles have 1.0 as their maximum value. The goal is that there will be a 'universal' shape to profiles of the normalized data. This idea was applied to estimates of imf calculated from data obtained by the WPL cloud radar during FIRE II. Other quantities such as median particle diameter, concentration, and ice mass content can also be estimated with this radar, and we expect to also examine normalized profiles of these quantities in time for the 1993 FIRE II meeting.

Hurricane Isadore

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1: AIRS channel 2333 (2616 cm-1)Figure 2: HSB channel 2 (150 GHz)

Three different Views of Hurricane Isidore from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounding System (AIRS) on Aqua.

At the time Aqua passed over Isidore, it was classified as a Category 3 (possibly 4) hurricane, with minimum pressure of 934 mbar, maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 knots (gusting to 135) and an eye diameter of 20 nautical miles. Isidore was later downgraded to a Tropical Storm before gathering strength again.

This is a visible/near-infrared image, made with the AIRS instrument. Its 2 km resolution shows fine details of the cloud structure, and can be used to help interpret the other images. For example, some relatively cloud-free regions in the eye of the hurricane can be distinguished. This image was made with wavelengths slightly different than those seen by the human eye, causing plants to appear very red.

Figure 1 shows high and cold clouds in blue. Figure 2 shows heavy rain cells over Alabama in blue. This image shows the swirling clouds in white and the water of the Gulf of Mexico in blue. The eye of the hurricane is apparent in all three images.

Figure 1 shows how the hurricane looks through an AIRS Infrared window channel. Window channels measure the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in clear regions. The lowest temperatures are over Alabama and are associated with high, cold cloud tops at the end of the cloud band streaming from the hurricane. Although the eye is visible, it does not appear to be completely cloud free.

Figure 2 shows the hurricane as seen through a microwave channel of the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB). This channel is sensitive to humidity, clouds and rain. Unlike the AIRS infrared channel, it can penetrate through cloud layers and therefore reveals some of the internal structure of the hurricane. In this image, the green and yellow colors indicate clouds and heavy moisture, while blue indicates scattering by precipitation in intense convection. Orange indicates warm, moist air near the surface. The ocean surface, could it be seen, would appear slightly colder (yellow to green) due to the relatively low emissivity of water. Three sets of eye walls are apparent, and a number of intense convective cells can also be distinguished.

In the near future, weather data derived from these images will allow us to improve our forecasts and track the paths of hurricanes more accurately. The AIRS sounding system provides 2400 such images, or channels, continuously.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

On the Use of Deep Convective Clouds to Calibrate AVHRR Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doelling, David R.; Nguyen, Louis; Minnis, Patrick

2004-01-01

Remote sensing of cloud and radiation properties from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellites requires constant monitoring of the visible sensors. NOAA satellites do not have onboard visible calibration and need to be calibrated vicariously in order to determine the calibration and the degradation rate. Deep convective clouds are extremely bright and cold, are at the tropopause, have nearly a Lambertian reflectance, and provide predictable albedos. The use of deep convective clouds as calibration targets is developed into a calibration technique and applied to NOAA-16 and NOAA-17. The technique computes the relative gain drift over the life-span of the satellite. This technique is validated by comparing the gain drifts derived from inter-calibration of coincident AVHRR and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) radiances. A ray-matched technique, which uses collocated, coincident, and co-angled pixel satellite radiance pairs is used to intercalibrate MODIS and AVHRR. The deep convective cloud calibration technique was found to be independent of solar zenith angle, by using well calibrated Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) radiances onboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which precesses through all solar zenith angles in 23 days.

Analysis of Cloud-resolving Simulations of a Tropical Mesoscale Convective System Observed during TWP-ICE: Vertical Fluxes and Draft Properties in Convective and Stratiform Regions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mrowiec, Agnieszka A.; Rio, Catherine; Fridlind, Ann

2012-10-02

We analyze three cloud-resolving model simulations of a strong convective event observed during the TWP-ICE campaign, differing in dynamical core, microphysical scheme or both. Based on simulated and observed radar reflectivity, simulations roughly reproduce observed convective and stratiform precipitating areas. To identify the characteristics of convective and stratiform drafts that are difficult to observe but relevant to climate model parameterization, independent vertical wind speed thresholds are calculated to capture 90% of total convective and stratiform updraft and downdraft mass fluxes. Convective updrafts are fairly consistent across simulations (likely owing to fixed large-scale forcings and surface conditions), except that hydrometeor loadingsmore » differ substantially. Convective downdraft and stratiform updraft and downdraft mass fluxes vary notably below the melting level, but share similar vertically uniform draft velocities despite differing hydrometeor loadings. All identified convective and stratiform downdrafts contain precipitation below ~10 km and nearly all updrafts are cloudy above the melting level. Cold pool properties diverge substantially in a manner that is consistent with convective downdraft mass flux differences below the melting level. Despite differences in hydrometeor loadings and cold pool properties, convective updraft and downdraft mass fluxes are linearly correlated with convective area, the ratio of ice in downdrafts to that in updrafts is ~0.5 independent of species, and the ratio of downdraft to updraft mass flux is ~0.5-0.6, which may represent a minimum evaporation efficiency under moist conditions. Hydrometeor loading in stratiform regions is found to be a fraction of hydrometeor loading in convective regions that ranges from ~10% (graupel) to ~90% (cloud ice). These findings may lead to improved convection parameterizations.« less

Type-Dependent Responses of Ice Cloud Properties to Aerosols From Satellite Retrievals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Bin; Gu, Yu; Liou, Kuo-Nan; Wang, Yuan; Liu, Xiaohong; Huang, Lei; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Su, Hui

2018-04-01

Aerosol-cloud interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in external forcings on our climate system. Compared with liquid clouds, the observational evidence for the aerosol impact on ice clouds is much more limited and shows conflicting results, partly because the distinct features of different ice cloud and aerosol types were seldom considered. Using 9-year satellite retrievals, we find that, for convection-generated (anvil) ice clouds, cloud optical thickness, cloud thickness, and cloud fraction increase with small-to-moderate aerosol loadings (<0.3 aerosol optical depth) and decrease with further aerosol increase. For in situ formed ice clouds, however, these cloud properties increase monotonically and more sharply with aerosol loadings. An increase in loading of smoke aerosols generally reduces cloud optical thickness of convection-generated ice clouds, while the reverse is true for dust and anthropogenic pollution aerosols. These relationships between different cloud/aerosol types provide valuable constraints on the modeling assessment of aerosol-ice cloud radiative forcing.

Evidence for Tropopause Layer Moistening by Convection During CRYSTAL-FACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackerman, A.; Fridlind, A.; Jensen, E.; Miloshevich, L.; Heymsfield, G.; McGill, M.

2003-01-01

Measurements and analysis of the impact of deep convection on tropopause layer moisture are easily confounded by difficulties making precise observations with sufficient spatial coverage before and after convective events and difficulties distinguishing between changes due to local convection versus large-scale advection. The interactions between cloud microphysics and dynamics in the convective transport of moisture into the tropopause layer also result in a sufficiently complex and poorly characterized system to allow for considerable freedom in theoretical models of stratosphere-troposphere exchange. In this work we perform detailed large-eddy simulations with an explicit cloud microphysics model to study the impact of deep convection on tropopause layer moisture profiles observed over southern Florida during CRYSTALFACE. For four days during the campaign (July 11, 16, 28, and 29) we initialize a 100-km square domain with temperature and moisture profiles measured prior to convection at the PARSL ground site, and initiate convection with a warm bubble that produces an anvil at peak elevations in agreement with lidar and radar observations on that day. Comparing the moisture field after the anvils decay with the initial state, we find that convection predominantly moistens the tropopause layer (as defined by minimum temperature and minimum potential temperature lapse rate), although some drying is also predicted in localized layers. We will also present results of sensitivity tests designed to separate the roles of cloud microphysics and dynamics.

"Cloud Slicing" : A New Technique to Derive Tropospheric Ozone Profile Information from Satellite Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziemke, J. R.; Chandra, S.; Bhartia, P. K.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

A new technique denoted cloud slicing has been developed for estimating tropospheric ozone profile information. All previous methods using satellite data were only capable of estimating the total column of ozone in the troposphere. Cloud slicing takes advantage of the opaque property of water vapor clouds to ultraviolet wavelength radiation. Measurements of above-cloud column ozone from the Nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) instrument are combined together with Nimbus 7 temperature humidity and infrared radiometer (THIR) cloud-top pressure data to derive ozone column amounts in the upper troposphere. In this study tropical TOMS and THIR data for the period 1979-1984 are analyzed. By combining total tropospheric column ozone (denoted TCO) measurements from the convective cloud differential (CCD) method with 100-400 hPa upper tropospheric column ozone amounts from cloud slicing, it is possible to estimate 400-1000 hPa lower tropospheric column ozone and evaluate its spatial and temporal variability. Results for both the upper and lower tropical troposphere show a year-round zonal wavenumber 1 pattern in column ozone with largest amounts in the Atlantic region (up to approx. 15 DU in the 100-400 hPa pressure band and approx. 25-30 DU in the 400-1000 hPa pressure band). Upper tropospheric ozone derived from cloud slicing shows maximum column amounts in the Atlantic region in the June-August and September-November seasons which is similar to the seasonal variability of CCD derived TCO in the region. For the lower troposphere, largest column amounts occur in the September-November season over Brazil in South America and also southern Africa. Localized increases in the tropics in lower tropospheric ozone are found over the northern region of South America around August and off the west coast of equatorial Africa in the March-May season. Time series analysis for several regions in South America and Africa show an anomalous increase in ozone in the lower troposphere around the month of March which is not observed in the upper troposphere. The eastern Pacific indicates weak seasonal variability of upper, lower, and total tropospheric ozone compared to the western Pacific which shows largest TCO amounts in both hemispheres around spring months. Ozone variability in the western Pacific is expected to have greater variability caused by strong convection, pollution and biomass burning, land/sea contrast and monsoon developments.

Observed and Simulated Radiative and Microphysical Properties of Tropical Convective Storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DelGenio, Anthony D.; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Increases in the ice content, albedo and cloud cover of tropical convective storms in a warmer climate produce a large negative contribution to cloud feedback in the GISS GCM. Unfortunately, the physics of convective upward water transport, detrainment, and ice sedimentation, and the relationship of microphysical to radiative properties, are all quite uncertain. We apply a clustering algorithm to TRMM satellite microwave rainfall retrievals to identify contiguous deep precipitating storms throughout the tropics. Each storm is characterized according to its size, albedo, OLR, rain rate, microphysical structure, and presence/absence of lightning. A similar analysis is applied to ISCCP data during the TOGA/COARE experiment to identify optically thick deep cloud systems and relate them to large-scale environmental conditions just before storm onset. We examine the statistics of these storms to understand the relative climatic roles of small and large storms and the factors that regulate convective storm size and albedo. The results are compared to GISS GCM simulated statistics of tropical convective storms to identify areas of agreement and disagreement.

Aerosol nucleation and growth in the TTL, due to tropical convection, during the ACTIVE campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waddicor, D.; Vaughan, G.; Choularton, T.

2009-04-01

The Aerosol and Chemical Transport In tropical convection (ACTIVE) campaign took place between October 2005 and February 2006. This investigation involved the sampling of deep convective storms that occur in the Tropics; the campaign was based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia - the latter half of the campaign coincided with the monsoon season. A range of scientific equipment was used to sample the inflow and outflow air from these storms; of particular importance were the NERC Dornier (low-level) and ARA Egrett (high-level outflow) aircraft. The Dornier held a range of aerosol, particle and chemical detectors for the purpose of analysing the planetary boundary layer (PBL), in the vicinity of tropical convection. The Egrett contained detection instrumentation for a range of sizes of aerosol and cloud particles (2 Condensation Particle Counters (CPC), CAPS, CIP, CPI) in the storm outflow. This allowed a quantifiable measurement to be made of the effect of deep tropical convection on the aerosol population in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). The ACTIVE campaign found that there were large numbers of aerosol particles in the 10 - 100 nm (up to 25,000 /cm3 STP) and 100 - 1000 nm (up to 600 /cm3) size ranges. These values, in many instances, surpassed those found in the PBL. The higher levels of aerosol found in the TTL compared to the PBL could indicate that aerosol nucleation was occurring in the TTL as a direct result of convective activity. Furthermore, the Egrett aircraft found distinct boundaries between the high levels of aerosol, which were found in cloud free regions, and very low numbers of aerosol, which were found in the cloudy regions (storm anvil). The air masses were determined, from back trajectories, to have been through convective uplift and were formerly part of the anvil cloud. The cloudy regions would have contained high levels of entrapped precursor gases. Reduced nucleation and cloud particle scavenging of aerosol and gases would give a much reduced aerosol number concentration in cloud. The high aerosol (cloud free) areas would appear after the cloud began to evaporate through the process of aerosol nucleation. The evaporating cloud particles and reduced cloud surface area would allow aerosol nucleation to occur - typically involving sulphuric acid and water, released from ice crystals. The time scales for the particle production have also been investigated using satellite and wind projections/ECMWF back trajectories.

The tropical precipitation pickup threshold and clouds in a radiative convective equilibrium model: 2. Two-layer moisture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igel, Matthew R.

2017-06-01

This paper complements Part 1 in which cloud processes of aggregated convection are examined in a large-domain radiative convective equilibrium simulation in order to uncover those responsible for a consistently observed, abrupt increase in mean precipitation at a column relative humidity value of approximately 77%. In Part 2, the focus is on how the transition is affected independently by total moisture above and below the base of the melting layer. When mean precipitation rates are examined as simultaneous functions of these two moisture layers, four distinct behaviors are observed. These four behaviors suggest unique, yet familiar, physical regimes in which (i) little rain is produced by infrequent clouds, (ii) shallow convection produces increasing warm rain with increasing low-level moisture, (iii) deep convection produces progressively heavier rain above the transition point with increasing total moisture, and (iv) deep stratiform cloud produces increasingly intense precipitation from melting for increasing upper level moisture. The independent thresholds separating regimes in upper and lower layer humidity are shown to result in the value of total column humidity at which a transition between clear air and deep convection, and therefore a pickup in precipitation, is possible. All four regimes force atmospheric columns toward the pickup value at 77% column humidity, but each does so through a unique set of physical processes. Layer moisture and microphysical budgets are analyzed and contrasted with column budgets.

3-Dimensional simulations of storm dynamics on Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, R.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.

2000-10-01

The formation and evolution of convective clouds in the atmosphere of Saturn is investigated using an anelastic three-dimensional time-dependent model with parameterized microphysics. The model is designed to study the development of moist convection on any of the four giant planets and has been previously used to investigate the formation of water convective storms in the jovian atmosphere. The role of water and ammonia in moist convection is investigated with varying deep concentrations. Results imply that most of the convective activity observed at Saturn may occur at the ammonia cloud deck while the formation of water moist convection may happen only when very strong constraints on the lower troposphere are met. Ammonia storms can ascend to the 300 mb level with vertical velocities around 30 ms-1. The seasonal effect on the thermal profile at the upper troposphere may have important effects on the development of ammonia storms. In the cases where water storms can develop they span many scale heights with peak vertical velocities around 160 ms-1 and cloud particles can be transported up to the 150 mb level. These predicted characteristics are similar to the Great White Spots observed in Saturn which, therefore, could be originated at the water cloud base level. This work has been supported by Gobierno Vasco PI 1997-34. R. Hueso acknowledges a PhD fellowship from Gobierno Vasco.

A Linearized Prognostic Cloud Scheme in NASAs Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holdaway, Daniel; Errico, Ronald M.; Gelaro, Ronald; Kim, Jong G.; Mahajan, Rahul

2015-01-01

A linearized prognostic cloud scheme has been developed to accompany the linearized convection scheme recently implemented in NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System data assimilation tools. The linearization, developed from the nonlinear cloud scheme, treats cloud variables prognostically so they are subject to linearized advection, diffusion, generation, and evaporation. Four linearized cloud variables are modeled, the ice and water phases of clouds generated by large-scale condensation and, separately, by detraining convection. For each species the scheme models their sources, sublimation, evaporation, and autoconversion. Large-scale, anvil and convective species of precipitation are modeled and evaporated. The cloud scheme exhibits linearity and realistic perturbation growth, except around the generation of clouds through large-scale condensation. Discontinuities and steep gradients are widely used here and severe problems occur in the calculation of cloud fraction. For data assimilation applications this poor behavior is controlled by replacing this part of the scheme with a perturbation model. For observation impacts, where efficiency is less of a concern, a filtering is developed that examines the Jacobian. The replacement scheme is only invoked if Jacobian elements or eigenvalues violate a series of tuned constants. The linearized prognostic cloud scheme is tested by comparing the linear and nonlinear perturbation trajectories for 6-, 12-, and 24-h forecast times. The tangent linear model performs well and perturbations of clouds are well captured for the lead times of interest.

Tropical Intraseasonal Variability in Version 3 of the GFDL Atmosphere Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedict, J. J.; Maloney, E. D.; Sobel, A. H.; Frierson, D. M.; Donner, L.

2012-12-01

Tropical intraseasonal variability is examined in version 3 of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Atmosphere Model (AM3). Compared to its predecessor AM2, AM3 uses a new treatment of deep and shallow cumulus convection and mesoscale clouds. The AM3 cumulus parameterization is a mass flux-based scheme but also, unlike that in AM2, incorporates subgrid-scale vertical velocities; these play a key role in cumulus microphysical processes. The AM3 convection scheme allows multi-phase water substance produced in deep cumuli to be transported directly into mesoscale clouds, which strongly influence large-scale moisture and radiation fields. We examine four AM3 simulations, using a control model and three versions with different modifications to the deep convection scheme. In the control AM3, using a convective closure based on CAPE relaxation, both the MJO and Kelvin waves are weak compared to those in observations. By modifying the convective closure and trigger assumptions to inhibit deep cumuli, AM3 produces reasonable intraseasonal variability but a degraded mean state. MJO-like disturbances in the modified AM3 propagate eastward at roughly the observed speed in the Indian Ocean but up to twice the observed speed in the West Pacific. Distinct differences in intraseasonal convective organization and propagation exist among the modified AM3 versions. Differences in vertical diabatic heating profiles associated with the MJO are also found. The two AM3 versions with the strongest intraseasonal signals have a more prominent "bottom-heavy" heating profile leading the disturbance center and "top-heavy" heating profile following the disturbance. The more realistic heating structures are associated with an improved depiction of moisture convergence and intraseasonal convective organization in AM3.ag correlations of 850 hPa zonal wind with precipitation at (left column) 90°E and (right column) 150°E. Both fields are bandpass filtered (20-100 days) and averaged between 15°S-15°N. Solid (dashed) contours represent positive (negative) correlations that are shaded dark (light) gray if they exceed the 95% statistical significance level. We use ERAI and TRMM for the observed wind and rainfall fields. In the left panels, index reference longitudes and the 5 m/s phase speed are marked by vertical and slanted thick lines, respectively. Right panels also contain the 10 m/s phase speed line.

[Retrieval of the Optical Thickness and Cloud Top Height of Cirrus Clouds Based on AIRS IR High Spectral Resolution Data].

PubMed

Cao, Ya-nan; Wei, He-li; Dai, Cong-ming; Zhang, Xue-hai

2015-05-01

A study was carried out to retrieve optical thickness and cloud top height of cirrus clouds from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) high spectral resolution data in 1070~1135 cm-1 IR band using a Combined Atmospheric Radiative Transfer model (CART) by brightness temperature difference between model simulation and AIRS observation. The research is based on AIRS LIB high spectral infrared observation data combined with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud product data. Brightness temperature spectra based, on the retrieved cirrus optical thickness and cloud top height were simulated and compared with brightness temperature spectra of AIRS observation in the 650~1150 cm-1 band. The cirrus optical thickness and cloud top height retrieved were compared with brightness temperature of AIRS for channel 760 (900.56 cm-1, 11. 1 µm) and cirrus reflectance of MODIS cloud product. And cloud top height retrieved was compared with cloud top height from MODIS. Results show that the brightness temperature spectra simulated were basically consistent with AIRS observation under the condition of retrieval in the 650~1150 cm-1 band. It means that CART can be used to simulate AIRS brightness temperature spectra. The retrieved cirrus parameters are consistent with brightness temperature of AIRS for channel 11. 1 µm with low brightness temperature corresponding to large cirrus optical thickness and high cloud top height. And the retrieved cirrus parameters are consistent with cirrus reflectance of MODIS cloud product with high cirrus reflectance corresponding to large cirrus optical thickness and high cloud top height. Correlation coefficient of brightness temperature between retrieved cloud top height and MODIS cloud top height was relatively high. They are mostly located in the range of 8. 5~11.5 km, and their probability distribution trend is approximately identical. CART model is feasible to retrieve cirrus properties, and the retrieval is reliable.

Heating rates in tropical anvils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackerman, Thomas P.; Valero, Francisco P. J.; Pfister, Leonhard; Liou, Kuo-Nan

1988-01-01

The interaction of infrared and solar radiation with tropical cirrus anvils is addressed. Optical properties of the anvils are inferred from satellite observations and from high-altitude aircraft measurements. An infrared multiple-scattering model is used to compute heating rates in tropical anvils. Layer-average heating rates in 2 km thick anvils were found to be on the order of 20 to 30 K/day. The difference between heating rates at cloud bottom and cloud top ranges from 30 to 200 K/day, leading to convective instability in the anvil. The calculations are most sensitive to the assumed ice water content, but also are affected by the vertical distribution of ice water content and by the anvil thickness. Solar heating in anvils is shown to be less important than infrared heating but not negligible. The dynamical implications of the computed heating rates are also explored and it is concluded that the heating may have important consequences for upward mass transport in the tropics. The potential impact of tropical cirrus on the tropical energy balance and cloud forcing are discussed.

Semitransparent cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and their contribution to the particulate scattering in the tropical UTLS region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thampi, Bijoy V.; Parameswaran, K.; Sunilkumar, S. V.

2012-01-01

Contribution of semitransparent cirrus (STC) to the scattering properties of particulates in the UTLS region is examined over the Indian region using the lidar data from Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) and SAGE-II measurements from 30°S to 30°N in the longitude region 70-90°E within the feasibility of these measurements. While the contribution of STC to particulate optical depth (τp) in UT is found to be quite significant in the equatorial and off-equatorial regions in both the hemispheres during summer, this is very small during winter in the off-equatorial regions. Dense STCs in UT also influences the aerosol scattering below the cloud-base and above the cloud-top (LS). This STC influence in LS is quite significant in the northern hemisphere and almost insignificant over the southern hemisphere, where the STC-cover as well as its optical depth is relatively low. This hemispheric difference is attributed to relatively strong tropospheric convection in the northern hemisphere.

Analysis of cloud top height and cloud coverage from satellites using the O2 A and B bands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuze, Akihiko; Chance, Kelly V.

1994-01-01

Cloud height and cloud coverage detection are important for total ozone retrieval using ultraviolet and visible scattered light. Use of the O2 A and B bands, around 761 and 687 nm, by a satellite-borne instrument of moderately high spectral resolution viewing in the nadir makes it possible to detect cloud top height and related parameters, including fractional coverage. The measured values of a satellite-borne spectrometer are convolutions of the instrument slit function and the atmospheric transmittance between cloud top and satellite. Studies here determine the optical depth between a satellite orbit and the Earth or cloud top height to high accuracy using FASCODE 3. Cloud top height and a cloud coverage parameter are determined by least squares fitting to calculated radiance ratios in the oxygen bands. A grid search method is used to search the parameter space of cloud top height and the coverage parameter to minimize an appropriate sum of squares of deviations. For this search, nonlinearity of the atmospheric transmittance (i.e., leverage based on varying amounts of saturation in the absorption spectrum) is important for distinguishing between cloud top height and fractional coverage. Using the above-mentioned method, an operational cloud detection algorithm which uses minimal computation time can be implemented.

Estimating the top altitude of optically thick ice clouds from thermal infrared satellite observations using CALIPSO data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minnis, Patrick; Yost, Chris R.; Sun-Mack, Sunny; Chen, Yan

2008-06-01

The difference between cloud-top altitude Z top and infrared effective radiating height Z eff for optically thick ice clouds is examined using April 2007 data taken by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). For even days, the difference ΔZ between CALIPSO Z top and MODIS Z eff is 1.58 +/- 1.26 km. The linear fit between Z top and Z eff , applied to odd-day data, yields a difference of 0.03 +/- 1.21 km and can be used to estimate Z top from any infrared-based Z eff for thick ice clouds. Random errors appear to be due primarily to variations in cloud ice-water content (IWC). Radiative transfer calculations show that ΔZ corresponds to an optical depth of ~1, which based on observed ice-particle sizes yields an average cloud-top IWC of ~0.015 gm-3, a value consistent with in situ measurements. The analysis indicates potential for deriving cloud-top IWC using dual-satellite data.

Diagnosing Cloud Biases in the GFDL AM3 Model With Atmospheric Classification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, Stuart; Marchand, Roger; Ackerman, Thomas

In this paper, we define a set of 21 atmospheric states, or recurring weather patterns, for a region surrounding the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains site using an iterative clustering technique. The states are defined using dynamic and thermodynamic variables from reanalysis, tested for statistical significance with cloud radar data from the Southern Great Plains site, and are determined every 6 h for 14 years, creating a time series of atmospheric state. The states represent the various stages of the progression of synoptic systems through the region (e.g., warm fronts, warm sectors, cold fronts, cold northerly advection, andmore » high-pressure anticyclones) with a subset of states representing summertime conditions with varying degrees of convective activity. We use the states to classify output from the NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory AM3 model to test the model's simulation of the frequency of occurrence of the states and of the cloud occurrence during each state. The model roughly simulates the frequency of occurrence of the states but exhibits systematic cloud occurrence biases. Comparison of observed and model-simulated International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project histograms of cloud top pressure and optical thickness shows that the model lacks high thin cloud under all conditions, but biases in thick cloud are state-dependent. Frontal conditions in the model do not produce enough thick cloud, while fair-weather conditions produce too much. Finally, we find that increasing the horizontal resolution of the model improves the representation of thick clouds under all conditions but has little effect on high thin clouds. However, increasing resolution also changes the distribution of states, causing an increase in total cloud occurrence bias.« less

Diagnosing Cloud Biases in the GFDL AM3 Model With Atmospheric Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Stuart; Marchand, Roger; Ackerman, Thomas; Donner, Leo; Golaz, Jean-Christophe; Seman, Charles

2017-12-01

We define a set of 21 atmospheric states, or recurring weather patterns, for a region surrounding the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains site using an iterative clustering technique. The states are defined using dynamic and thermodynamic variables from reanalysis, tested for statistical significance with cloud radar data from the Southern Great Plains site, and are determined every 6 h for 14 years, creating a time series of atmospheric state. The states represent the various stages of the progression of synoptic systems through the region (e.g., warm fronts, warm sectors, cold fronts, cold northerly advection, and high-pressure anticyclones) with a subset of states representing summertime conditions with varying degrees of convective activity. We use the states to classify output from the NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory AM3 model to test the model's simulation of the frequency of occurrence of the states and of the cloud occurrence during each state. The model roughly simulates the frequency of occurrence of the states but exhibits systematic cloud occurrence biases. Comparison of observed and model-simulated International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project histograms of cloud top pressure and optical thickness shows that the model lacks high thin cloud under all conditions, but biases in thick cloud are state-dependent. Frontal conditions in the model do not produce enough thick cloud, while fair-weather conditions produce too much. We find that increasing the horizontal resolution of the model improves the representation of thick clouds under all conditions but has little effect on high thin clouds. However, increasing resolution also changes the distribution of states, causing an increase in total cloud occurrence bias.

Diagnosing Cloud Biases in the GFDL AM3 Model With Atmospheric Classification

DOE PAGES

Evans, Stuart; Marchand, Roger; Ackerman, Thomas; ...

2017-11-16

In this paper, we define a set of 21 atmospheric states, or recurring weather patterns, for a region surrounding the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Southern Great Plains site using an iterative clustering technique. The states are defined using dynamic and thermodynamic variables from reanalysis, tested for statistical significance with cloud radar data from the Southern Great Plains site, and are determined every 6 h for 14 years, creating a time series of atmospheric state. The states represent the various stages of the progression of synoptic systems through the region (e.g., warm fronts, warm sectors, cold fronts, cold northerly advection, andmore » high-pressure anticyclones) with a subset of states representing summertime conditions with varying degrees of convective activity. We use the states to classify output from the NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory AM3 model to test the model's simulation of the frequency of occurrence of the states and of the cloud occurrence during each state. The model roughly simulates the frequency of occurrence of the states but exhibits systematic cloud occurrence biases. Comparison of observed and model-simulated International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project histograms of cloud top pressure and optical thickness shows that the model lacks high thin cloud under all conditions, but biases in thick cloud are state-dependent. Frontal conditions in the model do not produce enough thick cloud, while fair-weather conditions produce too much. Finally, we find that increasing the horizontal resolution of the model improves the representation of thick clouds under all conditions but has little effect on high thin clouds. However, increasing resolution also changes the distribution of states, causing an increase in total cloud occurrence bias.« less

Hail frequency estimation across Europe based on a combination of overshooting top detections and the ERA-INTERIM reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punge, H. J.; Bedka, K. M.; Kunz, M.; Reinbold, A.

2017-12-01

This article presents a hail frequency estimation based on the detection of cold overshooting cloud tops (OTs) from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) operational weather satellites, in combination with a hail-specific filter derived from the ERA-INTERIM reanalysis. This filter has been designed based on the atmospheric properties in the vicinity of hail reports registered in the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD). These include Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), 0-6-km bulk wind shear and freezing level height, evaluated at the nearest time step and interpolated from the reanalysis grid to the location of the hail report. Regions highly exposed to hail events include Northern Italy, followed by South-Eastern Austria and Eastern Spain. Pronounced hail frequency is also found in large parts of Eastern Europe, around the Alps, the Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Southern and Eastern France, and in the Iberic and Apennine mountain ranges.

Gigantic Jets and the Tropical Paradigm: A Satellite Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarus, S. M.; Splitt, M. E.

2017-12-01

While not exclusively oceanic, gigantic jets (GJ) appear to have a preference for the tropical environment. In particular, a number of GJs have been observed in conjunction with tropical disturbances (i.e., weak tropical storms, depressions, and remnant lows). Given the remote aspect of TC convection and general lack of radar coverage, we explore this subset of events via analysis of their infrared and water vapor satellite presentations. The satellite perspective is relevant given that storm top mixing (dilution) of charge associated with storm-scale turbulence in this portion of the storm is thought to be connected to GJs. The thunderstorm overshoot, upper level divergence / outflow are examined in an effort to better understand the tropical paradigm. Specifically, an analysis of cloud top temperature, anvil expansion rates and asymmetries as well as placement of the GJ events with respect to the large (storm) scale circulation will be conducted.

Investigation of tropical diurnal convection biases in a climate model using TWP-ICE observations and convection-permitting simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, W.; Xie, S.; Jackson, R. C.; Endo, S.; Vogelmann, A. M.; Collis, S. M.; Golaz, J. C.

2017-12-01

Climate models are known to have difficulty in simulating tropical diurnal convections that exhibit distinct characteristics over land and open ocean. While the causes are rooted in deficiencies in convective parameterization in general, lack of representations of mesoscale dynamics in terms of land-sea breeze, convective organization, and propagation of convection-induced gravity waves also play critical roles. In this study, the problem is investigated at the process-level with the U.S. Department of Energy Accelerated Climate Modeling for Energy (ACME) model in short-term hindcast mode using the Cloud Associated Parameterization Testbed (CAPT) framework. Convective-scale radar retrievals and observation-driven convection-permitting simulations for the Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) cases are used to guide the analysis of the underlying processes. The emphasis will be on linking deficiencies in representation of detailed process elements to the model biases in diurnal convective properties and their contrast among inland, coastal and open ocean conditions.

Sensitivity simulations of superparameterised convection in a general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybka, Harald; Tost, Holger

2015-04-01

Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs) covering a horizontal grid spacing from a few hundred meters up to a few kilometers have been used to explicitly resolve small-scale and mesoscale processes. Special attention has been paid to realistically represent cloud dynamics and cloud microphysics involving cloud droplets, ice crystals, graupel and aerosols. The entire variety of physical processes on the small-scale interacts with the larger-scale circulation and has to be parameterised on the coarse grid of a general circulation model (GCM). Since more than a decade an approach to connect these two types of models which act on different scales has been developed to resolve cloud processes and their interactions with the large-scale flow. The concept is to use an ensemble of CRM grid cells in a 2D or 3D configuration in each grid cell of the GCM to explicitly represent small-scale processes avoiding the use of convection and large-scale cloud parameterisations which are a major source for uncertainties regarding clouds. The idea is commonly known as superparameterisation or cloud-resolving convection parameterisation. This study presents different simulations of an adapted Earth System Model (ESM) connected to a CRM which acts as a superparameterisation. Simulations have been performed with the ECHAM/MESSy atmospheric chemistry (EMAC) model comparing conventional GCM runs (including convection and large-scale cloud parameterisations) with the improved superparameterised EMAC (SP-EMAC) modeling one year with prescribed sea surface temperatures and sea ice content. The sensitivity of atmospheric temperature, precipiation patterns, cloud amount and types is observed changing the embedded CRM represenation (orientation, width, no. of CRM cells, 2D vs. 3D). Additionally, we also evaluate the radiation balance with the new model configuration, and systematically analyse the impact of tunable parameters on the radiation budget and hydrological cycle. Furthermore, the subgrid variability (individual CRM cell output) is analysed in order to illustrate the importance of a highly varying atmospheric structure inside a single GCM grid box. Finally, the convective transport of Radon is observed comparing different transport procedures and their influence on the vertical tracer distribution.

Measurement needs guided by synthetic radar scans in high-resolution model output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varble, A.; Nesbitt, S. W.; Borque, P.

2017-12-01

Microphysical and dynamical process interactions within deep convective clouds are not well understood, partly because measurement strategies often focus on statistics of cloud state rather than cloud processes. While processes cannot be directly measured, they can be inferred with sufficiently frequent and detailed scanning radar measurements focused on the life cycleof individual cloud regions. This is a primary goal of the 2018-19 DOE ARM Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) and NSF Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations (RELAMPAGO) field campaigns in central Argentina, where orographic deep convective initiation is frequent with some high-impact systems growing into the tallest and largest in the world. An array of fixed and mobile scanning multi-wavelength dual-polarization radars will be coupled with surface observations, sounding systems, multi-wavelength vertical profilers, and aircraft in situ measurements to characterize convective cloud life cycles and their relationship with environmental conditions. While detailed cloud processes are an observational target, the radar scan patterns that are most ideal for observing them are unclear. They depend on the locations and scales of key microphysical and dynamical processes operating within the cloud. High-resolution simulations of clouds, while imperfect, can provide information on these locations and scales that guide radar measurement needs. Radar locations are set in the model domain based on planned experiment locations, and simulatedorographic deep convective initiation and upscale growth are sampled using a number of different scans involving RHIs or PPIs with predefined elevation and azimuthal angles that approximately conform with radar range and beam width specifications. Each full scan pattern is applied to output atsingle model time steps with time step intervals that depend on the length of time required to complete each scan in the real world. The ability of different scans to detect key processes within the convective cloud life cycle are examined in connection with previous and subsequent dynamical and microphysical transitions. This work will guide strategic scan patterns that will be used during CACTI and RELAMPAGO.

The effect of aerosol-derived changes in the warm phase on the properties of deep convective clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Qian; Koren, Ilan; Altaratz, Orit; Heiblum, Reuven; Dagan, Guy

2017-04-01

The aerosol impact on deep convective clouds starts in an increased number of cloud droplets in higher aerosol loading environment. This change drives many others, like enhanced condensational growth, delay in collision-coalescence and others. Since the warm processes serve as the initial and boundary conditions for the mixed and cold-phase processes in deep clouds, it is highly important to understand the aerosol effect on them. The weather research and forecasting model (WRF) with spectral bin microphysics was used to study a deep convective system over the Marshall Islands, during the Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX). Three simulations were conducted with aerosol concentrations of 100, 500 and 2000 cm-3, to reflect clean, semipolluted, and polluted conditions. The results of the clean run agreed well with the radar profiles and rain rate observations. The more polluted simulations resulted in larger total cloud mass, larger upper level cloud fraction and rain rates. There was an increased mass both below and above the zero temperature level. It indicates of more efficient growth processes both below and above the zero level. In addition the polluted runs showed an increased upward transport (across the zero level) of liquid water due to both stronger updrafts and larger droplet mobility. In this work we discuss the transport of cloud mass crossing the zero temperature level (in both directions) in order to gain a process level understanding of how aerosol effects on the warm processes affect the macro- and micro-properties of deep convective clouds.

Atmospheric component of the MPI-M Earth System Model: ECHAM6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Bjorn; Giorgetta, Marco; Esch, Monika; Mauritsen, Thorsten; Crueger, Traute; Rast, Sebastian; Salzmann, Marc; Schmidt, Hauke; Bader, Jürgen; Block, Karoline; Brokopf, Renate; Fast, Irina; Kinne, Stefan; Kornblueh, Luis; Lohmann, Ulrike; Pincus, Robert; Reichler, Thomas; Roeckner, Erich

2013-06-01

ECHAM6, the sixth generation of the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM, is described. Major changes with respect to its predecessor affect the representation of shortwave radiative transfer, the height of the model top. Minor changes have been made to model tuning and convective triggering. Several model configurations, differing in horizontal and vertical resolution, are compared. As horizontal resolution is increased beyond T63, the simulated climate improves but changes are incremental; major biases appear to be limited by the parameterization of small-scale physical processes, such as clouds and convection. Higher vertical resolution in the middle atmosphere leads to a systematic reduction in temperature biases in the upper troposphere, and a better representation of the middle atmosphere and its modes of variability. ECHAM6 represents the present climate as well as, or better than, its predecessor. The most marked improvements are evident in the circulation of the extratropics. ECHAM6 continues to have a good representation of tropical variability. A number of biases, however, remain. These include a poor representation of low-level clouds, systematic shifts in major precipitation features, biases in the partitioning of precipitation between land and sea (particularly in the tropics), and midlatitude jets that appear to be insufficiently poleward. The response of ECHAM6 to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases is similar to that of ECHAM5. The equilibrium climate sensitivity of the mixed-resolution (T63L95) configuration is between 2.9 and 3.4 K and is somewhat larger for the 47 level model. Cloud feedbacks and adjustments contribute positively to warming from increasing greenhouse gases.

Effects of Environment Forcing on Marine Boundary Layer Cloud-Drizzle Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, X.

2017-12-01

Determining the factors affecting drizzle formation in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds remains a challenge for both observation and modeling communities. To investigate the roles of vertical wind shear and buoyancy (static instability) in drizzle formation, ground-based observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program at the Azores are analyzed for two types of conditions. The type I clouds should last for at least five hours and more than 90% time must be non-drizzling, and then followed by at least two hours of drizzling periods while the type II clouds are characterized by mesoscale convection cellular (MCC) structures with drizzle occur every two to four hours. By analyzing the boundary layer wind profiles (direction and speed), it was found that either directional or speed shear is required to promote drizzle production in the type I clouds. Observations and a recent model study both suggest that vertical wind shear helps the production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), stimulates turbulence within cloud layer, and enhances drizzle formation near the cloud top. The type II clouds do not require strong wind shear to produce drizzle. The small values of lower-tropospheric stability (LTS) and negative Richardson number (Ri) in the type II cases suggest that boundary layer instability plays an important role in TKE production and cloud-drizzle processes. By analyzing the relationships between LTS and wind shear for all cases and all time periods, a stronger connection was found between LTS and wind directional shear than that between LTS and wind speed shear.

Clausius-Clapeyron Scaling of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) in Cloud-Resolving Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, J.; Romps, D. M.

2015-12-01

Recent work by Singh and O'Gorman has produced a theory for convective available potential energy (CAPE) in radiative-convective equilibrium. In this model, the atmosphere deviates from a moist adiabat—and, therefore, has positive CAPE—because entrainment causes evaporative cooling in cloud updrafts, thereby steepening their lapse rate. This has led to the proposal that CAPE increases with global warming because the strength of evaporative cooling scales according to the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relation. However, CAPE could also change due to changes in cloud buoyancy and changes in the entrainment rate, both of which could vary with global warming. To test the relative importance of changes in CAPE due to CC scaling of evaporative cooling, changes in cloud buoyancy, and changes in the entrainment rate, we subject a cloud-resolving model to a suite of natural (and unnatural) forcings. We find that CAPE changes are primarily driven by changes in the strength of evaporative cooling; the effect of changes in the entrainment rate and cloud buoyancy are comparatively small. This builds support for CC scaling of CAPE.

Influence of Subpixel Scale Cloud Top Structure on Reflectances from Overcast Stratiform Cloud Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loeb, N. G.; Varnai, Tamas; Winker, David M.

1998-01-01

Recent observational studies have shown that satellite retrievals of cloud optical depth based on plane-parallel model theory suffer from systematic biases that depend on viewing geometry, even when observations are restricted to overcast marine stratus layers, arguably the closest to plane parallel in nature. At moderate to low sun elevations, the plane-parallel model significantly overestimates the reflectance dependence on view angle in the forward-scattering direction but shows a similar dependence in the backscattering direction. Theoretical simulations are performed that show that the likely cause for this discrepancy is because the plane-parallel model assumption does not account for subpixel, scale variations in cloud-top height (i.e., "cloud bumps"). Monte Carlo simulation, comparing ID model radiances to radiances from overcast cloud field with 1) cloud-top height variation, but constant cloud volume extinction; 2) flat tops but horizontal variations in cloud volume extinction; and 3) variations in both cloud top height and cloud extinction are performed over a approximately equal to 4 km x 4 km domain (roughly the size of an individual GAC AVHRR pixel). The comparisons show that when cloud-top height variations are included, departures from 1D theory are remarkably similar (qualitatively) to those obtained observationally. In contrast, when clouds are assumed flat and only cloud extinction is variable, reflectance differences are much smaller and do not show any view-angle dependence. When both cloud-top height and cloud extinction variations are included, however, large increases in cloud extinction variability can enhance reflectance difference. The reason 3D-1D reflectance differences are more sensitive to cloud-top height variations in the forward-scattering direction (at moderate to low, sun elevations) is because photons leaving the cloud field in that direction experience fewer scattering events (low-order scattering) and are restricted to the topmost portions of the cloud. While reflectance deviations from 1D theory are much larger for bumpy clouds than for flat clouds with variable cloud extinction, differences in cloud albedo are comparable for these two cases.

Electrical and kinematic structure of an Oklahoma mesoscale convective system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Steven M.; Schuur, Terry J.; Marshall, Thomas C.; Rust, W. D.

1990-01-01

The case study examines the dynamics and kinematics of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) by comparing its meteorological parameters with in situ electrical measurements. Conventional MCS characteristics are reported including a rear inflow jet, wake low, and a bipolar cloud-to-ground pattern, but some nonclassical conditions are also reported. Horizontally long cloud-to-ground electrical strikes are noted which demonstrate that cloud-to-ground electrical data alone cannot entirely characterize stratiform electrification in MCSs.

Impact of Biomass Burning Aerosols on Cloud Formation in Coastal Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nair, U. S.; Wu, Y.; Reid, J. S.

2017-12-01

In the tropics, shallow and deep convective cloud structures organize in hierarchy of spatial scales ranging from meso-gamma (2-20 km) to planetary scales (40,000km). At the lower end of the spectrum is shallow convection over the open ocean, whose upscale growth is dependent upon mesoscale convergence triggers. In this context, cloud systems associated with land breezes that propagate long distances into open ocean areas are important. We utilized numerical model simulations to examine the impact of biomass burning on such cloud systems in the maritime continent, specifically along the coastal regions of Sarawak. Numerical model simulations conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model show spatial patterns of smoke that show good agreement to satellite observations. Analysis of model simulations show that, during daytime the horizontal convective rolls (HCRs) that form over land play an important role in organizing transport of smoke in the coastal regions. Alternating patterns of low and high smoke concentrations that are well correlated to the wavelengths of HCRs are found in both the simulations and satellite observations. During night time, smoke transport is modulated by the land breeze circulation and a band of enhanced smoke concentration is found along the land breeze front. Biomass burning aerosols are ingested by the convective clouds that form along the land breeze and leads to changes in total water path, cloud structure and precipitation formation.

Impacts of Large-Scale Circulation on Convection: A 2-D Cloud Resolving Model Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, X; Sui, C.-H.; Lau, K.-M.

1999-01-01

Studies of impacts of large-scale circulation on convection, and the roles of convection in heat and water balances over tropical region are fundamentally important for understanding global climate changes. Heat and water budgets over warm pool (SST=29.5 C) and cold pool (SST=26 C) were analyzed based on simulations of the two-dimensional cloud resolving model. Here the sensitivity of heat and water budgets to different sizes of warm and cold pools is examined.

Small vs. Large Convective Cloud Objects from CERES Aqua Observations: Where are the Intraseasonal Variation Signals?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man

2016-01-01

During inactive phases of Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), there are plenty of deep but small convective systems and far fewer deep and large ones. During active phases of MJO, a manifestation of an increase in the occurrence of large and deep cloud clusters results from an amplification of large-scale motions by stronger convective heating. This study is designed to quantitatively examine the roles of small and large cloud clusters during the MJO life cycle. We analyze the cloud object data from Aqua CERES observations for tropical deep convective (DC) and cirrostratus (CS) cloud object types according to the real-time multivariate MJO index. The cloud object is a contiguous region of the earth with a single dominant cloud-system type. The size distributions, defined as the footprint numbers as a function of cloud object diameters, for particular MJO phases depart greatly from the combined (8-phase) distribution at large cloud-object diameters due to the reduced/increased numbers of cloud objects related to changes in the large-scale environments. The medium diameter corresponding to the combined distribution is determined and used to partition all cloud objects into "small" and "large" groups of a particular phase. The two groups corresponding to the combined distribution have nearly equal numbers of footprints. The medium diameters are 502 km for DC and 310 km for cirrostratus. The range of the variation between two extreme phases (typically, the most active and depressed phases) for the small group is 6-11% in terms of the numbers of cloud objects and the total footprint numbers. The corresponding range for the large group is 19-44%. In terms of the probability density functions of radiative and cloud physical properties, there are virtually no differences between the MJO phases for the small group, but there are significant differences for the large groups for both DC and CS types. These results suggest that the intreseasonal variation signals reside at the large cloud clusters while the small cloud clusters represent the background noises resulting from various types of the tropical waves with different wavenumbers and propagation directions/speeds.

Discovery of lake-effect clouds on Titan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, M.E.; Schaller, E.L.; Roe, H.G.; Chen, C.; Roberts, J.; Brown, R.H.; Baines, K.H.; Clark, R.N.

2009-01-01

Images from instruments on Cassini as well as from telescopes on the ground reveal the presence of sporadic small-scale cloud activity in the cold late-winter north polar region of Saturn's large moon Titan. These clouds lie underneath the previously discovered uniform polar cloud attributed to a quiescent ethane cloud at ???40 km and appear confined to the same latitudes as those of the largest known hydrocarbon lakes at the north pole of Titan. The physical properties of these clouds suggest that they are due to methane convection and condensation. Such convection could be caused by a process in some ways analogous to terrestrial lake-effect clouds. The lakes on Titan could be a key connection between the surface and the meteorological cycle. ?? 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

The fluid dynamics of atmospheric clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, David A.

2017-11-01

Clouds of many types are of leading-order importance for Earth's weather and climate. This importance is most often discussed in terms of the effects of clouds on radiative transfer, but the fluid dynamics of clouds are at least equally significant. Some very small-scale cloud fluid-dynamical processes have significant consequences on the global scale. These include viscous dissipation near falling rain drops, and ``buoyancy reversal'' associated with the evaporation of liquid water. Major medium-scale cloud fluid-dynamical processes include cumulus convection and convective aggregation. Planetary-scale processes that depend in an essential way on cloud fluid dynamics include the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which is one of the largest and most consequential weather systems on Earth. I will attempt to give a coherent introductory overview of this broad range of phenomena.

Thermodynamics and Cloud Radiative Effect from the First Year of GoAmazon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collow, Allie Marquardt; Miller, Mark; Trabachino, Lynne

2015-01-01

Deforestation is an ongoing concern for the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil and associated changes to the land surface have been hypothesized to alter the climate in the region. A comprehensive set of meteorological observations at the surface and within the lower troposphere above Manacapuru, Brazil and data from the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) are used to evaluate the seasonal cycle of cloudiness, thermodynamics, and the radiation budget. While ample moisture is present in the Amazon Rainforest year round, the northward progression of the Hadley circulation during the dry season contributes to a drying of the middle troposphere and inhibits the formation of deep convection. This results in a reduction in cloudiness and precipitation as well as an increase in the height of the lifting condensation level, which is shown to have a negative correlation to the fraction of low clouds. Frequent cloudiness prevents solar radiation from reaching the surface and clouds are often reflective with high values of shortwave cloud radiative effect at the surface and top of the atmosphere. Cloud radiative effect is reduced during the dry season however the dry season surface shortwave cloud radiative effect is still double what is observed during the wet season in other tropical locations. Within the column, the impact of clouds on the radiation budget is more prevalent in the longwave part of the spectrum, with a net warming in the wet season.

Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) Field Campaign Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmid, B.; Flynn, C.

Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS), a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field campaign, was based out of Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, during August and September 2013. The study focused on pollution emissions and the evolution of gases and aerosols in deep convective outflow, and the influences and feedbacks of aerosol particles from anthropogenic pollution and biomass burning on meteorology, clouds, and climate. The project required three aircraft to accomplish these goals. The NASA DC-8 provided observations from near the surface to 12 km, while the NASA ER-2 provided high-altitudemore » observations reaching into the lower stratosphere as well as important remote-sensing observations connecting satellites with observations from lower-flying aircraft and surface sites. The SPEC, Inc. Learjet obtained aerosol and cloud microphysical measurement in convective clouds and convective outflow.« less

Effect of ice-albedo feedback on global sensitivity in a one-dimensional radiative-convective climate model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, W.-C.; Stone, P. H.

1980-01-01

The feedback between the ice albedo and temperature is included in a one-dimensional radiative-convective climate model. The effect of this feedback on global sensitivity to changes in solar constant is studied for the current climate conditions. This ice-albedo feedback amplifies global sensitivity by 26 and 39%, respectively, for assumptions of fixed cloud altitude and fixed cloud temperature. The global sensitivity is not affected significantly if the latitudinal variations of mean solar zenith angle and cloud cover are included in the global model. The differences in global sensitivity between one-dimensional radiative-convective models and energy balance models are examined. It is shown that the models are in close agreement when the same feedback mechanisms are included. The one-dimensional radiative-convective model with ice-albedo feedback included is used to compute the equilibrium ice line as a function of solar constant.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, Jiwen; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Zhang, Yuwei

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain the largest uncertainty in climate projections. Ultrafine aerosol particles smaller than 50 nanometers (UAP <50) can be abundant in the troposphere, but are conventionally considered too small to affect cloud formation. However, observational evidence and numerical simulations of deep convective clouds (DCCs) over the Amazon show that DCCs forming in a low aerosol environment can develop very large vapor supersaturation because fast droplet coalescence reduces integrated droplet surface area and subsequent condensation. UAP <50 from pollution plumes that are ingested into such clouds can be activated to form additional cloud droplets on which excess supersaturation condenses andmore » forms additional cloud water and latent heating, thus intensifying convective strength. This mechanism suggests a strong anthropogenic invigoration of DCCs in previously pristine regions of the world.« less

Volcanic explosion clouds - Density, temperature, and particle content estimates from cloud motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L.; Self, S.

1980-01-01

Photographic records of 10 vulcanian eruption clouds produced during the 1978 eruption of Fuego Volcano in Guatemala have been analyzed to determine cloud velocity and acceleration at successive stages of expansion. Cloud motion is controlled by air drag (dominant during early, high-speed motion) and buoyancy (dominant during late motion when the cloud is convecting slowly). Cloud densities in the range 0.6 to 1.2 times that of the surrounding atmosphere were obtained by fitting equations of motion for two common cloud shapes (spheres and vertical cylinders) to the observed motions. Analysis of the heat budget of a cloud permits an estimate of cloud temperature and particle weight fraction to be made from the density. Model results suggest that clouds generally reached temperatures within 10 K of that of the surrounding air within 10 seconds of formation and that dense particle weight fractions were less than 2% by this time. The maximum sizes of dense particles supported by motion in the convecting clouds range from 140 to 1700 microns.

Characteristics of vertical air motion in isolated convective clouds

DOE PAGES

Yang, Jing; Wang, Zhien; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; ...

2016-08-11

The vertical velocity and air mass flux in isolated convective clouds are statistically analyzed using aircraft in situ data collected from three field campaigns: High-Plains Cumulus (HiCu) conducted over the midlatitude High Plains, COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) conducted in a midlatitude coastal area, and Ice in Clouds Experiment-Tropical (ICE-T) conducted over a tropical ocean. The results show that small-scale updrafts and downdrafts (<  500 m in diameter) are frequently observed in the three field campaigns, and they make important contributions to the total air mass flux. The probability density functions (PDFs) and profiles of the observed vertical velocity are provided. The PDFsmore » are exponentially distributed. The updrafts generally strengthen with height. Relatively strong updrafts (>  20 m s −1) were sampled in COPE and ICE-T. The observed downdrafts are stronger in HiCu and COPE than in ICE-T. The PDFs of the air mass flux are exponentially distributed as well. The observed maximum air mass flux in updrafts is of the order 10 4 kg m −1 s −1. The observed air mass flux in the downdrafts is typically a few times smaller in magnitude than that in the updrafts. Since this study only deals with isolated convective clouds, and there are many limitations and sampling issues in aircraft in situ measurements, more observations are needed to better explore the vertical air motion in convective clouds.« less

Convective Self-Aggregation in Numerical Simulations: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, Allison A.; Emanuel, Kerry; Holloway, Christopher E.; Muller, Caroline

2017-11-01

Organized convection in the tropics occurs across a range of spatial and temporal scales and strongly influences cloud cover and humidity. One mode of organization found is "self-aggregation," in which moist convection spontaneously organizes into one or several isolated clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing. Self-aggregation is driven by interactions between clouds, moisture, radiation, surface fluxes, and circulation, and occurs in a wide variety of idealized simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium. Here we provide a review of convective self-aggregation in numerical simulations, including its character, causes, and effects. We describe the evolution of self-aggregation including its time and length scales and the physical mechanisms leading to its triggering and maintenance, and we also discuss possible links to climate and climate change.

Convective Self-Aggregation in Numerical Simulations: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, Allison A.; Emanuel, Kerry; Holloway, Christopher E.; Muller, Caroline

Organized convection in the tropics occurs across a range of spatial and temporal scales and strongly influences cloud cover and humidity. One mode of organization found is ``self-aggregation,'' in which moist convection spontaneously organizes into one or several isolated clusters despite spatially homogeneous boundary conditions and forcing. Self-aggregation is driven by interactions between clouds, moisture, radiation, surface fluxes, and circulation, and occurs in a wide variety of idealized simulations of radiative-convective equilibrium. Here we provide a review of convective self-aggregation in numerical simulations, including its character, causes, and effects. We describe the evolution of self-aggregation including its time and length scales and the physical mechanisms leading to its triggering and maintenance, and we also discuss possible links to climate and climate change.

A Generalized Simple Formulation of Convective Adjustment ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Convective adjustment timescale (τ) for cumulus clouds is one of the most influential parameters controlling parameterized convective precipitation in climate and weather simulation models at global and regional scales. Due to the complex nature of deep convection, a prescribed value or ad hoc representation of τ is used in most global and regional climate/weather models making it a tunable parameter and yet still resulting in uncertainties in convective precipitation simulations. In this work, a generalized simple formulation of τ for use in any convection parameterization for shallow and deep clouds is developed to reduce convective precipitation biases at different grid spacing. Unlike existing other methods, our new formulation can be used with field campaign measurements to estimate τ as demonstrated by using data from two different special field campaigns. Then, we implemented our formulation into a regional model (WRF) for testing and evaluation. Results indicate that our simple τ formulation can give realistic temporal and spatial variations of τ across continental U.S. as well as grid-scale and subgrid scale precipitation. We also found that as the grid spacing decreases (e.g., from 36 to 4-km grid spacing), grid-scale precipitation dominants over subgrid-scale precipitation. The generalized τ formulation works for various types of atmospheric conditions (e.g., continental clouds due to heating and large-scale forcing over la

On the Land-Ocean Contrast of Tropical Convection and Microphysics Statistics Derived from TRMM Satellite Signals and Global Storm-Resolving Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsui, Toshihisa; Chern, Jiun-Dar; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Lang, Stephen E.; Satoh, Masaki; Hashino, Tempei; Kubota, Takuji

2016-01-01

A 14-year climatology of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) collocated multi-sensor signal statistics reveal a distinct land-ocean contrast as well as geographical variability of precipitation type, intensity, and microphysics. Microphysics information inferred from the TRMM precipitation radar and Microwave Imager (TMI) show a large land-ocean contrast for the deep category, suggesting continental convective vigor. Over land, TRMM shows higher echo-top heights and larger maximum echoes, suggesting taller storms and more intense precipitation, as well as larger microwave scattering, suggesting the presence of morelarger frozen convective hydrometeors. This strong land-ocean contrast in deep convection is invariant over seasonal and multi-year time-scales. Consequently, relatively short-term simulations from two global storm-resolving models can be evaluated in terms of their land-ocean statistics using the TRMM Triple-sensor Three-step Evaluation via a satellite simulator. The models evaluated are the NASA Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) and the Non-hydrostatic Icosahedral Cloud Atmospheric Model (NICAM). While both simulations can represent convective land-ocean contrasts in warm precipitation to some extent, near-surface conditions over land are relatively moisture in NICAM than MMF, which appears to be the key driver in the divergent warm precipitation results between the two models. Both the MMF and NICAM produced similar frequencies of large CAPE between land and ocean. The dry MMF boundary layer enhanced microwave scattering signals over land, but only NICAM had an enhanced deep convection frequency over land. Neither model could reproduce a realistic land-ocean contrast in in deep convective precipitation microphysics. A realistic contrast between land and ocean remains an issue in global storm-resolving modeling.

Comments on “A Unified Representation of Deep Moist Convection in Numerical Modeling of the Atmosphere. Part I”

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Guang; Fan, Jiwen; Xu, Kuan-Man

2015-06-01

Arakawa and Wu (2013, hereafter referred to as AW13) recently developed a formal approach to a unified parameterization of atmospheric convection for high-resolution numerical models. The work is based on ideas formulated by Arakawa et al. (2011). It lays the foundation for a new parameterization pathway in the era of high-resolution numerical modeling of the atmosphere. The key parameter in this approach is convective cloud fraction. In conventional parameterization, it is assumed that <<1. This assumption is no longer valid when horizontal resolution of numerical models approaches a few to a few tens kilometers, since in such situations convective cloudmore » fraction can be comparable to unity. Therefore, they argue that the conventional approach to parameterizing convective transport must include a factor 1 - in order to unify the parameterization for the full range of model resolutions so that it is scale-aware and valid for large convective cloud fractions. While AW13’s approach provides important guidance for future convective parameterization development, in this note we intend to show that the conventional approach already has this scale awareness factor 1 - built in, although not recognized for the last forty years. Therefore, it should work well even in situations of large convective cloud fractions in high-resolution numerical models.« less

The Stochastic Multicloud Model as part of an operational convection parameterisation in a comprehensive GCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Karsten; Jakob, Christian; Möbis, Benjamin

2015-04-01

An adequate representation of convective processes in numerical models of the atmospheric circulation (general circulation models, GCMs) remains one of the grand challenges in atmospheric science. In particular, the models struggle with correctly representing the spatial distribution and high variability of tropical convection. It is thought that this model deficiency partly results from formulating current convection parameterisation schemes in a purely deterministic manner. Here, we use observations of tropical convection to inform the design of a novel convection parameterisation with stochastic elements. The novel scheme is built around the Stochastic MultiCloud Model (SMCM, Khouider et al 2010). We present the progress made in utilising SMCM-based estimates of updraft area fractions at cloud base as part of the deep convection scheme of a GCM. The updraft area fractions are used to yield one part of the cloud base mass-flux used in the closure assumption of convective mass-flux schemes. The closure thus receives a stochastic component, potentially improving modeled convective variability and coherence. For initial investigations, we apply the above methodology to the operational convective parameterisation of the ECHAM6 GCM. We perform 5-year AMIP simulations, i.e. with prescribed observed SSTs. We find that with the SMCM, convection is weaker and more coherent and continuous from timestep to timestep compared to the standard model. Total global precipitation is reduced in the SMCM run, but this reduces i) the overall error compared to observed global precipitation (GPCP) and ii) middle tropical tropospheric temperature biases compared to ERA-Interim. Hovmoeller diagrams indicate a slightly higher degree of convective organisation compared to the base case and Wheeler-Kiladis frequency wavenumber diagrams indicate slightly more spectral power in the MJO range.