shallow cumulus cloud: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for shallow cumulus cloud

New Approaches to Parameterizing Convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.; Lappen, Cara-Lyn

1999-01-01

Many general circulation models (GCMs) currently use separate schemes for planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes, shallow and deep cumulus (Cu) convection, and stratiform clouds. The conventional distinctions. among these processes are somewhat arbitrary. For example, in the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition region, stratocumulus clouds break up into a combination of shallow cumulus and broken stratocumulus. Shallow cumulus clouds may be considered to reside completely within the PBL, or they may be regarded as starting in the PBL but terminating above it. Deeper cumulus clouds often originate within the PBL with also can originate aloft. To the extent that our models separately parameterize physical processes which interact strongly on small space and time scales, the currently fashionable practice of modularization may be doing more harm than good.
RACORO Continental Boundary Layer Cloud Investigations: 3. Separation of Parameterization Biases in Single-Column Model CAM5 Simulations of Shallow Cumulus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Wuyin; Liu, Yangang; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Fridlind, Ann; Endo, Satoshi; Song, Hua; Feng, Sha; Toto, Tami; Li, Zhijin; Zhang, Minghua

2015-01-01

Climatically important low-level clouds are commonly misrepresented in climate models. The FAst-physics System TEstbed and Research (FASTER) Project has constructed case studies from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plain site during the RACORO aircraft campaign to facilitate research on model representation of boundary-layer clouds. This paper focuses on using the single-column Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (SCAM5) simulations of a multi-day continental shallow cumulus case to identify specific parameterization causes of low-cloud biases. Consistent model biases among the simulations driven by a set of alternative forcings suggest that uncertainty in the forcing plays only a relatively minor role. In-depth analysis reveals that the model's shallow cumulus convection scheme tends to significantly under-produce clouds during the times when shallow cumuli exist in the observations, while the deep convective and stratiform cloud schemes significantly over-produce low-level clouds throughout the day. The links between model biases and the underlying assumptions of the shallow cumulus scheme are further diagnosed with the aid of large-eddy simulations and aircraft measurements, and by suppressing the triggering of the deep convection scheme. It is found that the weak boundary layer turbulence simulated is directly responsible for the weak cumulus activity and the simulated boundary layer stratiform clouds. Increased vertical and temporal resolutions are shown to lead to stronger boundary layer turbulence and reduction of low-cloud biases.
RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 3. Separation of parameterization biases in single-column model CAM5 simulations of shallow cumulus

DOE PAGES

Lin, Wuyin; Liu, Yangang; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; ...

2015-06-19

Climatically important low-level clouds are commonly misrepresented in climate models. The FAst-physics System TEstbed and Research (FASTER) project has constructed case studies from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plain site during the RACORO aircraft campaign to facilitate research on model representation of boundary-layer clouds. This paper focuses on using the single-column Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (SCAM5) simulations of a multi-day continental shallow cumulus case to identify specific parameterization causes of low-cloud biases. Consistent model biases among the simulations driven by a set of alternative forcings suggest that uncertainty in the forcing plays only amore » relatively minor role. In-depth analysis reveals that the model's shallow cumulus convection scheme tends to significantly under-produce clouds during the times when shallow cumuli exist in the observations, while the deep convective and stratiform cloud schemes significantly over-produce low-level clouds throughout the day. The links between model biases and the underlying assumptions of the shallow cumulus scheme are further diagnosed with the aid of large-eddy simulations and aircraft measurements, and by suppressing the triggering of the deep convection scheme. It is found that the weak boundary layer turbulence simulated is directly responsible for the weak cumulus activity and the simulated boundary layer stratiform clouds. Increased vertical and temporal resolutions are shown to lead to stronger boundary layer turbulence and reduction of low-cloud biases.« less
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;

2013-01-01

1] CGILS-the CFMIP-GASS Intercomparison of Large Eddy Models (LESs) and single column models (SCMs)-investigates the mechanisms of cloud feedback in SCMs and LESs under idealized climate change perturbation. This paper describes the CGILS results from 15 SCMs and 8 LES models. Three cloud regimes over the subtropical oceans are studied: shallow cumulus, cumulus under stratocumulus, and well-mixed coastal stratus/stratocumulus. In the stratocumulus and coastal stratus regimes, SCMs without activated shallow convection generally simulated negative cloud feedbacks, while models with active shallow convection generally simulated positive cloud feedbacks. In the shallow cumulus alone regime, this relationship is less clear, likely due to the changes in cloud depth, lateral mixing, and precipitation or a combination of them. The majority of LES models simulated negative cloud feedback in the well-mixed coastal stratus/stratocumulus regime, and positive feedback in the shallow cumulus and stratocumulus regime. A general framework is provided to interpret SCM results: in a warmer climate, the moistening rate of the cloudy layer associated with the surface-based turbulence parameterization is enhanced; together with weaker large-scale subsidence, it causes negative cloud feedback. In contrast, in the warmer climate, the drying rate associated with the shallow convection scheme is enhanced. This causes positive cloud feedback. These mechanisms are summarized as the "NESTS" negative cloud feedback and the "SCOPE" positive cloud feedback (Negative feedback from Surface Turbulence under weaker Subsidence-Shallow Convection PositivE feedback) with the net cloud feedback depending on how the two opposing effects counteract each other. The LES results are consistent with these interpretations

Variability of and Factors Controlling Precipitation Production in Shallow Cumulus - Results from the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luke, E. P.; Kollias, P.

2016-12-01

Shallow cumulus clouds are by far the most frequently observed cloud type over the Earth's oceans and frequently produce warm rain. However, quantitative rainfall estimates from these clouds are challenging to acquire from satellites due to their small horizontal scale. Here, two years of observations from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site located on Graciosa Island in the Azores are used to characterize the frequency, intensity, and fractional coverage of shallow cumulus precipitation. The analyzed dataset is the most comprehensive of its type, considering both its temporal extent and the sophistication of the ground-based observations. The precipitation rate at the base of shallow cumulus is estimated using combined radar-lidar observations and the rain retrievals are compared to the rainfall measurements available at the ground by optical disdrometers. Using synergy between surfaced-based observations of aerosols and thermodynamic soundings, the vertical structure of the Marine Boundary Layer and the temporal variability of the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration are determined. The observed variability in shallow cumulus precipitation is examined in relation to the variability of the large-scale environment as captured by the humidity profile, the magnitude of the low-level horizontal winds and aerosol loading.
CGILS Phase 2 LES intercomparison of response of subtropical marine low cloud regimes to CO 2 quadrupling and a CMIP3 composite forcing change: Large eddy simulation of cloud feedbacks

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

Blossey, Peter N.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Cheng, Anning

We extended Phase 1 of the CGILS large-eddy simulation (LES) intercomparison in order to understand if subtropical marine boundary-layer clouds respond to idealized climate perturbations consistently in six LES models. Here the responses to quadrupled carbon dioxide (“fast adjustment”) and to a composite climate perturbation representative of CMIP3 multimodel mean 2×CO 2 near-equilibrium conditions are analyzed. As in Phase 1, the LES is run to equilibrium using specified steady summertime forcings representative of three locations in the Northeast Pacific Ocean in shallow well-mixed stratocumulus, decoupled stratocumulus, and shallow cumulus cloud regimes. Our results are generally consistent with a single-LES studymore » of Bretherton et al. (2013) on which this intercomparison was based. Both quadrupled CO 2 and the composite climate perturbation result in less cloud and a shallower boundary layer for all models in well-mixed stratocumulus and for all but a single LES in decoupled stratocumulus and shallow cumulus, corroborating similar findings from global climate models (GCMs). For both perturbations, the amount of cloud reduction varies across the models, but there is less intermodel scatter than in GCMs. Furthermore, the cloud radiative effect changes are much larger in the stratocumulus-capped regimes than in the shallow cumulus regime, for which precipitation buffering may damp the cloud response. In the decoupled stratocumulus and cumulus regimes, both the CO 2 increase and CMIP3 perturbations reduce boundary-layer decoupling, due to the shallowing of inversion height.« less
CGILS Phase 2 LES intercomparison of response of subtropical marine low cloud regimes to CO 2 quadrupling and a CMIP3 composite forcing change: Large eddy simulation of cloud feedbacks

DOE PAGES

Blossey, Peter N.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Cheng, Anning; ...

2016-10-27

We extended Phase 1 of the CGILS large-eddy simulation (LES) intercomparison in order to understand if subtropical marine boundary-layer clouds respond to idealized climate perturbations consistently in six LES models. Here the responses to quadrupled carbon dioxide (“fast adjustment”) and to a composite climate perturbation representative of CMIP3 multimodel mean 2×CO 2 near-equilibrium conditions are analyzed. As in Phase 1, the LES is run to equilibrium using specified steady summertime forcings representative of three locations in the Northeast Pacific Ocean in shallow well-mixed stratocumulus, decoupled stratocumulus, and shallow cumulus cloud regimes. Our results are generally consistent with a single-LES studymore » of Bretherton et al. (2013) on which this intercomparison was based. Both quadrupled CO 2 and the composite climate perturbation result in less cloud and a shallower boundary layer for all models in well-mixed stratocumulus and for all but a single LES in decoupled stratocumulus and shallow cumulus, corroborating similar findings from global climate models (GCMs). For both perturbations, the amount of cloud reduction varies across the models, but there is less intermodel scatter than in GCMs. Furthermore, the cloud radiative effect changes are much larger in the stratocumulus-capped regimes than in the shallow cumulus regime, for which precipitation buffering may damp the cloud response. In the decoupled stratocumulus and cumulus regimes, both the CO 2 increase and CMIP3 perturbations reduce boundary-layer decoupling, due to the shallowing of inversion height.« less
Cloud Size Distributions from Multi-sensor Observations of Shallow Cumulus Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleiss, J.; Riley, E.; Kassianov, E.; Long, C. N.; Riihimaki, L.; Berg, L. K.

2017-12-01

Combined radar-lidar observations have been used for almost two decades to document temporal changes of shallow cumulus clouds at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Facility's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, USA. Since the ARM zenith-pointed radars and lidars have a narrow field-of-view (FOV), the documented cloud statistics, such as distributions of cloud chord length (or horizontal length scale), represent only a slice along the wind direction of a region surrounding the SGP site, and thus may not be representative for this region. To investigate this impact, we compare cloud statistics obtained from wide-FOV sky images collected by ground-based observations at the SGP site to those from the narrow FOV active sensors. The main wide-FOV cloud statistics considered are cloud area distributions of shallow cumulus clouds, which are frequently required to evaluate model performance, such as routine large eddy simulation (LES) currently being conducted by the ARM LASSO (LES ARM Symbiotic Simulation and Observation) project. We obtain complementary macrophysical properties of shallow cumulus clouds, such as cloud chord length, base height and thickness, from the combined radar-lidar observations. To better understand the broader observational context where these narrow FOV cloud statistics occur, we compare them to collocated and coincident cloud area distributions from wide-FOV sky images and high-resolution satellite images. We discuss the comparison results and illustrate the possibility to generate a long-term climatology of cloud size distributions from multi-sensor observations at the SGP site.
Mechanisms and Model Diversity of Trade-Wind Shallow Cumulus Cloud Feedbacks: A Review.

PubMed

Vial, Jessica; Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Vogel, Raphaela

2017-01-01

Shallow cumulus clouds in the trade-wind regions are at the heart of the long standing uncertainty in climate sensitivity estimates. In current climate models, cloud feedbacks are strongly influenced by cloud-base cloud amount in the trades. Therefore, understanding the key factors controlling cloudiness near cloud-base in shallow convective regimes has emerged as an important topic of investigation. We review physical understanding of these key controlling factors and discuss the value of the different approaches that have been developed so far, based on global and high-resolution model experimentations and process-oriented analyses across a range of models and for observations. The trade-wind cloud feedbacks appear to depend on two important aspects: (1) how cloudiness near cloud-base is controlled by the local interplay between turbulent, convective and radiative processes; (2) how these processes interact with their surrounding environment and are influenced by mesoscale organization. Our synthesis of studies that have explored these aspects suggests that the large diversity of model responses is related to fundamental differences in how the processes controlling trade cumulus operate in models, notably, whether they are parameterized or resolved. In models with parameterized convection, cloudiness near cloud-base is very sensitive to the vigor of convective mixing in response to changes in environmental conditions. This is in contrast with results from high-resolution models, which suggest that cloudiness near cloud-base is nearly invariant with warming and independent of large-scale environmental changes. Uncertainties are difficult to narrow using current observations, as the trade cumulus variability and its relation to large-scale environmental factors strongly depend on the time and/or spatial scales at which the mechanisms are evaluated. New opportunities for testing physical understanding of the factors controlling shallow cumulus cloud responses using observations and high-resolution modeling on large domains are discussed.
Mechanisms and Model Diversity of Trade-Wind Shallow Cumulus Cloud Feedbacks: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vial, Jessica; Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Vogel, Raphaela

2017-11-01

Shallow cumulus clouds in the trade-wind regions are at the heart of the long standing uncertainty in climate sensitivity estimates. In current climate models, cloud feedbacks are strongly influenced by cloud-base cloud amount in the trades. Therefore, understanding the key factors controlling cloudiness near cloud-base in shallow convective regimes has emerged as an important topic of investigation. We review physical understanding of these key controlling factors and discuss the value of the different approaches that have been developed so far, based on global and high-resolution model experimentations and process-oriented analyses across a range of models and for observations. The trade-wind cloud feedbacks appear to depend on two important aspects: (1) how cloudiness near cloud-base is controlled by the local interplay between turbulent, convective and radiative processes; (2) how these processes interact with their surrounding environment and are influenced by mesoscale organization. Our synthesis of studies that have explored these aspects suggests that the large diversity of model responses is related to fundamental differences in how the processes controlling trade cumulus operate in models, notably, whether they are parameterized or resolved. In models with parameterized convection, cloudiness near cloud-base is very sensitive to the vigor of convective mixing in response to changes in environmental conditions. This is in contrast with results from high-resolution models, which suggest that cloudiness near cloud-base is nearly invariant with warming and independent of large-scale environmental changes. Uncertainties are difficult to narrow using current observations, as the trade cumulus variability and its relation to large-scale environmental factors strongly depend on the time and/or spatial scales at which the mechanisms are evaluated. New opportunities for testing physical understanding of the factors controlling shallow cumulus cloud responses using observations and high-resolution modeling on large domains are discussed.
Mechanisms and Model Diversity of Trade-Wind Shallow Cumulus Cloud Feedbacks: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vial, Jessica; Bony, Sandrine; Stevens, Bjorn; Vogel, Raphaela

Shallow cumulus clouds in the trade-wind regions are at the heart of the long standing uncertainty in climate sensitivity estimates. In current climate models, cloud feedbacks are strongly influenced by cloud-base cloud amount in the trades. Therefore, understanding the key factors controlling cloudiness near cloud-base in shallow convective regimes has emerged as an important topic of investigation. We review physical understanding of these key controlling factors and discuss the value of the different approaches that have been developed so far, based on global and high-resolution model experimentations and process-oriented analyses across a range of models and for observations. The trade-wind cloud feedbacks appear to depend on two important aspects: (1) how cloudiness near cloud-base is controlled by the local interplay between turbulent, convective and radiative processes; (2) how these processes interact with their surrounding environment and are influenced by mesoscale organization. Our synthesis of studies that have explored these aspects suggests that the large diversity of model responses is related to fundamental differences in how the processes controlling trade cumulus operate in models, notably, whether they are parameterized or resolved. In models with parameterized convection, cloudiness near cloud-base is very sensitive to the vigor of convective mixing in response to changes in environmental conditions. This is in contrast with results from high-resolution models, which suggest that cloudiness near cloud-base is nearly invariant with warming and independent of large-scale environmental changes. Uncertainties are difficult to narrow using current observations, as the trade cumulus variability and its relation to large-scale environmental factors strongly depend on the time and/or spatial scales at which the mechanisms are evaluated. New opportunities for testing physical understanding of the factors controlling shallow cumulus cloud responses using observations and highresolution modeling on large domains are discussed.
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.
Simulation of Boundary-Layer Cumulus and Stratocumulus Clouds using a Cloud-Resolving Model With Low- and Third-Order Turbulence Closures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Kuan-Man; Cheng, Anning

2007-01-01

The effects of subgrid-scale condensation and transport become more important as the grid spacings increase from those typically used in large-eddy simulation (LES) to those typically used in cloud-resolving models (CRMs). Incorporation of these effects can be achieved by a joint probability density function approach that utilizes higher-order moments of thermodynamic and dynamic variables. This study examines how well shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds are simulated by two versions of a CRM that is implemented with low-order and third-order turbulence closures (LOC and TOC) when a typical CRM horizontal resolution is used and what roles the subgrid-scale and resolved-scale processes play as the horizontal grid spacing of the CRM becomes finer. Cumulus clouds were mostly produced through subgrid-scale transport processes while stratocumulus clouds were produced through both subgrid-scale and resolved-scale processes in the TOC version of the CRM when a typical CRM grid spacing is used. The LOC version of the CRM relied upon resolved-scale circulations to produce both cumulus and stratocumulus clouds, due to small subgrid-scale transports. The mean profiles of thermodynamic variables, cloud fraction and liquid water content exhibit significant differences between the two versions of the CRM, with the TOC results agreeing better with the LES than the LOC results. The characteristics, temporal evolution and mean profiles of shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds are weakly dependent upon the horizontal grid spacing used in the TOC CRM. However, the ratio of the subgrid-scale to resolved-scale fluxes becomes smaller as the horizontal grid spacing decreases. The subcloud-layer fluxes are mostly due to the resolved scales when a grid spacing less than or equal to 1 km is used. The overall results of the TOC simulations suggest that a 1-km grid spacing is a good choice for CRM simulation of shallow cumulus and stratocumulus.
Entrainment in Laboratory Simulations of Cumulus Cloud Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narasimha, R.; Diwan, S.; Subrahmanyam, D.; Sreenivas, K. R.; Bhat, G. S.

2010-12-01

A variety of cumulus cloud flows, including congestus (both shallow bubble and tall tower types), mediocris and fractus have been generated in a water tank by simulating the release of latent heat in real clouds. The simulation is achieved through ohmic heating, injected volumetrically into the flow by applying suitable voltages between diametral cross-sections of starting jets and plumes of electrically conducting fluid (acidified water). Dynamical similarity between atmospheric and laboratory cloud flows is achieved by duplicating values of an appropriate non-dimensional heat release number. Velocity measurements, made by laser instrumentation, show that the Taylor entrainment coefficient generally increases just above the level of commencement of heat injection (corresponding to condensation level in the real cloud). Subsequently the coefficient reaches a maximum before declining to the very low values that characterize tall cumulus towers. The experiments also simulate the protected core of real clouds. Cumulus Congestus : Atmospheric cloud (left), simulated laboratory cloud (right). Panels below show respectively total heat injected and vertical profile of heating in the laboratory cloud.
Improving Parameterization of Entrainment Rate for Shallow Convection with Aircraft Measurements and Large-Eddy Simulation

DOE PAGES

Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Zhang, Guang J.; ...

2016-02-01

This work examines the relationships of entrainment rate to vertical velocity, buoyancy, and turbulent dissipation rate by applying stepwise principal component regression to observational data from shallow cumulus clouds collected during the Routine AAF [Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) field campaign over the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site near Lamont, Oklahoma. The cumulus clouds during the RACORO campaign simulated using a large eddy simulation (LES) model are also examined with the same approach. The analysis shows that a combination of multiple variables can better represent entrainment ratemore » in both the observations and LES than any single-variable fitting. Three commonly used parameterizations are also tested on the individual cloud scale. A new parameterization is therefore presented that relates entrainment rate to vertical velocity, buoyancy and dissipation rate; the effects of treating clouds as ensembles and humid shells surrounding cumulus clouds on the new parameterization are discussed. Physical mechanisms underlying the relationships of entrainment rate to vertical velocity, buoyancy and dissipation rate are also explored.« less
Shallow Cumulus Variability at the ARM Eastern North Atlantic Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamer, K.; Kollias, P.; Ghate, V. P.; Luke, E. P.

2016-12-01

Cumulus clouds play a critical role in modulating the radiative and hydrological budget of the lower troposphere. These clouds, which are ubiquitous in regions of large-scale subsidence over the oceans, tend to be misrepresented in global climate models. Island-based, long-term, high-resolution ground-based observations can provide valuable insights on the factors controlling their macroscopic and microphysical properties and subsequenlty assist in model evaluation and guidance. Previous studies, limited to fair-weather cumuli over land, revealed that their fractional coverage is only weakly correlated with several parameters; the best ones being complex dynamical characteristics of the subcloud layer (vertical velocity skewness and eddy coherence). Other studies noted a relationship between cumuli depth and their propensity to precipitate. The current study will expand on such analysis by performing detail characterization of the full spectrum of shallow cumulus fields from non-precipitating to precipitating in the context of the large-scale forcing (i.e. thermodynamic structure and subsidence rates). Two years of ground-based remote sensing observations collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site are used to document macroscopic (cloud depth, cord length, cover), microphysical (liquid water path, cloud base rain rate) and dynamical (cloud base mass flux, eddy dissipation rate) cumuli properties. The observed variability in shallow cumulus is examined in relation to the variability of the large-scale environment as captured by the humidity profile, the magnitude of the low-level horizontal winds and near-surface aerosol conditions.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berg, Larry K.; Gustafson, William I.; Kassianov, Evgueni I.

A new treatment for shallow clouds has been introduced into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The new scheme, called the cumulus potential (CuP) scheme, replaces the ad-hoc trigger function used in the Kain-Fritsch cumulus parameterization with a trigger function related to the distribution of temperature and humidity in the convective boundary layer via probability density functions (PDFs). An additional modification to the default version of WRF is the computation of a cumulus cloud fraction based on the time scales relevant for shallow cumuli. Results from three case studies over the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM)more » site in north central Oklahoma are presented. These days were selected because of the presence of shallow cumuli over the ARM site. The modified version of WRF does a much better job predicting the cloud fraction and the downwelling shortwave irradiance thancontrol simulations utilizing the default Kain-Fritsch scheme. The modified scheme includes a number of additional free parameters, including the number and size of bins used to define the PDF, the minimum frequency of a bin within the PDF before that bin is considered for shallow clouds to form, and the critical cumulative frequency of bins required to trigger deep convection. A series of tests were undertaken to evaluate the sensitivity of the simulations to these parameters. Overall, the scheme was found to be relatively insensitive to each of the parameters.« less
Cloud Microphysics Parameterization in a Shallow Cumulus Cloud Simulated by a Largrangian Cloud Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, D.; Noh, Y.; Hoffmann, F.; Raasch, S.

2017-12-01

Lagrangian cloud model (LCM) is a fundamentally new approach of cloud simulation, in which the flow field is simulated by large eddy simulation and droplets are treated as Lagrangian particles undergoing cloud microphysics. LCM enables us to investigate raindrop formation and examine the parameterization of cloud microphysics directly by tracking the history of individual Lagrangian droplets simulated by LCM. Analysis of the magnitude of raindrop formation and the background physical conditions at the moment at which every Lagrangian droplet grows from cloud droplets to raindrops in a shallow cumulus cloud reveals how and under which condition raindrops are formed. It also provides information how autoconversion and accretion appear and evolve within a cloud, and how they are affected by various factors such as cloud water mixing ratio, rain water mixing ratio, aerosol concentration, drop size distribution, and dissipation rate. Based on these results, the parameterizations of autoconversion and accretion, such as Kessler (1969), Tripoli and Cotton (1980), Beheng (1994), and Kharioutdonov and Kogan (2000), are examined, and the modifications to improve the parameterizations are proposed.
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.
Improving Forecasts of Cumulus: An Intersection of the Renewable Energy and Climate Science Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, L. K.; Gustafson, W. I., Jr.; Kassianov, E.; Long, C. N.

2015-12-01

Accurate forecasts of broken cloud fields and their associated impact on the downwelling solar irradiance has remained a challenge to the renewable energy industry. Likewise, shallow cumulus play an important role in the Earth's radiation budget and hydrologic cycle and are of interest to the weather forecasting and climate science communities. The main challenge associated with predicting these clouds are their relatively small size (on the order of a kilometer or less) relative to the model grid spacing. Recently, however, there have been significant efforts put into improving forecasts of shallow clouds and the associated temporal and spatial variability of the solar irradiance that they induce. As an example of these efforts, we will describe recent modifications to the standard Kain-Fritsch parameterization as applied within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model that are designed to improve predictions of the macroscale and microscale structure of shallow cumulus. These modifications are shown to lead to a realistic increase in the simulated cloud fraction and associated decrease in the solar irradiance. We will evaluate our results using data collected at the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site, which is located in north-central Oklahoma. Our team has analyzed over 5 years of data collected at this site to document the macroscale structure of the clouds (including cloud fraction, cloud-base and cloud-top height) as well as their impact on the downwelling shortwave and longwave irradiance. One particularly interesting impact of shallow cumuli is the enhancement of the diffuse radiation, such that during periods in which the sun is not blocked, the observed irradiance can be significantly larger than the corresponding clear sky case. To date, this feature is not accurately represented by models that apply the plane-parallel assumption applied in the standard radiation parameterizations.

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
Evaluation of Warm-Rain Microphysical Parameterizations in Cloudy Boundary Layer Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, K.; Mechem, D. B.

2014-12-01

Common warm-rain microphysical parameterizations used for marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds are either tuned for specific cloud types (e.g., the Khairoutdinov and Kogan 2000 parameterization, "KK2000") or are altogether ill-posed (Kessler 1969). An ideal microphysical parameterization should be "unified" in the sense of being suitable across MBL cloud regimes that include stratocumulus, cumulus rising into stratocumulus, and shallow trade cumulus. The recent parameterization of Kogan (2013, "K2013") was formulated for shallow cumulus but has been shown in a large-eddy simulation environment to work quite well for stratocumulus as well. We report on our efforts to implement and test this parameterization into a regional forecast model (NRL COAMPS). Results from K2013 and KK2000 are compared with the operational Kessler parameterization for a 5-day period of the VOCALS-REx field campaign, which took place over the southeast Pacific. We focus on both the relative performance of the three parameterizations and also on how they compare to the VOCALS-REx observations from the NOAA R/V Ronald H. Brown, in particular estimates of boundary-layer depth, liquid water path (LWP), cloud base, and area-mean precipitation rate obtained from C-band radar.
Investigating the scale-adaptivity of a shallow cumulus parameterization scheme with LES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brast, Maren; Schemann, Vera; Neggers, Roel

2017-04-01

In this study we investigate the scale-adaptivity of a new parameterization scheme for shallow cumulus clouds in the gray zone. The Eddy-Diffusivity Multiple Mass-Flux (or ED(MF)n ) scheme is a bin-macrophysics scheme, in which subgrid transport is formulated in terms of discretized size densities. While scale-adaptivity in the ED-component is achieved using a pragmatic blending approach, the MF-component is filtered such that only the transport by plumes smaller than the grid size is maintained. For testing, ED(MF)n is implemented in a large-eddy simulation (LES) model, replacing the original subgrid-scheme for turbulent transport. LES thus plays the role of a non-hydrostatic testing ground, which can be run at different resolutions to study the behavior of the parameterization scheme in the boundary-layer gray zone. In this range convective cumulus clouds are partially resolved. We find that at high resolutions the clouds and the turbulent transport are predominantly resolved by the LES, and the transport represented by ED(MF)n is small. This partitioning changes towards coarser resolutions, with the representation of shallow cumulus clouds becoming exclusively carried by the ED(MF)n. The way the partitioning changes with grid-spacing matches the results of previous LES studies, suggesting some scale-adaptivity is captured. Sensitivity studies show that a scale-inadaptive ED component stays too active at high resolutions, and that the results are fairly insensitive to the number of transporting updrafts in the ED(MF)n scheme. Other assumptions in the scheme, such as the distribution of updrafts across sizes and the value of the area fraction covered by updrafts, are found to affect the location of the gray zone.
Cloud life cycle investigated via high resolution and full microphysics simulations in the surroundings of Manaus, Central Amazonia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauliquevis, T.; Gomes, H. B.; Barbosa, H. M.

2014-12-01

In this study we evaluate the skill of WRF model to simulate the actual diurnal cycle of convection in the Amazon basin. Models tipically are not capable to simulate the well documented cycle of 1) shallow cumulus in the morning; 2) towering process around noon; 3) shallow-to-deep convection and rain around 14h (LT). The fail in models is explained by the typical size of shallow cumulus (~0.5 - 2.0 km) and the coarse resolution of models using convection parameterisation (> 20 km). In this study we employed high spatial resolution (Dx = 0.625 km) to reach the shallow cumulus scale. . The simulations corresponds to a dynamical downscaling of ERA-Interim from 25 to 28 February 2013 with 40 vertical levels, 30 minutes outputs,and three nested grids (10 km, 2.5 km, 0.625 km). Improved vegetation (USGS + PROVEG), albedo and greenfrac (computed from MODIS-NDVI + LEAF-2 land surface parameterization), as well as pseudo analysis of soil moisture were used as input data sets, resulting in more realistic precipitation fields when compared to observations in sensitivity tests. Convective parameterization was switched off for the 2.5/0.625 km grids, where cloud formation was solely resolved by the microphysics module (WSM6 scheme, which provided better results). Results showed a significant improved capability of the model to simulate diurnal cycle. Shallow cumulus begin to appear in the first hours in the morning. They were followed by a towering process that culminates with precipitation in the early afternoon, which is a behavior well described by observations but rarely obtained in models. Rain volumes were also realistic (~20 mm for single events) when compared to typical events during the period, which is in the core of the wet season. Cloud fields evolution also differed with respect to Amazonas River bank, which is a clear evidence of the interaction between river breeze and large scale circulation.
Contributions of Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation, Large-Scale Circulation, and Shallow Cumulus Detrainment to Cloud Phase Transition in Mixed-Phase Clouds with NCAR CAM5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, D.; Wang, Z.

2016-12-01

Mixed-phase clouds consisting of both liquid and ice water occur frequently at high-latitudes and in mid-latitude storm track regions. This type of clouds has been shown to play a critical role in the surface energy balance, surface air temperature, and sea ice melting in the Arctic. Cloud phase partitioning between liquid and ice water determines the cloud optical depth of mixed-phase clouds because of distinct optical properties of liquid and ice hydrometeors. The representation and simulation of cloud phase partitioning in state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs) are associated with large biases. In this study, the cloud phase partition in mixed-phase clouds simulated from the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) is evaluated against satellite observations. Observation-based supercooled liquid fraction (SLF) is calculated from CloudSat, MODIS and CPR radar detected liquid and ice water paths for clouds with cloud-top temperatures between -40 and 0°C. Sensitivity tests with CAM5 are conducted for different heterogeneous ice nucleation parameterizations with respect to aerosol influence (Wang et al., 2014), different phase transition temperatures for detrained cloud water from shallow convection (Kay et al., 2016), and different CAM5 model configurations (free-run versus nudged winds and temperature, Zhang et al., 2015). A classical nucleation theory-based ice nucleation parameterization in mixed-phase clouds increases the SLF especially at temperatures colder than -20°C, and significantly improves the model agreement with observations in the Arctic. The change of transition temperature for detrained cloud water increases the SLF at higher temperatures and improves the SLF mostly over the Southern Ocean. Even with the improved SLF from the ice nucleation and shallow cumulus detrainment, the low SLF biases in some regions can only be improved through the improved circulation with the nudging technique. Our study highlights the challenges of representations of large-scale moisture transport, cloud microphysics, ice nucleation, and cumulus detrainment in order to improve the mixed-phase transition in GCMs.
Ground-Based Remote Retrievals of Cumulus Entrainment Rates

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

Wagner, Timothy J.; Turner, David D.; Berg, Larry K.

2013-07-26

While fractional entrainment rates for cumulus clouds have typically been derived from airborne observations, this limits the size and scope of available data sets. To increase the number of continental cumulus entrainment rate observations available for study, an algorithm for retrieving them from ground-based remote sensing observations has been developed. This algorithm, called the Entrainment Rate In Cumulus Algorithm (ERICA), uses the suite of instruments at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of the United States Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility as inputs into a Gauss-Newton optimal estimation scheme, in which an assumed guess ofmore » the entrainment rate is iteratively adjusted through intercomparison of modeled liquid water path and cloud droplet effective radius to their observed counterparts. The forward model in this algorithm is the Explicit Mixing Parcel Model (EMPM), a cloud parcel model that treats entrainment as a series of discrete entrainment events. A quantified value for measurement uncertainty is also returned as part of the retrieval. Sensitivity testing and information content analysis demonstrate the robust nature of this method for retrieving accurate observations of the entrainment rate without the drawbacks of airborne sampling. Results from a test of ERICA on three months of shallow cumulus cloud events show significant variability of the entrainment rate of clouds in a single day and from one day to the next. The mean value of 1.06 km-¹ for the entrainment rate in this dataset corresponds well with prior observations and simulations of the entrainment rate in cumulus clouds.« less
A sensitivity analysis of cloud properties to CLUBB parameters in the single-column Community Atmosphere Model (SCAM5)

DOE PAGES

Guo, Zhun; Wang, Minghuai; Qian, Yun; ...

2014-08-13

In this study, we investigate the sensitivity of simulated shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds to selected tunable parameters of Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB) in the single column version of Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (SCAM5). A quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) sampling approach is adopted to effectively explore the high-dimensional parameter space and a generalized linear model is adopted to study the responses of simulated cloud fields to tunable parameters. One stratocumulus and two shallow convection cases are configured at both coarse and fine vertical resolutions in this study.. Our results show that most of the variance in simulated cloudmore » fields can be explained by a small number of tunable parameters. The parameters related to Newtonian and buoyancy-damping terms of total water flux are found to be the most influential parameters for stratocumulus. For shallow cumulus, the most influential parameters are those related to skewness of vertical velocity, reflecting the strong coupling between cloud properties and dynamics in this regime. The influential parameters in the stratocumulus case are sensitive to the choice of the vertical resolution while little sensitivity is found for the shallow convection cases, as eddy mixing length (or dissipation time scale) plays a more important role and depends more strongly on the vertical resolution in stratocumulus than in shallow convections. The influential parameters remain almost unchanged when the number of tunable parameters increases from 16 to 35. This study improves understanding of the CLUBB behavior associated with parameter uncertainties.« less
From large-eddy simulation to multi-UAVs sampling of shallow cumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamraoui, Fayçal; Roberts, Greg; Burnet, Frédéric

2016-04-01

In-situ sampling of clouds that can provide simultaneous measurements at satisfying spatio-temporal resolutions to capture 3D small scale physical processes continues to present challenges. This project (SKYSCANNER) aims at bringing together cloud sampling strategies using a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based on Large-eddy simulation (LES). The multi-UAV-based field campaigns with a personalized sampling strategy for individual clouds and cloud fields will significantly improve the understanding of the unresolved cloud physical processes. An extensive set of LES experiments for case studies from ARM-SGP site have been performed using MesoNH model at high resolutions down to 10 m. The carried out simulations led to establishing a macroscopic model that quantifies the interrelationship between micro- and macrophysical properties of shallow convective clouds. Both the geometry and evolution of individual clouds are critical to multi-UAV cloud sampling and path planning. The preliminary findings of the current project reveal several linear relationships that associate many cloud geometric parameters to cloud related meteorological variables. In addition, the horizontal wind speed indicates a proportional impact on cloud number concentration as well as triggering and prolonging the occurrence of cumulus clouds. In the framework of the joint collaboration that involves a Multidisciplinary Team (including institutes specializing in aviation, robotics and atmospheric science), this model will be a reference point for multi-UAVs sampling strategies and path planning.
Is evaporative colling important for shallow clouds?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentine, P.; Park, S. B.; Davini, P.; D'Andrea, F.

2017-12-01

We here investigate and test using large-eddy simulations the hypothesis that evaporative cooling might not be crucial for shallow clouds. Results from various Shallow convection and stratocumulus LES experiments show that the influence of evaporative cooling is secondary compared to turbulent mixing, which dominates the buoyancy reversal. In shallow cumulus subising shells are not due to evaporative cooling but rather reflect a vortical structure, with a postive buoyancy anomaly in the core due to condensation. Disabling evaporative cooling has negligible impact on this vortical structure and on buoyancy reversal. Similarly in non-precipitating stratocumuli evaporative cooling is negeligible copmared to other factors, especially turbulent mixing and pressure effects. These results emphasize that it may not be critical to icnlude evaporative cooling in parameterizations of shallow clouds and that it does not alter entrainment.
Insights from modeling and observational evaluation of a precipitating continental cumulus event observed during the MC3E field campaign

DOE PAGES

Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.; Wittman, Carly S.; ...

2015-03-13

A case of shallow cumulus and precipitating cumulus congestus sampled at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program Southern Great Plains (SGP) supersite is analyzed using a multi-sensor observational approach and numerical simulation. Observations from a new radar suite surrounding the facility are used to characterize the evolving statistical behavior of the precipitating cloud system. This is accomplished using distributions of different measures of cloud geometry and precipitation properties. Large-eddy simulation (LES) with size-resolved (bin) microphysics is employed to determine the forcings most important in producing the salient aspects of the cloud system captured in the radar observations. Our emphasis ismore » on assessing the importance of time-varying vs. steady-state large-scale forcing on the model's ability to reproduce the evolutionary behavior of the cloud system. Additional consideration is given to how the characteristic spatial scale and homogeneity of the forcing imposed on the simulation influences the evolution of cloud system properties. Results indicate that several new scanning radar estimates such as distributions of cloud top are useful to differentiate the value of time-varying (or at least temporally well-matched) forcing on LES solution fidelity.« less
Clouds at Barbados are representative of clouds across the trade wind regions in observations and climate models.

PubMed

Medeiros, Brian; Nuijens, Louise

2016-05-31

Trade wind regions cover most of the tropical oceans, and the prevailing cloud type is shallow cumulus. These small clouds are parameterized by climate models, and changes in their radiative effects strongly and directly contribute to the spread in estimates of climate sensitivity. This study investigates the structure and variability of these clouds in observations and climate models. The study builds upon recent detailed model evaluations using observations from the island of Barbados. Using a dynamical regimes framework, satellite and reanalysis products are used to compare the Barbados region and the broader tropics. It is shown that clouds in the Barbados region are similar to those across the trade wind regions, implying that observational findings from the Barbados Cloud Observatory are relevant to clouds across the tropics. The same methods are applied to climate models to evaluate the simulated clouds. The models generally capture the cloud radiative effect, but underestimate cloud cover and show an array of cloud vertical structures. Some models show strong biases in the environment of the Barbados region in summer, weakening the connection between the regional biases and those across the tropics. Even bearing that limitation in mind, it is shown that covariations of cloud and environmental properties in the models are inconsistent with observations. The models tend to misrepresent sensitivity to moisture variations and inversion characteristics. These model errors are likely connected to cloud feedback in climate projections, and highlight the importance of the representation of shallow cumulus convection.
Clouds at Barbados are representative of clouds across the trade wind regions in observations and climate models

PubMed Central

Nuijens, Louise

2016-01-01

Trade wind regions cover most of the tropical oceans, and the prevailing cloud type is shallow cumulus. These small clouds are parameterized by climate models, and changes in their radiative effects strongly and directly contribute to the spread in estimates of climate sensitivity. This study investigates the structure and variability of these clouds in observations and climate models. The study builds upon recent detailed model evaluations using observations from the island of Barbados. Using a dynamical regimes framework, satellite and reanalysis products are used to compare the Barbados region and the broader tropics. It is shown that clouds in the Barbados region are similar to those across the trade wind regions, implying that observational findings from the Barbados Cloud Observatory are relevant to clouds across the tropics. The same methods are applied to climate models to evaluate the simulated clouds. The models generally capture the cloud radiative effect, but underestimate cloud cover and show an array of cloud vertical structures. Some models show strong biases in the environment of the Barbados region in summer, weakening the connection between the regional biases and those across the tropics. Even bearing that limitation in mind, it is shown that covariations of cloud and environmental properties in the models are inconsistent with observations. The models tend to misrepresent sensitivity to moisture variations and inversion characteristics. These model errors are likely connected to cloud feedback in climate projections, and highlight the importance of the representation of shallow cumulus convection. PMID:27185925
The role of 1-D and 3-D radiative heating in the organization of shallow cumulus convection and the formation of cloud streets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jakub, Fabian; Mayer, Bernhard

2017-11-01

The formation of shallow cumulus cloud streets was historically attributed primarily to dynamics. Here, we focus on the interaction between radiatively induced surface heterogeneities and the resulting patterns in the flow. Our results suggest that solar radiative heating has the potential to organize clouds perpendicular to the sun's incidence angle. To quantify the extent of organization, we performed a high-resolution large-eddy simulation (LES) parameter study. We varied the horizontal wind speed, the surface heat capacity, the solar zenith and azimuth angles, and radiative transfer parameterizations (1-D and 3-D). As a quantitative measure we introduce a simple algorithm that provides a scalar quantity for the degree of organization and the alignment. We find that, even in the absence of a horizontal wind, 3-D radiative transfer produces cloud streets perpendicular to the sun's incident direction, whereas the 1-D approximation or constant surface fluxes produce randomly positioned circular clouds. Our reasoning for the enhancement or reduction of organization is the geometric position of the cloud's shadow and its corresponding surface fluxes. Furthermore, when increasing horizontal wind speeds to 5 or 10 m s-1, we observe the development of dynamically induced cloud streets. If, in addition, solar radiation illuminates the surface beneath the cloud, i.e., when the sun is positioned orthogonally to the mean wind field and the solar zenith angle is larger than 20°, the cloud-radiative feedback has the potential to significantly enhance the tendency to organize in cloud streets. In contrast, in the case of the 1-D approximation (or overhead sun), the tendency to organize is weaker or even prohibited because the shadow is cast directly beneath the cloud. In a land-surface-type situation, we find the organization of convection happening on a timescale of half an hour. The radiative feedback, which creates surface heterogeneities, is generally diminished for large surface heat capacities. We therefore expect radiative feedbacks to be strongest over land surfaces and weaker over the ocean. Given the results of this study we expect that simulations including shallow cumulus convection will have difficulties producing cloud streets if they employ 1-D radiative transfer solvers or may need unrealistically high wind speeds to excite cloud street organization.
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
The Route to Raindrop Formation in a Shallow Cumulus Cloud Simulated by a Lagrangian Cloud Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, Yign; Hoffmann, Fabian; Raasch, Siegfried

2017-11-01

The mechanism of raindrop formation in a shallow cumulus cloud is investigated using a Lagrangian cloud model (LCM). The analysis is focused on how and under which conditions a cloud droplet grows to a raindrop by tracking the history of individual Lagrangian droplets. It is found that the rapid collisional growth, leading to raindrop formation, is triggered when single droplets with a radius of 20 μm appear in the region near the cloud top, characterized by a large liquid water content, strong turbulence, large mean droplet size, a broad drop size distribution (DSD), and high supersaturations. Raindrop formation easily occurs when turbulence-induced collision enhancement(TICE) is considered, with or without any extra broadening of the DSD by another mechanism (such as entrainment and mixing). In contrast, when TICE is not considered, raindrop formation is severely delayed if no other broadening mechanism is active. The reason leading to the difference is clarified by the additional analysis of idealized box-simulations of the collisional growth process for different DSDs in varied turbulent environments. It is found that TICE does not accelerate the timing of the raindrop formation for individual droplets, but it enhances the collisional growth rate significantly afterward. KMA R & D Program (Korea), DFG (Germany).
Final Technical Report for "Reducing tropical precipitation biases in CESM"

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

Larson, Vincent

In state-of-the-art climate models, each cloud type is treated using its own separate cloud parameterization and its own separate microphysics parameterization. This use of separate schemes for separate cloud regimes is undesirable because it is theoretically unfounded, it hampers interpretation of results, and it leads to the temptation to overtune parameters. In this grant, we have created a climate model that contains a unified cloud parameterization (“CLUBB”) and a unified microphysics parameterization (“MG2”). In this model, all cloud types --- including marine stratocumulus, shallow cumulus, and deep cumulus --- are represented with a single equation set. This model improves themore » representation of convection in the Tropics. The model has been compared with ARM observations. The chief benefit of the project is to provide a climate model that is based on a more theoretically rigorous formulation.« less
3D And 4D Cloud Lifecycle Investigations Using Innovative Scanning Radar Analysis Methods. Final report

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

Kollias, Pavlos

2017-04-23

With the vast upgrades to the ARM program radar measurement capabilities in 2010 and beyond, our ability to probe the 3D structure of clouds and associated precipitation has increased dramatically. This project build on the PI's and co-I's expertisein the analysis of radar observations. The first research thrust aims to document the 3D morphological (as depicted by the radar reflectivity structure) and 3D dynamical (cloud$-$scale eddies) structure of boundary layer clouds. Unraveling the 3D dynamical structure of stratocumulus and shallow cumulus clouds requires decomposition of the environmental wind contribution and particle sedimentation velocity from the observed radial Doppler velocity. Themore » second thrust proposes to unravel the mechanism of cumulus entrainment (location, scales) and its impact on microphysics utilizing radar measurements from the vertically pointing and new scanning radars at the ARM sites. The third research thrust requires the development of a cloud$-$tracking algorithm that monitors the properties of cloud.« less
Aerosols, clouds, and precipitation in the North Atlantic trades observed during the Barbados aerosol cloud experiment - Part 1: Distributions and variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Eunsil; Albrecht, Bruce A.; Feingold, Graham; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Chuang, Patrick; Donaher, Shaunna L.

2016-07-01

Shallow marine cumulus clouds are by far the most frequently observed cloud type over the Earth's oceans; but they are poorly understood and have not been investigated as extensively as stratocumulus clouds. This study describes and discusses the properties and variations of aerosol, cloud, and precipitation associated with shallow marine cumulus clouds observed in the North Atlantic trades during a field campaign (Barbados Aerosol Cloud Experiment- BACEX, March-April 2010), which took place off Barbados where African dust periodically affects the region. The principal observing platform was the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter (TO) research aircraft, which was equipped with standard meteorological instruments, a zenith pointing cloud radar and probes that measured aerosol, cloud, and precipitation characteristics.The temporal variation and vertical distribution of aerosols observed from the 15 flights, which included the most intense African dust event during all of 2010 in Barbados, showed a wide range of aerosol conditions. During dusty periods, aerosol concentrations increased substantially in the size range between 0.5 and 10 µm (diameter), particles that are large enough to be effective giant cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The 10-day back trajectories showed three distinct air masses with distinct vertical structures associated with air masses originating in the Atlantic (typical maritime air mass with relatively low aerosol concentrations in the marine boundary layer), Africa (Saharan air layer), and mid-latitudes (continental pollution plumes). Despite the large differences in the total mass loading and the origin of the aerosols, the overall shapes of the aerosol particle size distributions were consistent, with the exception of the transition period.The TO was able to sample many clouds at various phases of growth. Maximum cloud depth observed was less than ˜ 3 km, while most clouds were less than 1 km deep. Clouds tend to precipitate when the cloud is thicker than 500-600 m. Distributions of cloud field characteristics (depth, radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, precipitation) were well identified in the reflectivity-velocity diagram from the cloud radar observations. Two types of precipitation features were observed for shallow marine cumulus clouds that may impact boundary layer differently: first, a classic cloud-base precipitation where precipitation shafts were observed to emanate from the cloud base; second, cloud-top precipitation where precipitation shafts emanated mainly near the cloud tops, sometimes accompanied by precipitation near the cloud base. The second type of precipitation was more frequently observed during the experiment. Only 42-44 % of the clouds sampled were non-precipitating throughout the entire cloud layer and the rest of the clouds showed precipitation somewhere in the cloud, predominantly closer to the cloud top.
Improved Intraseasonal Variability in the NASA GEOS AGCM with 2-moment Microphysics and a Shallow Cumulus Parameterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, Nathan; Barahona, Donifan; Achuthavarier, Deepthi

2017-01-01

Weather and climate models have long struggled to realistically simulate the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Here we present a significant improvement in MJO simulation in NASA's GEOS atmospheric model with the implementation of 2-moment microphysics and the UW shallow cumulus parameterization. Comparing ten-year runs (2007-2016) with the old (1mom) and updated (2mom+shlw) model physics, the updated model has increased intra-seasonal variance with increased coherence. Surface fluxes and OLR are found to vary more realistically with precipitation, and a moisture budget suggests that changes in rain reevaporation and the cloud longwave feedback help support heavy precipitation. Preliminary results also show improved MJO hindcast skill.
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

Spectral cumulus parameterization based on cloud-resolving model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, Yuya

2018-02-01

We have developed a spectral cumulus parameterization using a cloud-resolving model. This includes a new parameterization of the entrainment rate which was derived from analysis of the cloud properties obtained from the cloud-resolving model simulation and was valid for both shallow and deep convection. The new scheme was examined in a single-column model experiment and compared with the existing parameterization of Gregory (2001, Q J R Meteorol Soc 127:53-72) (GR scheme). The results showed that the GR scheme simulated more shallow and diluted convection than the new scheme. To further validate the physical performance of the parameterizations, Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) experiments were performed, and the results were compared with reanalysis data. The new scheme performed better than the GR scheme in terms of mean state and variability of atmospheric circulation, i.e., the new scheme improved positive bias of precipitation in western Pacific region, and improved positive bias of outgoing shortwave radiation over the ocean. The new scheme also simulated better features of convectively coupled equatorial waves and Madden-Julian oscillation. These improvements were found to be derived from the modification of parameterization for the entrainment rate, i.e., the proposed parameterization suppressed excessive increase of entrainment, thus suppressing excessive increase of low-level clouds.
Evolution in Cloud Population Statistics of the MJO: From AMIE Field Observations to Global-Cloud Permitting Models Final Report

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

Kollias, Pavlos

This is a multi-institutional, collaborative project using a three-tier modeling approach to bridge field observations and global cloud-permitting models, with emphases on cloud population structural evolution through various large-scale environments. Our contribution was in data analysis for the generation of high value cloud and precipitation products and derive cloud statistics for model validation. There are two areas in data analysis that we contributed: the development of a synergistic cloud and precipitation cloud classification that identify different cloud (e.g. shallow cumulus, cirrus) and precipitation types (shallow, deep, convective, stratiform) using profiling ARM observations and the development of a quantitative precipitation ratemore » retrieval algorithm using profiling ARM observations. Similar efforts have been developed in the past for precipitation (weather radars), but not for the millimeter-wavelength (cloud) radar deployed at the ARM sites.« less
GCSS/WGNE Pacific Cross-section Intercomparison: Tropical and Subtropical Cloud Transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, J.

2008-12-01

In this presentation I will discuss the role of the GEWEX Cloud Systems Study (GCSS) working groups in paving the way for substantial improvements in cloud parameterization in weather and climate models. The GCSS/WGNE Pacific Cross-section Intercomparison (GPCI) is an extension of GCSS and is a different type of model evaluation where climate models are analyzed along a Pacific Ocean transect from California to the equator. This approach aims at complementing the more traditional efforts in GCSS by providing a simple framework for the evaluation of models that encompasses several fundamental cloud regimes such as stratocumulus, shallow cumulus and deep cumulus, as well as the transitions between them. Currently twenty four climate and weather prediction models are participating in GPCI. We will present results of the comparison between models and recent satellite data. In particular, we will explore in detail the potential of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and CloudSat data for the evaluation of the representation of clouds and convection in climate models.
Aerosol microphysical and radiative effects on continental cloud ensembles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuan; Vogel, Jonathan M.; Lin, Yun; Pan, Bowen; Hu, Jiaxi; Liu, Yangang; Dong, Xiquan; Jiang, Jonathan H.; Yung, Yuk L.; Zhang, Renyi

2018-02-01

Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. In this study, an aerosol-aware WRF model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the US Southern Great Plains. Three simulated cloud ensembles include a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a collection of less-precipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by several ground-based measurements. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not influence the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with a prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. The simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity (typically less than 2%) to aerosol perturbations, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by increasing aerosols, while the magnitude of the decrease depends on the cloud type.
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.
Advancing cloud lifecycle representation in numerical models using innovative analysis methods that bridge arm observations over a breadth of scales

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

Tselioudis, George

2016-03-04

From its location on the subtropics-midlatitude boundary, the Azores is influenced by both the subtropical high pressure and the midlatitude baroclinic storm regimes, and therefore experiences a wide range of cloud structures, from fair-weather scenes to stratocumulus sheets to deep convective systems. This project combined three types of data sets to study cloud variability in the Azores: a satellite analysis of cloud regimes, a reanalysis characterization of storminess, and a 19-month field campaign that occurred on Graciosa Island. Combined analysis of the three data sets provides a detailed picture of cloud variability and the respective dynamic influences, with emphasis onmore » low clouds that constitute a major uncertainty source in climate model simulations. The satellite cloud regime analysis shows that the Azores cloud distribution is similar to the mean global distribution and can therefore be used to evaluate cloud simulation in global models. Regime analysis of low clouds shows that stratocumulus decks occur under the influence of the Azores high-pressure system, while shallow cumulus clouds are sustained by cold-air outbreaks, as revealed by their preference for post-frontal environments and northwesterly flows. An evaluation of CMIP5 climate model cloud regimes over the Azores shows that all models severely underpredict shallow cumulus clouds, while most models also underpredict the occurrence of stratocumulus cloud decks. It is demonstrated that carefully selected case studies can be related through regime analysis to climatological cloud distributions, and a methodology is suggested utilizing process-resolving model simulations of individual cases to better understand cloud-dynamics interactions and attempt to explain and correct climate model cloud deficiencies.« less
A unified view of convective transports by stratocumulus clouds, shallow cumulus clouds, and deep convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.

1990-01-01

A bulk planetary boundary layer (PBL) model was developed with a simple internal vertical structure and a simple second-order closure, designed for use as a PBL parameterization in a large-scale model. The model allows the mean fields to vary with height within the PBL, and so must address the vertical profiles of the turbulent fluxes, going beyond the usual mixed-layer assumption that the fluxes of conservative variables are linear with height. This is accomplished using the same convective mass flux approach that has also been used in cumulus parameterizations. The purpose is to show that such a mass flux model can include, in a single framework, the compensating subsidence concept, downgradient mixing, and well-mixed layers.
Using In Situ Observations and Satellite Retrievals to Constrain Large-Eddy Simulations and Single-Column Simulations: Implications for Boundary-Layer Cloud Parameterization in the NASA GISS GCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remillard, J.

2015-12-01

Two low-cloud periods from the CAP-MBL deployment of the ARM Mobile Facility at the Azores are selected through a cluster analysis of ISCCP cloud property matrices, so as to represent two low-cloud weather states that the GISS GCM severely underpredicts not only in that region but also globally. The two cases represent (1) shallow cumulus clouds occurring in a cold-air outbreak behind a cold front, and (2) stratocumulus clouds occurring when the region was dominated by a high-pressure system. Observations and MERRA reanalysis are used to derive specifications used for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column model (SCM) simulations. The LES captures the major differences in horizontal structure between the two low-cloud fields, but there are unconstrained uncertainties in cloud microphysics and challenges in reproducing W-band Doppler radar moments. The SCM run on the vertical grid used for CMIP-5 runs of the GCM does a poor job of representing the shallow cumulus case and is unable to maintain an overcast deck in the stratocumulus case, providing some clues regarding problems with low-cloud representation in the GCM. SCM sensitivity tests with a finer vertical grid in the boundary layer show substantial improvement in the representation of cloud amount for both cases. GCM simulations with CMIP-5 versus finer vertical gridding in the boundary layer are compared with observations. The adoption of a two-moment cloud microphysics scheme in the GCM is also tested in this framework. The methodology followed in this study, with the process-based examination of different time and space scales in both models and observations, represents a prototype for GCM cloud parameterization improvements.
Integrating Cloud Processes in the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5.

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

Park, S.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Rasch, Philip J.

2014-09-15

This paper provides a description on the parameterizations of global cloud system in CAM5. Compared to the previous versions, CAM5 cloud parameterization has the following unique characteristics: (1) a transparent cloud macrophysical structure that has horizontally non-overlapped deep cumulus, shallow cumulus and stratus in each grid layer, each of which has own cloud fraction, mass and number concentrations of cloud liquid droplets and ice crystals, (2) stratus-radiation-turbulence interaction that allows CAM5 to simulate marine stratocumulus solely from grid-mean RH without relying on the stability-based empirical empty stratus, (3) prognostic treatment of the number concentrations of stratus liquid droplets and icemore » crystals with activated aerosols and detrained in-cumulus condensates as the main sources and evaporation-sedimentation-precipitation of stratus condensate as the main sinks, and (4) radiatively active cumulus. By imposing consistency between diagnosed stratus fraction and prognosed stratus condensate, CAM5 is free from empty or highly-dense stratus at the end of stratus macrophysics. CAM5 also prognoses mass and number concentrations of various aerosol species. Thanks to the aerosol activation and the parameterizations of the radiation and stratiform precipitation production as a function of the droplet size, CAM5 simulates various aerosol indirect effects associated with stratus as well as direct effects, i.e., aerosol controls both the radiative and hydrological budgets. Detailed analysis of various simulations revealed that CAM5 is much better than CAM3/4 in the global performance as well as the physical formulation. However, several problems were also identifed, which can be attributed to inappropriate regional tuning, inconsistency between various physics parameterizations, and incomplete model physics. Continuous efforts are going on to further improve CAM5.« less
A new WRF-Chem treatment for studying regional-scale impacts of cloud processes on aerosol and trace gases in parameterized cumuli

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

Berg, L. K.; Shrivastava, M.; Easter, R. C.

A new treatment of cloud effects on aerosol and trace gases within parameterized shallow and deep convection, and aerosol effects on cloud droplet number, has been implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.2.1 that can be used to better understand the aerosol life cycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model include treatment of the cloud droplet number 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 convectivemore » cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. These changes have been implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain–Fritsch (KF) cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS). The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud–aerosol interactions on 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 +40% for sulfate under non-precipitating conditions due to sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem are found to account for changes in the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud droplet residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to the latest version of WRF-Chem, and it is anticipated that they will be included in a future public release of WRF-Chem.« less
A new WRF-Chem treatment for studying regional-scale impacts of cloud processes on aerosol and trace gases in parameterized cumuli

DOE PAGES

Berg, L. K.; Shrivastava, M.; Easter, R. C.; ...

2015-02-24

A new treatment of cloud effects on aerosol and trace gases within parameterized shallow and deep convection, and aerosol effects on cloud droplet number, has been implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.2.1 that can be used to better understand the aerosol life cycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model include treatment of the cloud droplet number 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 convectivemore » cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. These changes have been implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain–Fritsch (KF) cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS). The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud–aerosol interactions on 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 +40% for sulfate under non-precipitating conditions due to sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem are found to account for changes in the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud droplet residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to the latest version of WRF-Chem, and it is anticipated that they will be included in a future public release of WRF-Chem.« less
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.
Aerosol Microphysical and Radiative Effects on Continental Cloud Ensembles

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yuan; Vogel, Jonathan M.; Lin, Yun; ...

2018-01-10

Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. Here, an aerosol-aware Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the Southern Great Plains site of the US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. Three cloud ensembles with different meteorological conditions are simulated, including a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a series ofmore » lessprecipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by the available observations of cloud fraction, liquid water path, precipitation, and surface temperature. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not interfere the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with more prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. Furthermore, the simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the direction of precipitation changes by the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity (typically less than 2%) to aerosol perturbations than the cloud microphysics, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by increasing aerosols, while the magnitude of the decrease depends on the cloud type. Surface temperature changes closely follow the modulation of the surface radiation fluxes.« less
Aerosol Microphysical and Radiative Effects on Continental Cloud Ensembles

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

Wang, Yuan; Vogel, Jonathan M.; Lin, Yun

Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. Here, an aerosol-aware Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the Southern Great Plains site of the US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. Three cloud ensembles with different meteorological conditions are simulated, including a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a series ofmore » lessprecipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by the available observations of cloud fraction, liquid water path, precipitation, and surface temperature. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not interfere the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with more prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. Furthermore, the simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the direction of precipitation changes by the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity (typically less than 2%) to aerosol perturbations than the cloud microphysics, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by increasing aerosols, while the magnitude of the decrease depends on the cloud type. Surface temperature changes closely follow the modulation of the surface radiation fluxes.« less
Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

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

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime nonprecipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land surface forcing and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes early morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally varying sensible and latent heat fluxes, which represent a domain average over different land surface types; simplified large-scalemore » horizontal advective tendencies and subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well reproduced by LES; however, the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 m. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity, and updraft mass flux. Both observations and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less
Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

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

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime non-precipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land-surface forcing, and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes: early-morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally-varying sensible and latent heat fluxes which represent a domain average over different land-surface types; simplified large-scale horizontal advective tendencies andmore » subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well-reproduced by LES, however the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 meters. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity and updraft mass flux. Finally, both observation and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less
Large-Eddy Simulation of Shallow Cumulus over Land: A Composite Case Based on ARM Long-Term Observations at Its Southern Great Plains Site

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yunyan; Klein, Stephen A.; Fan, Jiwen; ...

2017-09-19

Based on long-term observations by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program at its Southern Great Plains site, a new composite case of continental shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection is constructed for large-eddy simulations (LES) and single-column models. The case represents a typical daytime non-precipitating ShCu whose formation and dissipation are driven by the local atmospheric conditions and land-surface forcing, and are not influenced by synoptic weather events. The case includes: early-morning initial profiles of temperature and moisture with a residual layer; diurnally-varying sensible and latent heat fluxes which represent a domain average over different land-surface types; simplified large-scale horizontal advective tendencies andmore » subsidence; and horizontal winds with prevailing direction and average speed. Observed composite cloud statistics are provided for model evaluation. The observed diurnal cycle is well-reproduced by LES, however the cloud amount, liquid water path, and shortwave radiative effect are generally underestimated. LES are compared between simulations with an all-or-nothing bulk microphysics and a spectral bin microphysics. The latter shows improved agreement with observations in the total cloud cover and the amount of clouds with depths greater than 300 meters. When compared with radar retrievals of in-cloud air motion, LES produce comparable downdraft vertical velocities, but a larger updraft area, velocity and updraft mass flux. Finally, both observation and LES show a significantly larger in-cloud downdraft fraction and downdraft mass flux than marine ShCu.« less
Improved intraseasonal variability in the NASA GEOS AGCM with 2-moment microphysics and a shallow cumulus parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnold, N.; Barahona, D.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) have long struggled to realistically represent tropical intraseasonal variability. Here we report progress in simulating the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) AGCM, in free-running simulations utilizing a new two-moment microphysics scheme and the University of Washington shallow cumulus parameterization. Lag composites of intraseasonal signals show significantly improved eastward propagation over the Indian Ocean and maritime region, with increased eastward precipitation variance and more coherent large-scale structure. The dynamics of the MJO are analyzed using a vertically resolved moisture budget, assuming weak temperature gradient conditions. We find that positive longwave radiative heating anomalies associated with high clouds contribute to low-level ascent and moistening, coincident with intraseasonal precipitation anomalies. Horizontal advection generally damps intraseasonal moisture anomalies, but at some longitudes contributes to their eastward tendency. Shallow convection is enhanced to the east of the intraseasonal precipitation maximum, and its associated moistening of the lower free troposphere encourages eastward propagation of deep convection.
Shallow cumulus rooted in photosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vila-Guerau Arellano, J.; Ouwersloot, H.; Horn, G.; Sikma, M.; Jacobs, C. M.; Baldocchi, D.

2014-12-01

We investigate the interaction between plant evapotranspiration, controlled by photosynthesis (for a low vegetation cover by C3 and C4 grasses), and the moist thermals that are responsible for the formation and development of shallow cumulus clouds (SCu). We perform systematic numerical experiments at fine spatial scales using large-eddy simulations explicitly coupled to a plant-physiology model. To break down the complexity of the vegetation-atmospheric system at the diurnal scales, we design the following experiments with increasing complexity: (a) clouds that are transparent to radiation, (b) clouds that shade the surface from the incoming shortwave radiation and (c) plant stomata whose apertures react with an adjustment in time to cloud perturbations. The shading by SCu leads to a strong spatial variability in photosynthesis and the surface energy balance. As a result, experiment (b) simulates SCu that are characterized by less extreme and less skewed values of the liquid water path and cloud-base height. These findings are corroborated by the calculation of characteristics lengths scales of the thermals and clouds using autocorrelation and spectral analysis methods. We find that experiments (a) and (b) are characterized by similar cloud cover evolution, but different cloud population characteristics. Experiment (b), including cloud shading, is characterized by smaller clouds, but closer to each other. By performing a sensitivity analysis on the exchange of water vapor and carbon dioxide at the canopy level, we show that the larger water-use efficiency of C4 grass leads to two opposing effects that directly influence boundary-layer clouds: the thermals below the clouds are more vigorous and deeper driven by a larger buoyancy surface flux (positive effect), but are characterized by less moisture content (negative effect). We conclude that under the investigated mid-latitude atmospheric and well-watered soil conditions, SCu over C4 grass fields is characterized by larger cloud cover and an enhanced liquid water path compared to C3 grass fields.
LES study of microphysical variability bias in shallow cumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, Yefim

2017-05-01

Subgrid-scale (SGS) variability of cloud microphysical variables over the mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) model has been evaluated by means of joint probability distribution functions (JPDFs). The latter were obtained using dynamically balanced Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model dataset from a case of marine trade cumulus initialized with soundings from Rain in Cumulus Over the Ocean (RICO) field project. Bias in autoconversion and accretion rates from different formulations of the JPDFs was analyzed. Approximating the 2-D PDF using a generic (fixed-in-time), but variable-in-height JPDFs give an acceptable level of accuracy, whereas neglecting the SGS variability altogether results in a substantial underestimate of the grid-mean total conversion rate and producing negative bias in rain water. Nevertheless the total effect on rain formation may be uncertain in the long run due to the fact that the negative bias in rain water may be counterbalanced by the positive bias in cloud water. Consequently, the overall effect of SGS neglect needs to be investigated in direct simulations with a NWP model.

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

DOE PAGES

Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

2018-03-01

Here, the 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 topmore » 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.« less
The Challenge of Identifying Controls on Cloud Properties and Precipitation Onset for Cumulus Congestus Sampled During MC3E

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

Mechem, David B.; Giangrande, Scott E.

Here, the 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 topmore » 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.« less
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.
Distinct Contributions of Ice Nucleation, Large-Scale Environment, and Shallow Cumulus Detrainment to Cloud Phase Partitioning With NCAR CAM5

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yong; Zhang, Damao; Liu, Xiaohong; ...

2018-01-06

Mixed-phase clouds containing both liquid droplets and ice particles occur frequently at high latitudes and in the midlatitude storm track regions. Simulations of the cloud phase partitioning between liquid and ice hydrometeors in state-of-the-art global climate models are still associated with large biases. For this study, the phase partitioning in terms of liquid mass phase ratio (MPR liq, defined as the ratio of liquid mass to total condensed water mass) simulated from the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) is evaluated against the observational data from A-Train satellite remote sensors. Modeled MPR liq is significantly lower than observations onmore » the global scale, especially in the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., Southern Ocean and the Antarctic). Sensitivity tests with CAM5 are conducted to investigate the distinct contributions of heterogeneous ice nucleation, shallow cumulus detrainment, and large-scale environment (e.g., winds, temperature, and water vapor) to the low MPR liq biases. Our results show that an aerosol-aware ice nucleation parameterization increases the MPR liq especially at temperatures colder than -20°C and significantly improves the model agreements with observations in the Polar regions in summer. The decrease of threshold temperature over which all detrained cloud water is liquid from 268 to 253 K enhances the MPR liq and improves the MPR liq mostly over the Southern Ocean. By constraining water vapor in CAM5 toward reanalysis, modeled low biases in many geographical regions are largely reduced through a significant decrease of cloud ice mass mixing ratio.« less
Distinct Contributions of Ice Nucleation, Large-Scale Environment, and Shallow Cumulus Detrainment to Cloud Phase Partitioning With NCAR CAM5

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

Wang, Yong; Zhang, Damao; Liu, Xiaohong

Mixed-phase clouds containing both liquid droplets and ice particles occur frequently at high latitudes and in the midlatitude storm track regions. Simulations of the cloud phase partitioning between liquid and ice hydrometeors in state-of-the-art global climate models are still associated with large biases. For this study, the phase partitioning in terms of liquid mass phase ratio (MPR liq, defined as the ratio of liquid mass to total condensed water mass) simulated from the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) is evaluated against the observational data from A-Train satellite remote sensors. Modeled MPR liq is significantly lower than observations onmore » the global scale, especially in the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., Southern Ocean and the Antarctic). Sensitivity tests with CAM5 are conducted to investigate the distinct contributions of heterogeneous ice nucleation, shallow cumulus detrainment, and large-scale environment (e.g., winds, temperature, and water vapor) to the low MPR liq biases. Our results show that an aerosol-aware ice nucleation parameterization increases the MPR liq especially at temperatures colder than -20°C and significantly improves the model agreements with observations in the Polar regions in summer. The decrease of threshold temperature over which all detrained cloud water is liquid from 268 to 253 K enhances the MPR liq and improves the MPR liq mostly over the Southern Ocean. By constraining water vapor in CAM5 toward reanalysis, modeled low biases in many geographical regions are largely reduced through a significant decrease of cloud ice mass mixing ratio.« less
Distinct Contributions of Ice Nucleation, Large-Scale Environment, and Shallow Cumulus Detrainment to Cloud Phase Partitioning With NCAR CAM5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Zhang, Damao; Liu, Xiaohong; Wang, Zhien

2018-01-01

Mixed-phase clouds containing both liquid droplets and ice particles occur frequently at high latitudes and in the midlatitude storm track regions. Simulations of the cloud phase partitioning between liquid and ice hydrometeors in state-of-the-art global climate models are still associated with large biases. In this study, the phase partitioning in terms of liquid mass phase ratio (MPRliq, defined as the ratio of liquid mass to total condensed water mass) simulated from the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) is evaluated against the observational data from A-Train satellite remote sensors. Modeled MPRliq is significantly lower than observations on the global scale, especially in the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., Southern Ocean and the Antarctic). Sensitivity tests with CAM5 are conducted to investigate the distinct contributions of heterogeneous ice nucleation, shallow cumulus detrainment, and large-scale environment (e.g., winds, temperature, and water vapor) to the low MPRliq biases. Our results show that an aerosol-aware ice nucleation parameterization increases the MPRliq especially at temperatures colder than -20°C and significantly improves the model agreements with observations in the Polar regions in summer. The decrease of threshold temperature over which all detrained cloud water is liquid from 268 to 253 K enhances the MPRliq and improves the MPRliq mostly over the Southern Ocean. By constraining water vapor in CAM5 toward reanalysis, modeled low biases in many geographical regions are largely reduced through a significant decrease of cloud ice mass mixing ratio.
Radiative transfer in shallow cumulus cloud fields: Observations and first analysis with the Diram instrument during the BBC-2 field campaign in May 2003

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dop, Han; Wilson, Keith M.

2006-11-01

The cloud albedo is a crucial parameter in radiation budget studies, and is one of the main forcings in climate. We have designed and made a device, Diram (directional radiance distribution measurement device), which not only measures reflection and transmission of solar radiation through clouds, but which also determines the radiance distribution. The construction contains 42 sensors, consisting of a collimation system and a detector, which are mounted in two domes (21 in each). The collimators reduce the field of view of each sensor to ˜7°. The domes were mounted on top and below of the Meteo France Merlin IV research aircraft. The 42 signals were continuously logged with a frequency of 10 Hz during a number of flights in the framework of the Baltex Bridge-2 campaign at Cabauw (The Netherlands) in May 2003. The Diram instrument provided radiances during in situ observations of cumulus and (broken) stratocumulus clouds and detected anisotropic effects in solar radiation scattered by clouds which are due to different cloud geometries and which are related to microphysical cloud properties. Microphysical cloud properties were obtained from the Gerber PVM100A optical sensor aboard the aircraft. Liquid water content and particle surface area were logged with a frequency of 200 Hz. Data have been collected from a total of 10 days in different weather conditions (clear sky, broken cumulus, stratocumulus and multilayered cloud). A clear sky test of the Diram indicated that the device was able to reproduce the Rayleigh scattering pattern. During flights in stratocumulus fields, strongly anisotropic patterns were observed. The DIRAM observations confirm that in thin clouds a strong preference for forward scattering is observed in the transmitted radiation field while for thicker clouds the pattern becomes more isotropic, with a slightly brighter centre relative to the limb direction.
Parsivel Disdrometer Support for MAGIC Field Campaign Report

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

Kollias, Pavlos; Bartholomew, Mary Jane

2016-06-01

In the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s second Mobile Facility (AMF2) was deployed on the Horizon Lines cargo ship Spirit traversing a route between Los Angeles, California and Honolulu, Hawaii for one full year. The transect for this deployment was chosen specifically because it crosses the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition of the North-East Pacific, a region of great climatic interest and a close approximation to the transect used for several focused model intercomparison efforts. The cloud type and cover along this transect vary from lowmore » marine stratocumulus with high areal coverage near the California coast to isolated shallow cumulus with much lower areal coverage in the trade wind regime near Hawaii. The low marine stratocumulus decks, with their high albedo, exert a major influence on the shortwave radiation budget in the ocean environment, and thus provide an extremely important forcing of Earth’s climate. The trade cumulus clouds play a large role in the global surface evaporation and also in Earth’s albedo. One of the important science drivers of the MAGIC campaign was to measure the properties of clouds and precipitation, specifically cloud type, fractional coverage, base height, physical thickness, liquid water path (LWP), optical depth, and drizzle and precipitation frequency, amount, and extent. Retrievals of cloud and precipitation properties during the MAGIC campaign relied critically on the calibration of the AMF2 radar systems. For MAGIC this included the KAZR and M-WACR, both fixed zenith-pointing systems, and the 1290 MHz beam steerable wind profiler.« less
Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET): Airborne sampling of Lagrangian airmass evolution in the Northeast Pacific stratocumulus-cumulus transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bretherton, Christopher; Wood, Robert; Albrecht, Bruce; Zuidema, Paquita; Ghate, Virendra; Mohrmann, Johannes; Oh, Kuan-Ting; Blossey, Peter

2017-04-01

The CSET field study in July-August 2015 over the Northeast Pacific ocean was motivated by a need for more in-situ sampling of the subtropical stratocumulus to cumulus (Sc-Cu) transition zones. One goal was comprehensive documentation of observational cases suitable for detailed intercomparison with large-eddy simulation models run following Lagrangian air columns and global models run in a hindcast mode. A second goal was to understand the role of aerosol and precipitation processes in this transition. The U.S. National Science Foundation G-V, equipped with cloud, aerosol, turbulence probes, a multispectral lidar, a cloud radar, and dropsondes, flew seven missions consisting of an outbound leg from northern California to Hawaii and a return leg two days later. Each mission was based on forecast air trajectories within the boundary layer; the goal was to sample a 2000-km long vertical curtain of boundary-layer air on the outbound leg and resample the advected position of that curtain on the return leg, using ramped sawtooths. In this way, most missions successfully captured the Lagrangian Sc-Cu transition. While CSET sampled diverse aerosol conditions, including the interaction of the boundary layer with smoke plumes from massive forest fires, lower tropospheric stability was the primary control on cloud cover. Mesoscale cloud organization was ubiquitous. Toward Hawaii, clusters of 2 km deep precipitating shallow cumulus and patchy thin stratiform 'veil cloud' with extremely low droplet concentrations were embedded in ultraclean layers at the trade inversion. These were separated by drier regions of suppressed convection. LES and parcel modeling plausibly explain these features.
On the Global Character of Overlap Between Low and High Clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, Tianle; Oreopoulos, Lazaros

2013-01-01

The global character of overlap between low and high clouds is examined using active satellite sensors. Low-cloud fraction has a strong land-ocean contrast with oceanic values double those over land. Major low-cloud regimes include not only the eastern ocean boundary stratocumulus and shallow cumulus but also those associated with cold air outbreaks downwind of wintertime continents and land stratus over particular geographic areas. Globally, about 30% of low clouds are overlapped by high clouds. The overlap rate exhibits strong spatial variability ranging from higher than 90% in the tropics to less than 5% in subsidence areas and is anticorrelated with subsidence rate and low-cloud fraction. The zonal mean of vertical separation between cloud layers is never smaller than 5 km and its zonal variation closely follows that of tropopause height, implying a tight connection with tropopause dynamics. Possible impacts of cloud overlap on low clouds are discussed.
Twomey effect observed from collocated microphysical and remote sensing measurements over shallow cumulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, F.; Ditas, F.; Siebert, H.; Simmel, M.; Wehner, B.; Pilewskie, P.; Schmeissner, T.; Shaw, R. A.; Hartmann, S.; Wex, H.; Roberts, G. C.; Wendisch, M.

2014-02-01

Clear experimental evidence of the Twomey effect for shallow trade wind cumuli near Barbados is presented. Effective droplet radius (reff) and cloud optical thickness (τ), retrieved from helicopter-borne spectral cloud-reflected radiance measurements, and spectral cloud reflectivity (γλ) are correlated with collocated in situ observations of the number concentration of aerosol particles from the subcloud layer (N). N denotes the concentration of particles larger than 80 nm in diameter and represents particles in the activation mode. In situ cloud microphysical and aerosol parameters were sampled by the Airborne Cloud Turbulence Observation System (ACTOS). Spectral cloud-reflected radiance data were collected by the Spectral Modular Airborne Radiation measurement sysTem (SMART-HELIOS). With increasing N a shift in the probability density functions of τ and γλ toward larger values is observed, while the mean values and observed ranges of retrieved reff decrease. The relative susceptibilities (RS) of reff, τ, and γλ to N are derived for bins of constant liquid water path. The resulting values of RS are in the range of 0.35 for reff and τ, and 0.27 for γλ. These results are close to the maximum susceptibility possible from theory. Overall, the shallow cumuli sampled near Barbados show characteristics of homogeneous, plane-parallel clouds. Comparisons of RS derived from in situ measured reff and from a microphysical parcel model are in close agreement.
Boundary-layer cumulus over heterogeneous landscapes: A subgrid GCM parameterization. Final report, December 1991--November 1995

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

Stull, R.B.; Tripoli, G.

1996-01-08

The authors developed single-column parameterizations for subgrid boundary-layer cumulus clouds. These give cloud onset time, cloud coverage, and ensemble distributions of cloud-base altitudes, cloud-top altitudes, cloud thickness, and the characteristics of cloudy and clear updrafts. They tested and refined the parameterizations against archived data from Spring and Summer 1994 and 1995 intensive operation periods (IOPs) at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) ARM CART site near Lamont, Oklahoma. The authors also found that: cloud-base altitudes are not uniform over a heterogeneous surface; tops of some cumulus clouds can be below the base-altitudes of other cumulus clouds; there is an overlap regionmore » near cloud base where clear and cloudy updrafts exist simultaneously; and the lognormal distribution of cloud sizes scales to the JFD of surface layer air and to the shape of the temperature profile above the boundary layer.« less
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
Improving the Understanding and Model Representation of Processes that Couple Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Schmid, B.; Alexander, M. L. L.; Bell, D.; D'Ambro, E.; Hubbe, J. M.; Liu, J.; Mei, F.; Pekour, M. S.; Pinterich, T.; Schobesberger, S.; Shilling, J.; Springston, S. R.; Thornton, J. A.; Tomlinson, J. M.; Wang, J.; Zelenyuk, A.

2016-12-01

Cumulus convection is an important component in the atmospheric radiation budget and hydrologic cycle over the southern Great Plains and over many regions of the world, particularly during the summertime growing season when intense turbulence induced by surface radiation couples the land surface to clouds. Current convective cloud parameterizations, however, contain uncertainties resulting from insufficient coincident data that couples cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to inhomogeneity in surface layer, boundary layer, and aerosol properties. We describe the measurement strategy and preliminary findings from the recent Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign conducted in May and September of 2016 in the vicinity of the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site located in Oklahoma. The goal of the HI-SCALE campaign is to provide a detailed set of aircraft and surface measurements needed to obtain a more complete understanding and improved parameterizations of the lifecycle of shallow clouds. The sampling is done in two periods, one in the spring and the other in the late summer to take advantage of variations in the "greenness" for various types of vegetation, new particle formation, anthropogenic enhancement of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA), and other aerosol properties. The aircraft measurements will be coupled with extensive routine ARM SGP measurements as well as Large Eddy Simulation (LES), cloud resolving, and cloud-system resolving models. Through these integrated analyses and modeling studies, the affects of inhomogeneity in land use, vegetation, soil moisture, convective eddies, and aerosol properties on the evolution of shallow clouds will be determined, including the feedbacks of cloud radiative effects.
Shallow convection on day 261 of GATE - Mesoscale arcs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warner, C.; Simpson, J.; Martin, D. W.; Suchman, D.; Mosher, F. R.; Reinking, R. F.

1979-01-01

Cloudy convection in the moist layer of a cloud cluster growing in the GATE ship array is examined. Analyses suggest that the moist layer was dominated by features of horizontal dimension roughly 40 km and lifetime roughly 2 h, with arc patterns triggered by dense downdraft air accompanying rainfall, and composed of many small cumulus clouds. Aircraft recorded data on thermodynamic quantities and winds, indicating that the arcs persisted as mesoscale circulations driven by the release of latent heat in the clouds, rather than being driven by the original density current at the surface. It is also suggested that the mesoscale cloud patterns of the moist layer play a primary role in heat transfer upward within this layer, and contribute to the forcing of showering midtropospheric clouds.
Modeling marine boundary-layer clouds with a two-layer model: A one-dimensional simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Shouping

1993-01-01

A two-layer model of the marine boundary layer is described. The model is used to simulate both stratocumulus and shallow cumulus clouds in downstream simulations. Over cold sea surfaces, the model predicts a relatively uniform structure in the boundary layer with 90%-100% cloud fraction. Over warm sea surfaces, the model predicts a relatively strong decoupled and conditionally unstable structure with a cloud fraction between 30% and 60%. A strong large-scale divergence considerably limits the height of the boundary layer and decreases relative humidity in the upper part of the cloud layer; thus, a low cloud fraction results. The efffects of drizzle on the boundary-layer structure and cloud fraction are also studied with downstream simulations. It is found that drizzle dries and stabilizes the cloud layer and tends to decouple the cloud from the subcloud layer. Consequently, solid stratocumulus clouds may break up and the cloud fraction may decrease because of drizzle.
Optimizing the Betts-Miller-Janjic cumulus parameterization with Intel Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Melin; Huang, Bormin; Huang, Allen H.-L.

2015-10-01

The schemes of cumulus parameterization are responsible for the sub-grid-scale effects of convective and/or shallow clouds, and intended to represent vertical fluxes due to unresolved updrafts and downdrafts and compensating motion outside the clouds. Some schemes additionally provide cloud and precipitation field tendencies in the convective column, and momentum tendencies due to convective transport of momentum. The schemes all provide the convective component of surface rainfall. Betts-Miller-Janjic (BMJ) is one scheme to fulfill such purposes in the weather research and forecast (WRF) model. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) has tried to optimize the BMJ scheme for operational application. As there are no interactions among horizontal grid points, this scheme is very suitable for parallel computation. With the advantage of Intel Xeon Phi Many Integrated Core (MIC) architecture, efficient parallelization and vectorization essentials, it allows us to optimize the BMJ scheme. If compared to the original code respectively running on one CPU socket (eight cores) and on one CPU core with Intel Xeon E5-2670, the MIC-based optimization of this scheme running on Xeon Phi coprocessor 7120P improves the performance by 2.4x and 17.0x, respectively.
Analysis of albedo versus cloud fraction relationships in liquid water clouds using heuristic models and large eddy simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feingold, Graham; Balsells, Joseph; Glassmeier, Franziska; Yamaguchi, Takanobu; Kazil, Jan; McComiskey, Allison

2017-07-01

The relationship between the albedo of a cloudy scene A and cloud fraction fc is studied with the aid of heuristic models of stratocumulus and cumulus clouds. Existing work has shown that scene albedo increases monotonically with increasing cloud fraction but that the relationship varies from linear to superlinear. The reasons for these differences in functional dependence are traced to the relationship between cloud deepening and cloud widening. When clouds deepen with no significant increase in fc (e.g., in solid stratocumulus), the relationship between A and fc is linear. When clouds widen as they deepen, as in cumulus cloud fields, the relationship is superlinear. A simple heuristic model of a cumulus cloud field with a power law size distribution shows that the superlinear A-fc behavior is traced out either through random variation in cloud size distribution parameters or as the cloud field oscillates between a relative abundance of small clouds (steep slopes on a log-log plot) and a relative abundance of large clouds (flat slopes). Oscillations of this kind manifest in large eddy simulation of trade wind cumulus where the slope and intercept of the power law fit to the cloud size distribution are highly correlated. Further analysis of the large eddy model-generated cloud fields suggests that cumulus clouds grow larger and deeper as their underlying plumes aggregate; this is followed by breakup of large plumes and a tendency to smaller clouds. The cloud and thermal size distributions oscillate back and forth approximately in unison.

Spatial variability in land-atmosphere coupling strength at the ARM Southern Great Plains site under different cloud regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Q.; Xie, S.; Zhang, Y.

2016-12-01

The paucity of land/soil observations is a long-standing limitation for land-atmosphere (LA) coupling studies, in particular for estimating the spatial variability in the coupling strengths. Spatially dense atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) sites deployed at the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) covers a wide range of vegetation, surface, and soil types, and thus allow us to observe the spatial patterns of LA coupling. The upcoming "super site" at SGP will facilitate these studies at even finer scales. While many previous studies have focused only on the observations from the central facility (CF) site or the domain mean from multiple sites, in the present work we examine the robustness of many key surface and land observations (e.g., radiation, turbulence fluxes, soil moisture, etc.) at extended sites besides the CF site for a decade. The coupling strengths are estimated with temporal covariations between important variables. We subsample the data to different categories based on different cloud regimes (e.g., clear sky, shallow cumulus, and deep cumulus. These cloud regimes are strongly impacted by local factors. The spatial variability of coupling strengths at different ARM sites is assessed with respect to dominant drivers (i.e., vegetation, land type, etc.). The results of this study will provide insights for improving the representation of LA coupling in climate models by providing observational constraints to parameterizations, e.g., shallow convective schemes. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-698523
Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Science Plan

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

Fast, JD; Berg, LK

Cumulus convection is an important component in the atmospheric radiation budget and hydrologic cycle over the Southern Great Plains and over many regions of the world, particularly during the summertime growing season when intense turbulence induced by surface radiation couples the land surface to clouds. Current convective cloud parameterizations contain uncertainties resulting in part from insufficient coincident data that couples cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to inhomogeneities in boundary layer and aerosol properties. The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign is designed to provide a detailed set of measurements that are needed to obtain a moremore » complete understanding of the life cycle of shallow clouds by coupling cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to land surface properties, ecosystems, and aerosols. HI-SCALE consists of 2, 4-week intensive observational periods, one in the spring and the other in the late summer, to take advantage of different stages and distribution of “greenness” for various types of vegetation in the vicinity of the Atmospheric Radiation and Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site as well as aerosol properties that vary during the growing season. Most of the proposed instrumentation will be deployed on the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream 1 (G-1) aircraft, including those that measure atmospheric turbulence, cloud water content and drop size distributions, aerosol precursor gases, aerosol chemical composition and size distributions, and cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Routine ARM aerosol measurements made at the surface will be supplemented with aerosol microphysical properties measurements. The G-1 aircraft will complete transects over the SGP Central Facility at multiple altitudes within the boundary layer, within clouds, and above clouds.« less
Laboratory simulations of cumulus cloud flows explain the entrainment anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narasimha, Roddam; Diwan, Sourabh S.; Subrahmanyam, Duvvuri; Sreenivas, K. R.; Bhat, G. S.

2010-11-01

In the present laboratory experiments, cumulus cloud flows are simulated by starting plumes and jets subjected to off-source heat addition in amounts that are dynamically similar to latent heat release due to condensation in real clouds. The setup permits incorporation of features like atmospheric inversion layers and the active control of off-source heat addition. Herein we report, for the first time, simulation of five different cumulus cloud types (and many shapes), including three genera and three species (WMO Atlas 1987), which show striking resemblance to real clouds. It is known that the rate of entrainment in cumulus cloud flows is much less than that in classical plumes - the main reason for the failure of early entrainment models. Some of the previous studies on steady-state jets and plumes (done in a similar setup) have attributed this anomaly to the disruption of the large-scale turbulent structures upon the addition of off-source heat. We present estimates of entrainment coefficients from these measurements which show a qualitatively consistent variation with height. We propose that this explains the observed entrainment anomaly in cumulus clouds; further experiments are planned to address this question in the context of starting jets and plumes.
Modeling Studying the Role of Bacteria on ice Nucleation Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, J.

2006-12-01

Certain air-borne bacteria have been recognized as active ice nuclei at the temperatures warm than - 10°C. Ice nucleating bacteria commonly found in plants and ocean surface. These ice nucleating bacteria are readily disseminated into the atmosphere and have been observed in clouds and hailstones, and their importance in cloud formation process and precipitation, as well as causing diseases in plants and animal kingdom, have been considered for over two decades, but their significance in atmospheric processes are yet to be understood. A 1.5-D non-hydrostatic cumulus cloud model with bin-resolved microphysics is developed and is to used to examine the relative importance of sulphate aerosol concentrations on the evolution of cumulus cloud droplet spectra and ice multiplication process, as well as ice initiation process by ice nucleating bacteria in the growing stage of cumulus clouds and the key role of this process on the ice multiplication in the subsequent dissipating stage of cumulus clouds. In this paper, we will present some sensitivity test results of the evolution of cumulus cloud spectra, ice concentrations at various concentrations of sulfate aerosols, and at different ideal sounding profiles. We will discuss the implication of our results in understanding of ice nucleation processes.
DETERMINATION OF CLOUD PARAMETERS FOR NEROS II FROM DIGITAL SATELLITE DATA

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the input for their regional-scale photochemical oxidant model of air pollution, known as the Regional Oxidant Model, requires statistical descriptions of total cloud amount, cumulus cloud amount, and cumulus cloud top height for certain regions and dates. These statis...
New Concepts for Refinement of Cumulus Parameterization in GCM's the Arakawa-Schubert Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K.; Lau, William (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Several state-of-the-art models including the one employed in this study use the Arakawa-Schubert framework for moist convection, and Sundqvist formulation of stratiform. clouds, for moist physics, in-cloud condensation, and precipitation. Despite a variety of cloud parameterization methodologies developed by several modelers including the authors, most of the parameterized cloud-models have similar deficiencies. These consist of: (a) not enough shallow clouds, (b) too many deep clouds; (c) several layers of clouds in a vertically demoralized model as opposed to only a few levels of observed clouds, and (d) higher than normal incidence of double ITCZ (Inter-tropical Convergence Zone). Even after several upgrades consisting of a sophisticated cloud-microphysics and sub-grid scale orographic precipitation into the Data Assimilation Office (DAO)'s atmospheric model (called GEOS-2 GCM) at two different resolutions, we found that the above deficiencies remained persistent. The two empirical solutions often used to counter the aforestated deficiencies consist of a) diffusion of moisture and heat within the lower troposphere to artificially force the shallow clouds; and b) arbitrarily invoke evaporation of in-cloud water for low-level clouds. Even though helpful, these implementations lack a strong physical rationale. Our research shows that two missing physical conditions can ameliorate the aforestated cloud-parameterization deficiencies. First, requiring an ascending cloud airmass to be saturated at its starting point will not only make the cloud instantly buoyant all through its ascent, but also provide the essential work function (buoyancy energy) that would promote more shallow clouds. Second, we argue that training clouds that are unstable to a finite vertical displacement, even if neutrally buoyant in their ambient environment, must continue to rise and entrain causing evaporation of in-cloud water. These concepts have not been invoked in any of the cloud parameterization schemes so far. We introduced them into the DAO-GEOS-2 GCM with McRAS (Microphysics of Clouds with Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert Scheme).
Turbulence and cloud droplets in cumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Izumi; Gotoh, Toshiyuki

2018-02-01

In this paper, we report on the successful and seamless simulation of turbulence and the evolution of cloud droplets to raindrops over 10 minutes from microscopic viewpoints by using direct numerical simulation. Included processes are condensation-evaporation, collision-coalescence of droplets with hydrodynamic interaction, Reynolds number dependent drag, and turbulent flow within a parcel that is ascending within a self-consistently determined updraft inside a cumulus cloud. We found that the altitude and the updraft velocity of the parcel, the mean supersaturation, and the liquid water content are insensitive to the turbulence intensity, and that when the turbulence intensity increases, the droplet number density swiftly decreases while the spectral width of droplets rapidly increases. This study marks the first time the evolution of the mass density distribution function has been successfully calculated from microscopic computations. The turbulence accelerated to form a second peak in the mass density distribution function, leading to the raindrop formation, and the radius of the largest drop was over 300 μm at the end of the simulation. We also found that cloud droplets modify the turbulence in a way that is unlike the Kolmogorov-Obukhov-Corrsin theory. For example, the temperature and water vapor spectra at low wavenumbers become shallower than {k}-5/3 in the inertial-convective range, and decrease slower than exponentially in the diffusive range. This spectra modification is explained by nonlinear interactions between turbulent mixing and the evaporation-condensation process associated with large numbers of droplets.
Apollo 7 Mission,Clouds

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-10-11

Apollo 7,Cumulus,alto-cumulus,cirrus clouds. Very high oblique. Cloud Cover 50%. Original film magazine was labeled S. Camera Data: Hasselblad 500-C; Lens: Zeiss Planar,F/2.8,80mm; Film Type: Kodak SO-121,Aerial Ektachrome; Filter: Wratten 2A. Flight Date: October 11-12. 1968.
Cloud Type Classification (cldtype) Value-Added Product

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

Flynn, Donna; Shi, Yan; Lim, K-S

The Cloud Type (cldtype) value-added product (VAP) provides an automated cloud type classification based on macrophysical quantities derived from vertically pointing lidar and radar. Up to 10 layers of clouds are classified into seven cloud types based on predetermined and site-specific thresholds of cloud top, base and thickness. Examples of thresholds for selected U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility sites are provided in Tables 1 and 2. Inputs for the cldtype VAP include lidar and radar cloud boundaries obtained from the Active Remotely Sensed Cloud Location (ARSCL) and Surface Meteorological Systems (MET) data. Rainmore » rates from MET are used to determine when radar signal attenuation precludes accurate cloud detection. Temporal resolution and vertical resolution for cldtype are 1 minute and 30 m respectively and match the resolution of ARSCL. The cldtype classification is an initial step for further categorization of clouds. It was developed for use by the Shallow Cumulus VAP to identify potential periods of interest to the LASSO model and is intended to find clouds of interest for a variety of users.« less
Effects of Implementing Subgrid-Scale Cloud-Radiation Interactions in a Regional Climate Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herwehe, J. A.; Alapaty, K.; Otte, T.; Nolte, C. G.

2012-12-01

Interactions between atmospheric radiation, clouds, and aerosols are the most important processes that determine the climate and its variability. In regional scale models, when used at relatively coarse spatial resolutions (e.g., larger than 1 km), convective cumulus clouds need to be parameterized as subgrid-scale clouds. Like many groups, our regional climate modeling group at the EPA uses the Weather Research & Forecasting model (WRF) as a regional climate model (RCM). One of the findings from our RCM studies is that the summertime convective systems simulated by the WRF model are highly energetic, leading to excessive surface precipitation. We also found that the WRF model does not consider the interactions between convective clouds and radiation, thereby omitting an important process that drives the climate. Thus, the subgrid-scale cloudiness associated with convective clouds (from shallow cumuli to thunderstorms) does not exist and radiation passes through the atmosphere nearly unimpeded, potentially leading to overly energetic convection. This also has implications for air quality modeling systems that are dependent upon cloud properties from the WRF model, as the failure to account for subgrid-scale cloudiness can lead to problems such as the underrepresentation of aqueous chemistry processes within clouds and the overprediction of ozone from overactive photolysis. In an effort to advance the climate science of the cloud-aerosol-radiation (CAR) interactions in RCM systems, as a first step we have focused on linking the cumulus clouds with the radiation processes. To this end, our research group has implemented into WRF's Kain-Fritsch (KF) cumulus parameterization a cloudiness formulation that is widely used in global earth system models (e.g., CESM/CAM5). Estimated grid-scale cloudiness and associated condensate are adjusted to account for the subgrid clouds and then passed to WRF's Rapid Radiative Transfer Model - Global (RRTMG) radiation schemes to affect the shortwave and longwave radiative processes. To evaluate the effects of implementing the subgrid-scale cloud-radiation interactions on WRF regional climate simulations, a three-year study period (1988-1990) was simulated over the CONUS using two-way nested domains with 108 km and 36 km horizontal grid spacing, without and with the cumulus feedbacks to radiation, and without and with some form of four dimensional data assimilation (FDDA). Initial and lateral boundary conditions (as well as data for the FDDA, when enabled) were supplied from downscaled NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis II (R2) data sets. Evaluation of the simulation results will be presented comparing regional surface precipitation and temperature statistics with North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data and Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) data, respectively, as well as comparison with available surface radiation (SURFRAD) and satellite (CERES) observations. This research supports improvements in the EPA's WRF-CMAQ modeling system, leading to better predictions of present and future air quality and climate interactions in order to protect human health and the environment.
15 CFR 908.8 - Maintenance of records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30,000 feet m.s.l.; ground... weather modification activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30... operation; for example: Percent of cloud cover, temperature, humidity, the presence of lightning, hail...
15 CFR 908.8 - Maintenance of records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30,000 feet m.s.l.; ground... weather modification activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30... operation; for example: Percent of cloud cover, temperature, humidity, the presence of lightning, hail...
15 CFR 908.8 - Maintenance of records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30,000 feet m.s.l.; ground... weather modification activity during each operational period (e.g., cumulus clouds between 10,000 and 30... operation; for example: Percent of cloud cover, temperature, humidity, the presence of lightning, hail...
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).
Estimates for the Probabilities of Surface-to-Air Cloud-Free Lines-of-Sight and Low Cloud Statistics from Ship Observations. Part 1. Fifteen Marine Locations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-24

time before and after) or cumulus fractus of bad weath’er, or both ( pannus ), usually below altostratus or nimbostratus. 8 = Cumulus and stratocumulus...vibrous upper part by cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus or pannus . + . from Surface Marine Observations Tape Deck TDF-11 *Fog All clouds in the 0-50...Fractus of bad weather, cr V both ( pannus ), usually below Alto- stratus or N~imbostratus. The term "bad weather* denotes the conditions which coenerally
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.
MODELING NON-PRECIPITATING CUMULUS CLOUDS AS FLOW-THROUGH-REACTOR TRANSFORMER AND VENTING TRANSPORTER OF MIXED LAYER POLLUTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

A simple diagnostic model of cumulus convective clouds is developed and used in a sensitivity study to examine the extent to which the rate of change of mixed and cloud layer pollutant concentration is influenced by vertical transport and chemical transformation processes occurri...
A unified parameterization of clouds and turbulence using CLUBB and subcolumns in the Community Atmosphere Model

DOE PAGES

Thayer-Calder, K.; Gettelman, A.; Craig, C.; ...

2015-06-30

Most global climate models parameterize separate cloud types using separate parameterizations. This approach has several disadvantages, including obscure interactions between parameterizations and inaccurate triggering of cumulus parameterizations. Alternatively, a unified cloud parameterization uses one equation set to represent all cloud types. Such cloud types include stratiform liquid and ice cloud, shallow convective cloud, and deep convective cloud. Vital to the success of a unified parameterization is a general interface between clouds and microphysics. One such interface involves drawing Monte Carlo samples of subgrid variability of temperature, water vapor, cloud liquid, and cloud ice, and feeding the sample points into amore » microphysics scheme.This study evaluates a unified cloud parameterization and a Monte Carlo microphysics interface that has been implemented in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 5.3. Results describing the mean climate and tropical variability from global simulations are presented. The new model shows a degradation in precipitation skill but improvements in short-wave cloud forcing, liquid water path, long-wave cloud forcing, precipitable water, and tropical wave simulation. Also presented are estimations of computational expense and investigation of sensitivity to number of subcolumns.« less
A unified parameterization of clouds and turbulence using CLUBB and subcolumns in the Community Atmosphere Model

DOE PAGES

Thayer-Calder, Katherine; Gettelman, A.; Craig, Cheryl; ...

2015-12-01

Most global climate models parameterize separate cloud types using separate parameterizations.This approach has several disadvantages, including obscure interactions between parameterizations and inaccurate triggering of cumulus parameterizations. Alternatively, a unified cloud parameterization uses one equation set to represent all cloud types. Such cloud types include stratiform liquid and ice cloud, shallow convective cloud, and deep convective cloud. Vital to the success of a unified parameterization is a general interface between clouds and microphysics. One such interface involves drawing Monte Carlo samples of subgrid variability of temperature, water vapor, cloud liquid, and cloud ice, and feeding the sample points into a microphysicsmore » scheme. This study evaluates a unified cloud parameterization and a Monte Carlo microphysics interface that has been implemented in the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 5.3. Results describing the mean climate and tropical variability from global simulations are presented. In conclusion, the new model shows a degradation in precipitation skill but improvements in short-wave cloud forcing, liquid water path, long-wave cloud forcing, perceptible water, and tropical wave simulation. Also presented are estimations of computational expense and investigation of sensitivity to number of subcolumns.« less
The Effect of Cumulus Cloud Field Anisotropy on Domain-Averaged Solar Fluxes and Atmospheric Heating Rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinkelman, Laura M.; Evans, K. Franklin; Clothiaux, Eugene E.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.

2006-01-01

Cumulus clouds can become tilted or elongated in the presence of wind shear. Nevertheless, most studies of the interaction of cumulus clouds and radiation have assumed these clouds to be isotropic. This paper describes an investigation of the effect of fair-weather cumulus cloud field anisotropy on domain-averaged solar fluxes and atmospheric heating rate profiles. A stochastic field generation algorithm was used to produce twenty three-dimensional liquid water content fields based on the statistical properties of cloud scenes from a large eddy simulation. Progressively greater degrees of x-z plane tilting and horizontal stretching were imposed on each of these scenes, so that an ensemble of scenes was produced for each level of distortion. The resulting scenes were used as input to a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. Domain-average transmission, reflection, and absorption of broadband solar radiation were computed for each scene along with the average heating rate profile. Both tilt and horizontal stretching were found to significantly affect calculated fluxes, with the amount and sign of flux differences depending strongly on sun position relative to cloud distortion geometry. The mechanisms by which anisotropy interacts with solar fluxes were investigated by comparisons to independent pixel approximation and tilted independent pixel approximation computations for the same scenes. Cumulus anisotropy was found to most strongly impact solar radiative transfer by changing the effective cloud fraction, i.e., the cloud fraction when the field is projected on a surface perpendicular to the direction of the incident solar beam.

Weather Forecasting Systems and Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mecikalski, John (Inventor); MacKenzie, Wayne M., Jr. (Inventor); Walker, John Robert (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A weather forecasting system has weather forecasting logic that receives raw image data from a satellite. The raw image data has values indicative of light and radiance data from the Earth as measured by the satellite, and the weather forecasting logic processes such data to identify cumulus clouds within the satellite images. For each identified cumulus cloud, the weather forecasting logic applies interest field tests to determine a score indicating the likelihood of the cumulus cloud forming precipitation and/or lightning in the future within a certain time period. Based on such scores, the weather forecasting logic predicts in which geographic regions the identified cumulus clouds will produce precipitation and/or lighting within during the time period. Such predictions may then be used to provide a weather map thereby providing users with a graphical illustration of the areas predicted to be affected by precipitation within the time period.
An efficient framework for modeling clouds from Landsat8 images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Chunqiang; Guo, Jing

2015-03-01

Cloud plays an important role in creating realistic outdoor scenes for video game and flight simulation applications. Classic methods have been proposed for cumulus cloud modeling. However, these methods are not flexible for modeling large cloud scenes with hundreds of clouds in that the user must repeatedly model each cloud and adjust its various properties. This paper presents a meteorologically based method to reconstruct cumulus clouds from high resolution Landsat8 satellite images. From these input satellite images, the clouds are first segmented from the background. Then, the cloud top surface is estimated from the temperature of the infrared image. After that, under a mild assumption of flat base for cumulus cloud, the base height of each cloud is computed by averaging the top height for pixels on the cloud edge. Then, the extinction is generated from the visible image. Finally, we enrich the initial shapes of clouds using a fractal method and represent the recovered clouds as a particle system. The experimental results demonstrate our method can yield realistic cloud scenes resembling those in the satellite images.
Cloud Condensation Nuclei in Cumulus Humilis - Selected Case Study During the CHAPS Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, X.; Berg, L. K.; Berkowitz, C. M.; Alexander, M. L.; Lee, Y.; Laskin, A.; Ogren, J. A.; Andrews, B.

2009-12-01

The Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) provided a unique opportunity to study aerosol and cloud processing. Clouds play an active role in the processing and cycling of atmospheric constituents. Gases and particles can partition to cloud droplets by absorption and condensation as well as activation and pact scavenging. The Department of Energy (DOE) G-1 aircraft was used as one of the main platforms in CHAPS. Flight tracks were designed and implemented to characterize freshly emitted aerosols on cloud top and cloud base as well as with cloud, i.e., cumulus humilis (or fair-weather cumulus), in the vicinity of Oklahoma City. Measurements of interstitial aerosols and residuals of activated condensation cloud nuclei were conducted simultaneously. The interstitial aerosols were determined downstream of an isokinetic inlet; and the activated particles downstream of a counter-flow virtual impactor (CVI). The sampling line to the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer was switched between the isokinetic inlet and the CVI to allow characterization of interstitial particles out of clouds in contrast to particles activated in clouds. Trace gases including ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and a series of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were also measured as were key meteorological state parameters including liquid water content, cloud drop size, and dew point temperature were measured. This work will focus on studying CCN properties in cumulus humilis. Several approaches will be taken. The first is single particle analysis of particles collected by the Time-Resolved Aerosol Sampler (TRAC) by SEM/TEM coupled with EDX. We will specifically look into differences in particle properties such as chemical composition and morphology between activated and interstitial ones. The second analysis will link in situ measurements with the snap shots observations by TRAC. For instance, by looking into the characteristic m/z obtained by AMS vs. CO or isoprene, one can gain more insight into the role of primary and secondary organic aerosols in CCNs and background aerosols. Combined with observations of cloud properties, an improved picture of CCN activation in cumulus humilis can be made.
Methods of editing cloud and atmospheric layer affected pixels from satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nixon, P. R. (Principal Investigator); Wiegand, C. L.; Richardson, A. J.; Johnson, M. P.; Goodier, B. G.

1981-01-01

The location and migration of cloud, land and water features were examined in spectral space (reflective VIS vs. emissive IR). Daytime HCMM data showed two distinct types of cloud affected pixels in the south Texas test area. High altitude cirrus and/or cirrostratus and "subvisible cirrus" (SCi) reflected the same or only slightly more than land features. In the emissive band, the digital counts ranged from 1 to over 75 and overlapped land features. Pixels consisting of cumulus clouds, or of mixed cumulus and landscape, clustered in a different area of spectral space than the high altitude cloud pixels. Cumulus affected pixels were more reflective than land and water pixels. In August the high altitude clouds and SCi were more emissive than similar clouds were in July. Four-channel TIROS-N data were examined with the objective of developing a multispectral screening technique for removing SCi contaminated data.
An Economical Analytical Equation for the Integrated Vertical Overlap of Cumulus and Stratus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sungsu

2018-03-01

By extending the previously proposed heuristic parameterization, the author derived an analytical equation computing the overlap areas between the precipitation (or radiation) areas and the cloud areas in a cloud system consisting of cumulus and stratus. The new analytical equation is accurate and much more efficient than the previous heuristic equation, which suffers from the truncation error in association with the digitalization of the overlap areas. Global test simulations with the new analytical formula in an offline mode showed that the maximum cumulus overlap simulates more surface precipitation flux than the random cumulus overlap. On the other hand, the maximum stratus overlap simulates less surface precipitation flux than random stratus overlap, which is due to the increase in the evaporation rate of convective precipitation from the random to maximum stratus overlap. The independent precipitation approximation (IPA) marginally decreases the surface precipitation flux, implying that IPA works well with other parameterizations. In contrast to the net production rate of precipitation and surface precipitation flux that increase when the cumulus and stratus are maximally and randomly overlapped, respectively, the global mean net radiative cooling and longwave cloud radiative forcing (LWCF) increase when the cumulus and stratus are randomly overlapped. On the global average, the vertical cloud overlap exerts larger impacts on the precipitation flux than on the radiation flux. The radiation scheme taking the subgrid variability of water vapor between the cloud and clear portions into account substantially increases the global mean LWCF in tropical deep convection and midlatitude storm track regions.
The Role of Intraseasonal Variability in Supporting the Shallow-to-Deep Transition in the Amazon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serra, Y. L.; Rowe, A.; Adams, D. K.; Barbosa, H. M.; Kiladis, G. N.

2016-12-01

The shallow-to-deep convective transition over land typically refers to the growth of the convective boundary layer after sunrise, followed by the development of cumulus congestus clouds in the late morning/early afternoon and transitioning to deep convective clouds in the late afternoon and early evening. Under favorable conditions, this diurnal convection can result in organized mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that last through the following morning. While many studies have focused on improving this process in models, the shallow-to-deep transition remains poorly represented especially over land. The recent DOE ARM mobile facility deployment in the Amazon, launched as part of GOAmazon, along with a dense GNSS network supported by Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA)/Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) and co-located with the CHUVA Project sites for GOAmazon, are used here to examine land-based convective processes in the tropics. In particular, this aspect of a larger study of the shallow-to-deep transition explores the role of large-scale intraseasonal wave activity in supporting the growth of MCSs over the GoAmazon region. These results will be placed in the context of local forcing mechanisms for convective growth over the region in ongoing work.
Differences between nonprecipitating tropical and trade wind marine shallow cumuli

DOE PAGES

Ghate, Virendra P.; Miller, Mark A.; Zhu, Ping

2015-11-13

In this study, marine nonprecipitating cumulus topped boundary layers (CTBLs) observed in a tropical and in a trade wind region are contrasted based on their cloud macrophysical, dynamical, and radiative structures. Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observational site previously operating at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and data collected during the deployment of ARM Mobile Facility at the island of Graciosa, in the Azores, were used in this study. The tropical marine CTBLs were deeper, had higher surface fluxes and boundary layer radiative cooling, but lower wind speeds compared to their trade wind counterparts. The radiative velocity scalemore » was 50%-70% of the surface convective velocity scale at both locations, highlighting the prominent role played by radiation in maintaining turbulence in marine CTBLs. Despite greater thicknesses, the chord lengths of tropical cumuli were on average lower than those of trade wind cumuli, and as a result of lower cloud cover, the hourly averaged (cloudy and clear) liquid water paths of tropical cumuli were lower than the trade wind cumuli. At both locations ~70% of the cloudy profiles were updrafts, while the average amount of updrafts near cloud base stronger than 1 m s –1 was ~22% in tropical cumuli and ~12% in the trade wind cumuli. The mean in-cloud radar reflectivity within updrafts and mean updraft velocity was higher in tropical cumuli than the trade wind cumuli. Despite stronger vertical velocities and a higher number of strong updrafts, due to lower cloud fraction, the updraft mass flux was lower in the tropical cumuli compared to the trade wind cumuli. The observations suggest that the tropical and trade wind marine cumulus clouds differ significantly in their macrophysical and dynamical structures« less
Differences between nonprecipitating tropical and trade wind marine shallow cumuli

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

Ghate, Virendra P.; Miller, Mark A.; Zhu, Ping

In this study, marine nonprecipitating cumulus topped boundary layers (CTBLs) observed in a tropical and in a trade wind region are contrasted based on their cloud macrophysical, dynamical, and radiative structures. Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observational site previously operating at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and data collected during the deployment of ARM Mobile Facility at the island of Graciosa, in the Azores, were used in this study. The tropical marine CTBLs were deeper, had higher surface fluxes and boundary layer radiative cooling, but lower wind speeds compared to their trade wind counterparts. The radiative velocity scalemore » was 50%-70% of the surface convective velocity scale at both locations, highlighting the prominent role played by radiation in maintaining turbulence in marine CTBLs. Despite greater thicknesses, the chord lengths of tropical cumuli were on average lower than those of trade wind cumuli, and as a result of lower cloud cover, the hourly averaged (cloudy and clear) liquid water paths of tropical cumuli were lower than the trade wind cumuli. At both locations ~70% of the cloudy profiles were updrafts, while the average amount of updrafts near cloud base stronger than 1 m s –1 was ~22% in tropical cumuli and ~12% in the trade wind cumuli. The mean in-cloud radar reflectivity within updrafts and mean updraft velocity was higher in tropical cumuli than the trade wind cumuli. Despite stronger vertical velocities and a higher number of strong updrafts, due to lower cloud fraction, the updraft mass flux was lower in the tropical cumuli compared to the trade wind cumuli. The observations suggest that the tropical and trade wind marine cumulus clouds differ significantly in their macrophysical and dynamical structures« less
Insitu aircraft verification of the quality of satellite cloud winds over oceanic regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasler, A. F.; Skillman, W. C.

1979-01-01

A five year aircraft experiment to verify the quality of satellite cloud winds over oceans using in situ aircraft inertial navigation system wind measurements is presented. The final results show that satellite measured cumulus cloud motions are very good estimators of the cloud base wind for trade wind and subtropical high regions. The average magnitude of the vector differences between the cloud motion and the cloud base wind is given. For cumulus clouds near frontal regions, the cloud motion agreed best with the mean cloud layer wind. For a very limited sample, cirrus cloud motions also most closely followed the mean wind in the cloud layer.
Homogenizing Surface and Satellite Observations of Cloud. Aspects of Bias in Surface Data.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-10

both ( pannus ), usually below fractus of bad weather, or both ( pannus ), usu- Altostratus or Nimbostratus ally below Altostratus or Nimbostratus 8 Cumulus...Stratocumulus, Stratus of an anvil; either accompanied or not by Cu- or pannus mulonimbus without anvil or fibrous upper part, by Cumulus, Stratocumulus...Stratus or pannus CL clouds invisible owing to darkness, fog, / Stratocumulus, Stratus, Cumulus and Cu- blowing dust or sand, or other similar mulonimbus
Long-term observations of aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei concentrations in Barbados

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöhlker, Mira L.; Klimach, Thomas; Krüger, Ovid O.; Hrabe de Angelis, Isabella; Ditas, Florian; Praß, Maria; Holanda, Bruna; Su, Hang; Weber, Bettina; Pöhlker, Christopher; Farrell, David A.; Stevens, Bjorn; Prospero, Joseph M.; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Pöschl, Ulrich

2017-04-01

Long-term observation of atmospheric aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations has been conducted at the Ragged Point site in Barbados since August 2016. Ragged Point is a well-established station to monitor the transatlantic transport of Saharan dust outbreaks [1]. In the absence of dust plumes, it represents an ideal site to analyze the maritime boundary layer aerosol that is transported with the trade winds over the Atlantic towards Barbados [2,3]. Broad aerosol size distribution (10 nm to 10 µm) as well as size-resolved CCN measurements at 10 different supersaturations from 0.05 % to 0.84 % have been conducted. The continuous online analyses are supplemented by intensive sampling periods to probe specific aerosol properties with various offline techniques (i.e., microscopy and spectroscopy). Aerosol key properties from our measurements are compared with the continuous and in depth observation of cloud properties at Deebles Point, which is in close neighborhood to the Ragged Point site [2]. Moreover, our activities have been synchronized with the HALO-NARVAL-2 aircraft campaign in August 2016 that added further detailed information on shallow cumulus clouds, which are characteristic for the Atlantic trade winds and represent a crucial factor in the Earth climate system. Our measurements have the following two focal points: (i) We aim to obtain a detailed CCN climatology for the alternation of maritime and dust-impacted episodes at this unique coastal location. This study will complement our recent in-depth analysis for the long-term CCN variability at a remote rain forest location [4]. (ii) Furthermore, we aim to collect detailed information on the role of different aerosol populations on the properties of the climatically important shallow cumulus clouds. References: [1] Prospero, J. M., Collard, F. X., Molinie, J., Jeannot, A. (2014), Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 28, 757-773. [2] Stevens, B., et al. (2016), Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97, 787-801. [3] Wex, H., et al., (2016), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14107-14130. [4] Pöhlker, M. L.., et al. (2016), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 15709-15740.
Understanding aerosol-cloud interactions in the development of orographic cumulus congestus during IPHEx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barros, A. P.; Duan, Y.

2017-12-01

A new cloud parcel model (CPM) including activation, condensation, collision-coalescence, and lateral entrainment processes is presented here to investigate aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) in cumulus development prior to rainfall onset. The CPM was employed along with ground based radar and surface aerosol measurements to predict the vertical structure of cloud formation at early stages and evaluated against airborne observations of cloud microphysics and thermodynamic conditions during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) over the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Further, the CPM was applied to explore the space of ACI physical parameters controlling cumulus congestus growth not available from measurements, and to examine how variations in aerosol properties and microphysical processes influence the evolution and thermodynamic state of clouds over complex terrain via sensitivity analysis. Modeling results indicate that simulated spectra with a low value of condensation coefficient (0.01) are in good agreement with IPHEx aircraft observations around the same altitude. This is in contrast with high values reported in previous studies assuming adiabatic conditions. Entrainment is shown to govern the vertical development of clouds and the change of droplet numbers with height, and the sensitivity analysis suggests that there is a trade-off between entrainment strength and condensation process. Simulated CDNC also exhibits high sensitivity to variations in initial aerosol concentration at cloud base, but weak sensitivity to aerosol hygroscopicity. Exploratory multiple-parcel simulations capture realistic time-scales of vertical development of cumulus congestus (deeper clouds and faster droplet growth). These findings provide new insights into determinant factors of mid-day cumulus congestus formation that can explain a large fraction of warm season rainfall in mountainous regions.
Clustering, randomness, and regularity in cloud fields. 4. Stratocumulus cloud fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Chou, J.; Weger, R. C.; Welch, R. M.

1994-07-01

To complete the analysis of the spatial distribution of boundary layer cloudiness, the present study focuses on nine stratocumulus Landsat scenes. The results indicate many similarities between stratocumulus and cumulus spatial distributions. Most notably, at full spatial resolution all scenes exhibit a decidedly clustered distribution. The strength of the clustering signal decreases with increasing cloud size; the clusters themselves consist of a few clouds (less than 10), occupy a small percentage of the cloud field area (less than 5%), contain between 20% and 60% of the cloud field population, and are randomly located within the scene. In contrast, stratocumulus in almost every respect are more strongly clustered than are cumulus cloud fields. For instance, stratocumulus clusters contain more clouds per cluster, occupy a larger percentage of the total area, and have a larger percentage of clouds participating in clusters than the corresponding cumulus examples. To investigate clustering at intermediate spatial scales, the local dimensionality statistic is introduced. Results obtained from this statistic provide the first direct evidence for regularity among large (>900 m in diameter) clouds in stratocumulus and cumulus cloud fields, in support of the inhibition hypothesis of Ramirez and Bras (1990). Also, the size compensated point-to-cloud cumulative distribution function statistic is found to be necessary to obtain a consistent description of stratocumulus cloud distributions. A hypothesis regarding the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for cloud clustering is presented. It is suggested that cloud clusters often arise from 4 to 10 triggering events localized within regions less than 2 km in diameter and randomly distributed within the cloud field. As the size of the cloud surpasses the scale of the triggering region, the clustering signal weakens and the larger cloud locations become more random.
Clustering, randomness, and regularity in cloud fields. 4: Stratocumulus cloud fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J.; Chou, J.; Weger, R. C.; Welch, R. M.

1994-01-01

To complete the analysis of the spatial distribution of boundary layer cloudiness, the present study focuses on nine stratocumulus Landsat scenes. The results indicate many similarities between stratocumulus and cumulus spatial distributions. Most notably, at full spatial resolution all scenes exhibit a decidedly clustered distribution. The strength of the clustering signal decreases with increasing cloud size; the clusters themselves consist of a few clouds (less than 10), occupy a small percentage of the cloud field area (less than 5%), contain between 20% and 60% of the cloud field population, and are randomly located within the scene. In contrast, stratocumulus in almost every respect are more strongly clustered than are cumulus cloud fields. For instance, stratocumulus clusters contain more clouds per cluster, occupy a larger percentage of the total area, and have a larger percentage of clouds participating in clusters than the corresponding cumulus examples. To investigate clustering at intermediate spatial scales, the local dimensionality statistic is introduced. Results obtained from this statistic provide the first direct evidence for regularity among large (more than 900 m in diameter) clouds in stratocumulus and cumulus cloud fields, in support of the inhibition hypothesis of Ramirez and Bras (1990). Also, the size compensated point-to-cloud cumulative distribution function statistic is found to be necessary to obtain a consistent description of stratocumulus cloud distributions. A hypothesis regarding the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for cloud clustering is presented. It is suggested that cloud clusters often arise from 4 to 10 triggering events localized within regions less than 2 km in diameter and randomly distributed within the cloud field. As the size of the cloud surpasses the scale of the triggering region, the clustering signal weakens and the larger cloud locations become more random.
Laboratory Studies of Anomalous Entrainment in Cumulus Cloud Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diwan, Sourabh S.; Narasimha, Roddam; Bhat, G. S.; Sreenivas, K. R.

2011-12-01

Entrainment in cumulus clouds has been a subject of investigation for the last sixty years, and continues to be a central issue in current research. The development of a laboratory facility that can simulate cumulus cloud evolution enables us to shed light on the problem. The apparatus for the purpose is based on a physical model of cloud flow as a plume with off-source diabatic heating that is dynamically similar to the effect of latent-heat release in natural clouds. We present a critical review of the experimental data so far obtained in such facilities on the variation of the entrainment coefficient in steady diabatic jets and plumes. Although there are some unexplained differences among different data sets, the dominant trend of the results compares favourably with recent numerical simulations on steady-state deep convection, and helps explain certain puzzles in the fluid dynamics of clouds.
Cloud regimes as phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stechmann, Samuel; Hottovy, Scott

2017-11-01

Clouds are repeatedly identified as a leading source of uncertainty in future climate predictions. Of particular importance are stratocumulus clouds, which can appear as either (i) closed cells that reflect solar radiation back to space or (ii) open cells that allow solar radiation to reach the Earth's surface. Here we show that these clouds regimes - open versus closed cells - fit the paradigm of a phase transition. In addition, this paradigm characterizes pockets of open cells (POCs) as the interface between the open- and closed-cell regimes, and it identifies shallow cumulus clouds as a regime of higher variability. This behavior can be understood using an idealized model for the dynamics of atmospheric water as a stochastic diffusion process. Similar viewpoints of deep convection and self-organized criticality will also be discussed. With these new conceptual viewpoints, ideas from statistical mechanics could potentially be used for understanding uncertainties related to clouds in the climate system and climate predictions. The research of S.N.S. is partially supported by a Sloan Research Fellowship, ONR Young Investigator Award N00014-12-1-0744, and ONR MURI Grant N00014-12-1-0912.
Why is the simulated climatology of tropical cyclones so sensitive to the choice of cumulus parameterization scheme in the WRF model?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chunxi; Wang, Yuqing

2018-01-01

The sensitivity of simulated tropical cyclones (TCs) to the choice of cumulus parameterization (CP) scheme in the advanced Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-ARW) version 3.5 is analyzed based on ten seasonal simulations with 20-km horizontal grid spacing over the western North Pacific. Results show that the simulated frequency and intensity of TCs are very sensitive to the choice of the CP scheme. The sensitivity can be explained well by the difference in the low-level circulation in a height and sorted moisture space. By transporting moist static energy from dry to moist region, the low-level circulation is important to convective self-aggregation which is believed to be related to genesis of TC-like vortices (TCLVs) and TCs in idealized settings. The radiative and evaporative cooling associated with low-level clouds and shallow convection in dry regions is found to play a crucial role in driving the moisture-sorted low-level circulation. With shallow convection turned off in a CP scheme, relatively strong precipitation occurs frequently in dry regions. In this case, the diabatic cooling can still drive the low-level circulation but its strength is reduced and thus TCLV/TC genesis is suppressed. The inclusion of the cumulus momentum transport (CMT) in a CP scheme can considerably suppress genesis of TCLVs/TCs, while changes in the moisture-sorted low-level circulation and horizontal distribution of precipitation are trivial, indicating that the CMT modulates the TCLVs/TCs activities in the model by mechanisms other than the horizontal transport of moist static energy.
Interaction of a cumulus cloud ensemble with the large-scale environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arakawa, A.; Schubert, W.

1973-01-01

Large-scale modification of the environment by cumulus clouds is discussed in terms of entrainment, detrainment, evaporation, and subsidence. Drying, warming, and condensation by vertical displacement of air are considered as well as budget equations for mass, static energy, water vapor, and liquid water.
Uncertainties of Large-Scale Forcing Caused by Surface Turbulence Flux Measurements and the Impacts on Cloud Simulations at the ARM SGP Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, S.; Xie, S.; Tang, Q.; Zhang, Y.

2017-12-01

Two types of instruments, the eddy correlation flux measurement system (ECOR) and the energy balance Bowen ratio system (EBBR), are used at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site to measure surface latent and sensible fluxes. ECOR and EBBR typically sample different land surface types, and the domain-mean surface fluxes derived from ECOR and EBBR are not always consistent. The uncertainties of the surface fluxes will have impacts on the derived large-scale forcing data and further affect the simulations of single-column models (SCM), cloud-resolving models (CRM) and large-eddy simulation models (LES), especially for the shallow-cumulus clouds which are mainly driven by surface forcing. This study aims to quantify the uncertainties of the large-scale forcing caused by surface turbulence flux measurements and investigate the impacts on cloud simulations using long-term observations from the ARM SGP site.
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.

A Heuristic Parameterization for the Integrated Vertical Overlap of Cumulus and Stratus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sungsu

2017-10-01

The author developed a heuristic parameterization to handle the contrasting vertical overlap structures of cumulus and stratus in an integrated way. The parameterization assumes that cumulus is maximum-randomly overlapped with adjacent cumulus; stratus is maximum-randomly overlapped with adjacent stratus; and radiation and precipitation areas at each model interface are grouped into four categories, that is, convective, stratiform, mixed, and clear areas. For simplicity, thermodynamic scalars within individual portions of cloud, radiation, and precipitation areas are assumed to be internally homogeneous. The parameterization was implemented into the Seoul National University Atmosphere Model version 0 (SAM0) in an offline mode and tested over the globe. The offline control simulation reasonably reproduces the online surface precipitation flux and longwave cloud radiative forcing (LWCF). Although the cumulus fraction is much smaller than the stratus fraction, cumulus dominantly contributes to precipitation production in the tropics. For radiation, however, stratus is dominant. Compared with the maximum overlap, the random overlap of stratus produces stronger LWCF and, surprisingly, more precipitation flux due to less evaporation of convective precipitation. Compared with the maximum overlap, the random overlap of cumulus simulates stronger LWCF and weaker precipitation flux. Compared with the control simulation with separate cumulus and stratus, the simulation with a single-merged cloud substantially enhances the LWCF in the tropical deep convection and midlatitude storm track regions. The process-splitting treatment of convective and stratiform precipitation with an independent precipitation approximation (IPA) simulates weaker surface precipitation flux than the control simulation in the tropical region.
Cloud field classification based upon high spatial resolution textural features. I - Gray level co-occurrence matrix approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, R. M.; Sengupta, S. K.; Chen, D. W.

1988-01-01

Stratocumulus, cumulus, and cirrus clouds were identified on the basis of cloud textural features which were derived from a single high-resolution Landsat MSS NIR channel using a stepwise linear discriminant analysis. It is shown that, using this method, it is possible to distinguish high cirrus clouds from low clouds with high accuracy on the basis of spatial brightness patterns. The largest probability of misclassification is associated with confusion between the stratocumulus breakup regions and the fair-weather cumulus.
A network approach to the geometric structure of shallow cloud fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glassmeier, F.; Feingold, G.

2017-12-01

The representation of shallow clouds and their radiative impact is one of the largest challenges for global climate models. While the bulk properties of cloud fields, including effects of organization, are a very active area of research, the potential of the geometric arrangement of cloud fields for the development of new parameterizations has hardly been explored. Self-organized patterns are particularly evident in the cellular structure of Stratocumulus (Sc) clouds so readily visible in satellite imagery. Inspired by similar patterns in biology and physics, we approach pattern formation in Sc fields from the perspective of natural cellular networks. Our network analysis is based on large-eddy simulations of open- and closed-cell Sc cases. We find the network structure to be neither random nor characteristic to natural convection. It is independent of macroscopic cloud fields properties like the Sc regime (open vs closed) and its typical length scale (boundary layer height). The latter is a consequence of entropy maximization (Lewis's Law with parameter 0.16). The cellular pattern is on average hexagonal, where non-6 sided cells occur according to a neighbor-number distribution variance of about 2. Reflecting the continuously renewing dynamics of Sc fields, large (many-sided) cells tend to neighbor small (few-sided) cells (Aboav-Weaire Law with parameter 0.9). These macroscopic network properties emerge independent of the Sc regime because the different processes governing the evolution of closed as compared to open cells correspond to topologically equivalent network dynamics. By developing a heuristic model, we show that open and closed cell dynamics can both be mimicked by versions of cell division and cell disappearance and are biased towards the expansion of smaller cells. This model offers for the first time a fundamental and universal explanation for the geometric pattern of Sc clouds. It may contribute to the development of advanced Sc parameterizations. As an outlook, we discuss how a similar network approach can be applied to describe and quantify the geometric structure of shallow cumulus cloud fields.
A modeling study of marine boundary layer clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Shouping; Fitzjarrald, Daniel E.

1993-01-01

Marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds are important components of the earth's climate system. These clouds drastically reduce the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the earth, but have little effect on the emitted infrared radiation on top of the atmosphere. In addition, these clouds are intimately involved in regulating boundary layer turbulent fluxes. For these reasons, it is important that general circulation models used for climate studies must realistically simulate the global distribution of the MBL. While the importance of these cloud systems is well recognized, many physical processes involved in these clouds are poorly understood and their representation in large-scale models remains an unresolved problem. The present research aims at the development and improvement of the parameterization of these cloud systems and an understanding of physical processes involved. This goal is addressed in two ways. One is to use regional modeling approach to validate and evaluate two-layer marine boundary layer models using satellite and ground-truth observations; the other is to combine this simple model with a high-order turbulence closure model to study the transition processes from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus clouds. Progress made in this effort is presented.
Determination of Cloud Base Height, Wind Velocity, and Short-Range Cloud Structure Using Multiple Sky Imagers Field Campaign Report

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

Huang, Dong; Schwartz, Stephen E.; Yu, Dantong

Clouds are a central focus of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric System Research (ASR) program and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility, and more broadly are the subject of much investigation because of their important effects on atmospheric radiation and, through feedbacks, on climate sensitivity. Significant progress has been made by moving from a vertically pointing (“soda-straw”) to a three-dimensional (3D) view of clouds by investing in scanning cloud radars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Yet, because of the physical nature of radars, there are key gaps in ARM's cloud observational capabilities. Formore » example, cloud radars often fail to detect small shallow cumulus and thin cirrus clouds that are nonetheless radiatively important. Furthermore, it takes five to twenty minutes for a cloud radar to complete a 3D volume scan and clouds can evolve substantially during this period. Ground-based stereo-imaging is a promising technique to complement existing ARM cloud observation capabilities. It enables the estimation of cloud coverage, height, horizontal motion, morphology, and spatial arrangement over an extended area of up to 30 by 30 km at refresh rates greater than 1 Hz (Peng et al. 2015). With fine spatial and temporal resolution of modern sky cameras, the stereo-imaging technique allows for the tracking of a small cumulus cloud or a thin cirrus cloud that cannot be detected by a cloud radar. With support from the DOE SunShot Initiative, the Principal Investigator (PI)’s team at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has developed some initial capability for cloud tracking using multiple distinctly located hemispheric cameras (Peng et al. 2015). To validate the ground-based cloud stereo-imaging technique, the cloud stereo-imaging field campaign was conducted at the ARM Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma from July 15 to December 24. As shown in Figure 1, the cloud stereo-imaging system consisted of two inexpensive high-definition (HD) hemispheric cameras (each cost less than $1,500) and ARM’s Total Sky Imager (TSI). Together with other co-located ARM instrumentation, the campaign provides a promising opportunity to validate stereo-imaging-based cloud base height and, more importantly, to examine the feasibility of cloud thickness retrieval for low-view-angle clouds.« less
Skill of ship-following large-eddy simulations in reproducing MAGIC observations across the northeast Pacific stratocumulus to cumulus transition region

DOE PAGES

McGibbon, J.; Bretherton, C. S.

2017-03-17

During the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) in October 2011 to September 2012, a container ship making periodic cruises between Los Angeles, CA, and Honolulu, HI, was instrumented with surface meteorological, aerosol and radiation instruments, a cloud radar and ceilometer, and radiosondes. Here large-eddy simulation (LES) is performed in a ship-following frame of reference for 13 four day transects from the MAGIC field campaign. The goal is to assess if LES can skillfully simulate the broad range of observed cloud characteristics and boundary layer structure across the subtropical stratocumulus to cumulus transition region sampled during different seasons andmore » meteorological conditions. Results from Leg 15A, which sampled a particularly well-defined stratocumulus to cumulus transition, demonstrate the approach. The LES reproduces the observed timing of decoupling and transition from stratocumulus to cumulus and matches the observed evolution of boundary layer structure, cloud fraction, liquid water path, and precipitation statistics remarkably well. Considering the simulations of all 13 cruises, the LES skillfully simulates the mean diurnal variation of key measured quantities, including liquid water path (LWP), cloud fraction, measures of decoupling, and cloud radar-derived precipitation. The daily mean quantities are well represented, and daily mean LWP and cloud fraction show the expected correlation with estimated inversion strength. There is a –0.6 K low bias in LES near-surface air temperature that results in a high bias of 5.6 W m –2 in sensible heat flux (SHF). Altogether, these results build confidence in the ability of LES to represent the northeast Pacific stratocumulus to trade cumulus transition region.« 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.
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.
Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds on ERA-Interim and ERA5 trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazil, J.; Feingold, G.; Yamaguchi, T.

2017-12-01

This exploratory study examines Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds along wind trajectories from the ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalyses. The study is motivated by the need for statistically representative sets of high resolution simulations of cloud field evolution in realistic meteorological conditions. The study will serve as a foundation for the investigation of biomass burning effects on the transition from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus clouds in the South-East Atlantic. Trajectories that pass through a location with radiosonde data (St. Helena) and which exhibit a well-defined cloud structure and evolution were identified in satellite imagery, and sea surface temperature and atmospheric vertical profiles along the trajectories were extracted from the reanalysis data sets. The System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) simulated boundary layer turbulence and cloud properties along the trajectories. Mean temperature and moisture (in the free troposphere) and mean wind speed (at all levels) were nudged towards the reanalysis data. Atmospheric and cloud properties in the large eddy simulations were compared with those from the reanalysis products, and evaluated with satellite imagery and radiosonde data. Simulations using ERA-Interim data and the higher resolution ERA5 data are contrasted.
Laboratory simulations show diabatic heating drives cumulus-cloud evolution and entrainment

PubMed Central

Narasimha, Roddam; Diwan, Sourabh Suhas; Duvvuri, Subrahmanyam; Sreenivas, K. R.; Bhat, G. S.

2011-01-01

Clouds are the largest source of uncertainty in climate science, and remain a weak link in modeling tropical circulation. A major challenge is to establish connections between particulate microphysics and macroscale turbulent dynamics in cumulus clouds. Here we address the issue from the latter standpoint. First we show how to create bench-scale flows that reproduce a variety of cumulus-cloud forms (including two genera and three species), and track complete cloud life cycles—e.g., from a “cauliflower” congestus to a dissipating fractus. The flow model used is a transient plume with volumetric diabatic heating scaled dynamically to simulate latent-heat release from phase changes in clouds. Laser-based diagnostics of steady plumes reveal Riehl–Malkus type protected cores. They also show that, unlike the constancy implied by early self-similar plume models, the diabatic heating raises the Taylor entrainment coefficient just above cloud base, depressing it at higher levels. This behavior is consistent with cloud-dilution rates found in recent numerical simulations of steady deep convection, and with aircraft-based observations of homogeneous mixing in clouds. In-cloud diabatic heating thus emerges as the key driver in cloud development, and could well provide a major link between microphysics and cloud-scale dynamics. PMID:21918112
Cumulus cloud base height estimation from high spatial resolution Landsat data - A Hough transform approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berendes, Todd; Sengupta, Sailes K.; Welch, Ron M.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Navar, Murgesh

1992-01-01

A semiautomated methodology is developed for estimating cumulus cloud base heights on the basis of high spatial resolution Landsat MSS data, using various image-processing techniques to match cloud edges with their corresponding shadow edges. The cloud base height is then estimated by computing the separation distance between the corresponding generalized Hough transform reference points. The differences between the cloud base heights computed by these means and a manual verification technique are of the order of 100 m or less; accuracies of 50-70 m may soon be possible via EOS instruments.
The Sensitivity of Numerical Simulations of Cloud-Topped Boundary Layers to Cross-Grid Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyant, Matthew C.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Blossey, Peter N.

2018-02-01

In mesoscale and global atmospheric simulations with large horizontal domains, strong horizontal flow across the grid is often unavoidable, but its effects on cloud-topped boundary layers have received comparatively little study. Here the effects of cross-grid flow on large-eddy simulations of stratocumulus and trade-cumulus marine boundary layers are studied across a range of grid resolutions (horizontal × vertical) between 500 m × 20 m and 35 m × 5 m. Three cases are simulated: DYCOMS nocturnal stratocumulus, BOMEX trade cumulus, and a GCSS stratocumulus-to-trade cumulus case. Simulations are performed with a stationary grid (with 4-8 m s-1 horizontal winds blowing through the cyclic domain) and a moving grid (equivalent to subtracting off a fixed vertically uniform horizontal wind) approximately matching the mean boundary-layer wind speed. For stratocumulus clouds, cross-grid flow produces two primary effects on stratocumulus clouds: a filtering of fine-scale resolved turbulent eddies, which reduces stratocumulus cloud-top entrainment, and a vertical broadening of the stratocumulus-top inversion which enhances cloud-top entrainment. With a coarse (20 m) vertical grid, the former effect dominates and leads to strong increases in cloud cover and LWP, especially as horizontal resolution is coarsened. With a finer (5 m) vertical grid, the latter effect is stronger and leads to small reductions in cloud cover and LWP. For the BOMEX trade cumulus case, cross-grid flow tends to produce fewer and larger clouds with higher LWP, especially for coarser vertical grid spacing. The results presented are robust to choice of scalar advection scheme and Courant number.
Trade cumulus clouds embedded in a deep regional haze: Results from Indian Ocean CARDEX experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, E. M.; Thomas, R. M.; Praveen, P. S.; Pistone, K.; Bender, F.; Feng, Y.; Ramanathan, V.

2013-12-01

During the winter monsoon, trade cumulus clouds over the North Indian Ocean are embedded within a deep regional haze described as an atmospheric brown cloud. While the trade-cu clouds are largely confined to the marine boundary layer, the sooty brown cloud extends from the boundary layer to as high as 3 km; well above the tops of the cumulus. The boundary layer pollution is persistent and limits drizzle in the cumulus over a period of greater than a month at the Maldives Climate Observatory located at Hanimaadhoo Island. The elevated haze from 1 to 3 km altitude is episodic and strongly modulated by synoptic variability in the 700 hPa flow. The elevated plume enhances heating above the marine boundary layer through daytime absorption of sunlight by the haze particles. The interplay between the microphysical modification of clouds by boundary layer pollution and the episodic elevated heating by the atmospheric brown cloud are explored in in-situ observations from UAVs and surface remote sensing during the CARDEX field campaign of winter 2012 and supported by multi-year analysis of satellite remote sensing observations. These observations document the variability in pollution at the surface and above the marine boundary layer and the effects of pollution on the microphysics of the trade-cu clouds, the depth of the marine boundary layer, the liquid water path of trade-cu clouds, and the profile of turbulent moisture flux through the boundary layer. The consequences of these effects for the radiative forcing of regional climate will be discussed.
Cloud condensation nuclei near marine cumulus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, James G.

1993-01-01

Extensive airborne measurements of cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) spectra and condensation nuclei below, in, between, and above the cumulus clouds near Hawaii point to important aerosol-cloud interactions. Consistent particle concentrations of 200/cu cm were found above the marine boundary layer and within the noncloudy marine boundary layer. Lower and more variable CCN concentrations within the cloudy boundary layer, especially very close to the clouds, appear to be a result of cloud scavenging processes. Gravitational coagulation of cloud droplets may be the principal cause of this difference in the vertical distribution of CCN. The results suggest a reservoir of CCN in the free troposphere which can act as a source for the marine boundary layer.
14 CFR Appendix G to Part 417 - Natural and Triggered Lightning Flight Commit Criteria

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... time. A cumulus cloud formed locally and a cirrus layer that is physically separated from that cumulus... launch point at the same time. Bright band means an enhancement of radar reflectivity caused by frozen.... Cloud means a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals produced by condensation of water vapor in...
14 CFR Appendix G to Part 417 - Natural and Triggered Lightning Flight Commit Criteria

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... time. A cumulus cloud formed locally and a cirrus layer that is physically separated from that cumulus... launch point at the same time. Bright band means an enhancement of radar reflectivity caused by frozen.... Cloud means a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals produced by condensation of water vapor in...
Modeling cumulus clouds in a two-phase wind tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordás, R.; Thévenin, D.

2009-04-01

Experiments in wind-tunnels concerning meteorological flows are not very frequent in the literature. However, they are indispensable for a well-controlled and accurate investigation of turbulence-droplet interactions at the micro-scale. Of course it is impossible to reproduce perfectly the turbulent properties of clouds in a comparatively small wind-tunnel. The enormous length scales that are predominant in nature (integral length scale of typically 100 meters) lead to very high Reynolds numbers, roughly 107 calculated with the cloud dimensions or 104 as Taylor Reynolds number Reλ. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to reproduce exactly the whole turbulence spectrum to investigate the issue of rain formation in cumulus clouds. Only those scales and turbulence properties should be reproduced in the wind tunnel, which are physically important for the droplet population. In this work the key properties of cumulus clouds will be identified and implemented in a two-phase wind tunnel, allowing reproducible and accurate measurements. These properties are in particular the droplet number density, the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate. It is demonstrated by means of non-intrusive optical measurement techniques that the flow velocity, droplet number density, and key turbulence properties have been matched and are in the right order of magnitude. In this manner wind-tunnel investigations become possible and deliver realistic information concerning the interaction between droplets and turbulence in cumulus clouds.
New pathway of stratocumulus to cumulus transition via aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, T.; Feingold, G.; Kazil, J.

2017-12-01

The stratocumulus to cumulus transition (SCT) is typically considered to be a slow, multi-day process, caused primarily by dry air entrainment associated with overshooting cumulus rising under stratocumulus, with minor influence of precipitation. In this presentation, we show rapid SCT induced by a strong precipitation-induced modulation with Lagrangian SCT large eddy simulations. A large eddy model is coupled with a two-moment bulk microphysics scheme that predicts aerosol and droplet number concentrations. Moderate aerosol concentrations (100-250 cm-3) produce little to no drizzle from the stratocumulus deck. Large amounts of rain eventually form and wash out stratocumulus and much of the aerosol, and a cumulus state appears for approximately 10 hours. Initiation of strong rain formation is identified in penetrative cumulus clouds which are much deeper than stratocumulus, and they are able to condense large amounts of water. We show that prediction of cloud droplet number is necessary for this fast SCT since it is a result of a positive feedback of collision-coalescence induced aerosol depletion enhancing drizzle formation. Simulations with fixed droplet concentrations that bracket the time varying aerosol/drop concentrations are therefore not representative of the role of drizzle in the SCT.
Importance of molecular Rayleigh scattering in the enhancement of clear sky reflectance in the vicinity of boundary layer cumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Guoyong; Marshak, Alexander; Cahalan, Robert F.

2008-12-01

Clouds increase the complexity of atmospheric radiative transfer processes, particularly for aerosol retrievals in clear regions in the vicinity of clouds. This study focuses on identifying mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of nadir reflectance in clear regions in the vicinity of cumulus clouds and quantifies the relative importance of each mechanism. Using cloud optical properties and surface albedo derived from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), we performed extensive Monte Carlo simulations of radiative transfer in two cumulus scenes in a biomass burning region in Brazil. The results show that the scattering of radiation by clouds, followed by upward Rayleigh scattering by molecules above cloud top over clear gaps, is the dominant mechanism for the enhancement of visible reflectance in clear regions in boundary layer cumulus field over dark surfaces with aerosols trapped in the boundary layer. The Rayleigh scattering contributes ˜80% and ˜50% to the total enhancement for wavelengths 0.47 μm (with aerosol optical thickness 0.2) and 0.66 μm (with aerosol optical thickness 0.1), respectively. Out of the total contribution of molecular scattering, ˜90% arises from the clear atmosphere above cloud top height. The mechanism is valid for a large range of aerosol optical thicknesses (up to 1 in this study) for 0.47 μm, and for aerosol optical thickness up to 0.2 for 0.66 μm. Our results provide a basis to develop simplifications for future aerosol remote sensing from satellite.
Clustering, randomness, and regularity in cloud fields: 2. Cumulus cloud fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, T.; Lee, J.; Weger, R. C.; Welch, R. M.

1992-12-01

During the last decade a major controversy has been brewing concerning the proper characterization of cumulus convection. The prevailing view has been that cumulus clouds form in clusters, in which cloud spacing is closer than that found for the overall cloud field and which maintains its identity over many cloud lifetimes. This "mutual protection hypothesis" of Randall and Huffman (1980) has been challenged by the "inhibition hypothesis" of Ramirez et al. (1990) which strongly suggests that the spatial distribution of cumuli must tend toward a regular distribution. A dilemma has resulted because observations have been reported to support both hypotheses. The present work reports a detailed analysis of cumulus cloud field spatial distributions based upon Landsat, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, and Skylab data. Both nearest-neighbor and point-to-cloud cumulative distribution function statistics are investigated. The results show unequivocally that when both large and small clouds are included in the cloud field distribution, the cloud field always has a strong clustering signal. The strength of clustering is largest at cloud diameters of about 200-300 m, diminishing with increasing cloud diameter. In many cases, clusters of small clouds are found which are not closely associated with large clouds. As the small clouds are eliminated from consideration, the cloud field typically tends towards regularity. Thus it would appear that the "inhibition hypothesis" of Ramirez and Bras (1990) has been verified for the large clouds. However, these results are based upon the analysis of point processes. A more exact analysis also is made which takes into account the cloud size distributions. Since distinct clouds are by definition nonoverlapping, cloud size effects place a restriction upon the possible locations of clouds in the cloud field. The net effect of this analysis is that the large clouds appear to be randomly distributed, with only weak tendencies towards regularity. For clouds less than 1 km in diameter, the average nearest-neighbor distance is equal to 3-7 cloud diameters. For larger clouds, the ratio of cloud nearest-neighbor distance to cloud diameter increases sharply with increasing cloud diameter. This demonstrates that large clouds inhibit the growth of other large clouds in their vicinity. Nevertheless, this leads to random distributions of large clouds, not regularity.

Parameterization of GCM subgrid nonprecipitating cumulus and stratocumulus clouds using stochastic/phenomenological methods. Annual technical progress report, 1 December 1992--30 November 1993

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

Stull, R.B.

1993-08-27

This document is a progress report to the USDOE Atmospheric Radiation and Measurement Program (ARM). The overall project goal is to relate subgrid-cumulus-cloud formation, coverage, and population characteristics to statistical properties of surface-layer air, which in turn are modulated by heterogeneous land-usage within GCM-grid-box-size regions. The motivation is to improve the understanding and prediction of climate change by more accurately describing radiative and cloud processes.
Microphysics, Radiation and Surface Processes in the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Simpson, J.; Baker, D.; Braun, S.; Chou, M.-D.; Ferrier, B.; Johnson, D.; Khain, A.; Lang, S.; Lynn, B.

2001-01-01

The response of cloud systems to their environment is an important link in a chain of processes responsible for monsoons, frontal depression, El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes and other climate variations (e.g., 30-60 day intra-seasonal oscillations). Numerical models of cloud properties provide essential insights into the interactions of clouds with each other, with their surroundings, and with land and ocean surfaces. Significant advances are currently being made in the modeling of rainfall and rain-related cloud processes, ranging in scales from the very small up to the simulation of an extensive population of raining cumulus clouds in a tropical- or midlatitude-storm environment. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is a multi-dimensional nonhydrostatic dynamic/microphysical cloud resolving model. It has been used to simulate many different mesoscale convective systems that occurred in various geographic locations. In this paper, recent GCE model improvements (microphysics, radiation and surface processes) will be described as well as their impact on the development of precipitation events from various geographic locations. The performance of these new physical processes will be examined by comparing the model results with observations. In addition, the explicit interactive processes between cloud, radiation and surface processes will be discussed.
Early Detection of Rapidly Developing Cumulus Area using HIMAWARI-8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Y.; Kadosaki, G.

2017-12-01

In recent years, many disasters have been occured by influence of meteorological change in Japan. So, it becomes more important to inform rapid weather change caused by cumulus which brings concentrated heavy rain/hail, wind gust, lightning in a short period. These severe events should inclease in the future by global warming. Therefore we are developping the alert system for Rapidly Developing Cumulus Area (RDCA) detection using Japanese new satellite. At July 2015, Japan Meteorological Agency started operation of new geostationary meteorological satellite "Himawari-8". This satellite has optical imager named Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI). It can observe Japan area every 2.5 minutes. The frequently infrared image with high resolution (2km) is the key of our alert system. We took some special functions in the algorithm of this system. One of the points is cloud location which shifts to north from true location around Japan by viewing angle from the satellite above the equator. We moved clouds to the correct position using geometric correction method according to its height and latitude. This algorithm also follows a movement of cloud every 2.5 minutes during several observations. It derives the information about degree of the development of cumulus. The prototype system gives the alert before 30 to 60 minutes in advance to the first lightning in typical cumulus case. However, we understand that there are some difficult cases to alert. For example, winter low cloud over the Japan Sea which brings a winter lightning, and tornado (although it is not cumulus). Now, we are adjusting some parameters of the algorithm. In the near future, our algorithm will be used in weather information delivery service to the customer.
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.
Ultra-clean Layers (UCLs) and Low Albedo Clouds ("gray clouds") in the Marine Boundary Layer - CSET aircraft data, 2-D bin spectral cloud parcel model, large eddy simulation and satellite observations from CALIPSO, MODIS and COSMIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O, K. T.; Wood, R.; Bretherton, C. S.; Eastman, R. M.; Tseng, H. H.

2016-12-01

During the 2015 Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) field program (CSET, Jul-Aug 2015, subtropical NE Pacific), the NSF/NCAR G-V aircraft frequently encountered ultra clean layers (hereafter UCLs) with extremely low accumulation mode aerosol (i.e. diameter da> 100nm) concentration (hereafter Na), and low albedo ( 0.2) warm clouds (termed "gray clouds" in our study) with low droplet concentration (hereafter Nd). The analysis of CSET aircraft data shows that (1) UCLs and gray clouds are mostly commonly found at a height of 1.5-2km, typically close to the top of the MBL, (2) UCLs and gray cloud coverage as high as 40-60% between 135W and 155W (i.e. Sc-Cu transition region) but occur very infrequently east of 130W (i.e. shallow, near-coastal stratocumulus region), and (3) UCLs and gray clouds exhibit remarkably low turbulence compared with non-UCL clear sky and clouds. It should be noted that most previous aircraft sampling of low clouds occurred close to the Californian coast, so the prevalence of UCLs and gray clouds has not been previously noted. Based on the analysis of aircraft data, we hypothesize that gray clouds result from detrainment of cloud close to the top of precipitating trade cumuli, and UCLs are remnants of these layers when gray clouds evaporates. The simulations in our study are performed using 2-D bin spectral cloud parcel model and version 6.9 of the System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM). Our idealized simulations suggest that collision-coalescence plays a crucial role in reducing Nd such that gray clouds can easily form via collision-coalescence in layers detrained from the cloud top at trade cumulus regime, but can not form at stratocumulus regime. Upon evaporation of gray clouds, only few accumulation mode aerosols are returned to the clear sky, leaving horizontally-extensive UCLs (i.e. clean clear sky). Analysis of CSET flight data and idealized model simulations both suggest cloud top/PBL height may play an important role in the formation of UCLs and gray clouds. In our satellite observation study, the comparison between PBL height (from COSMIC and MODIS) and fraction of low optical depth cloud (from MODIS and CALIPSO) at NEP trade cumulus regime (20-35N, 140-155W) also suggest a strong positive correlation.
Large-eddy simulation of subtropical cloud-topped boundary layers: 1. A forcing framework with closed surface energy balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Zhihong; Schneider, Tapio; Teixeira, João.; Pressel, Kyle G.

2016-12-01

Large-eddy simulation (LES) of clouds has the potential to resolve a central question in climate dynamics, namely, how subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds respond to global warming. However, large-scale processes need to be prescribed or represented parameterically in the limited-area LES domains. It is important that the representation of large-scale processes satisfies constraints such as a closed energy balance in a manner that is realizable under climate change. For example, LES with fixed sea surface temperatures usually do not close the surface energy balance, potentially leading to spurious surface fluxes and cloud responses to climate change. Here a framework of forcing LES of subtropical MBL clouds is presented that enforces a closed surface energy balance by coupling atmospheric LES to an ocean mixed layer with a sea surface temperature (SST) that depends on radiative fluxes and sensible and latent heat fluxes at the surface. A variety of subtropical MBL cloud regimes (stratocumulus, cumulus, and stratocumulus over cumulus) are simulated successfully within this framework. However, unlike in conventional frameworks with fixed SST, feedbacks between cloud cover and SST arise, which can lead to sudden transitions between cloud regimes (e.g., stratocumulus to cumulus) as forcing parameters are varied. The simulations validate this framework for studies of MBL clouds and establish its usefulness for studies of how the clouds respond to climate change.
Clustering, randomness and regularity in cloud fields. I - Theoretical considerations. II - Cumulus cloud fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weger, R. C.; Lee, J.; Zhu, Tianri; Welch, R. M.

1992-01-01

The current controversy existing in reference to the regularity vs. clustering in cloud fields is examined by means of analysis and simulation studies based upon nearest-neighbor cumulative distribution statistics. It is shown that the Poisson representation of random point processes is superior to pseudorandom-number-generated models and that pseudorandom-number-generated models bias the observed nearest-neighbor statistics towards regularity. Interpretation of this nearest-neighbor statistics is discussed for many cases of superpositions of clustering, randomness, and regularity. A detailed analysis is carried out of cumulus cloud field spatial distributions based upon Landsat, AVHRR, and Skylab data, showing that, when both large and small clouds are included in the cloud field distributions, the cloud field always has a strong clustering signal.
First observations of tracking clouds using scanning ARM cloud radars

DOE PAGES

Borque, Paloma; Giangrande, Scott; Kollias, Pavlos

2014-12-01

Tracking clouds using scanning cloud radars can help to document the temporal evolution of cloud properties well before large drop formation (‘‘first echo’’). These measurements complement cloud and precipitation tracking using geostationary satellites and weather radars. Here, two-dimensional (2-D) Along-Wind Range Height Indicator (AW-RHI) observations of a population of shallow cumuli (with and without precipitation) from the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar (SACR) at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are presented. Observations from the ARM SGP network of scanning precipitation radars are used to provide the larger scale context of the cloud fieldmore » and to highlight the advantages of the SACR to detect the numerous, small, non-precipitating cloud elements. A new Cloud Identification and Tracking Algorithm (CITA) is developed to track cloud elements. In CITA, a cloud element is identified as a region having a contiguous set of pixels exceeding a preset reflectivity and size threshold. The high temporal resolution of the SACR 2-D observations (30 sec) allows for an area superposition criteria algorithm to match cloud elements at consecutive times. Following CITA, the temporal evolution of cloud element properties (number, size, and maximum reflectivity) is presented. The vast majority of the designated elements during this cumulus event were short-lived non-precipitating clouds having an apparent life cycle shorter than 15 minutes. The advantages and disadvantages of cloud tracking using an SACR are discussed.« less
First observations of tracking clouds using scanning ARM cloud radars

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

Borque, Paloma; Giangrande, Scott; Kollias, Pavlos

Tracking clouds using scanning cloud radars can help to document the temporal evolution of cloud properties well before large drop formation (‘‘first echo’’). These measurements complement cloud and precipitation tracking using geostationary satellites and weather radars. Here, two-dimensional (2-D) Along-Wind Range Height Indicator (AW-RHI) observations of a population of shallow cumuli (with and without precipitation) from the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar (SACR) at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are presented. Observations from the ARM SGP network of scanning precipitation radars are used to provide the larger scale context of the cloud fieldmore » and to highlight the advantages of the SACR to detect the numerous, small, non-precipitating cloud elements. A new Cloud Identification and Tracking Algorithm (CITA) is developed to track cloud elements. In CITA, a cloud element is identified as a region having a contiguous set of pixels exceeding a preset reflectivity and size threshold. The high temporal resolution of the SACR 2-D observations (30 sec) allows for an area superposition criteria algorithm to match cloud elements at consecutive times. Following CITA, the temporal evolution of cloud element properties (number, size, and maximum reflectivity) is presented. The vast majority of the designated elements during this cumulus event were short-lived non-precipitating clouds having an apparent life cycle shorter than 15 minutes. The advantages and disadvantages of cloud tracking using an SACR are discussed.« less
A preliminary study of the tropical water cycle and its sensitivity to surface warming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, K. M.; Sui, C. H.; Tao, W. K.

1993-01-01

The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model (GCEM) has been used to demonstrate that cumulus-scale dynamics and microphysics play a major role in determining the vertical distribution of water vapor and clouds in the tropical atmosphere. The GCEM is described and is the basic structure of cumulus convection. The long-term equilibrium response to tropical convection to surface warming is examined. A picture of the water cycle within tropical cumulus clusters is developed.
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.
NASA's EOSDIS Cumulus: Ingesting, Archiving, Managing, and Distributing from Commercial Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baynes, K.; Ramachandran, R.; Pilone, D.; Quinn, P.; Schuler, I.; Gilman, J.; Jazayeri, A.

2017-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk will outline the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and will chart a course for the future expansion of the Cumulus expansion. We will explore on not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud and how we are rising to meet those challenges through open collaboration and intentional stakeholder engagement.
From Global to Cloud Resolving Scale: Experiments with a Scale- and Aerosol-Aware Physics Package and Impact on Tracer Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grell, G. A.; Freitas, S. R.; Olson, J.; Bela, M.

2017-12-01

We will start by providing a summary of the latest cumulus parameterization modeling efforts at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) will be presented on both regional and global scales. The physics package includes a scale-aware parameterization of subgrid cloudiness feedback to radiation (coupled PBL, microphysics, radiation, shallow and congestus type convection), the stochastic Grell-Freitas (GF) scale- and aerosol-aware convective parameterization, and an aerosol aware microphysics package. GF is based on a stochastic approach originally implemented by Grell and Devenyi (2002) and described in more detail in Grell and Freitas (2014, ACP). It was expanded to include PDF's for vertical mass flux, as well as modifications to improve the diurnal cycle. This physics package will be used on different scales, spanning global to cloud resolving, to look at the impact on scalar transport and numerical weather prediction.
MISR RICO Products

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-11-25

... microphysics of the transition to a mature rainshaft, organization of trade wind clouds, water budget of trade wind cumulus, and the ... (MISR) mission objectives involve providing accurate information on cloud cover, cloud-track winds, stereo-derived cloud-top ...
Scaling properties of observed and simulated satellite visible radiances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Howard W.; Qu, Zhipeng; Bélair, Stéphane; Leroyer, Sylvie; Milbrandt, Jason A.; Vaillancourt, Paul A.

2017-09-01

Structure functions Sq, which are related to power spectra and used to study turbulence, were computed for GOES-13 visible radiances measured on 16 May 2015 over French Guiana and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. The nested Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) numerical weather prediction (NWP) model was run for the same time and area. Cloud data generated by GEM over (300 km)2 domains, with one-way nesting ending at horizontal grid-spacing of 0.25 km, were operated on by a 3-D solar radiative transfer model with resulting radiances degraded to GOES-13 resolution ( 1 km) and Sq computed for them, too. For GOES-13 radiances, scaling exponents ζ(2) associated with S2, for separation distances between 5 km and 25 km, were typically >0.6 for deep convective and marine boundary layer clouds and <0.4 for shallow cumuli over land. ζ(2) for GEM agreed well with GOES-13 for deep convective clouds. This suggests that the self-organizing properties of deep convection in GEM exhibit realistic geometric features, a potentially important point given the link between cloud structure and precipitation, with the latter being much more difficult to measure and assess than visible radiances. Regarding radiances for GEM's marine boundary layer clouds, their Sq differed markedly from GOES-13's; better resembling fair-weather cumulus. Likewise, GEM's shallow cumuli over land appear to have bypassed the "scattered" fair-weather stage and went straight into more organized convection. Thus, it appears that comparing time series of Sq for geostationary satellite data and corresponding modeled radiances has the potential to benefit assessment of cloud system-resolving models.
Microphysical, Macrophysical and Radiative Signatures of Volcanic Aerosols in Trade Wind Cumulus Observed by the A-Train

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, T.; Remer, L. A.; Yu, H.

2011-01-01

Increased aerosol concentrations can raise planetary albedo not only by reflecting sunlight and increasing cloud albedo, but also by changing cloud amount. However, detecting aerosol effect on cloud amount has been elusive to both observations and modeling due to potential buffering mechanisms and convolution of meteorology. Here through a natural experiment provided by long-tem1 degassing of a low-lying volcano and use of A-Train satellite observations, we show modifications of trade cumulus cloud fields including decreased droplet size, decreased precipitation efficiency and increased cloud amount are associated with volcanic aerosols. In addition we find significantly higher cloud tops for polluted clouds. We demonstrate that the observed microphysical and macrophysical changes cannot be explained by synoptic meteorology or the orographic effect of the Hawaiian Islands. The "total shortwave aerosol forcin", resulting from direct and indirect forcings including both cloud albedo and cloud amount. is almost an order of magnitude higher than aerosol direct forcing alone. Furthermore, the precipitation reduction associated with enhanced aerosol leads to large changes in the energetics of air-sea exchange and trade wind boundary layer. Our results represent the first observational evidence of large-scale increase of cloud amount due to aerosols in a trade cumulus regime, which can be used to constrain the representation of aerosol-cloud interactions in climate models. The findings also have implications for volcano-climate interactions and climate mitigation research.
Incorporation of a Cumulus Fraction Scheme in the GRAPES_Meso and Evaluation of Its Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, X.

2016-12-01

Accurate simulation of cloud cover fraction is a key and difficult issue in numerical modeling studies. Preliminary evaluations have indicated that cloud fraction is generally underestimated in GRAPES_Meso simulations, while the cloud fraction scheme (CFS) of ECMWF can provide more realistic results. Therefore, the ECMWF cumulus fraction scheme is introduced into GRAPES_Meso to replace the original CFS, and the model performance with the new CFS is evaluated based on simulated three-dimensional cloud fractions and surface temperature. Results indicate that the simulated cloud fractions increase and become more accurate with the new CFS; the simulation for vertical cloud structure has improved too; errors in surface temperature simulation have decreased. The above analysis and results suggest that the new CFS has a positive impact on cloud fraction and surface temperature simulation.
Derivation of Cumulus Cloud Dimensions and Shape from the Airborne Measurements by the Research Scanning Polarimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexandrov, Mikhail D.; Cairns, Brian; Emde, Claudia; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Ottaviani, Matteo; Wasilewski, Andrzej P.

2016-01-01

The Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) is an airborne instrument, whose measurements have been extensively used for retrievals of microphysical properties of clouds. In this study we show that for cumulus clouds the information content of the RSP data can be extended by adding the macroscopic parameters of the cloud, such as its geometric shape, dimensions, and height above the ground. This extension is possible by virtue of the high angular resolution and high frequency of the RSP measurements, which allow for geometric constraint of the cloud's 2D cross section between a number of tangent lines of view. The retrieval method is tested on realistic 3D radiative transfer simulations and applied to actual RSP data.
Determination of bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters from large scale heat and moisture budgets, appendix B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yanai, M.; Esbensen, S.; Chu, J.

1972-01-01

The bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters, as the vertical mass flux, the excess temperature, and moisture and the liquid water content of the clouds, are determined from a combination of the observed large-scale heat and moisture budgets over an area covering the cloud cluster, and a model of a cumulus ensemble which exchanges mass, heat, vapor and liquid water with the environment through entrainment and detrainment. The method also provides an understanding of how the environmental air is heated and moistened by the cumulus convection. An estimate of the average cloud cluster properties and the heat and moisture balance of the environment, obtained from 1956 Marshall Islands data, is presented.
Sensitivity of CONUS Summer Rainfall to the Selection of Cumulus Parameterization Schemes in NU-WRF Seasonal Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iguchi, Takamichi; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Wu, Di; Peters-Lidard, Christa; Santanello, Joseph A.; Kemp, Eric; Tian, Yudong; Case, Jonathan; Wang, Weile; Ferraro, Robert;

2017-01-01

This study investigates the sensitivity of daily rainfall rates in regional seasonal simulations over the contiguous United States (CONUS) to different cumulus parameterization schemes. Daily rainfall fields were simulated at 24-km resolution using the NASA-Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) Model for June-August 2000. Four cumulus parameterization schemes and two options for shallow cumulus components in a specific scheme were tested. The spread in the domain-mean rainfall rates across the parameterization schemes was generally consistent between the entire CONUS and most subregions. The selection of the shallow cumulus component in a specific scheme had more impact than that of the four cumulus parameterization schemes. Regional variability in the performance of each scheme was assessed by calculating optimally weighted ensembles that minimize full root-mean-square errors against reference datasets. The spatial pattern of the seasonally averaged rainfall was insensitive to the selection of cumulus parameterization over mountainous regions because of the topographical pattern constraint, so that the simulation errors were mostly attributed to the overall bias there. In contrast, the spatial patterns over the Great Plains regions as well as the temporal variation over most parts of the CONUS were relatively sensitive to cumulus parameterization selection. Overall, adopting a single simulation result was preferable to generating a better ensemble for the seasonally averaged daily rainfall simulation, as long as their overall biases had the same positive or negative sign. However, an ensemble of multiple simulation results was more effective in reducing errors in the case of also considering temporal variation.

Characterization of cumulus cloud fields using trajectories in the center of gravity versus water mass phase space: 1. Cloud tracking and phase space description: CENTER OF GRAVITY VERSUS WATER MASS 1

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

Heiblum, Reuven H.; Altaratz, Orit; Koren, Ilan

We study the evolution of warm convective cloud fields using large eddy simulations of continental and trade cumulus. Individual clouds are tracked a posteriori from formation to dissipation using a 3D cloud tracking algorithm and results are presented in the phase- space of center of gravity altitude versus cloud liquid water mass (CvM space). The CvM space is shown to contain rich information on cloud field characteristics, cloud morphology, and common cloud development pathways, together facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the cloud field. In this part we show how the meteorological (thermodynamic) conditions that determine the cloud properties are projectedmore » on the CvM phase space and how changes in the initial conditions affect the clouds' trajectories in this space. This part sets the stage for a detailed microphysical analysis that will be shown in part II.« less
Building a cloud based distributed active archive data center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandran, Rahul; Baynes, Katie; Murphy, Kevin

2017-04-01

NASA's Earth Science Data System (ESDS) Program serves as a central cog in facilitating the implementation of NASA's Earth Science strategic plan. Since 1994, the ESDS Program has committed to the full and open sharing of Earth science data obtained from NASA instruments to all users. One of the key responsibilities of the ESDS Program is to continuously evolve the entire data and information system to maximize returns on the collected NASA data. An independent review was conducted in 2015 to holistically review the EOSDIS in order to identify gaps. The review recommendations were to investigate two areas: one, whether commercial cloud providers offer potential for storage, processing, and operational efficiencies, and two, the potential development of new data access and analysis paradigms. In response, ESDS has initiated several prototypes investigating the advantages and risks of leveraging cloud computing. This poster will provide an overview of one such prototyping activity, "Cumulus". Cumulus is being designed and developed as a "native" cloud-based data ingest, archive and management system that can be used for all future NASA Earth science data streams. The long term vision for Cumulus, its requirements, overall architecture, and implementation details, as well as lessons learned from the completion of the first phase of this prototype will be covered. We envision Cumulus will foster design of new analysis/visualization tools to leverage collocated data from all of the distributed DAACs as well as elastic cloud computing resources to open new research opportunities.
NASA's EOSDIS Cumulus: Ingesting, Archiving, Managing, and Distributing Earth Science Data from the Commercial Cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baynes, Katie; Ramachandran, Rahul; Pilone, Dan; Quinn, Patrick; Gilman, Jason; Schuler, Ian; Jazayeri, Alireza

2017-01-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk will outline the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and will chart a course for the future expansion of the Cumulus expansion. We will explore on not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud and how we are rising to meet those challenges through open collaboration and intentional stakeholder engagement.
Mean-state acceleration of cloud-resolving models and large eddy simulations

DOE PAGES

Jones, C. R.; Bretherton, C. S.; Pritchard, M. S.

2015-10-29

In this study, large eddy simulations and cloud-resolving models (CRMs) are routinely used to simulate boundary layer and deep convective cloud processes, aid in the development of moist physical parameterization for global models, study cloud-climate feedbacks and cloud-aerosol interaction, and as the heart of superparameterized climate models. These models are computationally demanding, placing practical constraints on their use in these applications, especially for long, climate-relevant simulations. In many situations, the horizontal-mean atmospheric structure evolves slowly compared to the turnover time of the most energetic turbulent eddies. We develop a simple scheme to reduce this time scale separation to accelerate themore » evolution of the mean state. Using this approach we are able to accelerate the model evolution by a factor of 2–16 or more in idealized stratocumulus, shallow and deep cumulus convection without substantial loss of accuracy in simulating mean cloud statistics and their sensitivity to climate change perturbations. As a culminating test, we apply this technique to accelerate the embedded CRMs in the Superparameterized Community Atmosphere Model by a factor of 2, thereby showing that the method is robust and stable to realistic perturbations across spatial and temporal scales typical in a GCM.« less
ED(MF)n: Humidity-Convection Feedbacks in a Mass Flux Scheme Based on Resolved Size Densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neggers, R.

2014-12-01

Cumulus cloud populations remain at least partially unresolved in present-day numerical simulations of global weather and climate, and accordingly their impact on the larger-scale flow has to be represented through parameterization. Various methods have been developed over the years, ranging in complexity from the early bulk models relying on a single plume to more recent approaches that attempt to reconstruct the underlying probability density functions, such as statistical schemes and multiple plume approaches. Most of these "classic" methods capture key aspects of cumulus cloud populations, and have been successfully implemented in operational weather and climate models. However, the ever finer discretizations of operational circulation models, driven by advances in the computational efficiency of supercomputers, is creating new problems for existing sub-grid schemes. Ideally, a sub-grid scheme should automatically adapt its impact on the resolved scales to the dimension of the grid-box within which it is supposed to act. It can be argued that this is only possible when i) the scheme is aware of the range of scales of the processes it represents, and ii) it can distinguish between contributions as a function of size. How to conceptually represent this knowledge of scale in existing parameterization schemes remains an open question that is actively researched. This study considers a relatively new class of models for sub-grid transport in which ideas from the field of population dynamics are merged with the concept of multi plume modelling. More precisely, a multiple mass flux framework for moist convective transport is formulated in which the ensemble of plumes is created in "size-space". It is argued that thus resolving the underlying size-densities creates opportunities for introducing scale-awareness and scale-adaptivity in the scheme. The behavior of an implementation of this framework in the Eddy Diffusivity Mass Flux (EDMF) model, named ED(MF)n, is examined for a standard case of subtropical marine shallow cumulus. We ask if a system of multiple independently resolved plumes is able to automatically create the vertical profile of bulk (mass) flux at which the sub-grid scale transport balances the imposed larger-scale forcings in the cloud layer.
Measurements of cloud condensation nuclei spectra within maritime cumulus cloud droplets: Implications for mixing processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Twohy, Cynthia H.; Hudson, James G.

1995-01-01

In a cloud formed during adiabatic expansion, the droplet size distribution will be systematically related to the critical supersaturation of the cloud condensation nuclei (CNN), but this relationship can be complicated in entraining clouds. Useful information about cloud processes, such as mixing, can be obtained from direct measurements of the CNN involved in droplet nucleation. This was accomplished by interfacing two instruments for a series of flights in maritime cumulus clouds. One instrument, the counterflow virtual impactor, collected cloud droplets, and the nonvolatile residual nuclei of the droplets was then passed to a CCN spectrometer, which measured the critical supersaturation (S(sub c)) spectrum of the droplet nuclei. The measured S(sub c) spectra of the droplet nuclei were compared with the S(sub c) spectra of ambient aerosol particles in order to identify which CCN were actually incorporated into droplets and to determine when mixing processes were active at different cloud levels. The droplet nuclei nearly always exhibited lower median S(sub c)'s than the ambient aerosol, as expected since droplets nucleate perferentially on particles with lower critical supersaturations. Critical supersaturation spectra from nuclei of droplets near cloud base were similar to those predicted for cloud regions formed adiabatically, but spectra of droplet nuclei from middle cloud levels showed some evidence that mixing had occurred. Near cloud top, the greatest variation in the spectra of the droplet nuclei was observed, and nuclei with high S(sub c)'s were sometimes present even within relatively large droplets. This suggests that the extent of mixing increases with height in cumulus clouds and that inhomogeneous mixing may be important near cloud top. These promising initial results suggest improvements to the experimental technique that will permit more quantitative results in future experiments.
Cloud transitions: comparison of temporal variation in the southeastern Pacific with the spatial variation in the northeastern Pacific at low latitudes

DOE PAGES

Yu, Haiyang; Zhang, Minghua; Lin, Wuyin; ...

2016-10-14

The seasonal variation of clouds in the southeastern equatorial Pacific (SEP) is analysed and compared with the spatial variation of clouds in the northeastern Pacific along the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment Cloud System Study/Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (GCSS/WGNE) Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI) transect. A ‘seasonal cloud transition’ – from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus and eventually to deep convection – is found in the SEP from September to April, which is similar to the spatial cloud transition along the GPCI transect from the California coast to the equator. It is shown that this seasonal cloud transition in themore » SEP is associated with increasing sea surface temperature (SST), decreasing lower tropospheric stability and large-scale subsidence, which are all similar to the spatial variation of these fields along the GPCI transect. There was a difference found such that the SEP cloud transition is associated with decreasing surface wind speed and surface latent heat flux, weaker larger-scale upward motion and convective instability, which lead to less deepening of the low clouds and less frequent deep convection than those in the GPCI transect. Finally, the seasonal cloud transition in the SEP provides a test for climate models to simulate the relationships between clouds and large-scale atmospheric fields in a region that features a spurious double inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in most models.« less
Cloud transitions: comparison of temporal variation in the southeastern Pacific with the spatial variation in the northeastern Pacific at low latitudes

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

Yu, Haiyang; Zhang, Minghua; Lin, Wuyin

The seasonal variation of clouds in the southeastern equatorial Pacific (SEP) is analysed and compared with the spatial variation of clouds in the northeastern Pacific along the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment Cloud System Study/Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (GCSS/WGNE) Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI) transect. A ‘seasonal cloud transition’ – from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus and eventually to deep convection – is found in the SEP from September to April, which is similar to the spatial cloud transition along the GPCI transect from the California coast to the equator. It is shown that this seasonal cloud transition in themore » SEP is associated with increasing sea surface temperature (SST), decreasing lower tropospheric stability and large-scale subsidence, which are all similar to the spatial variation of these fields along the GPCI transect. There was a difference found such that the SEP cloud transition is associated with decreasing surface wind speed and surface latent heat flux, weaker larger-scale upward motion and convective instability, which lead to less deepening of the low clouds and less frequent deep convection than those in the GPCI transect. Finally, the seasonal cloud transition in the SEP provides a test for climate models to simulate the relationships between clouds and large-scale atmospheric fields in a region that features a spurious double inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in most models.« less
EAULIQ: The Next Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randall, David A.; Fowler, Laura D.

1999-01-01

This report summarizes the design of a new version of the stratiform cloud parameterization called Eauliq; the new version is called Eauliq NG. The key features of Eauliq NG are: (1) a prognostic fractional area covered by stratiform cloudiness, following the approach developed by M. Tiedtke for use in the ECMWF model; (2) separate prognostic thermodynamic variables for the clear and cloudy portions of each grid cell; (3) separate vertical velocities for the clear and cloudy portions of each grid cell, allowing the model to represent some aspects of observed mesoscale circulations; (4) cumulus entrainment from both the clear and cloudy portions of a grid cell, and cumulus detrainment into the cloudy portion only; and (5) the effects of the cumulus-induced subsidence in the cloudy portion of a grid cell on the cloud water and ice there. In this paper we present the mathematical framework of Eauliq NG; a discussion of cumulus effects; a new parameterization of lateral mass exchanges between clear and cloudy regions; and a theory to determine the mesoscale mass circulation, based on the hypothesis that the stratiform clouds remain neutrally buoyant through time and that the mesoscale circulations are the mechanism which makes this possible. An appendix also discusses some time-differencing methods.
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.
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...
Skill of ship-following large-eddy simulations in reproducing MAGIC observations across the northeast Pacific stratocumulus to cumulus transition region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGibbon, J.; Bretherton, C. S.

2017-06-01

During the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) in October 2011 to September 2012, a container ship making periodic cruises between Los Angeles, CA, and Honolulu, HI, was instrumented with surface meteorological, aerosol and radiation instruments, a cloud radar and ceilometer, and radiosondes. Here large-eddy simulation (LES) is performed in a ship-following frame of reference for 13 four day transects from the MAGIC field campaign. The goal is to assess if LES can skillfully simulate the broad range of observed cloud characteristics and boundary layer structure across the subtropical stratocumulus to cumulus transition region sampled during different seasons and meteorological conditions. Results from Leg 15A, which sampled a particularly well-defined stratocumulus to cumulus transition, demonstrate the approach. The LES reproduces the observed timing of decoupling and transition from stratocumulus to cumulus and matches the observed evolution of boundary layer structure, cloud fraction, liquid water path, and precipitation statistics remarkably well. Considering the simulations of all 13 cruises, the LES skillfully simulates the mean diurnal variation of key measured quantities, including liquid water path (LWP), cloud fraction, measures of decoupling, and cloud radar-derived precipitation. The daily mean quantities are well represented, and daily mean LWP and cloud fraction show the expected correlation with estimated inversion strength. There is a -0.6 K low bias in LES near-surface air temperature that results in a high bias of 5.6 W m-2 in sensible heat flux (SHF). Overall, these results build confidence in the ability of LES to represent the northeast Pacific stratocumulus to trade cumulus transition region.Plain Language SummaryDuring the Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) field campaign in October 2011 to September 2012, a cargo container ship making regular cruises between Los Angeles, CA, and Honolulu, HI, was fitted with tools to measure aspects of the clouds and atmosphere above the ship. We used some of these observations to perform high-resolution computer simulations of the atmosphere in the region around the ship, with the goal of testing how well the simulation produces clouds and atmosphere similar to what was observed. Simulations of 13 one-way cruises to Honolulu, HI, were performed. We see the simulations skillfully produce changes in cloud properties that occur at different times of day and have average properties that match well with the observations. One error is that the air near the surface is slightly too cold in the simulations, meaning more heat is transferred up from the surface. Overall, this result builds confidence and trust in the ability of this type of simulation to produce realistic cloud properties in the northeast Pacific. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1201350-racoro-continental-boundary-layer-cloud-investigations-large-eddy-simulations-cumulus-clouds-evaluation-situ-ground-based-observations','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1201350-racoro-continental-boundary-layer-cloud-investigations-large-eddy-simulations-cumulus-clouds-evaluation-situ-ground-based-observations">RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Endo, Satoshi; Fridlind, Ann M.; Lin, Wuyin; ... 2015-06-19 A 60-hour case study of continental boundary layer cumulus clouds is examined using two large-eddy simulation (LES) models. The case is based on observations obtained during the RACORO Campaign (Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM] Aerial Facility [AAF] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths [CLOWD] Optical Radiative Observations) at the ARM Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains site. The LES models are driven by continuous large-scale and surface forcings, and are constrained by multi-modal and temporally varying aerosol number size distribution profiles derived from aircraft observations. We compare simulated cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties with ground-based remote sensing and aircraft observations.more » The LES simulations capture the observed transitions of the evolving cumulus-topped boundary layers during the three daytime periods, and generally reproduce variations of droplet number concentration with liquid water content (LWC), corresponding to the gradient between the cloud centers and cloud edges at given heights. The observed LWC values fall within the range of simulated values; the observed droplet number concentrations are commonly higher than simulated, but differences remain on par with potential estimation errors in the aircraft measurements. Sensitivity studies examine the influences of bin microphysics versus bulk microphysics, aerosol advection, supersaturation treatment, and aerosol hygroscopicity. Simulated macrophysical cloud properties are found to be insensitive in this non-precipitating case, but microphysical properties are especially sensitive to bulk microphysics supersaturation treatment and aerosol hygroscopicity.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930063746&hterms=fair+value&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dfair%2Bvalue','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930063746&hterms=fair+value&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dfair%2Bvalue">The effect of spatial resolution upon cloud optical property retrievals. I - Optical thickness</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Feind, Rand E.; Christopher, Sundar A.; Welch, Ronald M. 1992-01-01 High spectral and spatial resolution Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) imagery is used to study the effects of spatial resolution upon fair weather cumulus cloud optical thickness retrievals. As a preprocessing step, a variation of the Gao and Goetz three-band ratio technique is used to discriminate clouds from the background. The combination of the elimination of cloud shadow pixels and using the first derivative of the histogram allows for accurate cloud edge discrimination. The data are progressively degraded from 20 m to 960 m spatial resolution. The results show that retrieved cloud area increases with decreasing spatial resolution. The results also show that there is a monotonic decrease in retrieved cloud optical thickness with decreasing spatial resolution. It is also demonstrated that the use of a single, monospectral reflectance threshold is inadequate for identifying cloud pixels in fair weather cumulus scenes and presumably in any inhomogeneous cloud field. Cloud edges have a distribution of reflectance thresholds. The incorrect identification of cloud edges significantly impacts the accurate retrieval of cloud optical thickness values. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996JApMe..35.1257G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996JApMe..35.1257G">Numerical Simulation of an Industrial Cumulus Affected by Heat, Moisture, and CCN Released from an Oil Refinery.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Guan, S.; Reuter, G. W. 1996-08-01 Large oil refineries emit heat, vapor, and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), all of which can affect the formation of cloud and precipitation. This study quantities the relative contributions of the three factors on cloud development in calm wind conditions using an axisymmetric cloud model. The factor separation technique is applied to isolate the net contributions of waste heat, vapor, and CCN on the rainfall of a cumulus developing in the industrial plume. The mutual-interactive contributions of two or three of the factors are also computed.The simulations for midlatitude and tropical conditions indicate that the sensible heat provides the major stimulus for cloud development and rain formation. The pure contribution of the industrial CCN is to enhance the condensation, causing an increase in the mass of total cloud water. The simulation results indicate that mutual interactions between waste heat and industrial CCN are large for both cases considered. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140012049','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140012049">Evaluation of ERA-interim and MERRA Cloudiness in the Southern Oceans</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Naud, Catherine M.; Booth, James F.; Del Genio, Anthony D. 2014-01-01 The Southern Ocean cloud cover modeled by the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and Modern- Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalyses are compared against Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) observations. ERA-Interim monthly mean cloud amounts match the observations within 5%, while MERRA significantly underestimates the cloud amount. For a compositing analysis of clouds in warm season extratropical cyclones, both reanalyses show a low bias in cloud cover. They display a larger bias to the west of the cyclones in the region of subsidence behind the cold fronts. This low bias is larger for MERRA than for ERA-Interim. Both MODIS and MISR retrievals indicate that the clouds in this sector are at a low altitude, often composed of liquid, and of a broken nature. The combined CloudSat-Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) cloud profiles confirm these passive observations, but they also reveal that low-level clouds in other parts of the cyclones are also not properly represented in the reanalyses. The two reanalyses are in fairly good agreement for the dynamic and thermodynamic characteristics of the cyclones, suggesting that the cloud, convection, or boundary layer schemes are the problem instead. An examination of the lower-tropospheric stability distribution in the cyclones from both reanalyses suggests that the parameterization of shallow cumulus clouds may contribute in a large part to the problem. However, the differences in the cloud schemes and in particular in the precipitation processes, which may also contribute, cannot be excluded. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830022868','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830022868">Determination of the cumulus size distribution from LANDSAT pictures</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Karg, E.; Mueller, H.; Quenzel, H. 1983-01-01 Varying insolation causes undesirable thermic stress to the receiver of a solar power plant. The rapid change of insolation depends on the size distribution of the clouds; in order to measure these changes, it is suitable to determine typical cumulus size distributions. For this purpose, LANDSAT-images are adequate. Several examples of cumulus size distributions will be presented and their effects on the operation of a solar power plant are discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A43B2454J','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A43B2454J">Boundary Layer Thermodynamics and Cloud Microphysics for a Mixed Stratocumulus and Cumulus Cloud Field Observed during ACE-ENA</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Jensen, M. P.; Miller, M. A.; Wang, J. 2017-12-01 The first Intensive Observation Period of the DOE Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) took place from 21 June through 20 July 2017 involving the deployment of the ARM Gulfstream-159 (G-1) aircraft with a suite of in situ cloud and aerosol instrumentation in the vicinity of the ARM Climate Research Facility Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) site on Graciosa Island, Azores. Here we present preliminary analysis of the thermodynamic characteristics of the marine boundary layer and the variability of cloud properties for a mixed cloud field including both stratiform cloud layers and deeper cumulus elements. Analysis combines in situ atmospheric state observations from the G-1 with radiosonde profiles and surface meteorology from the ENA site in order to characterize the thermodynamic structure of the marine boundary layer including the coupling state and stability. Cloud/drizzle droplet size distributions measured in situ are combined with remote sensing observations from a scanning cloud radar, and vertically pointing cloud radar and lidar provide quantification of the macrophysical and microphysical properties of the mixed cloud field. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51M0256L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51M0256L">A satellite observation test bed for cloud parameterization development</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lebsock, M. D.; Suselj, K. 2015-12-01 We present an observational test-bed of cloud and precipitation properties derived from CloudSat, CALIPSO, and the the A-Train. The focus of the test-bed is on marine boundary layer clouds including stratocumulus and cumulus and the transition between these cloud regimes. Test-bed properties include the cloud cover and three dimensional cloud fraction along with the cloud water path and precipitation water content, and associated radiative fluxes. We also include the subgrid scale distribution of cloud and precipitation, and radiaitive quantities, which must be diagnosed by a model parameterization. The test-bed further includes meterological variables from the Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). MERRA variables provide the initialization and forcing datasets to run a parameterization in Single Column Model (SCM) mode. We show comparisons of an Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-FLux (EDMF) parameterization coupled to micorphsycis and macrophysics packages run in SCM mode with observed clouds. Comparsions are performed regionally in areas of climatological subsidence as well stratified by dynamical and thermodynamical variables. Comparisons demonstrate the ability of the EDMF model to capture the observed transitions between subtropical stratocumulus and cumulus cloud regimes. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19820043451&hterms=Conflicts+relationship&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3DConflicts%2Brelationship','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19820043451&hterms=Conflicts+relationship&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3DConflicts%2Brelationship">Three-dimensional simulations of cumulus congestus clouds on GATE day 261</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_7");'>7</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_8");'>8</a></li> <li class="active">9</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_10");'>10</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_10" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_8");'>8</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_9");'>9</a></li> <li class="active">10</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="181"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017SGeo...38.1257N','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017SGeo...38.1257N">Implications of Warm Rain in Shallow Cumulus and Congestus Clouds for Large-Scale Circulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10184408','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10184408">On testing two major cumulus parameterization schemes using the CSU Regional Atmospheric Modeling System</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Kao, C.Y.J.; Bossert, J.E.; Winterkamp, J. 1993-10-01 One of the objectives of the DOE ARM Program is to improve the parameterization of clouds in general circulation models (GCMs). The approach taken in this research is two fold. We first examine the behavior of cumulus parameterization schemes by comparing their performance against the results from explicit cloud simulations with state-of-the-art microphysics. This is conducted in a two-dimensional (2-D) configuration of an idealized convective system. We then apply the cumulus parameterization schemes to realistic three-dimensional (3-D) simulations over the western US for a case with an enormous amount of convection in an extended period of five days. In themore » 2-D idealized tests, cloud effects are parameterized in the ``parameterization cases`` with a coarse resolution, whereas each cloud is explicitly resolved by the ``microphysics cases`` with a much finer resolution. Thus, the capability of the parameterization schemes in reproducing the growth and life cycle of a convective system can then be evaluated. These 2-D tests will form the basis for further 3-D realistic simulations which have the model resolution equivalent to that of the next generation of GCMs. Two cumulus parameterizations are used in this research: the Arakawa-Schubert (A-S) scheme (Arakawa and Schubert, 1974) used in Kao and Ogura (1987) and the Kuo scheme (Kuo, 1974) used in Tremback (1990). The numerical model used in this research is the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) developed at Colorado State University (CSU).« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19910001190','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19910001190">Structures observed on the spot radiance fields during the FIRE experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Seze, Genevieve; Smith, Leonard; Desbois, Michel 1990-01-01 Three Spot images taken during the FIRE experiment on stratocumulus are analyzed. From this high resolution data detailed observations of the true cloud radiance field may be made. The structure and inhomogeneity of these radiance fields hold important implications for the radiation budget, while the fine scale structure in radiance field provides information on cloud dynamics. Wieliki and Welsh, and Parker et al., have quantified the inhomogeneities of the cumulus clouds through a careful examination of the distribution of cloud (and hole) size as functions of an effective cloud diameter and radiance threshold. Cahalan (1988) has compared for different cloud types of (stratocumulus, fair weather cumulus, convective clouds in the ITCZ) the distributions of clouds (and holes) sizes, the relation between the size and the perimeter of these clouds (and holes), and examining the possibility of scale invariance. These results are extended from LANDSAT resolution (57 m and 30 m) to the Spot resolution (10 m) resolution in the case of boundary layer clouds. Particular emphasis is placed on the statistics of zones of high and low reflectivity as a function of a threshold reflectivity. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1044731-new-approach-estimating-entrainment-rate-cumulus-clouds','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1044731-new-approach-estimating-entrainment-rate-cumulus-clouds">A New Approach for Estimating Entrainment Rate in Cumulus Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Lu C.; Liu, Y.; Yum, S. S. 2012-02-16 A new approach is presented to estimate entrainment rate in cumulus clouds. The new approach is directly derived from the definition of fractional entrainment rate and relates it to mixing fraction and the height above cloud base. The results derived from the new approach compare favorably with those obtained with a commonly used approach, and have smaller uncertainty. This new approach has several advantages: it eliminates the need for in-cloud measurements of temperature and water vapor content, which are often problematic in current aircraft observations; it has the potential for straightforwardly connecting the estimation of entrainment rate and the microphysicalmore » effects of entrainment-mixing processes; it also has the potential for developing a remote sensing technique to infer entrainment rate.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009JGRD..114.6208H','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009JGRD..114.6208H">A statistical approach to the life cycle analysis of cumulus clouds selected in a virtual reality environment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Heus, Thijs; Jonker, Harm J. J.; van den Akker, Harry E. A.; Griffith, Eric J.; Koutek, Michal; Post, Frits H. 2009-03-01 In this study, a new method is developed to investigate the entire life cycle of shallow cumuli in large eddy simulations. Although trained observers have no problem in distinguishing the different life stages of a cloud, this process proves difficult to automate, because cloud-splitting and cloud-merging events complicate the distinction between a single system divided in several cloudy parts and two independent systems that collided. Because the human perception is well equipped to capture and to make sense of these time-dependent three-dimensional features, a combination of automated constraints and human inspection in a three-dimensional virtual reality environment is used to select clouds that are exemplary in their behavior throughout their entire life span. Three specific cases (ARM, BOMEX, and BOMEX without large-scale forcings) are analyzed in this way, and the considerable number of selected clouds warrants reliable statistics of cloud properties conditioned on the phase in their life cycle. The most dominant feature in this statistical life cycle analysis is the pulsating growth that is present throughout the entire lifetime of the cloud, independent of the case and of the large-scale forcings. The pulses are a self-sustained phenomenon, driven by a balance between buoyancy and horizontal convergence of dry air. The convective inhibition just above the cloud base plays a crucial role as a barrier for the cloud to overcome in its infancy stage, and as a buffer region later on, ensuring a steady supply of buoyancy into the cloud. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10103459','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10103459">Boundary-layer cumulus over land: Some observations and conceptual models</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Stull, R.B. 1993-09-01 Starting in 1980, the Boundary Layer Research Team at the University of Wisconsin has been systematically studying the formation and evolution of nonprecipitating boundary-layer cumulus clouds (BLCu) in regions of fair weather (anticyclones) over land (Stull, 1980). Our approach is to quantify the average statistical characteristics of the surface, thermals, boundary layer, and clouds over horizontal regions of roughly 20 km in diameter. Within such a region over land, there is typically quite a variation in land use, and associated variations in surface albedo and moisture. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26438278','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26438278">The impact of parametrized convection on cloud feedback.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4608036','PMC'); return false;" href="https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=4608036">The impact of parametrized convection on cloud feedback</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pmc">PubMed Central</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A53G2346R','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A53G2346R">The Influence of Cloud Field Uniformity on Observed Cloud Amount</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Riley, E.; Kleiss, J.; Kassianov, E.; Long, C. N.; Riihimaki, L.; Berg, L. K. 2017-12-01 Two ground-based measurements of cloud amount include cloud fraction (CF) obtained from time series of zenith-pointing radar-lidar observations and fractional sky cover (FSC) acquired from a Total Sky Imager (TSI). In comparison with the radars and lidars, the TSI has a considerably larger field of view (FOV 100° vs. 0.2°) and therefore is expected to have a different sensitivity to inhomogeneity in a cloud field. Radiative transfer calculations based on cloud properties retrieved from narrow-FOV overhead cloud observations may differ from shortwave and longwave flux observations due to spatial variability in local cloud cover. This bias will impede radiative closure for sampling reasons rather than the accuracy of cloud microphysics retrievals or radiative transfer calculations. Furthermore, the comparison between observed and modeled cloud amount from large eddy simulations (LES) models may be affected by cloud field inhomogeneity. The main goal of our study is to estimate the anticipated impact of cloud field inhomogeneity on the level of agreement between CF and FSC. We focus on shallow cumulus clouds observed at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Facility's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, USA. Our analysis identifies cloud field inhomogeneity using a novel metric that quantifies the spatial and temporal uniformity of FSC over 100-degree FOV TSI images. We demonstrate that (1) large differences between CF and FSC are partly attributable to increases in inhomogeneity and (2) using the uniformity metric can provide a meaningful assessment of uncertainties in observed cloud amount to aide in comparing ground-based measurements to radiative transfer or LES model outputs at SGP. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070023463','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070023463">3D Aerosol-Cloud Radiative Interaction Observed in Collocated MODIS and ASTER Images of Cumulus Cloud Fields</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wen, Guoyong; Marshak, Alexander; Cahalan, Robert F.; Remer, Lorraine A.; Kleidman, Richard G. 2007-01-01 3D aerosol-cloud interaction is examined by analyzing two images containing cumulus clouds in biomass burning regions in Brazil. The research consists of two parts. The first part focuses on identifying 3D clo ud impacts on the reflectance of pixel selected for the MODIS aerosol retrieval based purely on observations. The second part of the resea rch combines the observations with radiative transfer computations to identify key parameters in 3D aerosol-cloud interaction. We found that 3D cloud-induced enhancement depends on optical properties of nearb y clouds as well as wavelength. The enhancement is too large to be ig nored. Associated biased error in 1D aerosol optical thickness retrie val ranges from 50% to 140% depending on wavelength and optical prope rties of nearby clouds as well as aerosol optical thickness. We caution the community to be prudent when applying 1D approximations in comp uting solar radiation in dear regions adjacent to clouds or when usin g traditional retrieved aerosol optical thickness in aerosol indirect effect research. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1430258','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1430258">Understanding the tropical cloud feedback from an analysis of the circulation and stability regimes simulated from an upgraded multiscale modeling framework</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Xu, Kuan-Man; Cheng, Anning As revealed from studies using conventional general circulation models (GCMs), the thermodynamic contribution to the tropical cloud feedback dominates the dynamic contribution, but these models have difficulty in simulating the subsidence regimes in the tropics. In this study, we analyze the tropical cloud feedback from a 2 K sea surface temperature (SST) perturbation experiment performed with a multiscale modeling framework (MMF). The MMF explicitly represents cloud processes using 2-D cloud-resolving models with an advanced higher-order turbulence closure in each atmospheric column of the host GCM. We sort the monthly mean cloud properties and cloud radiative effects according to circulation andmore » stability regimes. Here, we find that the regime-sorted dynamic changes dominate the thermodynamic changes in terms of the absolute magnitude. The dynamic changes in the weak subsidence regimes exhibit strong negative cloud feedback due to increases in shallow cumulus and deep clouds while those in strongly convective and moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes have opposite signs, resulting in a small contribution to cloud feedback. On the other hand, the thermodynamic changes are large due to decreases in stratocumulus clouds in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes with small opposite changes in the weak subsidence and strongly convective regimes, resulting in a relatively large contribution to positive cloud feedback. The dynamic and thermodynamic changes contribute equally to positive cloud feedback and are relatively insensitive to stability in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes. But they are sensitive to stability changes from the SST increase in convective and weak subsidence regimes. Lastly, these results have implications for interpreting cloud feedback mechanisms.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1355939-cloud-circulation-feedbacks-near-global-aquaplanet-cloud-resolving-model','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1355939-cloud-circulation-feedbacks-near-global-aquaplanet-cloud-resolving-model">Cloud and circulation feedbacks in a near-global aquaplanet cloud-resolving model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Narenpitak, Pornampai; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Khairoutdinov, Marat F. 2017-05-08 A near-global aquaplanet cloud-resolving model (NGAqua) with fixed meridionally varying sea-surface temperature (SST) is used to investigate cloud feedbacks due to three climate perturbations: a uniform 4 K SST increase, a quadrupled-CO2 concentration, and both combined. NGAqua has a horizontal resolution of 4 km with no cumulus parameterization. Its domain is a zonally periodic 20,480 km-long tropical channel, spanning 46°S–N. It produces plausible mean distributions of clouds, rainfall, and winds. After spin-up, 80 days are analyzed for the control and increased-SST simulations, and 40 days for those with quadrupled CO 2. The Intertropical Convergence Zone width and tropical cloud covermore » are not strongly affected by SST warming or CO 2 increase, except for the expected upward shift in high clouds with warming, but both perturbations weaken the Hadley circulation. Increased SST induces a statistically significant increase in subtropical low cloud fraction and in-cloud liquid water content but decreases midlatitude cloud, yielding slightly positive domain-mean shortwave cloud feedbacks. CO 2 quadrupling causes a slight shallowing and a statistically insignificant reduction of subtropical low cloud fraction. Warming-induced low cloud changes are strongly correlated with changes in estimated inversion strength, which increases modestly in the subtropics but decreases in the midlatitudes. Enhanced clear-sky boundary layer radiative cooling in the warmer climate accompanies the robust subtropical low cloud increase. The probability distribution of column relative humidity across the tropics and subtropics is compared between the control and increased-SST simulations. It shows no evidence of bimodality or increased convective aggregation in a warmer climate.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1430258-understanding-tropical-cloud-feedback-from-analysis-circulation-stability-regimes-simulated-from-upgraded-multiscale-modeling-framework','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1430258-understanding-tropical-cloud-feedback-from-analysis-circulation-stability-regimes-simulated-from-upgraded-multiscale-modeling-framework">Understanding the tropical cloud feedback from an analysis of the circulation and stability regimes simulated from an upgraded multiscale modeling framework</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Xu, Kuan-Man; Cheng, Anning 2016-11-15 As revealed from studies using conventional general circulation models (GCMs), the thermodynamic contribution to the tropical cloud feedback dominates the dynamic contribution, but these models have difficulty in simulating the subsidence regimes in the tropics. In this study, we analyze the tropical cloud feedback from a 2 K sea surface temperature (SST) perturbation experiment performed with a multiscale modeling framework (MMF). The MMF explicitly represents cloud processes using 2-D cloud-resolving models with an advanced higher-order turbulence closure in each atmospheric column of the host GCM. We sort the monthly mean cloud properties and cloud radiative effects according to circulation andmore » stability regimes. Here, we find that the regime-sorted dynamic changes dominate the thermodynamic changes in terms of the absolute magnitude. The dynamic changes in the weak subsidence regimes exhibit strong negative cloud feedback due to increases in shallow cumulus and deep clouds while those in strongly convective and moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes have opposite signs, resulting in a small contribution to cloud feedback. On the other hand, the thermodynamic changes are large due to decreases in stratocumulus clouds in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes with small opposite changes in the weak subsidence and strongly convective regimes, resulting in a relatively large contribution to positive cloud feedback. The dynamic and thermodynamic changes contribute equally to positive cloud feedback and are relatively insensitive to stability in the moderate-to-strong subsidence regimes. But they are sensitive to stability changes from the SST increase in convective and weak subsidence regimes. Lastly, these results have implications for interpreting cloud feedback mechanisms.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1355939-cloud-circulation-feedbacks-near-global-aquaplanet-cloud-resolving-model','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1355939-cloud-circulation-feedbacks-near-global-aquaplanet-cloud-resolving-model">Cloud and circulation feedbacks in a near-global aquaplanet cloud-resolving model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Narenpitak, Pornampai; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Khairoutdinov, Marat F. A near-global aquaplanet cloud-resolving model (NGAqua) with fixed meridionally varying sea-surface temperature (SST) is used to investigate cloud feedbacks due to three climate perturbations: a uniform 4 K SST increase, a quadrupled-CO2 concentration, and both combined. NGAqua has a horizontal resolution of 4 km with no cumulus parameterization. Its domain is a zonally periodic 20,480 km-long tropical channel, spanning 46°S–N. It produces plausible mean distributions of clouds, rainfall, and winds. After spin-up, 80 days are analyzed for the control and increased-SST simulations, and 40 days for those with quadrupled CO 2. The Intertropical Convergence Zone width and tropical cloud covermore » are not strongly affected by SST warming or CO 2 increase, except for the expected upward shift in high clouds with warming, but both perturbations weaken the Hadley circulation. Increased SST induces a statistically significant increase in subtropical low cloud fraction and in-cloud liquid water content but decreases midlatitude cloud, yielding slightly positive domain-mean shortwave cloud feedbacks. CO 2 quadrupling causes a slight shallowing and a statistically insignificant reduction of subtropical low cloud fraction. Warming-induced low cloud changes are strongly correlated with changes in estimated inversion strength, which increases modestly in the subtropics but decreases in the midlatitudes. Enhanced clear-sky boundary layer radiative cooling in the warmer climate accompanies the robust subtropical low cloud increase. The probability distribution of column relative humidity across the tropics and subtropics is compared between the control and increased-SST simulations. It shows no evidence of bimodality or increased convective aggregation in a warmer climate.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860056438&hterms=How+tornadoes+formed&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3DHow%2Btornadoes%2Bformed','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860056438&hterms=How+tornadoes+formed&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3DHow%2Btornadoes%2Bformed">Observations and mechanisms of GATE waterspouts</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Simpson, J.; Mccumber, M. C.; Morton, B. R.; Penc, R. S. 1986-01-01 The present numerical and observational investigation of interacting cumulus processes implicated in the formation of waterspouts, the GATE database for days 261 and 186 is noted to imply that the existence of cumulus-scale parent vortices is a necessary (albeit not sufficient) condition for the production of waterspouts. A high resolution version of the Schlessinger (1975) three-dimensional cumulus model with a Kessler (1969) type precipitation scheme is used to analyze cumulus-scale vorticity organization, which on the two days in question exhibited contrasting thermal stratification and cloud features. The observations from both days suggest that the waterspouts formed ahead of the wind shift, due to the passage of a gust front. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AMT....11..593C','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AMT....11..593C">All-sky photogrammetry techniques to georeference a cloud field</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Crispel, Pierre; Roberts, Gregory 2018-01-01 In this study, we present a novel method of identifying and geolocalizing cloud field elements from a portable all-sky camera stereo network based on the ground and oriented towards zenith. The methodology is mainly based on stereophotogrammetry which is a 3-D reconstruction technique based on triangulation from corresponding stereo pixels in rectified images. In cases where clouds are horizontally separated, identifying individual positions is performed with segmentation techniques based on hue filtering and contour detection algorithms. Macroscopic cloud field characteristics such as cloud layer base heights and velocity fields are also deduced. In addition, the methodology is fitted to the context of measurement campaigns which impose simplicity of implementation, auto-calibration, and portability. Camera internal geometry models are achieved a priori in the laboratory and validated to ensure a certain accuracy in the peripheral parts of the all-sky image. Then, stereophotogrammetry with dense 3-D reconstruction is applied with cameras spaced 150 m apart for two validation cases. The first validation case is carried out with cumulus clouds having a cloud base height at 1500 m a.g.l. The second validation case is carried out with two cloud layers: a cumulus fractus layer with a base height at 1000 m a.g.l. and an altocumulus stratiformis layer with a base height of 2300 m a.g.l. Velocity fields at cloud base are computed by tracking image rectangular patterns through successive shots. The height uncertainty is estimated by comparison with a Vaisala CL31 ceilometer located on the site. The uncertainty on the horizontal coordinates and on the velocity field are theoretically quantified by using the experimental uncertainties of the cloud base height and camera orientation. In the first cumulus case, segmentation of the image is performed to identify individuals clouds in the cloud field and determine the horizontal positions of the cloud centers. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A13J3309T','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A13J3309T">An Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-flux (EDMF) closure for the unified representation of cloud and convective processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040171524&hterms=biomass&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Dbiomass','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040171524&hterms=biomass&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Dbiomass">3D Cloud Radiative Effects on Aerosol Optical Thickness Retrievals in Cumulus Cloud Fields in the Biomass Burning Region in Brazil</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wen, Guo-Yong; Marshak, Alexander; Cahalan, Robert F. 2004-01-01 Aerosol amount in clear regions of a cloudy atmosphere is a critical parameter in studying the interaction between aerosols and clouds. Since the global cloud cover is about 50%, cloudy scenes are often encountered in any satellite images. Aerosols are more or less transparent, while clouds are extremely reflective in the visible spectrum of solar radiation. The radiative transfer in clear-cloudy condition is highly three- dimensional (3D). This paper focuses on estimating the 3D effects on aerosol optical thickness retrievals using Monte Carlo simulations. An ASTER image of cumulus cloud fields in the biomass burning region in Brazil is simulated in this study. The MODIS products (i-e., cloud optical thickness, particle effective radius, cloud top pressure, surface reflectance, etc.) are used to construct the cloud property and surface reflectance fields. To estimate the cloud 3-D effects, we assume a plane-parallel stratification of aerosol properties in the 60 km x 60 km ASTER image. The simulated solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere is compared with plane-parallel calculations. Furthermore, the 3D cloud radiative effects on aerosol optical thickness retrieval are estimated. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=308466&Lab=NERL&keyword=dependency&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50','EPA-EIMS'); return false;" href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=308466&Lab=NERL&keyword=dependency&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50">Improving High-resolution Weather Forecasts using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with Upgraded Kain-Fritsch Cumulus Scheme</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/query.page">EPA Science Inventory</a> High-resolution weather forecasting is affected by many aspects, i.e. model initial conditions, subgrid-scale cumulus convection and cloud microphysics schemes. Recent 12km grid studies using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model have identified the importance of inco... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AGUFM.A51B0045S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AGUFM.A51B0045S">Modeling studying on ice formation by bacteria in warm-based convective cloud</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Sun, J. 2005-12-01 Bacteria have been recognized as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and certain bacteria, commonly found in plants, have exhibited capacity to act as ice nuclei (IN) at temperatures as warm as -2 °C. These ice nucleating bacteria are readily disseminated into the atmosphere and have been observed in clouds at altitudes of several kilometres. It is noteworthy that over 20 years ago, one assumed the possibility of bacterial transport and their importance into cloud formation process, rain and precipitation, as well as causing disease in plants and animal kingdom. We used a 1-D cumulus cloud model with the CCOPE 19th July 1981 case and the observed field profile of bacterial concentration, to simulate the significance of bacteria as IN through condensation freezing mechanism. In this paper, we will present our results on the role of bacteria as active ice nuclei in the developing stage of cumulus clouds, and their potential significance in atmospheric sciences. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_8");'>8</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_9");'>9</a></li> <li class="active">10</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_11" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_9");'>9</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_10");'>10</a></li> <li class="active">11</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="201"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JCli...13..245N','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000JCli...13..245N">Low Cloud Type over the Ocean from Surface Observations. Part III: Relationship to Vertical Motion and the Regional Surface Synoptic Environment.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Norris, Joel R.; Klein, Stephen A. 2000-01-01 Composite large-scale dynamical fields contemporaneous with low cloud types observed at midlatitude Ocean Weather Station (OWS) C and eastern subtropical OWS N are used to establish representative relationships between low cloud type and the synoptic environment. The composites are constructed by averaging meteorological observations of surface wind and sea level pressure from volunteering observing ships (VOS) and analyses of sea level pressure, 1000-mb wind, and 700-mb pressure vertical velocity from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR) reanalysis project on those dates and times of day when a particular low cloud type was reported at the OWS.VOS and NCEP results for OWS C during summer show that bad-weather stratus occurs with strong convergence and ascent slightly ahead of a surface low center and trough. Cumulus-under-stratocumulus and moderate and large cumulus occur with divergence and subsidence in the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone. Both sky-obscuring fog and no-low-cloud typically occur with southwesterly flow from regions of warmer sea surface temperature and differ primarily according to slight surface convergence and stronger warm advection in the case of sky-obscuring fog or surface divergence and weaker warm advection in the case of no-low-cloud. Fair-weather stratus and ordinary stratocumulus are associated with a mixture of meteorological conditions, but differ with respect to vertical motion in the environment. Fair-weather stratus occurs most commonly in the presence of slight convergence and ascent, while stratocumulus often occurs in the presence of divergence and subsidence.Surface divergence and estimated subsidence at the top of the boundary layer are calculated from VOS observations. At both OWS C and OWS N during summer and winter these values are large for ordinary stratocumulus, less for cumulus-under-stratocumulus, and least (and sometimes slightly negative) for moderate and large cumulus. Subsidence interpolated from NCEP analyses to the top of the boundary layer does not exhibit such variation, but the discrepancy may be due to deficiencies in the analysis procedure or the boundary layer parameterization of the NCEP model. The VOS results suggest that decreasing divergence and subsidence in addition to increasing sea surface temperature may promote the transition from stratocumulus to trade cumulus observed over low-latitude oceans. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1169563-clouds-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-structure-during-magic-field-campaign','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1169563-clouds-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-structure-during-magic-field-campaign">Clouds, Precipitation, and Marine Boundary Layer Structure during the MAGIC Field Campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Zhou, Xiaoli; Kollias, Pavlos; Lewis, Ernie R. 2015-03-01 The recent ship-based MAGIC (Marine ARM GCSS Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI) Investigation of Clouds) field campaign with the marine-capable Second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) deployed on the Horizon Lines cargo container M/V Spirit provided nearly 200 days of intraseasonal high-resolution observations of clouds, precipitation, and marine boundary layer (MBL) structure on multiple legs between Los Angeles, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. During the deployment, MBL clouds exhibited a much higher frequency of occurrence than other cloud types and occurred more often in the warm season than in the cold season. MBL clouds demonstrated a propensity to produce precipitation, which often evaporatedmore » before reaching the ocean surface. The formation of stratocumulus is strongly correlated to a shallow MBL with a strong inversion and a weak transition, while cumulus formation is associated with a much weaker inversion and stronger transition. The estimated inversion strength is shown to depend seasonally on the potential temperature at 700 hPa. The location of the commencement of systematic MBL decoupling always occurred eastward of the locations of cloud breakup, and the systematic decoupling showed a strong moisture stratification. The entrainment of the dry warm air above the inversion appears to be the dominant factor triggering the systematic decoupling, while surface latent heat flux, precipitation, and diurnal circulation did not play major roles. MBL clouds broke up over a short spatial region due to the changes in the synoptic conditions, implying that in real atmospheric conditions the MBL clouds do not have enough time to evolve as in the idealized models. (auth)« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A11G3075M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A11G3075M">Impacts of Wind Farms on Cumulus Cloud Development in the Central Great Plains</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Mahoney, L. C.; Wagner, T. J.; L'Ecuyer, T. S.; Kulie, M. 2014-12-01 Cumulus clouds have a net cooling effect on the surface radiative balance by reflecting more downwelling solar radiation than absorbing upwelling terrestrial radiation. As boundary layer cumuli form from buoyant, moist plumes ascending from the surface, their growth may be hindered by the turbulent deformation of the plume by wind farms. A natural laboratory to study the impact of wind farms on cumulus formation are the states of Iowa and Nebraska. Despite their prime location for wind resources and similar synoptic forcings, regulatory issues cause these two states to vary vastly in their wind power offerings. In 2013, Iowa ranked 3rd in the nation for total megawatts installed and generates over a quarter of its electricity from wind energy, more than any other state. In contrast, Nebraska has an order of magnitude fewer turbines installed, and less than five percent of the state's electrical load is wind-generated. This variance in wind power in close proximity makes Iowa and Nebraska a prime area for initial research. This study uses Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) visible satellite imagery from the summer of 2009 to 2013 to investigate cumulus development in these adjacent states, as the majority of large-scale wind farms in Iowa were completed by 2009. Image reflectances in Nebraska and Iowa are compared to determine the magnitude of cumulus growth. Preliminary analysis indicates a reduction in cumulus development near the existing wind farms; a synoptic investigation of these cases will be completed to determine causality. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19850014958','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19850014958">Cumulus cloud venting of mixed layer ozone</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Ching, J. K. S.; Shipley, S. T.; Browell, E. V.; Brewer, D. A. 1985-01-01 Observations are presented which substantiate the hypothesis that significant vertical exchange of ozone and aerosols occurs between the mixed layer and the free troposphere during cumulus cloud convective activity. The experiments utilized the airborne Ultra-Violet Differential Absorption Lidar (UV-DIAL) system. This system provides simultaneous range resolved ozone concentration and aerosol backscatter profiles with high spatial resolution. Evening transects were obtained in the downwind area where the air mass had been advected. Space-height analyses for the evening flight show the cloud debris as patterns of ozone typically in excess of the ambient free tropospheric background. This ozone excess was approximately the value of the concentration difference between the mixed layer and free troposphere determined from independent vertical soundings made by another aircraft in the afternoon. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080022439','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080022439">Statistical Analyses of Satellite Cloud Object Data From CERES. Part 4; Boundary-layer Cloud Objects During 1998 El Nino</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Xu, Kuan-Man; Wong, Takmeng; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Parker, Lindsay 2006-01-01 Three boundary-layer cloud object types, stratus, stratocumulus and cumulus, that occurred over the Pacific Ocean during January-August 1998, are identified from the CERES (Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System) single scanner footprint (SSF) data from the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite. This study emphasizes the differences and similarities in the characteristics of each cloud-object type between the tropical and subtropical regions and among different size categories and among small geographic areas. Both the frequencies of occurrence and statistical distributions of cloud physical properties are analyzed. In terms of frequencies of occurrence, stratocumulus clouds dominate the entire boundary layer cloud population in all regions and among all size categories. Stratus clouds are more prevalent in the subtropics and near the coastal regions, while cumulus clouds are relatively prevalent over open ocean and the equatorial regions, particularly, within the small size categories. The largest size category of stratus cloud objects occurs more frequently in the subtropics than in the tropics and has much larger average size than its cumulus and stratocumulus counterparts. Each of the three cloud object types exhibits small differences in statistical distributions of cloud optical depth, liquid water path, TOA albedo and perhaps cloud-top height, but large differences in those of cloud-top temperature and OLR between the tropics and subtropics. Differences in the sea surface temperature (SST) distributions between the tropics and subtropics influence some of the cloud macrophysical properties, but cloud microphysical properties and albedo for each cloud object type are likely determined by (local) boundary-layer dynamics and structures. Systematic variations of cloud optical depth, TOA albedo, cloud-top height, OLR and SST with cloud object sizes are pronounced for the stratocumulus and stratus types, which are related to systematic variations of the strength of inversion with cloud object sizes, produced by large-scale subsidence. The differences in cloud macrophysical properties over small regions are significantly larger than those of cloud microphysical properties and TOA albedo, suggesting a greater control of (local) large-scale dynamics and other factors on cloud object properties. When the three cloud object types are combined, the relative population among the three types is the most important factor for determining the cloud object properties in a Pacific transect where the transition of boundary-layer cloud types takes place. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFMGC51C0819X','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFMGC51C0819X">Characterizing the Trade Space Between Capability and Complexity in Next Generation Cloud and Precipitation Observing Systems Using Markov Chain Monte Carlos Techniques</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Xu, Z.; Mace, G. G.; Posselt, D. J. 2017-12-01 As we begin to contemplate the next generation atmospheric observing systems, it will be critically important that we are able to make informed decisions regarding the trade space between scientific capability and the need to keep complexity and cost within definable limits. To explore this trade space as it pertains to understanding key cloud and precipitation processes, we are developing a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm suite that allows us to arbitrarily define the specifications of candidate observing systems and then explore how the uncertainties in key retrieved geophysical parameters respond to that observing system. MCMC algorithms produce a more complete posterior solution space, and allow for an objective examination of information contained in measurements. In our initial implementation, MCMC experiments are performed to retrieve vertical profiles of cloud and precipitation properties from a spectrum of active and passive measurements collected by aircraft during the ACE Radiation Definition Experiments (RADEX). Focusing on shallow cumulus clouds observed during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology EXperiment (IPHEX), observing systems in this study we consider W and Ka-band radar reflectivity, path-integrated attenuation at those frequencies, 31 and 94 GHz brightness temperatures as well as visible and near-infrared reflectance. By varying the sensitivity and uncertainty of these measurements, we quantify the capacity of various combinations of observations to characterize the physical properties of clouds and precipitation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts091-708-077.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts091-708-077.html">Earth observations taken from orbiter Discovery during STS-91 mission</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2016-08-24 STS091-708-077 (2-12 June 1998) -- The cloud shadows grew long as the STS-91 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery approached the dark side of the Earth during "sunset" over Poland. The taller building cumulus clouds cast shadows over the lower clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009APS..DFD.AS008S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009APS..DFD.AS008S">Experimental study of starting plumes simulating cumulus cloud flows in the atmosphere</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Subrahmanyam, Duvvuri; Sreenivas, K. R.; Bhat, G. S.; Diwan, S. S.; Narasimha, Roddam 2009-11-01 Turbulent jets and plumes subjected to off-source volumetric heating have been studied experimentally and numerically by Narasimha and co-workers and others over the past two decades. The off-source heating attempts to simulate the latent heat release that occurs in cumulus clouds on condensation of water vapour. This heat release plays a crucial role in determining the overall cloud shape among other things. Previous studies investigated steady state jets and plumes that had attained similarity upstream of heat injection. A better understanding and appreciation of the fluid dynamics of cumulus clouds should be possible by study of starting plumes. Experiments have been set up at JNCASR (Bangalore) using experimental techniques developed previously but incorporating various improvements. Till date, experiments have been performed on plumes at Re of 1000 and 2250, with three different heating levels in each case. Axial sections of the flow have been studied using standard PLIF techniques. The flow visualization provides us with data on the temporal evolution of the starting plume. It is observed that the broad nature of the effect of off-source heating on the starting plumes is generally consistent with the results obtained previously on steady state flows. More complete results and a critical discussion will be presented at the upcoming meeting. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20180000614','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20180000614">Data, Meet Compute: NASA's Cumulus Ingest Architecture</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Quinn, Patrick 2018-01-01 NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) houses nearly 30PBs of critical Earth Science data and with upcoming missions is expected to balloon to between 200PBs-300PBs over the next seven years. In addition to the massive increase in data collected, researchers and application developers want more and faster access - enabling complex visualizations, long time-series analysis, and cross dataset research without needing to copy and manage massive amounts of data locally. NASA has looked to the cloud to address these needs, building its Cumulus system to manage the ingest of diverse data in a wide variety of formats into the cloud. In this talk, we look at what Cumulus is from a high level and then take a deep dive into how it manages complexity and versioning associated with multiple AWS Lambda and ECS microservices communicating through AWS Step Functions across several disparate installations </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1982JAtS...39.1619W','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1982JAtS...39.1619W">Mesoscale Features and Cloud Organization on 10-12 December 1978 over the South China Sea.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Warner, Charles 1982-07-01 Aircraft data from Winter MONEX have been combined with other data to study mesoscale features, and organization of cumulus clouds, on 10-12 December 1978. A moderate cold surge in the northeasterly monsoon flow, toward cloudiness in an equatorial trough off Borneo, peaked on 11 December.Clouds in the northeasterly monsoon flow were similar to those in the trades, with variations in convective regime on length scales on the order of 100 km. Marked mid-tropospheric subsidence was accompanied by low-level divergence near 20°N. During 10 December, anvil clouds near Borneo expanded; cumulus congestus and cumulonimbus formed on the periphery of this area. The approach of the low-level northeasterlies to the area of anvils was marked by a diminution of subsidence, conditional instability, and a weak field of low-level convergence, with randomly organized cumulus of increasing height. A low-level easterly jet was found in this transition zone, downstream from cloudiness over the Philippines. South of Vietnam, a clear area was associated with low air temperatures, and not subsidence. Congestus and cumulonimbus clouds formed near the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula.Cloud streets were seen from latitude 19°N to the Malaysian coast (with a break south of Vietnam). These clouds were confined below the level of an inflection point in the profile of winds normal to the street direction. Greatest spacings of streets occurred with greatest vertical shears of the cross-winds. Cloud number densities were more closely related to the instability of the vertical stratification than to any other parameter.Cross-wind organization of clouds occurred in circumstances of unstable, stratification and apparently of net ascent. Alignment of clouds was at an angle to the directions of both winds and vertical wind shears. It is inferred that when convergence was strong, deep clouds occurred along lines of convergence in the surface streamlines. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830011121','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830011121">The radiative impact of cumulus cloudiness in a general circulation model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Moeng, C. H.; Randall, D. A. 1982-01-01 The effect of cumulus cloudiness on the radiational heating and, on other aspects of the climate were simulated by the GLAS Climate Model. An experiment in which the cumulus cloudiness is neglected completely for purposes of the solar and terrestrial radiation parameterizations was performed. The results are compared with those of a control run, in which 100% cumulus cloud cover is assumed. The net solar radiation input into the Earth atmosphere system is more realistic in the experiment, and the model's underprediction of the global mean outgoing thermal radiation at the top of the atmosphere is reduced. The results suggest that there is a positive feedback between cumulus convection and the radiation field. The upper troposphere is warmer in the experiment, the surface air temperature increases over land, and the thermal lows over the continents intensity. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21095.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21095.html">CloudSat Takes a 3D Slice of Hurricane Matthew</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2016-10-07 NASA's CloudSat flew east of Hurricane Matthew's center on Oct. 6 at 11:30 a.m. PDT (2:30 p.m. EDT), intersecting parts of Matthew's outer rain bands and revealing Matthew's anvil clouds (thick cirrus cloud cover), with cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds beneath (lower image). Reds/pinks are larger water/ice droplets. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21095 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040012799&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Densemble','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040012799&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Densemble">Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model: Application for Understanding Precipitation Processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2002-01-01 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). The 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 (size about 2-200 km). The CRMs also allow explicit interaction between out-going longwave (cooling) and incoming solar (heating) radiation with clouds. Observations can provide the initial conditions and validation for CRM results. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model, a cloud-resolving model, has been developed and improved at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center over the past two decades. Dr. Joanne Simpson played a central role in GCE modeling developments and applications. She was the lead author or co-author on more than forty GCE modeling papers. In this paper, a brief discussion and review of the application of the GCE model to (1) cloud interactions and mergers, (2) convective and stratiform interaction, (3) mechanisms of cloud-radiation interaction, (4) latent heating profiles and TRMM, and (5) responses of cloud systems to large-scale processes are provided. Comparisons between the GCE model's results, other cloud-resolving model results and observations are also examined. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1334768','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1334768">Using ARM Measurements to Understand and Reduce the Double ITCZ Biases in the Community Atmospheric Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Zhang, Minghua 1. Understanding of the observed variability of ITCZ in the equatorial eastern Pacific. The annual mean precipitation in the eastern Pacific has a maximum zonal band north of the equator in the ITCZ where the maximum SST is located. During the boreal spring (referring to February, March, and April throughout the present paper), because of the accumulated solar radiation heating and oceanic heat transport, a secondary maximum of SST exists in the southeastern equatorial Pacific. Associated with this warm SST is also a seasonal transitional maximum of precipitation in the same region in boreal spring, exhibited as a weak doublemore » ITCZ pattern in the equatorial eastern Pacific. This climatological seasonal variation, however, varies greatly from year to year: double ITCZ in the boreal spring occurs in some years but not in other years; when there a single ITCZ, it can appear either north, south or at the equator. Understanding this observed variability is critical to find the ultimate cause of the double ITCZ in climate models. Seasonal variation of ITCZ south of the eastern equatorial Pacific: By analyzing data from satellites, field measurements and atmospheric reanalysis, we have found that in the region where spurious ITCZ in models occurs, there is a “seasonal cloud transition” — from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus and eventually to deep convection —in the South Equatorial Pacific (SEP) from September to April that is similar to the spatial cloud transition from the California coast to the equator. This seasonal transition is associated with increasing sea surface temperature (SST), decreasing lower tropospheric stability and large-scale subsidence. This finding of seasonal cloud transition points to the same source of model errors in the ITCZ simulations as in simulation of stratocumulus-cumulus-deep convection transition. It provides a test for climate models to simulate the relationships between clouds and large-scale atmospheric fields in a region that features a spurious double Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in most models. This work is recently published in Yu et al. (2016). Interannual variation of ITCZ south of the eastern equatorial Pacific: By analyzing data from satellites, field measurements and atmospheric reanalysis, we have characterized the interannual variation of boreal spring precipitation in the eastern tropical Pacific and found the cause of the observed interannual variability. We have shown that ITCZ in this region can occur as a single ITCZ along the Equator, single ITCZ north of the Equator, single ITCZ south of the Equator, and double ITCZ on both sides of the Equator. We have found that convective instability only plays a secondary role in the ITCZ interannual variability. Instead, the remote impact of the Pacific basin-wide SST on the horizontal gradient of surface pressure and wind convergence is the primary driver of this interannual variability. Results point to the need to include moisture convergence in convection schemes to improve the simulation of precipitation in the eastern tropical Pacific. This result has been recently submitted for publication (Yu and Zhang 2016). 2. Improvement of model parameterizations to reduce the double ITCZ bias We analyzed the current status of climate model performance in simulating precipitation in the equatorial Pacific. We have found that the double ITCZ bias has not been reduced in CMIP5 models relative to CMIP4 models. We have characterized the dynamic structure of the common bias by using precipitation, sea surface temperature, surface winds and sea-level. Results are published in Zhang et al. (2015): Since cumulus convection plays a significant role in the double ITCZ behavior in models, we have used measurements from ARM and other sources to carry out a systematic analysis of the roles of shallow and deep convection in the CAM. We found that in both CAM4 and CAM5, when the intensity of deep convection decreases as a result of parameterization change, the intensity of shallow convection increases, leading to very different changes in precipitation partitions but little change in the total precipitation. The different precipitation partition however can manifest themselves in other measures of model performances including temperature and humidity. This study points to the need to treat model physical parameterizations as integrated system rather than individual components. Results from this study are published in Wang and Zhang (2013). Since shallow convection interacts with the deep convection scheme and surface turbulence to trigger the double ITCZ, we studied methods to improve the shallow convection scheme in climate models. We investigated the bulk budgets of the vertical velocity and its parameterization in convective cores, convective updrafts, and clouds by using large-eddy simulation (LES) of four shallow convection cases including one from ARM. We proposed optimal forms of the Simpson and Wiggert equation to calculate the vertical velocity in bulk mass flux convection schemes for convective cores, convective updrafts, and convective clouds as parameterization schemes. The new scheme is published in Wang and Zhang (2014). By using long-term radar-based ground measurements from ARM, we derived a scale-aware inhomogeneity parameterization of cloud liquid water in climate models. We found a relationship between the inhomogeneity parameter and the model grid size as well as atmospheric stability. This relationship is implemented in the CESM to describe the subgrid-scale cloud inhomogeneity. Relative to the default CESM with the finite-volume dynamic core at 2-degree resolution, the new parameterization leads to smaller cloud inhomogeneity and larger cloud liquid-water path in high latitudes, and the opposite effect in low latitudes, with the regional impact on shortwave cloud radiation effect of up to 10 W/m 2. This is due to both the smaller (larger) grid size in high (low) latitudes in the longitude-latitude grid setting of CESM and the more stable (unstable) atmosphere. This parameterization is expected lead to more realistic simulation of tropical precipitation in high-resolution models. Results from this study are reported in Xie and Zhang (2015).« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985PhDT........73K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1985PhDT........73K">a Cumulus Parameterization Study with Special Attention to the Arakawa-Schubert Scheme</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Kao, Chih-Yue Jim Arakawa and Schubert (1974) developed a cumulus parameterization scheme in a framework that conceptually divides the mutual interaction of the cumulus convection and large-scale disturbance into the categories of large -scale budget requirements and the quasi-equilibrium assumption of cloud work function. We have applied the A-S scheme through a semi-prognostic approach to two different data sets: one is for an intense tropical cloud band event; the other is for tropical composite easterly wave disturbances. Both were observed in GATE. The cloud heating and drying effects predicted by the Arakawa-Schubert scheme are found to agree rather well with the observations. However, it is also found that the Arakawa-Schubert scheme underestimates both condensation and evaporation rates substantially when compared with the cumulus ensemble model results (Soong and Tao, 1980; Tao, 1983). An inclusion of the downdraft effects, as formulated by Johnson (1976), appears to alleviate this deficiency. In order to examine how the Arakawa-Schubert scheme works in a fully prognostic problem, a simulation of the evolution and structure of the tropical cloud band, mentioned above, under the influence of an imposed large-scale low -level forcing has been made, using a two-dimensional hydrostatic model with the inclusion of the Arakawa-Schubert scheme. Basically, the model result indicates that the meso-scale convective system is driven by the excess of the convective heating derived from the Arakawa-Schubert scheme over the adiabatic cooling due to the imposed large-scale lifting and induced meso-scale upward motion. However, as the convective system develops, the adiabatic warming due to the subsidence outside the cloud cluster gradually accumulates into a secondary temperature anomaly which subsequently reduces the original temperature contrast and inhibits the further development of the convective system. A 24 hour integration shows that the model is capable of simulating many important features such as the life cycle, intensity of circulation, and rainfall rates. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19900018943','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19900018943">A cloudiness transition in a marine boundary layer</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Betts, Alan K.; Boers, Reinout 1990-01-01 Boundary layer cloudiness plays several important roles in the energy budget of the earth. Low level stratocumulus are highly reflective clouds which reduce the net incoming shortwave radiation at the earth's surface. Climatically, the transition to a small area fraction of scattered cumulus clouds occurs as the air flows over warmer water. Although these clouds reflect less sunlight, they still play an important role in the boundary layer equilibrium by transporting water vapor upwards, and enhancing the surface evaporation. The First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) included a marine stratocumulus experiment off the southern California coast from June 29 to July 19, 1987. The objectives of this experiment were to study the controls on fractional cloudiness, and to assess the role of cloud-top entrainment instability (CTEI) and mesoscale structure in determining cloud type. The focus is one research day, July 7, 1987, when coordinated aircraft missions were flown by four research aircraft, centered on a LANDSAT scene at 1830 UTC. The remarkable feature of this LANDSAT scene is the transition from a clear sky in the west through broken cumulus to solid stratocumulus in the east. The dynamic and thermodynamic structure of this transition in cloudiness is analyzed using data from the NCAR Electra. By averaging the aircraft data, the internal structure of the different cloud regimes is documented, and it is shown that the transition between broken cumulus and stratocumulus is associated with a change in structure with respect to the CTEI condition. However, this results not from sea surface temperature changes, but mostly from a transition in the air above the inversion, and the breakup appears to be at a structure on the unstable side of the wet virtual adiabat. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1329812','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1329812">Dynamics, thermodynamics, radiation, and cloudiness associated with cumulus-topped marine boundary layers</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Ghate, Virendra P.; Miller, Mark The overall goal of this project was to improve the understanding of marine boundary clouds by using data collected at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) sites, so that they can be better represented in global climate models (GCMs). Marine boundary clouds are observed regularly over the tropical and subtropical oceans. They are an important element of the Earth’s climate system because they have substantial impact on the radiation budget together with the boundary layer moisture, and energy transports. These clouds also have an impact on large-scale precipitation features like the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Because these clouds occur atmore » temporal and spatial scales much smaller than those relevant to GCMs, their effects and the associated processes need to be parameterized in GCM simulations aimed at predicting future climate and energy needs. Specifically, this project’s objectives were to (1) characterize the surface turbulent fluxes, boundary layer thermodynamics, radiation field, and cloudiness associated with cumulus-topped marine boundary layers; (2) explore the similarities and differences in cloudiness and boundary layer conditions observed in the tropical and trade-wind regions; and (3) understand similarities and differences by using a simple bulk boundary layer model. In addition to working toward achieving the project’s three objectives, we also worked on understanding the role played by different forcing mechanisms in maintaining turbulence within cloud-topped boundary layers We focused our research on stratocumulus clouds during the first phase of the project, and cumulus clouds during the rest of the project. Below is a brief description of manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals that describe results from our analyses.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080015497','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080015497">Cloud Properties Simulated by a Single-Column Model. Part II: Evaluation of Cumulus Detrainment and Ice-phase Microphysics Using a Cloud Resolving Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Luo, Yali; Krueger, Steven K.; Xu, Kuan-Man 2005-01-01 This paper is the second in a series in which kilometer-scale-resolving observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program and a cloud-resolving model (CRM) are used to evaluate the single-column model (SCM) version of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System model. Part I demonstrated that kilometer-scale cirrus properties simulated by the SCM significantly differ from the cloud radar observations while the CRM simulation reproduced most of the cirrus properties as revealed by the observations. The present study describes an evaluation, through a comparison with the CRM, of the SCM's representation of detrainment from deep cumulus and ice-phase microphysics in an effort to better understand the findings of Part I. It is found that detrainment occurs too infrequently at a single level at a time in the SCM, although the detrainment rate averaged over the entire simulation period is somewhat comparable to that of the CRM simulation. Relatively too much detrained ice is sublimated when first detrained. Snow falls over too deep of a layer due to the assumption that snow source and sink terms exactly balance within one time step in the SCM. These characteristics in the SCM parameterizations may explain many of the differences in the cirrus properties between the SCM and the observations (or between the SCM and the CRM). A possible improvement for the SCM consists of the inclusion of multiple cumulus cloud types as in the original Arakawa-Schubert scheme, prognostically determining the stratiform cloud fraction and snow mixing ratio. This would allow better representation of the detrainment from deep convection, better coupling of the volume of detrained air with cloud fraction, and better representation of snow field. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=280780&Lab=NERL&keyword=budget&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50','EPA-EIMS'); return false;" href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=280780&Lab=NERL&keyword=budget&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50">Evaluation of cumulus cloud – radiation interaction effects on air quality –relevant meteorological variables from WRF, from a regional climate perspective</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/query.page">EPA Science Inventory</a> Aware only of the resolved, grid-scale clouds, the Weather Research & Forecasting model (WRF) does not consider the interactions between subgrid-scale convective clouds and radiation. One consequence of this omission may be WRF’s overestimation of surface precipitation during sum... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010JGRD..115.0H16C','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010JGRD..115.0H16C">The GCM-Oriented CALIPSO Cloud Product (CALIPSO-GOCCP)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Chepfer, H.; Bony, S.; Winker, D.; Cesana, G.; Dufresne, J. L.; Minnis, P.; Stubenrauch, C. J.; Zeng, S. 2010-01-01 This article presents the GCM-Oriented Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Cloud Product (GOCCP) designed to evaluate the cloudiness simulated by general circulation models (GCMs). For this purpose, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization L1 data are processed following the same steps as in a lidar simulator used to diagnose the model cloud cover that CALIPSO would observe from space if the satellite was flying above an atmosphere similar to that predicted by the GCM. Instantaneous profiles of the lidar scattering ratio (SR) are first computed at the highest horizontal resolution of the data but at the vertical resolution typical of current GCMs, and then cloud diagnostics are inferred from these profiles: vertical distribution of cloud fraction, horizontal distribution of low, middle, high, and total cloud fractions, instantaneous SR profiles, and SR histograms as a function of height. Results are presented for different seasons (January-March 2007-2008 and June-August 2006-2008), and their sensitivity to parameters of the lidar simulator is investigated. It is shown that the choice of the vertical resolution and of the SR threshold value used for cloud detection can modify the cloud fraction by up to 0.20, particularly in the shallow cumulus regions. The tropical marine low-level cloud fraction is larger during nighttime (by up to 0.15) than during daytime. The histograms of SR characterize the cloud types encountered in different regions. The GOCCP high-level cloud amount is similar to that from the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The low-level and middle-level cloud fractions are larger than those derived from passive remote sensing (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-Cloud and Earth Radiant Energy System Polarization and Directionality of Earth Reflectances, TOVS Path B, AIRS-Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique) because the latter only provide information on the uppermost cloud layer. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_9");'>9</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_10");'>10</a></li> <li class="active">11</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_12" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_10");'>10</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li class="active">12</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="221"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=250572&Lab=NERL&keyword=Influence+AND+clouds+AND+climate&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50','EPA-EIMS'); return false;" href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=250572&Lab=NERL&keyword=Influence+AND+clouds+AND+climate&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50">Introducing Subrid-scale Cloud Feedbacks to Radiation for Regional Meteorological and Cllimate Modeling</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/query.page">EPA Science Inventory</a> 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 ... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017GMD....10.4647O','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017GMD....10.4647O">Effectiveness and limitations of parameter tuning in reducing biases of top-of-atmosphere radiation and clouds in MIROC version 5</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-KSC-99pc0098.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-KSC-99pc0098.html">KSC-99pc0098</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1998-10-31 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Taken during the STS-95 mission from a point over Cuba, this photo shows an oblique, foreshortened view of the Florida Peninsula, with the light blue, shallow seafloor of both the Florida Keys (curving across the bottom of the view) and the Bahama banks (right). "Popcorn" cumulus cloud covers Miami and the Southern Everglades, although the built-up area from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach can be discerned. Lake Okeechobee is the prominent waterbody in Florida. Cape Canaveral is shown well, half way up the peninsula. Orlando appears as the lighter patch West (left) of Cape Canaveral, near the middle of the peninsula. Cape Hatteras appears top right, with the North part of Chesapeake Bay also visible. This is a visibility of 16 degrees of latitude (23 degrees N over Cuba to 39 degrees at Baltimore), showing unusual atmospheric clarity. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AtmEn..45.4770W','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AtmEn..45.4770W">Study on wet scavenging of atmospheric pollutants in south Brazil</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Wiegand, Flavio; Pereira, Felipe Norte; Teixeira, Elba Calesso 2011-09-01 The present paper presents the study of in-cloud and below-cloud SO 2 and SO 42-scavenging processes by applying numerical models in the Candiota region, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, South Brazil. The BRAMS (Brazilian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System) model was applied to simulate the vertical structure of the clouds, and the B.V.2 (Below-Cloud Beheng Version 2) scavenging model was applied to simulate in-cloud and below-cloud scavenging processes of the pollutants SO 2 and SO 42-. Five events in 2004 were selected for this study and were sampled at the Candiota Airport station. The concentrations of SO 2 and SO 42- sampled in the air and the simulated meteorological parameters of rainfall episodes were used as input data in the B.V.2, which simulates raindrop interactions associated with the scavenging process. Results for the Candiota region showed that in-cloud scavenging processes were more significant than below-cloud scavenging processes for two of the five events studied, with a contribution of approximately 90-100% of SO 2 and SO 42- concentrations in rainwater. A few adjustments to the original version of B.V.2 were made to allow simulation of scavenging processes in several types of clouds, not only cumulus humilis and cumulus congestus. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1914935P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1914935P">Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran; Wilcox, Eric M.; Bender, Frida A.-M. 2017-04-01 There are multiple factors which affect the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including the atmospheric vertical structure and dominant meteorological conditions in addition to aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood. As bio- and fossil fuel combustion has increased in southeast Asia, corresponding increases in atmospheric aerosol pollution have been seen over the surrounding regions. These emissions notably include black carbon (BC) aerosols, which absorb rather than reflect solar radiation, affecting the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean through direct warming in addition to modifying cloud microphysical properties. The CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign was conducted during the winter monsoon season (February and March) of 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, a region dominated by trade cumulus clouds. During CARDEX, small unmanned aircraft were deployed, measuring aerosol, radiation, cloud, water vapor fluxes, and meteorological properties while a surface observatory collected continuous measurements of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV), water vapor fluxes, surface and total-column aerosol, and cloud liquid water path (LWP). We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV) </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1295973-multiscale-modeling-framework-model-superparameterized-cam5-higher-order-turbulence-closure-model-description-low-cloud-simulations','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1295973-multiscale-modeling-framework-model-superparameterized-cam5-higher-order-turbulence-closure-model-description-low-cloud-simulations">A multiscale modeling framework model (superparameterized CAM5) with a higher-order turbulence closure: Model description and low-cloud simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Wang, Minghuai; Larson, Vincent E.; Ghan, Steven; ... 2015-04-18 In this study, a higher-order turbulence closure scheme, called Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB), is implemented into a Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) model to improve low cloud simulations. The performance of CLUBB in MMF simulations with two different microphysics configurations (one-moment cloud microphysics without aerosol treatment and two-moment cloud microphysics coupled with aerosol treatment) is evaluated against observations and further compared with results from the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5 (CAM5) with conventional cloud parameterizations. CLUBB is found to improve low cloud simulations in the MMF, and the improvement is particularly evident in the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition regions. Compared tomore » the single-moment cloud microphysics, CLUBB with two-moment microphysics produces clouds that are closer to the coast, and agrees better with observations. In the stratocumulus-to cumulus transition regions, CLUBB with two-moment cloud microphysics produces shortwave cloud forcing in better agreement with observations, while CLUBB with single moment cloud microphysics overestimates shortwave cloud forcing. CLUBB is further found to produce quantitatively similar improvements in the MMF and CAM5, with slightly better performance in the MMF simulations (e.g., MMF with CLUBB generally produces low clouds that are closer to the coast than CAM5 with CLUBB). As a result, improved low cloud simulations in MMF make it an even more attractive tool for studying aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?direntryid=336619&keyword=water&subject=water%20research&showcriteria=2&fed_org_id=111&datebeginpublishedpresented=03/04/2012&dateendpublishedpresented=03/04/2017&sortby=pubdateyear','PESTICIDES'); return false;" href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?direntryid=336619&keyword=water&subject=water%20research&showcriteria=2&fed_org_id=111&datebeginpublishedpresented=03/04/2012&dateendpublishedpresented=03/04/2017&sortby=pubdateyear">A Generalized Simple Formulation of Convective Adjustment ...</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/search.htm">EPA Pesticide Factsheets</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950028643&hterms=marine+energy&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dmarine%2Benergy','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950028643&hterms=marine+energy&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dmarine%2Benergy">Roles of drizzle in a one-dimensional third-order turbulence closure model of the nocturnal stratus-topped marine boundary layer</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53K..03Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53K..03Z">Bias Reduction as Guidance for Developing Convection and Cloud Parameterization in GFDL AM4/CM4</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=282753&Lab=NERL&keyword=budget&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50','EPA-EIMS'); return false;" href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=282753&Lab=NERL&keyword=budget&actType=&TIMSType=+&TIMSSubTypeID=&DEID=&epaNumber=&ntisID=&archiveStatus=Both&ombCat=Any&dateBeginCreated=&dateEndCreated=&dateBeginPublishedPresented=&dateEndPublishedPresented=&dateBeginUpdated=&dateEndUpdated=&dateBeginCompleted=&dateEndCompleted=&personID=&role=Any&journalID=&publisherID=&sortBy=revisionDate&count=50">Increasing the credibility of regional climate simulations by introducing subgrid-scale cloud – radiation interactions</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/query.page">EPA Science Inventory</a> The radiation schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model have previously not accounted for the presence of subgrid-scale cumulus clouds, thereby resulting in unattenuated shortwave radiation, which can lead to overly energetic convection and overpredicted surface... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930056218&hterms=water+effects&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Beffects','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19930056218&hterms=water+effects&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Beffects">An examination of the effects of explicit cloud water in the UCLA GCM</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Ose, Tomoaki 1993-01-01 The effect of explicit cloud water on the climate simulation by the University of California of Los Angeles GCM is investigated by adding the mixing ratios of cloud ice and cloud liquid water to the prognostic variables of the model. The detrained cloud ice and cloud liquid water are obtained by the microphysical calculation in the Arakawa-Schubert (1974) cumulus scheme. The results are compared with the observations concerned with cloudiness, planetary albedo, OLR, and the dependence of cloud water content on temperature. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140007387','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140007387">The NASA-Goddard Multi-Scale Modeling Framework - Land Information System: Global Land/atmosphere Interaction with Resolved Convection</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Mohr, Karen Irene; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chern, Jiun-Dar; Kumar, Sujay V.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D. 2013-01-01 The present generation of general circulation models (GCM) use parameterized cumulus schemes and run at hydrostatic grid resolutions. To improve the representation of cloud-scale moist processes and landeatmosphere interactions, a global, Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) coupled to the Land Information System (LIS) has been developed at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. The MMFeLIS has three components, a finite-volume (fv) GCM (Goddard Earth Observing System Ver. 4, GEOS-4), a 2D cloud-resolving model (Goddard Cumulus Ensemble, GCE), and the LIS, representing the large-scale atmospheric circulation, cloud processes, and land surface processes, respectively. The non-hydrostatic GCE model replaces the single-column cumulus parameterization of fvGCM. The model grid is composed of an array of fvGCM gridcells each with a series of embedded GCE models. A horizontal coupling strategy, GCE4fvGCM4Coupler4LIS, offered significant computational efficiency, with the scalability and I/O capabilities of LIS permitting landeatmosphere interactions at cloud-scale. Global simulations of 2007e2008 and comparisons to observations and reanalysis products were conducted. Using two different versions of the same land surface model but the same initial conditions, divergence in regional, synoptic-scale surface pressure patterns emerged within two weeks. The sensitivity of largescale circulations to land surface model physics revealed significant functional value to using a scalable, multi-model land surface modeling system in global weather and climate prediction. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1994JGR....9922803P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1994JGR....9922803P">Further evidence for particle nucleation in clear air adjacent to marine cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Perry, Kevin D.; Hobbs, Peter V. 1994-11-01 Observational evidence is presented for the nucleation of condensation nuclei (CN) in the clear air adjacent to an isolated, marine, cumulus cloud. Two separate regions of particle nucleation are identified: one located above the cloud top, and the second located downwind of the cloud near the level of the anvil outflow. The regions of high CN concentrations were located in extremely clean marine air, with unactivated aerosol surface area (excluding the nucleation mode) less than 2 sq micrometers/cu cm, air temperature -31 C, and higher relative humidities than the undisturbed environment. Vertical profile measurements downwind of the cloud showed that CN concentrations at the level of the anvil outflow (4.9 km) were 8 times greater than at any other level between the surface and 5.3 km. A conceptual model is formulated in which aerosol particles, sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfuric acid vapor (H2SO4), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and ozone (O3) from the boundary layer are entrained into the cumulus cloud. Total aerosol number concentrations and unactivated aerosol surface area decrease with height in the cloud due to Brownian diffusion and diffusiophoresis of cloud interstitial aerosol to hydrometeors, coalescence scavenging by cloud droplets, collisional scavenging by ice particles, and subsequent removal by precipitation. The air that is detrained from the cloud raises the relative humidity and vents the clean air, SO2, H2SO4, DMS, and O3 to the near-cloud environment. Hydroxyl radicals then oxidize the SO2 and DMS to H2SO4. Under the conditions of high relative humidity, low total aerosol surface area, low temperatures, and high SO2 concentrations near cloud top, significant concentrations of new particles can be produced by homogeneous-bimolecular nucleation of sulfuric acid solution droplets from H2SO4 and H2O vapor molecules. The concentration of CN as a function of time is calculated for the case described in this paper using a bimodal integral nucleation model. The model results show that significant numbers of CN could have been produced within a few hours by the homogeneous-bimolecular nucleation of sulfuric acid solution droplets under the observed conditions provided the concentration of SO2 near cloud top was enhanced by vertical transport. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160005811&hterms=image&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dimage','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160005811&hterms=image&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dimage">An Objective Classification of Saturn Cloud Features from Cassini ISS Images</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Del Genio, Anthony D.; Barbara, John M. 2016-01-01 A k -means clustering algorithm is applied to Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem continuum and methane band images of Saturn's northern hemisphere to objectively classify regional albedo features and aid in their dynamical interpretation. The procedure is based on a technique applied previously to visible- infrared images of Earth. It provides a new perspective on giant planet cloud morphology and its relationship to the dynamics and a meteorological context for the analysis of other types of simultaneous Saturn observations. The method identifies 6 clusters that exhibit distinct morphology, vertical structure, and preferred latitudes of occurrence. These correspond to areas dominated by deep convective cells; low contrast areas, some including thinner and thicker clouds possibly associated with baroclinic instability; regions with possible isolated thin cirrus clouds; darker areas due to thinner low level clouds or clearer skies due to downwelling, or due to absorbing particles; and fields of relatively shallow cumulus clouds. The spatial associations among these cloud types suggest that dynamically, there are three distinct types of latitude bands on Saturn: deep convectively disturbed latitudes in cyclonic shear regions poleward of the eastward jets; convectively suppressed regions near and surrounding the westward jets; and baro-clinically unstable latitudes near eastward jet cores and in the anti-cyclonic regions equatorward of them. These are roughly analogous to some of the features of Earth's tropics, subtropics, and midlatitudes, respectively. This classification may be more useful for dynamics purposes than the traditional belt-zone partitioning. Temporal variations of feature contrast and cluster occurrence suggest that the upper tropospheric haze in the northern hemisphere may have thickened by 2014. The results suggest that routine use of clustering may be a worthwhile complement to many different types of planetary atmospheric data analysis. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29548733','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29548733">Flight of frigatebirds inside clouds - energy gain, stability and control.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Sachs, Gottfried; Weimerskirch, Henri 2018-07-07 Investigating the unique ability of frigatebirds of flying inside clouds, it is shown that they achieve a large energy gain by ascents to high altitudes in strong updrafts of trade cumulus clouds. Frigatebirds often perform that kind of flight, at daytime as well as in the night. This suggests that they are capable of flying inside clouds in a controlled and stabilized manner. The control requirements for ascents in terms of a circling flight in updrafts of trade cumulus clouds are analyzed, and the necessary aerodynamic control moments are determined. Based on a stability investigation, it is shown that there are restoring effects which act against disturbances causing possible deviations from the circling flight condition. The aerodynamic moments which effectuate that stabilization are identified. Furthermore, the problem of neutral azimuth stability which generally exists in the flight of birds and which is the reason for continually increasing deviations from the course is dealt with. It is shown for the circling flight mode of frigatebirds inside clouds that, here, deviations are small and remain constant, suggesting that a corrective control action is not required. This is particularly important for circling flight in conditions without a visual reference, like inside clouds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-S39-151-181A.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-S39-151-181A.html">San Francisco and Bay Area, CA, USA</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1991-05-06 STS039-151-181A (28 April-6 May 1991) --- Large format (five-inch) frame of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area of northern California. Stratus clouds at 35,000 feet and cumulus clouds at about 15,000 feet are seen over the Pacific Coast, obscuring the Golden Gate Bridge. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1354732','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1354732">Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) Field Campaign Report</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Burleyson, C. Cumulus convection is an important component in the atmospheric radiation budget and hydrologic cycle over the southern Great Plains and over many regions of the world, particularly during the summertime growing season when intense turbulence induced by surface radiation couples the land surface to clouds. Current convective cloud parameterizations contain uncertainties resulting in part from insufficient coincident data that couples cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to inhomogeneities in land surface, boundary layer, and aerosol properties. The Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign was designed to provide a detailed set of measurements that are needed to obtainmore » a more complete understanding of the lifecycle of shallow clouds by coupling cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties to land surface properties, ecosystems, and aerosols. Some of the land-atmosphere-cloud interactions that can be studied using HI-SCALE data are shown in Figure 1. HI-SCALE consisted of two 4-week intensive operation periods (IOPs), one in the spring (April 24-May 21) and the other in the late summer (August 28-September 24) of 2016, to take advantage of different stages of the plant lifecycle, the distribution of “greenness” for various types of vegetation in the vicinity of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site, and aerosol properties that vary during the growing season. As expected, satellite measurements indicated that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was much “greener” in the vicinity of the SGP site during the spring IOP than the late summer IOP as a result of winter wheat maturing in the spring and being harvested in the early summer. As shown in Figure 2, temperatures were cooler than average and soil moisture was high during the spring IOP, while temperatures were warmer than average and soil moisture was low during the late summer IOP. These factors likely influence the occurrence and lifecycle of shallow clouds. Most of the instrumentation was deployed on the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream 1 (G-1) aircraft, including those that measure atmospheric turbulence, cloud water content and drop size distributions, aerosol precursor gases, aerosol chemical composition and size distributions, and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. The specific instrumentation is listed in Table 1. The team of scientists participating in the G-1 flights were from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), and the University of Washington. Routine ARM aerosol measurements made at the surface were supplemented with aerosol microphysical properties measurements, with support from the DOE Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) User Facility and the Atmospheric System Radiation (ASR) program. This included deploying a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) to measure aerosol size distribution, a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) to measure volatile organic compounds, an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to measure bulk aerosol composition, and the single-particle laser ablation time-of-flight mass spectrometer (SPLAT II) to measure single-particle aerosol composition at the SGP site Guest Instrumentation Facility. In this way, characterization of aerosol properties at the surface and on the G-1 were consistent. In addition, the HI-SCALE: Nanoparticle Composition and Precursors add-on campaign was conducted during the second IOP in which several state-of-the-science chemical ionization mass spectrometers were deployed to measure nanoparticle composition and precursors. Scientists participating in the surface measurements were from PNNL, BNL, University California–Irvine, Augsberg College, Colorado University, Aerodyne Inc., and Aerosol Dynamics Inc.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....17.7245V','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....17.7245V">Analyzing cloud base at local and regional scales to understand tropical montane cloud forest vulnerability to climate change</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Van Beusekom, Ashley E.; González, Grizelle; Scholl, Martha A. 2017-06-01 The degree to which cloud immersion provides water in addition to rainfall, suppresses transpiration, and sustains tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) during rainless periods is not well understood. Climate and land use changes represent a threat to these forests if cloud base altitude rises as a result of regional warming or deforestation. To establish a baseline for quantifying future changes in cloud base, we installed a ceilometer at 100 m altitude in the forest upwind of the TMCF that occupies an altitude range from ˜ 600 m to the peaks at 1100 m in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. Airport Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) ceilometer data, radiosonde data, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite data were obtained to investigate seasonal cloud base dynamics, altitude of the trade-wind inversion (TWI), and typical cloud thickness for the surrounding Caribbean region. Cloud base is rarely quantified near mountains, so these results represent a first look at seasonal and diurnal cloud base dynamics for the TMCF. From May 2013 to August 2016, cloud base was lowest during the midsummer dry season, and cloud bases were lower than the mountaintops as often in the winter dry season as in the wet seasons. The lowest cloud bases most frequently occurred at higher elevation than 600 m, from 740 to 964 m. The Luquillo forest low cloud base altitudes were higher than six other sites in the Caribbean by ˜ 200-600 m, highlighting the importance of site selection to measure topographic influence on cloud height. Proximity to the oceanic cloud system where shallow cumulus clouds are seasonally invariant in altitude and cover, along with local trade-wind orographic lifting and cloud formation, may explain the dry season low clouds. The results indicate that climate change threats to low-elevation TMCFs are not limited to the dry season; changes in synoptic-scale weather patterns that increase frequency of drought periods during the wet seasons (periods of higher cloud base) may also impact ecosystem health. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70192187','USGSPUBS'); return false;" href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70192187">Analyzing cloud base at local and regional scales to understand tropical montane cloud forest vulnerability to climate change</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/index.jsp?view=adv">USGS Publications Warehouse</a> Van Beusekom, Ashley E.; González, Grizelle; Scholl, Martha A. 2017-01-01 The degree to which cloud immersion provides water in addition to rainfall, suppresses transpiration, and sustains tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) during rainless periods is not well understood. Climate and land use changes represent a threat to these forests if cloud base altitude rises as a result of regional warming or deforestation. To establish a baseline for quantifying future changes in cloud base, we installed a ceilometer at 100 m altitude in the forest upwind of the TMCF that occupies an altitude range from ∼ 600 m to the peaks at 1100 m in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. Airport Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) ceilometer data, radiosonde data, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite data were obtained to investigate seasonal cloud base dynamics, altitude of the trade-wind inversion (TWI), and typical cloud thickness for the surrounding Caribbean region. Cloud base is rarely quantified near mountains, so these results represent a first look at seasonal and diurnal cloud base dynamics for the TMCF. From May 2013 to August 2016, cloud base was lowest during the midsummer dry season, and cloud bases were lower than the mountaintops as often in the winter dry season as in the wet seasons. The lowest cloud bases most frequently occurred at higher elevation than 600 m, from 740 to 964 m. The Luquillo forest low cloud base altitudes were higher than six other sites in the Caribbean by ∼ 200–600 m, highlighting the importance of site selection to measure topographic influence on cloud height. Proximity to the oceanic cloud system where shallow cumulus clouds are seasonally invariant in altitude and cover, along with local trade-wind orographic lifting and cloud formation, may explain the dry season low clouds. The results indicate that climate change threats to low-elevation TMCFs are not limited to the dry season; changes in synoptic-scale weather patterns that increase frequency of drought periods during the wet seasons (periods of higher cloud base) may also impact ecosystem health. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P23E..09S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.P23E..09S">Jupiter's Great Red Spot upper cloud morphology and dynamics from JunoCam images</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Hueso, R.; Eichstädt, G.; Orton, G.; Rogers, J.; Hansen, C. J.; Momary, T.; Tabataba-Vakili, F. 2017-12-01 We present an analysis of RGB color-composite images of the Great Red Spot (GRS) obtained with JunoCam during Juno's seventh close flyby (PJ7) on July 11, 2017. The images have been projected as 4 cylindrical maps with a resolution of 180 pixels per degree (about 7 km/pixel) spanning a temporal interval of 9 min 41s. The GRS shows a rich variety of cloud morphologies that reveal different dynamical processes in its interior. We consider three major regions. (1) An outer peripheral ring of homogeneous reddish clouds (width about 1,300 km) traces a laminar flow. A family of at least three packets of gravity waves with a mean wavelength of 75 km is present at the internal edge of the ring (in its northern side). They occupy an area of 2,500 km in length (East-West, EW) and 670 km in the North-South (NS) direction. Single clouds in the groups forming the wave have extents of 35 km EW and 70-135 km NS. (2) A large internal region of red clouds (width about 3,200 km) contains three morphologies: (a) fields of bright cumulus-like clusters, (b) long, dark curved filaments (about 7,000 km length with 100 km width), two of them converging into an arrowhead shape, and (c) individual anticyclonic vortices with radius of 500 km that grow due to the radial shear of the wind velocity in the GRS interior as previously measured. A cumulus cluster is conspicuous inside one such anticyclone. Each single cloud element is 50 km in size and the cluster has a 25-30 percent area coverage in cumulus-convective activity, presumably due to ammonia moist convection. (3) A central core has quasi-rectangular shape, extending about 5000 km EW and 3000 km NS, that is confined by elongated clouds distributed along its periphery. Its interior is filled with the redder clouds in the GRS that have a scale 100 km and form a turbulent pattern whose cloud orientations suggest three adjacent areas with alternating cyclonic-cyclonic-anticyclonic vorticity, each with radius 650-850 km. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_10");'>10</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li class="active">12</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_13" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li class="active">13</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="241"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A33D0250J','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A33D0250J">A New Framework for Cumulus Parametrization - A CPT in action</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Jakob, C.; Peters, K.; Protat, A.; Kumar, V. 2016-12-01 The representation of convection in climate model remains a major Achilles Heel in our pursuit of better predictions of global and regional climate. The basic principle underpinning the parametrisation of tropical convection in global weather and climate models is that there exist discernible interactions between the resolved model scale and the parametrised cumulus scale. Furthermore, there must be at least some predictive power in the larger scales for the statistical behaviour on small scales for us to be able to formally close the parametrised equations. The presentation will discuss a new framework for cumulus parametrisation based on the idea of separating the prediction of cloud area from that of velocity. This idea is put into practice by combining an existing multi-scale stochastic cloud model with observations to arrive at the prediction of the area fraction for deep precipitating convection. Using mid-tropospheric humidity and vertical motion as predictors, the model is shown to reproduce the observed behaviour of both mean and variability of deep convective area fraction well. The framework allows for the inclusion of convective organisation and can - in principle - be made resolution-aware or resolution-independent. When combined with simple assumptions about cloud-base vertical motion the model can be used as a closure assumption in any existing cumulus parametrisation. Results of applying this idea in the the ECHAM model indicate significant improvements in the simulation of tropical variability, including but not limited to the MJO. This presentation will highlight how the close collaboration of the observational, theoretical and model development community in the spirit of the climate process teams can lead to significant progress in long-standing issues in climate modelling while preserving the freedom of individual groups in pursuing their specific implementation of an agreed framework. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19980007587','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19980007587">A Study of the Role of Clouds in the Relationship Between Land Use/Land Cover and the Climate and Air Quality of the Atlanta Area</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Kidder, Stanley Q.; Hafner, Jan 1997-01-01 The goal of Project ATLANTA is to derive a better scientific understanding of how land cover changes associated with urbanization affect local and regional climate and air quality. Clouds play a significant role in this relationship. Using GOES images, we found that in a 63-day period (5 July-5 September 1996) there were zero days which were clear for the entire daylight period. Days which are cloud-free in the morning become partly cloudy with small cumulus clouds in the afternoon in response to solar heating. This result casts doubt on the applicability of California-style air quality models which run in perpetual clear skies. Days which are clear in the morning have higher ozone than those which are cloudy in the morning. Using the RAMS model, we found that urbanization increases the skin surface temperature by about 1.0-1.5 C on average under cloudy conditions, with an extreme of +3.5 C. Clouds cool the surface due to their shading effect by 1.5-2.0 C on average, with an extreme of 5.0 C. RAMS simulates well the building stage of the cumulus cloud field, but does poorly in the decaying phase. Next year's work: doing a detailed cloud climatology and developing improved RAMS cloud simulations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A51E3082C','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A51E3082C">Shallow cloud statistics over Tropical Western Pacific: CAM5 versus ARM Comparison</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..122.2529C','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..122.2529C">Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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 <Qr> 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 <Qr> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29082119','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29082119">Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5655801','PMC'); return false;" href="https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5655801">Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pmc">PubMed Central</a> 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 <Qr> 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 <Qr> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..19.8750B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..19.8750B">Understanding the tropical warm temperature bias simulated by climate models</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Brient, Florent; Schneider, Tapio 2017-04-01 The state-of-the-art coupled general circulation models have difficulties in representing the observed spatial pattern of surface tempertaure. A majority of them suffers a warm bias in the tropical subsiding regions located over the eastern parts of oceans. These regions are usually covered by low-level clouds scattered from stratus along the coasts to more vertically developed shallow cumulus farther from them. Models usually fail to represent accurately this transition. Here we investigate physical drivers of this warm bias in CMIP5 models through a near-surface energy budget perspective. We show that overestimated solar insolation due to a lack of stratocumulus mostly explains the warm bias. This bias also arises partly from inter-model differences in surface fluxes that could be traced to differences in near-surface relative humidity and air-sea temperature gradient. We investigate the role of the atmosphere in driving surface biases by comparing historical and atmopsheric (AMIP) experiments. We show that some differences in boundary-layer characteristics, mostly those related to cloud fraction and relative humidity, are already present in AMIP experiments and may be the drivers of coupled biases. This gives insights in how models can be improved for better simulations of the tropical climate. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ThCFD..27..133D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ThCFD..27..133D">Stochastic parameterization of shallow cumulus convection estimated from high-resolution model data</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Dorrestijn, Jesse; Crommelin, Daan T.; Siebesma, A. Pier.; Jonker, Harm J. J. 2013-02-01 In this paper, we report on the development of a methodology for stochastic parameterization of convective transport by shallow cumulus convection in weather and climate models. We construct a parameterization based on Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) data. These simulations resolve the turbulent fluxes of heat and moisture and are based on a typical case of non-precipitating shallow cumulus convection above sea in the trade-wind region. Using clustering, we determine a finite number of turbulent flux pairs for heat and moisture that are representative for the pairs of flux profiles observed in these simulations. In the stochastic parameterization scheme proposed here, the convection scheme jumps randomly between these pre-computed pairs of turbulent flux profiles. The transition probabilities are estimated from the LES data, and they are conditioned on the resolved-scale state in the model column. Hence, the stochastic parameterization is formulated as a data-inferred conditional Markov chain (CMC), where each state of the Markov chain corresponds to a pair of turbulent heat and moisture fluxes. The CMC parameterization is designed to emulate, in a statistical sense, the convective behaviour observed in the LES data. The CMC is tested in single-column model (SCM) experiments. The SCM is able to reproduce the ensemble spread of the temperature and humidity that was observed in the LES data. Furthermore, there is a good similarity between time series of the fractions of the discretized fluxes produced by SCM and observed in LES. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AtmRe.204...12D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AtmRe.204...12D">GHI calculation sensitivity on microphysics, land- and cumulus parameterization in WRF over the Reunion Island</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> De Meij, A.; Vinuesa, J.-F.; Maupas, V. 2018-05-01 The sensitivity of different microphysics and dynamics schemes on calculated global horizontal irradiation (GHI) values in the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model is studied. 13 sensitivity simulations were performed for which the microphysics, cumulus parameterization schemes and land surface models were changed. Firstly we evaluated the model's performance by comparing calculated GHI values for the Base Case with observations for the Reunion Island for 2014. In general, the model calculates the largest bias during the austral summer. This indicates that the model is less accurate in timing the formation and dissipation of clouds during the summer, when higher water vapor quantities are present in the atmosphere than during the austral winter. Secondly, the model sensitivity on changing the microphysics, cumulus parameterization and land surface models on calculated GHI values is evaluated. The sensitivity simulations showed that changing the microphysics from the Thompson scheme (or Single-Moment 6-class scheme) to the Morrison double-moment scheme, the relative bias improves from 45% to 10%. The underlying reason for this improvement is that the Morrison double-moment scheme predicts the mass and number concentrations of five hydrometeors, which help to improve the calculation of the densities, size and lifetime of the cloud droplets. While the single moment schemes only predicts the mass for less hydrometeors. Changing the cumulus parameterization schemes and land surface models does not have a large impact on GHI calculations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910030211&hterms=cloud+database&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dcloud%2Bdatabase','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910030211&hterms=cloud+database&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dcloud%2Bdatabase">A neural network approach to cloud classification</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Lee, Jonathan; Weger, Ronald C.; Sengupta, Sailes K.; Welch, Ronald M. 1990-01-01 It is shown that, using high-spatial-resolution data, very high cloud classification accuracies can be obtained with a neural network approach. A texture-based neural network classifier using only single-channel visible Landsat MSS imagery achieves an overall cloud identification accuracy of 93 percent. Cirrus can be distinguished from boundary layer cloudiness with an accuracy of 96 percent, without the use of an infrared channel. Stratocumulus is retrieved with an accuracy of 92 percent, cumulus at 90 percent. The use of the neural network does not improve cirrus classification accuracy. Rather, its main effect is in the improved separation between stratocumulus and cumulus cloudiness. While most cloud classification algorithms rely on linear parametric schemes, the present study is based on a nonlinear, nonparametric four-layer neural network approach. A three-layer neural network architecture, the nonparametric K-nearest neighbor approach, and the linear stepwise discriminant analysis procedure are compared. A significant finding is that significantly higher accuracies are attained with the nonparametric approaches using only 20 percent of the database as training data, compared to 67 percent of the database in the linear approach. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950046504&hterms=effects+recycling&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Deffects%2Brecycling','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950046504&hterms=effects+recycling&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Deffects%2Brecycling">An inquiry into the cirrus-cloud thermostat effect for tropical sea surface temperature</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Lau, K.-M.; Sui, C.-H.; Chou, M.-D.; Tao, W.-K. 1994-01-01 In this paper, we investigate the relative importance of local vs remote control on cloud radiative forcing using a cumulus ensemble model. It is found that cloud and surface radiation forcings are much more sensitive to the mean vertical motion assoicated with large scale tropical circulation than to the local SST (sea surface temperature). When the local SST is increased with the mean vertical motion held constant, increased surface latent and sensible heat flux associated with enhanced moisture recycling is found to be the primary mechanism for cooling the ocean surface. Large changes in surface shortwave fluxes are related to changes in cloudiness induced by changes in the large scale circulation. These results are consistent with a number of earlier empirical studies, which raised concerns regarding the validity of the cirrus-thermostat hypothesis (Ramanathan and Collins, 1991). It is argued that for a better understanding of cloud feedback, both local and remote controls need to be considered and that a cumulus ensemble model is a powerful tool that should be explored for such purpose. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A21L..03B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A21L..03B">Tropical Intraseasonal Variability in Version 3 of the GFDL Atmosphere Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AMT....11.1417K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AMT....11.1417K">A simple biota removal algorithm for 35 GHz cloud radar measurements</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Kalapureddy, Madhu Chandra R.; Sukanya, Patra; Das, Subrata K.; Deshpande, Sachin M.; Pandithurai, Govindan; Pazamany, Andrew L.; Ambuj K., Jha; Chakravarty, Kaustav; Kalekar, Prasad; Krishna Devisetty, Hari; Annam, Sreenivas 2018-03-01 Cloud radar reflectivity profiles can be an important measurement for the investigation of cloud vertical structure (CVS). However, extracting intended meteorological cloud content from the measurement often demands an effective technique or algorithm that can reduce error and observational uncertainties in the recorded data. In this work, a technique is proposed to identify and separate cloud and non-hydrometeor echoes using the radar Doppler spectral moments profile measurements. The point and volume target-based theoretical radar sensitivity curves are used for removing the receiver noise floor and identified radar echoes are scrutinized according to the signal decorrelation period. Here, it is hypothesized that cloud echoes are observed to be temporally more coherent and homogenous and have a longer correlation period than biota. That can be checked statistically using ˜ 4 s sliding mean and standard deviation value of reflectivity profiles. The above step helps in screen out clouds critically by filtering out the biota. The final important step strives for the retrieval of cloud height. The proposed algorithm potentially identifies cloud height solely through the systematic characterization of Z variability using the local atmospheric vertical structure knowledge besides to the theoretical, statistical and echo tracing tools. Thus, characterization of high-resolution cloud radar reflectivity profile measurements has been done with the theoretical echo sensitivity curves and observed echo statistics for the true cloud height tracking (TEST). TEST showed superior performance in screening out clouds and filtering out isolated insects. TEST constrained with polarimetric measurements was found to be more promising under high-density biota whereas TEST combined with linear depolarization ratio and spectral width perform potentially to filter out biota within the highly turbulent shallow cumulus clouds in the convective boundary layer (CBL). This TEST technique is promisingly simple in realization but powerful in performance due to the flexibility in constraining, identifying and filtering out the biota and screening out the true cloud content, especially the CBL clouds. Therefore, the TEST algorithm is superior for screening out the low-level clouds that are strongly linked to the rainmaking mechanism associated with the Indian Summer Monsoon region's CVS. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A52H..02L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A52H..02L">Chemical Processing of Organics within Clouds: Pilot Study at Whiteface Mountain in Upstate NY</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lance, S.; Carlton, A. G.; Barth, M. C.; Schwab, J. J.; Minder, J. R.; Freedman, J. M.; Zhang, J.; Brandt, R. E.; Casson, P.; Brewer, M.; Orlowski, D.; Christiansen, A. 2017-12-01 Aqueous chemical processing within cloud and fog water has been identified as a key process in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass, which is found abundantly throughout the troposphere. Yet, significant uncertainty remains regarding the organic chemical reactions taking place within clouds and the conditions under which those reactions occur. Routine longterm measurements from the Whiteface Mountain (WFM) Research Observatory in upstate NY provide a unique and broad view of regional air quality relevant to the formation of particulate matter within clouds, largely due to the fact that the summit of WFM is within non-precipitating clouds 30-50% in summertime and the site is undisturbed by local sources. An NSF-funded Cloud Chemistry Workshop in Sept 2016 brought together key researchers at WFM to lay out the most pertinent scientific questions relevant to heterogeneous chemistry occurring within fogs and clouds and to discuss preliminary model intercomparisons. The workshop culminated in a plan to coordinate chemical analyses of cloud water samples focused on chemical constituents thought to be most relevant for SOA formation. Workshop participants also recommended that a pilot study be conducted at WFM to better characterize the meteorological conditions, airflow patterns and clouds intercepting the site, in preparation for future intensive field operations focused on the chemical processing of organics within clouds. This presentation will highlight the experimental design and preliminary observations from the pilot study taking place at WFM in August 2017. Upwind below-cloud measurements of aerosol CCN activation efficiency, size distribution and chemical composition will be compared with similar measurements made at the summit. Under certain conditions, we anticipate that aerosols measured at the summit between cloud events will be representative of cloud droplet residuals recently detrained from the frequent shallow cumulus intercepting the summit. Wind LIDAR and radiosonde observations will be used to link the below-cloud and summit observations. These pre- and post- `cloud processed' aerosols will also be compared with the chemical composition of cloud water samples to evaluate changes to the organic partitioning in the aqueous and aerosol phases. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010026448','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010026448">Impact of Cumulus Cloud Spacing on Landsat Atmospheric Correction and Aerosol Retrieval</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wen, Guoyong; Cahalan, Robert F.; Tsay, Si-Chee; Oreopoulos, Lazaros 2001-01-01 A Landsat-7 ETM+ image acquired over the Southern Great Plains DoE/ARM site during the ARESE II experiment is used to study the effect of clouds on reflected radiation in clear patches of a cumulus cloud field. The result shows that the apparent path radiance in the clear patches is enhanced by nearby clouds in both band 1 (blue) and band 3 (red) of ETM+. More importantly, the magnitude of the enhancement depends on the mean cloud-free distance in the clear patches. For cloud-free distance less than 0.5 km, the enhancement of apparent path radiance is more than 0.025 and 0.015 (reflectance units) in band 1 and band 3 respectively, which corresponds to an enhancement of apparent aerosol optical thickness of approximately 0.25 and approximately 0.15. Neglecting of the 3-D cloud effect would lead to underestimates of surface reflectance of approximately 0.025 and approximately 0.015 in the blue and red band respectively, if the true aerosol optical thickness is 0.2 and the surface reflectance is 0.05. The enhancement decreases exponentially with mean cloud-free distance, reaching asymptotic values of 0.09 for band 1 and 0.027 for band 3 at a mean cloud-free distance about 2 km. The asymptotic values are slightly larger than the mean path radiances retrieved from a completely clear region -- 0.086 and 0.024 for the blue and red band respectively. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-ast-01-042.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-ast-01-042.html">Oblique view of cloud patterns over Pacific Ocean</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1975-07-16 AST-01-042 (16 July 1975) --- An oblique view of unique cloud patterns over the Pacific Ocean caused by aircraft contrail shadows altering cumulus clouds and forming straight line clouds, as photographed from the Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit during the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. This area is southwest of Los Angeles, California. This photograph was taken at an altitude of 177 kilometers (110 statute miles) with a 70mm Hasselblad camera using medium-speed Ektachrome QX-807 type film. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19900032308&hterms=scala&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dscala','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19900032308&hterms=scala&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dscala">Cumulus cloud model estimates of trace gas transports</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Garstang, Michael; Scala, John; Simpson, Joanne; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Thompson, A.; Pickering, K. E.; Harris, R. 1989-01-01 Draft structures in convective clouds are examined with reference to the results of the NASA Amazon Boundary Layer Experiments (ABLE IIa and IIb) and calculations based on a multidimensional time dependent dynamic and microphysical numerical cloud model. It is shown that some aspects of the draft structures can be calculated from measurements of the cloud environment. Estimated residence times in the lower regions of the cloud based on surface observations (divergence and vertical velocities) are within the same order of magnitude (about 20 min) as model trajectory estimates. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1413959-impacts-solar-absorbing-aerosol-layers-transition-stratocumulus-trade-cumulus-clouds','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1413959-impacts-solar-absorbing-aerosol-layers-transition-stratocumulus-trade-cumulus-clouds">Impacts of solar-absorbing aerosol layers on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.; ... 2017-10-26 Here, the effects of an initially overlying layer of solar-absorbing aerosol on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds are examined using large-eddy simulations. For lightly drizzling cloud the transition is generally hastened, resulting mainly from increased cloud droplet number concentration ( N c) induced by entrained aerosol. The increased N c slows sedimentation of cloud droplets and shortens their relaxation time for diffusional growth, both of which accelerate entrainment of overlying air and thereby stratocumulus breakup. However, the decrease in albedo from cloud breakup is more than offset by redistributing cloud water over a greater number of droplets,more » such that the diurnal-average shortwave forcing at the top of the atmosphere is negative. The negative radiative forcing is enhanced by sizable longwave contributions, which result from the greater cloud breakup and a reduced boundary layer height associated with aerosol heating. A perturbation of moisture instead of aerosol aloft leads to a greater liquid water path and a more gradual transition. Adding absorbing aerosol to that atmosphere results in substantial reductions in liquid water path (LWP) and cloud cover that lead to positive shortwave and negative longwave forcings on average canceling each other. Only for heavily drizzling clouds is the breakup delayed, as inhibition of precipitation overcomes cloud water loss from enhanced entrainment. Considering these simulations as an imperfect proxy for biomass burning plumes influencing Namibian stratocumulus, we expect regional indirect plus semi-direct forcings to be substantially negative to negligible at the top of the atmosphere, with its magnitude sensitive to background and perturbation properties.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1413959','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1413959">Impacts of solar-absorbing aerosol layers on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M. Here, the effects of an initially overlying layer of solar-absorbing aerosol on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds are examined using large-eddy simulations. For lightly drizzling cloud the transition is generally hastened, resulting mainly from increased cloud droplet number concentration ( N c) induced by entrained aerosol. The increased N c slows sedimentation of cloud droplets and shortens their relaxation time for diffusional growth, both of which accelerate entrainment of overlying air and thereby stratocumulus breakup. However, the decrease in albedo from cloud breakup is more than offset by redistributing cloud water over a greater number of droplets,more » such that the diurnal-average shortwave forcing at the top of the atmosphere is negative. The negative radiative forcing is enhanced by sizable longwave contributions, which result from the greater cloud breakup and a reduced boundary layer height associated with aerosol heating. A perturbation of moisture instead of aerosol aloft leads to a greater liquid water path and a more gradual transition. Adding absorbing aerosol to that atmosphere results in substantial reductions in liquid water path (LWP) and cloud cover that lead to positive shortwave and negative longwave forcings on average canceling each other. Only for heavily drizzling clouds is the breakup delayed, as inhibition of precipitation overcomes cloud water loss from enhanced entrainment. Considering these simulations as an imperfect proxy for biomass burning plumes influencing Namibian stratocumulus, we expect regional indirect plus semi-direct forcings to be substantially negative to negligible at the top of the atmosphere, with its magnitude sensitive to background and perturbation properties.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....1712725Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....1712725Z">Impacts of solar-absorbing aerosol layers on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Wood, Robert; Kollias, Pavlos 2017-10-01 The effects of an initially overlying layer of solar-absorbing aerosol on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds are examined using large-eddy simulations. For lightly drizzling cloud the transition is generally hastened, resulting mainly from increased cloud droplet number concentration (Nc) induced by entrained aerosol. The increased Nc slows sedimentation of cloud droplets and shortens their relaxation time for diffusional growth, both of which accelerate entrainment of overlying air and thereby stratocumulus breakup. However, the decrease in albedo from cloud breakup is more than offset by redistributing cloud water over a greater number of droplets, such that the diurnal-average shortwave forcing at the top of the atmosphere is negative. The negative radiative forcing is enhanced by sizable longwave contributions, which result from the greater cloud breakup and a reduced boundary layer height associated with aerosol heating. A perturbation of moisture instead of aerosol aloft leads to a greater liquid water path and a more gradual transition. Adding absorbing aerosol to that atmosphere results in substantial reductions in liquid water path (LWP) and cloud cover that lead to positive shortwave and negative longwave forcings on average canceling each other. Only for heavily drizzling clouds is the breakup delayed, as inhibition of precipitation overcomes cloud water loss from enhanced entrainment. Considering these simulations as an imperfect proxy for biomass burning plumes influencing Namibian stratocumulus, we expect regional indirect plus semi-direct forcings to be substantially negative to negligible at the top of the atmosphere, with its magnitude sensitive to background and perturbation properties. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_11");'>11</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li class="active">13</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_14" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li class="active">14</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="261"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20170011275&hterms=layer&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dlayer','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20170011275&hterms=layer&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dlayer">Impacts of Solar-Absorbing Aerosol Layers on the Transition of Stratocumulus to Trade Cumulus Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Zhou, Xiaoli; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Wood, Robert; Kollias, Pavlos 2017-01-01 The effects of an initially overlying layer of solar-absorbing aerosol on the transition of stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds are examined using large-eddy simulations. For lightly drizzling cloud the transition is generally hastened, resulting mainly from increased cloud droplet number concentration (Nc) induced by entrained aerosol. The increased Nc slows sedimentation of cloud droplets and shortens their relaxation time for diffusional growth, both of which accelerate entrainment of overlying air and thereby stratocumulus breakup. However, the decrease in albedo from cloud breakup is more than offset by redistributing cloud water over a greater number of droplets, such that the diurnal-average shortwave forcing at the top of the atmosphere is negative. The negative radiative forcing is enhanced by sizable longwave contributions, which result from the greater cloud breakup and a reduced boundary layer height associated with aerosol heating. A perturbation of moisture instead of aerosol aloft leads to a greater liquid water path and a more gradual transition. Adding absorbing aerosol to that atmosphere results in substantial reductions in liquid water path (LWP) and cloud cover that lead to positive short-wave and negative longwave forcings on average canceling each other. Only for heavily drizzling clouds is the breakup delayed, as inhibition of precipitation overcomes cloud water loss from enhanced entrainment. Considering these simulations as an imperfect proxy for biomass burning plumes influencing Namibian stratocumulus, we expect regional indirect plus semi-direct forcings to be substantially negative to negligible at the top of the atmosphere, with its magnitude sensitive to background and perturbation properties. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53D0322I','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53D0322I">Incorporation of Three-dimensional Radiative Transfer into a Very High Resolution Simulation of Horizontally Inhomogeneous Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Ishida, H.; Ota, Y.; Sekiguchi, M.; Sato, Y. 2016-12-01 A three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer calculation scheme is developed to estimate horizontal transport of radiation energy in a very high resolution (with the order of 10 m in spatial grid) simulation of cloud evolution, especially for horizontally inhomogeneous clouds such as shallow cumulus and stratocumulus. Horizontal radiative transfer due to inhomogeneous clouds seems to cause local heating/cooling in an atmosphere with a fine spatial scale. It is, however, usually difficult to estimate the 3D effects, because the 3D radiative transfer often needs a large resource for computation compared to a plane-parallel approximation. This study attempts to incorporate a solution scheme that explicitly solves the 3D radiative transfer equation into a numerical simulation, because this scheme has an advantage in calculation for a sequence of time evolution (i.e., the scene at a time is little different from that at the previous time step). This scheme is also appropriate to calculation of radiation with strong absorption, such as the infrared regions. For efficient computation, this scheme utilizes several techniques, e.g., the multigrid method for iteration solution, and a correlated-k distribution method refined for efficient approximation of the wavelength integration. For a case study, the scheme is applied to an infrared broadband radiation calculation in a broken cloud field generated with a large eddy simulation model. The horizontal transport of infrared radiation, which cannot be estimated by the plane-parallel approximation, and its variation in time can be retrieved. The calculation result elucidates that the horizontal divergences and convergences of infrared radiation flux are not negligible, especially at the boundaries of clouds and within optically thin clouds, and the radiative cooling at lateral boundaries of clouds may reduce infrared radiative heating in clouds. In a future work, the 3D effects on radiative heating/cooling will be able to be included into atmospheric numerical models. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-61a-200-0003.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-61a-200-0003.html">STS-61A earth observations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2009-06-25 61A-200-003 (30 Oct 1985) --- A large format Linhof camera onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia provided this coastal view of Somalia. The perspective is looking north from Muqdisho (foreground) to Raas Xaafuun at the horizon. Cumulus clouds cover the Somali Desert. The elongated, thinner steak of clouds follows a topographically depressed area, a wash know as Webi Shibeli. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JAMES..10..652M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JAMES..10..652M">Application and Evaluation of an Explicit Prognostic Cloud-Cover Scheme in GRAPES Global Forecast System</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20020011611','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20020011611">The Research of Dr. Joanne Simpson: Fifty Years Investigating Hurricanes, Tropical Clouds and Cloud Systems</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W. -K.; Halverson, J.; Adler, R.; Garstang, M.; Houze, R., Jr.; LeMone, M.; Pielke, R., Sr.; Woodley, W.; O'C.Starr, David (Technical Monitor) 2001-01-01 This AMS Meteorological Monographs is dedicated to Dr. Joanne Simpson for her many pioneering research efforts in tropical meteorology during her fifty-year career. Dr. Simpson's major areas of scientific research involved the "hot tower" hypothesis and its role in hurricanes, structure and maintenance of trade winds, air-sea interaction, and observations and the mechanism for hurricanes and waterspouts. She was also a pioneer in cloud modeling with the first one-dimensional model and had the first cumulus model on a computer. She also played a major role in planning and leading observational experiments on convective cloud systems. The launch of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, a joint U.S.-Japan project, in November of 1997 made it possible for quantitative measurements of tropical rainfall to be obtained on a continuous basis over the entire global tropics. Dr. Simpson was the TRAM Project Scientist from 1986 until its launch in 1997. Her efforts during this crucial period ensured that the mission was both well planned scientifically and well engineered as well as within budget. In this paper, Dr. J. Simpson's nine specific accomplishments during her fifty-year career: (1) hot tower hypothesis, (2) hurricanes, (3) airflow and clouds over heated islands, (4) cloud models, (5) trade winds and their role in cumulus development, (6) air-sea interaction, (7) cloud-cloud interactions and mergers, (8) waterspouts, and (9) TRMM science, will be described and discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950036305&hterms=dependency&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Ddependency','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950036305&hterms=dependency&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Ddependency">A statistical analysis of the dependency of closure assumptions in cumulus parameterization on the horizontal resolution</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Xu, Kuan-Man 1994-01-01 Simulated data from the UCLA cumulus ensemble model are used to investigate the quasi-universal validity of closure assumptions used in existing cumulus parameterizations. A closure assumption is quasi-universally valid if it is sensitive neither to convective cloud regimes nor to horizontal resolutions of large-scale/mesoscale models. The dependency of three types of closure assumptions, as classified by Arakawa and Chen, on the horizontal resolution is addressed in this study. Type I is the constraint on the coupling of the time tendencies of large-scale temperature and water vapor mixing ratio. Type II is the constraint on the coupling of cumulus heating and cumulus drying. Type III is a direct constraint on the intensity of a cumulus ensemble. The macroscopic behavior of simulated cumulus convection is first compared with the observed behavior in view of Type I and Type II closure assumptions using 'quick-look' and canonical correlation analyses. It is found that they are statistically similar to each other. The three types of closure assumptions are further examined with simulated data averaged over selected subdomain sizes ranging from 64 to 512 km. It is found that the dependency of Type I and Type II closure assumptions on the horizontal resolution is very weak and that Type III closure assumption is somewhat dependent upon the horizontal resolution. The influences of convective and mesoscale processes on the closure assumptions are also addressed by comparing the structures of canonical components with the corresponding vertical profiles in the convective and stratiform regions of cumulus ensembles analyzed directly from simulated data. The implication of these results for cumulus parameterization is discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sl4-137-3608.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sl4-137-3608.html">View of cold water eddies in Falkland Current off southern Argentina</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1973-12-14 SL4-137-3608 (14 Dec. 1973) --- A view of cold water eddies in the Falkland Current off the South Atlantic coast of southern Argentina as seen from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. This picture was taken by one of the Skylab 4 crewmen using a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera. This land area (left corner) extends south along the coast from Puerto Deseado (center left border) for about 50 miles. Within the ocean, several light blue areas are visible and represent the occurrence of plankton with the Falkland Current. Over the ocean, the cold water eddies are identified by the circular cloud-free areas within the cloud street pattern and bordered by cumulus cloud buildup (white). The cloud streets indicate the wind is from the southwest and do not form over eddies because energy form the atmosphere is absorbed by the cold ocean water. On the downwind side of the eddies, cumulus clouds tend to form as the cold moist air flows over the warmer water. Similar cloud and eddy features have been observed by the Skylab 4 crewmen in the Yucatan Current off Yucatan Peninsula and in some parts of the South Pacific. Studies are underway by Dr. George Maul, NOAA, and Dr. Robert Stevenson, ONR, to determine the significance of the cold water eddies to ocean dynamics. Photo credit: NASA </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/943412','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/943412"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Berkowitz, Carl M.; Berg, Larry K.; Ogren, J. A. This white paper presents the scientific motivation and preliminary logistical plans for a proposed ASP field campaign to be carried out in the summer of 2007. The primary objective of this campaign is to use the DOE Gulfstream-1 aircraft to make measurements characterizing the chemical, physical and optical properties of aerosols below, within and above large fields of fair weather cumulus and to use the NASA Langley Research Center’s High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) to make independent measurements of aerosol backscatter and extinction profiles in the vicinity of these fields. Separate from the science questions to be addressed by thesemore » observations will be information to add in the development of a parameterized cumulus scheme capable of including multiple cloud fields within a regional or global scale model. We will also be able to compare and contrast the cloud and aerosol properties within and outside the Oklahoma City plume to study aerosol processes within individual clouds. Preliminary discussions with the Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) science team have identified overlap between the science questions posed for the CLASIC Intensive Operation Period (IOP) and the proposed ASP campaign, suggesting collaboration would benefit both teams.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20180003014','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20180003014">How NASA is Building a Petabyte Scale Geospatial Archive in the Cloud</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Pilone, Dan; Quinn, Patrick; Jazayeri, Alireza; Baynes, Kathleen; Murphy, Kevin J. 2018-01-01 NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This free and open source system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk outlines the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and charts a course for the future expansion of Cumulus. We explore not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud. The NASA EOSDIS archive is currently at nearly 30 PBs and will grow to over 300PBs in the coming years. We've presented progress on this effort at AWS re:Invent and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in 2017 and hope to have the opportunity to share with FOSS4G attendees information on the availability of the open sourced software and how NASA intends on making its Earth Observing Geospatial data available for free to the public in the cloud. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1326135-sensitivity-cumulus-parameterization-scheme-precipitation-production-representation-its-impact-heavy-rain-event-over-korea','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1326135-sensitivity-cumulus-parameterization-scheme-precipitation-production-representation-its-impact-heavy-rain-event-over-korea">Sensitivity of a Cumulus Parameterization Scheme to Precipitation Production Representation and Its Impact on a Heavy Rain Event over Korea</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19900018940','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19900018940">A case study of cumulus formation beneath a stratocumulus sheet: Its structure and effect on boundary layer budgets</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Barlow, Roy W.; Nicholls, S. 1990-01-01 On several occasions during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus IFO off the California coast, small cumulus were observed to form during the morning beneath the main stratocumulus (Sc) deck. This occurs in the type of situation described by Turton and Nicholls (1987) in which there is insufficient generation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) from the cloudtop or the surface to sustain mixing throughout the layer, and a separation of the surface and cloud layers occurs. The build up of humidity in the surface layer allows cumuli to form, and the more energetic of these may penetrate back into the Sc deck, reconnecting the layers. The results presented were collected by the UKMO C-130 aircraft flying in a region where these small cumulus had grown to the extent that they had penetrated into the main Sc deck above. The structure of these penetrative cumulus are examined and their implications on the layer flux and radiation budget discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830019267','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830019267">Waterspout, Gust Fronts and Associated Cloud Systems</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Simpson, J. 1983-01-01 Nine waterspouts observed on five experimental days during the GATE period of observations are discussed. Primary data used are from 2 aircraft flying in different patterns, one above the other between 30 and 300 m. There is strong evidence associating whirl initiation with cumulus outflow. Computations prepared from estimates of convergence with the region suggest the possibility of vortex generation within 4 minutes. This analysis supports (1) the importance cumulus outflows may have in waterspout initiation and (2) the possibility that sea surface temperature gradients may be important in enabling waterspout development from modest size cumuli. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014PhDT........39D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014PhDT........39D">Comparison of convective clouds observed by spaceborne W-band radar and simulated by cloud-resolving atmospheric models</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Dodson, Jason B. Deep convective clouds (DCCs) play an important role in regulating global climate through vertical mass flux, vertical water transport, and radiation. For general circulation models (GCMs) to simulate the global climate realistically, they must simulate DCCs realistically. GCMs have traditionally used cumulus parameterizations (CPs). Much recent research has shown that multiple persistent unrealistic behaviors in GCMs are related to limitations of CPs. Two alternatives to CPs exist: the global cloud-resolving model (GCRM), and the multiscale modeling framework (MMF). Both can directly simulate the coarser features of DCCs because of their multi-kilometer horizontal resolutions, and can simulate large-scale meteorological processes more realistically than GCMs. However, the question of realistic behavior of simulated DCCs remains. How closely do simulated DCCs resemble observed DCCs? In this study I examine the behavior of DCCs in the Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) and Superparameterized Community Atmospheric Model (SP-CAM), the latter with both single-moment and double-moment microphysics. I place particular emphasis on the relationship between cloud vertical structure and convective environment. I also emphasize the transition between shallow clouds and mature DCCs. The spatial domains used are the tropical oceans and the contiguous United States (CONUS), the latter of which produces frequent vigorous convection during the summer. CloudSat is used to observe DCCs, and A-Train and reanalysis data are used to represent the large-scale environment in which the clouds form. The CloudSat cloud mask and radar reflectivity profiles for CONUS cumuliform clouds (defined as clouds with a base within the planetary boundary layer) during boreal summer are first averaged and compared. Both NICAM and SP-CAM greatly underestimate the vertical growth of cumuliform clouds. Then they are sorted by three large-scale environmental variables: total preciptable water (TPW), surface air temperature (SAT), and 500hPa vertical velocity (W500), representing the dynamical and thermodynamical environment in which the clouds form. The sorted CloudSat profiles are then compared with NICAM and SP-CAM profiles simulated with the Quickbeam CloudSat simulator. Both models have considerable difficulty representing the relationship of SAT and clouds over CONUS. For TPW and W500, shallow clouds transition to DCCs at higher values than observed. This may be an indication of the models' inability to represent the formation of DCCs in marginal convective environments. NICAM develops tall DCCs in highly favorable environments, but SP-CAM appears to be incapable of developing tall DCCs in almost any environment. The use of double moment microphysics in SP-CAM improves the frequency of deep clouds and their relationship with TPW, but not SAT. Both models underpredict radar reflectivity in the upper cloud of mature DCCs. SP-CAM with single moment microphysics has a particularly unrealistic DCC reflectivity profile, but with double moment microphysics it improves substantially. SP-CAM with double-moment microphysics unexpectedly appears to weaken DCC updraft strength as TPW increases, but otherwise both NICAM and SP-CAM represent the environment-versus-DCC relationships fairly realistically. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0017E','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0017E">Large Eddy Simulations of Continental Boundary Layer Clouds Observed during the RACORO Field Campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Endo, S.; Fridlind, A. M.; Lin, W.; Vogelmann, A. M.; Toto, T.; Liu, Y. 2013-12-01 Three cases of boundary layer clouds are analyzed in the FAst-physics System TEstbed and Research (FASTER) project, based on continental boundary-layer-cloud observations during the RACORO Campaign [Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility (AAF) Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations] at the ARM Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The three 60-hour case study periods are selected to capture the temporal evolution of cumulus, stratiform, and drizzling boundary-layer cloud systems under a range of conditions, intentionally including those that are relatively more mixed or transitional in nature versus being of a purely canonical type. Multi-modal and temporally varying aerosol number size distribution profiles are derived from aircraft observations. Large eddy simulations (LESs) are performed for the three case study periods using the GISS Distributed Hydrodynamic Aerosol and Radiative Modeling Application (DHARMA) model and the WRF-FASTER model, which is the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model implemented with forcing ingestion and other functions to constitute a flexible LES. The two LES models commonly capture the significant transitions of cloud-topped boundary layers in the three periods: diurnal evolution of cumulus layers repeating over multiple days, nighttime evolution/daytime diminution of thick stratus, and daytime breakup of stratus and stratocumulus clouds. Simulated transitions of thermodynamic structures of the cloud-topped boundary layers are examined by balloon-borne soundings and ground-based remote sensors. Aircraft observations are then used to statistically evaluate the predicted cloud droplet number size distributions under varying aerosol and cloud conditions. An ensemble approach is used to refine the model configuration for the combined use of observations with parallel LES and single-column model simulations. See Lin et al. poster for single-column model investigation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1415708-macrophysical-properties-continental-cumulus-clouds-from-active-passive-remote-sensing','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1415708-macrophysical-properties-continental-cumulus-clouds-from-active-passive-remote-sensing"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Riley, Erin A.; Kleiss, Jessica Cloud amount is an essential and extensively used macrophysical parameter of cumulus clouds. It is commonly defined as a cloud fraction (CF) from zenith-pointing ground-based active and passive remote sensing. However, conventional retrievals of CF from the remote sensing data with very narrow field-of-view (FOV) may not be representative of the surrounding area. Here we assess its representativeness using an integrated dataset collected at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, USA. For our assessment with focus on selected days with single-layer cumulus clouds (2005-2016), we include the narrow-FOVmore » ARM Active Remotely Sensed Clouds Locations (ARSCL) and large-FOV Total Sky Imager (TSI) cloud products, the 915-MHz Radar Wind Profiler (RWP) measurements of wind speed and direction, and also high-resolution satellite images from Landsat and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We demonstrate that a root-mean-square difference (RMSD) between the 15-min averaged ARSCL cloud fraction (CF) and the 15-min averaged TSI fractional sky cover (FSC) is large (up to 0.3). We also discuss how the horizontal distribution of clouds can modify the obtained large RMSD using a new uniformity metric. The latter utilizes the spatial distribution of the FSC over the 100° FOV TSI images obtained with high temporal resolution (30 sec sampling). We demonstrate that cases with more uniform spatial distribution of FSC show better agreement between the narrow-FOV CF and large-FOV FSC, reducing the RMSD by up to a factor of 2.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....17.7083H','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....17.7083H">Evaluation of large-eddy simulations forced with mesoscale model output for a multi-week period during a measurement campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Heinze, Rieke; Moseley, Christopher; Böske, Lennart Nils; Muppa, Shravan Kumar; Maurer, Vera; Raasch, Siegfried; Stevens, Bjorn 2017-06-01 Large-eddy simulations (LESs) of a multi-week period during the HD(CP)2 (High-Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction) Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) conducted in Germany are evaluated with respect to mean boundary layer quantities and turbulence statistics. Two LES models are used in a semi-idealized setup through forcing with mesoscale model output to account for the synoptic-scale conditions. Evaluation is performed based on the HOPE observations. The mean boundary layer characteristics like the boundary layer depth are in a principal agreement with observations. Simulating shallow-cumulus layers in agreement with the measurements poses a challenge for both LES models. Variance profiles agree satisfactorily with lidar measurements. The results depend on how the forcing data stemming from mesoscale model output are constructed. The mean boundary layer characteristics become less sensitive if the averaging domain for the forcing is large enough to filter out mesoscale fluctuations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=PIA03720&hterms=self-organization&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dself-organization','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=PIA03720&hterms=self-organization&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dself-organization">Cloud Arcs in the Western Pacific</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 2002-01-01 Small cumulus clouds in this natural-color view from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer have formed a distinctive series of quasi-circular arcs. Clues regarding the formation of these arcs can be found by noting that larger clouds exist in the interior of each arc.The interior clouds are thicker and likely to be more convectively active than the other clouds, causing much of the air near the centers of the arcs to rise. This air spreads out horizontally in all directions as it rises and continues to spread out as it begins to sink back to the surface. This pushes any existing small cumulus clouds away from the central region of convection.As the air sinks, it also warms, preventing other small clouds from forming, so that the regions just inside the arcs are kept clear. At the arcs, the horizontal flow of sinking air is now quite weak and on meeting the undisturbed air it can rise again slightly -- possibly assisting in the formation of new small cumulus clouds. Although examples of the continuity of air, in which every rising air motion must be compensated by a sinking motion elsewhere, are very common, the degree of organization exhibited here is relatively rare, as the wind field at different altitudes usually disrupts such patterns. The degree of self organization of this cloud image, whereby three or four such circular events form a quasi-periodic pattern, probably also requires a relatively uncommon combination of wind, temperature and humidity conditions for it to occur.The image was acquired by MISR's nadir camera on March 11, 2002, and is centered west of the Marshall Islands. Enewetak Atoll is discernible through thin cloud as the turquoise band near the right-hand edge of the image.The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously from pole to pole, and views almost the entire globe every 9 days. This image is a portion of the data acquired during Terra orbit 11863, and covers an area of about 380 kilometers x 345 kilometers. It utilizes data from blocks 80 to 82 within World Reference System-2 path 90.MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20120017459&hterms=HISTOGRAM&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3DHISTOGRAM','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20120017459&hterms=HISTOGRAM&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3DHISTOGRAM">Tropical and Subtropical Cloud Transitions in Weather and Climate Prediction Models: The GCSS/WGNE Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Teixeira, J.; Cardoso, S.; Bonazzola, M.; Cole, J.; DeGenio, A.; DeMott, C.; Franklin, C.; Hannay, C.; Jakob, C.; Jiao, Y.; <a style="text-decoration: none; " href="javascript:void(0); " onClick="displayelement('author_20120017459'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20120017459_show'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20120017459_hide'); "> <img style="display:inline; width:12px; height:12px; " src="images/arrow-up.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20120017459_show"> <img style="width:12px; height:12px; display:none; " src="images/arrow-down.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20120017459_hide"> 2011-01-01 A model evaluation approach is proposed in which weather and climate prediction models are analyzed along a Pacific Ocean cross section, from the stratocumulus regions off the coast of California, across the shallow convection dominated trade winds, to the deep convection regions of the ITCZ the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment Cloud System Study/Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (GCSS/ WGNE) Pacific Cross-Section Intercomparison (GPCI). The main goal of GPCI is to evaluate and help understand and improve the representation of tropical and subtropical cloud processes in weather and climate prediction models. In this paper, a detailed analysis of cloud regime transitions along the cross section from the subtropics to the tropics for the season June July August of 1998 is presented. This GPCI study confirms many of the typical weather and climate prediction model problems in the representation of clouds: underestimation of clouds in the stratocumulus regime by most models with the corresponding consequences in terms of shortwave radiation biases; overestimation of clouds by the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) in the deep tropics (in particular) with the corresponding impact in the outgoing longwave radiation; large spread between the different models in terms of cloud cover, liquid water path and shortwave radiation; significant differences between the models in terms of vertical cross sections of cloud properties (in particular), vertical velocity, and relative humidity. An alternative analysis of cloud cover mean statistics is proposed where sharp gradients in cloud cover along the GPCI transect are taken into account. This analysis shows that the negative cloud bias of some models and ERA-40 in the stratocumulus regions [as compared to the first International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP)] is associated not only with lower values of cloud cover in these regimes, but also with a stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition that occurs too early along the trade wind Lagrangian trajectory. Histograms of cloud cover along the cross section differ significantly between models. Some models exhibit a quasi-bimodal structure with cloud cover being either very large (close to 100%) or very small, while other models show a more continuous transition. The ISCCP observations suggest that reality is in-between these two extreme examples. These different patterns reflect the diverse nature of the cloud, boundary layer, and convection parameterizations in the participating weather and climate prediction models. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019904','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019904">GEWEX Cloud Systems Study (GCSS)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Moncrieff, Mitch 1993-01-01 The Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud Systems Study (GCSS) program seeks to improve the physical understanding of sub-grid scale cloud processes and their representation in parameterization schemes. By improving the description and understanding of key cloud system processes, GCSS aims to develop the necessary parameterizations in climate and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. GCSS will address these issues mainly through the development and use of cloud-resolving or cumulus ensemble models to generate realizations of a set of archetypal cloud systems. The focus of GCSS is on mesoscale cloud systems, including precipitating convectively-driven cloud systems like MCS's and boundary layer clouds, rather than individual clouds, and on their large-scale effects. Some of the key scientific issues confronting GCSS that particularly relate to research activities in the central U.S. are presented. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050177924&hterms=safari&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dsafari','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050177924&hterms=safari&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dsafari">Heterogeneous Chemistry Involving Methanol in Tropospheric Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tabazadeh, A.; Yokelson, R. J.; Singh, H. B.; Hobbs, P. V.; Crawford, J. H.; Iraci, L. T. 2004-01-01 In this report we analyze airborne measurements to suggest that methanol in biomass burning smoke is lost heterogeneously in clouds. When a smoke plume intersected a cumulus cloud during the SAFARI 2000 field project, the observed methanol gas phase concentration rapidly declined. Current understanding of gas and aqueous phase chemistry cannot explain the loss of methanol documented by these measurements. Two plausible heterogeneous reactions are proposed to explain the observed simultaneous loss and production of methanol and formaldehyde, respectively. If the rapid heterogeneous processing of methanol, seen in a cloud impacted by smoke, occurs in more pristine clouds, it could affect the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere on a global scale. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_12");'>12</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li class="active">14</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_15" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li class="active">15</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="281"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53A0256G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53A0256G">Cold pool organization and the merging of convective updrafts in a Large Eddy Simulation</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Glenn, I. B.; Krueger, S. K. 2016-12-01 Cold pool organization is a process that accelerates the transition from shallow to deep cumulus convection, and leads to higher deep convective cloud top heights. The mechanism by which cold pool organization enhances convection remains not well understood, but the basic idea is that since precipitation evaporation and a low equivalent potential temperature in the mid-troposphere lead to strong cold pools, the net cold pool effect can be accounted for in a cumulus parameterization as a relationship involving those factors. Understanding the actual physical mechanism at work will help quantify the strength of the relationship between cold pools and enhanced deep convection. One proposed mechanism of enhancement is that cold pool organization leads to reduced distances between updrafts, creating a local environment more conducive to convection as updrafts entrain parcels of air recently detrained by their neighbors. We take this hypothesis one step further and propose that convective updrafts actually merge, not just exchange recently processed air. Because entrainment and detrainment around an updraft draws nearby air in or pushes it out, respectively, they act like dynamic flow sources and sinks, drawing each other in or pushing each other away. The acceleration is proportional to the inverse square of the distance between two updrafts, so a small reduction in distance can make a big difference in the rate of merging. We have shown in previous research how merging can be seen as collisions between different updraft air parcels using Lagrangian Parcel Trajectories (LPTs) released in a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) during a period with organized deep convection. Now we use a Eulerian frame of reference to examine the updraft merging process during the transition from shallow to organized deep convection. We use a case based on the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) for our LES. We directly measure the rate of entrainment and the properties of the entrained air for all convective updrafts in the simulation. We use a tracking algorithm to define merging between convective updrafts. We will show the rate of merging as the transition between shallow and deep convection occurs and the different distributions of entrainment rate and ultimate detrainment height of merged and non-merged updrafts. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950039679&hterms=thematic+analysis&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dthematic%2Banalysis','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950039679&hterms=thematic+analysis&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dthematic%2Banalysis">The three-dimensional structure of cumulus clouds over the ocean. 1: Structural analysis</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Kuo, Kwo-Sen; Welch, Ronald M.; Weger, Ronald C.; Engelstad, Mark A.; Sengupta, S. K. 1993-01-01 Thermal channel (channel 6, 10.4-12.5 micrometers) images of five Landsat thematic mapper cumulus scenes over the ocean are examined. These images are thresholded using the standard International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) thermal threshold algorithm. The individual clouds in the cloud fields are segmented to obtain their structural statistics which include size distribution, orientation angle, horizontal aspect ratio, and perimeter-to-area (PtA) relationship. The cloud size distributions exhibit a double power law with the smaller clouds having a smaller absolute exponent. The cloud orientation angles, horizontal aspect ratios, and PtA exponents are found in good agreement with earlier studies. A technique also is developed to recognize individual cells within a cloud so that statistics of cloud cellular structure can be obtained. Cell structural statistics are computed for each cloud. Unicellular clouds are generally smaller (less than or equal to 1 km) and have smaller PtA exponents, while multicellular clouds are larger (greater than or equal to 1 km) and have larger PtA exponents. Cell structural statistics are similar to those of the smaller clouds. When each cell is approximated as a quadric surface using a linear least squares fit, most cells have the shape of a hyperboloid of one sheet, but about 15% of the cells are best modeled by a hyperboloid of two sheets. Less than 1% of the clouds are ellipsoidal. The number of cells in a cloud increases slightly faster than linearly with increasing cloud size. The mean nearest neighbor distance between cells in a cloud, however, appears to increase linearly with increasing cloud size and to reach a maximum when the cloud effective diameter is about 10 km; then it decreases with increasing cloud size. Sensitivity studies of threshold and lapse rate show that neither has a significant impact upon the results. A goodness-of-fit ratio is used to provide a quantitative measure of the individual cloud results. Significantly improved results are obtained after applying a smoothing operator, suggesting the eliminating subresolution scale variations with higher spatial resolution may yield even better shape analyses. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A43B0210N','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A43B0210N">Stratus Cloud Radiative Effects from Cloud Processed Bimodal CCN Distributions</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Noble, S. R., Jr.; Hudson, J. G. 2016-12-01 Inability to understand cloud processes is a large component of climate uncertainty. Increases in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations are known to increase cloud droplet number concentrations (Nc). This aerosol-cloud interaction (ACI) produces greater Nc at smaller sizes, which brightens clouds. A lesser understood ACI is cloud processing of CCN. This improves CCN that then more easily activate at lower cloud supersaturations (S). Bimodal CCN distributions thus ensue from these evaporated cloud droplets. Hudson et al. (2015) related CCN bimodality to Nc. In stratus clouds, bimodal CCN created greater Nc whereas in cumulus less Nc. Thus, CCN distribution shape influences cloud properties; microphysics and radiative properties. Measured uni- and bimodal CCN distributions were input into an adiabatic droplet growth model using various specified vertical wind speeds (W). Bimodal CCN produced greater Nc (Fig. 1a) and smaller mean diameters (MD; Fig. 1b) at lower W typical of stratus clouds (<70 cm/s). Improved CCN (low critical S) were more easily activated at the lower S of stratus from low W, thus, creating greater Nc. Competition for condensate thus reduced MD and drizzle. At greater W, typical of cumulus clouds (>70 cm/s), bimodal CCN made lower Nc with larger MD thus enhancing drizzle whereas unimodal CCN made greater Nc with smaller MD, thus reducing drizzle. Thus, theoretical predictions of Nc and MD for uni- and bimodal CCN agree with the sense of the observations. Radiative effects were determined using a cloud grown to a 250-meter thickness. Bimodal CCN at low W reduced cloud effective radius (re), made greater cloud optical thickness (COT), and made greater cloud albedo (Fig. 1c). At very low W changes were as much as +9% for albedo, +17% for COT, and -12% for re. Stratus clouds typically have low W and cover large areas. Thus, these changes in cloud radiative properties at low W impact climate. Stratus cloud susceptibility to CCN distribution thus requires further investigation to determine their impact on ACI. Hudson et al. (2015), JGRA, 120, 3436-3452. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140011848','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140011848">Extending 3D Near-Cloud Corrections from Shorter to Longer Wavelengths</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Marshak, Alexander; Evans, K. Frank; Varnai, Tamas; Guoyong, Wen 2014-01-01 Satellite observations have shown a positive correlation between cloud amount and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) that can be explained by the humidification of aerosols near clouds, and/or by cloud contamination by sub-pixel size clouds and the cloud adjacency effect. The last effect may substantially increase reflected radiation in cloud-free columns, leading to overestimates in the retrieved AOT. For clear-sky areas near boundary layer clouds the main contribution to the enhancement of clear sky reflectance at shorter wavelengths comes from the radiation scattered into clear areas by clouds and then scattered to the sensor by air molecules. Because of the wavelength dependence of air molecule scattering, this process leads to a larger reflectance increase at shorter wavelengths, and can be corrected using a simple two-layer model. However, correcting only for molecular scattering skews spectral properties of the retrieved AOT. Kassianov and Ovtchinnikov proposed a technique that uses spectral reflectance ratios to retrieve AOT in the vicinity of clouds; they assumed that the cloud adjacency effect influences the spectral ratio between reflectances at two wavelengths less than it influences the reflectances themselves. This paper combines the two approaches: It assumes that the 3D correction for the shortest wavelength is known with some uncertainties, and then it estimates the 3D correction for longer wavelengths using a modified ratio method. The new approach is tested with 3D radiances simulated for 26 cumulus fields from Large-Eddy Simulations, supplemented with 40 aerosol profiles. The results showed that (i) for a variety of cumulus cloud scenes and aerosol profiles over ocean the 3D correction due to cloud adjacency effect can be extended from shorter to longer wavelengths and (ii) the 3D corrections for longer wavelengths are not very sensitive to unbiased random uncertainties in the 3D corrections at shorter wavelengths. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ACPD...1318143B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ACPD...1318143B">Marine boundary layer cloud regimes and POC formation in an LES coupled to a bulk aerosol scheme</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Berner, A. H.; Bretherton, C. S.; Wood, R.; Muhlbauer, A. 2013-07-01 A large-eddy simulation (LES) coupled to a new bulk aerosol scheme is used to study long-lived regimes of aerosol-boundary layer cloud-precipitation interaction and the development of pockets of open cells (POCs) in subtropical stratocumulus cloud layers. The aerosol scheme prognoses mass and number concentration of a single log-normal accumulation mode with surface and entrainment sources, evolving subject to processing of activated aerosol and scavenging of dry aerosol by cloud and rain. The LES with the aerosol scheme is applied to a range of steadily-forced simulations idealized from a well-observed POC case. The long-term system evolution is explored with extended two-dimensional simulations of up to 20 days, mostly with diurnally-averaged insolation. One three-dimensional two-day simulation confirms the initial development of the corresponding two-dimensional case. With weak mean subsidence, an initially aerosol-rich mixed layer deepens, the capping stratocumulus cloud slowly thickens and increasingly depletes aerosol via precipitation accretion, then the boundary layer transitions within a few hours into an open-cell regime with scattered precipitating cumuli, in which entrainment is much weaker. The inversion slowly collapses for several days until the cumulus clouds are too shallow to efficiently precipitate. Inversion cloud then reforms and radiatively drives renewed entrainment, allowing the boundary layer to deepen and become more aerosol-rich, until the stratocumulus layer thickens enough to undergo another cycle of open-cell formation. If mean subsidence is stronger, the stratocumulus never thickens enough to initiate drizzle and settles into a steady state. With lower initial aerosol concentrations, this system quickly transitions into open cells, collapses, and redevelops into a different steady state with a shallow, optically thin cloud layer. In these steady states, interstitial scavenging by cloud droplets is the main sink of aerosol number. The system is described in a reduced two-dimensional phase plane with inversion height and boundary-layer average aerosol concentrations as the state variables. Simulations with a full diurnal cycle show similar evolutions, except that open-cell formation is phase-locked into the early morning hours. The same steadily-forced modeling framework is applied to the development and evolution of a POC and the surrounding overcast boundary layer. An initial aerosol perturbation applied to a portion of the model domain leads that portion to transition into open-cell convection, forming a POC. Reduced entrainment in the POC induces a negative feedback between areal fraction covered by the POC and boundary layer depth changes. This stabilizes the system by controlling liquid water path and precipitation sinks of aerosol number in the overcast region, while also preventing boundary-layer collapse within the POC, allowing the POC and overcast to coexist indefinitely in a quasi-steady equilibrium. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A42A..05D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A42A..05D">Reconstruction of 3D Shapes of Opaque Cumulus Clouds from Airborne Multiangle Imaging: A Proof-of-Concept</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Davis, A. B.; Bal, G.; Chen, J. 2015-12-01 Operational remote sensing of microphysical and optical cloud properties is invariably predicated on the assumption of plane-parallel slab geometry for the targeted cloud. The sole benefit of this often-questionable assumption about the cloud is that it leads to one-dimensional (1D) radiative transfer (RT)---a textbook, computationally tractable model. We present new results as evidence that, thanks to converging advances in 3D RT, inverse problem theory, algorithm implementation, and computer hardware, we are at the dawn of a new era in cloud remote sensing where we can finally go beyond the plane-parallel paradigm. Granted, the plane-parallel/1D RT assumption is reasonable for spatially extended stratiform cloud layers, as well as the smoothly distributed background aerosol layers. However, these 1D RT-friendly scenarios exclude cases that are critically important for climate physics. 1D RT---whence operational cloud remote sensing---fails catastrophically for cumuliform clouds that have fully 3D outer shapes and internal structures driven by shallow or deep convection. For these situations, the first order of business in a robust characterization by remote sensing is to abandon the slab geometry framework and determine the 3D geometry of the cloud, as a first step toward bone fide 3D cloud tomography. With this specific goal in mind, we deliver a proof-of-concept for an entirely new kind of remote sensing applicable to 3D clouds. It is based on highly simplified 3D RT and exploits multi-angular suites of cloud images at high spatial resolution. Airborne sensors like AirMSPI readily acquire such data. The key element of the reconstruction algorithm is a sophisticated solution of the nonlinear inverse problem via linearization of the forward model and an iteration scheme supported, where necessary, by adaptive regularization. Currently, the demo uses a 2D setting to show how either vertical profiles or horizontal slices of the cloud can be accurately reconstructed. Extension to 3D volumes is straightforward but the next challenge is to accommodate images at lower spatial resolution, e.g., from MISR/Terra. G. Bal, J. Chen, and A.B. Davis (2015). Reconstruction of cloud geometry from multi-angle images, Inverse Problems in Imaging (submitted). </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000074490&hterms=sss&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dsss','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000074490&hterms=sss&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dsss">SST Variation Due to Interactive Convective-Radiative Processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W.-K.; Shie, C.-L.; Johnson, D.; Simpson, J.; Li, X.; Sui, C.-H. 2000-01-01 The recent linking of Cloud-Resolving Models (CRMs) to Ocean-Mixed Layer (OML) models has provided a powerful new means of quantifying the role of cloud systems in ocean-atmosphere coupling. This is due to the fact that the CRM can better resolve clouds and cloud systems and allow for explicit cloud-radiation interaction. For example, Anderson (1997) applied an atmospheric forcing associated with a CRM simulated squall line to a 3-D OML model (one way or passive interaction). His results suggested that the spatial variability resulting from the squall forcing can last at least 24 hours when forced with otherwise spatially uniform fluxes. In addition, the sea surface salinity (SSS) variability continuously decreased following the forcing, while some of the SST variability remained when a diurnal mixed layer capped off the surface structure. The forcing used in the OML model, however, focused on shorter time (8 h) and smaller spatial scales (100-120 km). In this study, the 3-D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model (GCE; 512 x 512 x 23 cu km, 2-km horizontal resolution) is used to simulate convective active episodes occurring in the Western Pacific warm pool and Eastern Atlantic regions. The model is integrated for seven days, and the simulated results are coupled to an OML model to better understand the impact of precipitation and changes in the planetary boundary layer upon SST variation. We will specifically examine and compare the results of linking the OML model with various spatially-averaged outputs from GCE simulations (i.e., 2 km vs. 10-50 km horizontal resolutions), in order to help understand the SST sensitivity to multi-scale influences. This will allow us to assess the importance of explicitly simulated deep and shallow clouds, as well as the subgrid-scale effects (in coarse-model runs) upon SST variation. Results using both 1-D and 2-D OML models will be evaluated to assess the effects of horizontal advection. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ACPD...1529347P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ACPD...1529347P">Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Pistone, K.; Praveen, P. S.; Thomas, R. M.; Ramanathan, V.; Wilcox, E.; Bender, F. A.-M. 2015-10-01 There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood, as changes in atmospheric conditions due to aerosol may change the expected magnitude of indirect effects by altering cloud properties in unexpected ways. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season. In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements of atmospheric precipitable water vapor and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds were made, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol. Here we present evidence of a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP which becomes clear after the data are filtered to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region. We then use the aircraft and ground observatory measurements to explore the mechanisms behind the observed aerosol-LWP correlation. We determine that increased boundary-layer humidity lowering the cloud base is responsible for the observed increase in cloud liquid water. Large-scale analysis indicates that high pollution cases originate with a highly-polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. This polluted mass exhibits higher temperatures and humidity than the clean case, the former of which may be attributable to heating due to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent. While high temperature conditions dispersed along with the high-aerosol anomaly, the high humidity condition was observed to instead develop along with the polluted air mass. We then explore potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, though future research will be needed to more fully describe the aerosol-humidity relationship. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A54F..03M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A54F..03M">Investigating the influence of volcanic sulfate aerosol on cloud properties Along A-Train tracks</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Mace, G. G. 2017-12-01 Marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds are central actors in the climate system given their extensive coverage on the Earth's surface, their 1-way influence on the radiative balance (cooling), and their intimate coupling between air motions, anthropogenic and natural aerosol sources, and processes within the upper ocean mixed layer. Knowledge of how MBL shallow cumulus clouds respond to changes in aerosol is central to understanding how MBL clouds modulate the climate system. A frequent approach to investigating how sulfate aerosol influences MBL clouds has been to examine sulfate plumes extending downstream of active island volcanoes. This approach is challenging due to modification of the air motions in the plumes downstream of islands and due to the tendency of most researchers to examine only level-2 retrievals ignoring the actual data collected by sensors such as MODIS. Past studies have concluded that sulfate aerosols have large effects consistent with the 1st aerosol indirect effect (AIE). We reason that if such effects are as large as suggested in level-2 retrievals then evidence should also be present in the raw MODIS reflectance data as well as other data sources. In this paper we will build on our recently published work where we tested that hypothesis from data collected near Mount Kilauea during a 3-year period. Separating data into aerosol optical depth (A) quartiles, we found little support for a large 1st AIE response. We did find an unambiguous increase in sub 1km-scale cloud fraction with A. This increase in sub 1 km cloud fraction was entirely consistent with increased reflectance with increasing A that is used, via the level 2 retrievals, to argue for a large AIE response of MBL clouds. While the 1-km pixels became unambiguously brighter, that brightening was due to increased sub 1 km cloud fraction and not necessarily due to changes in pixel-level cloud microphysics. We also found that MBL cloud top heights increase as do surface wind speeds as aerosol increases while the radar reflectivity from CloudSat does not change implying that increased aerosols may have caused invigoration of the MBL clouds with little effect on precipitation. We have since expanded upon this initial analysis by exmaining data near other volcanic islands. These expanded results support our initial findings. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6185708-study-two-cases-comma-cloud-cyclogenesis-using-semigeostrophic-model','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6185708-study-two-cases-comma-cloud-cyclogenesis-using-semigeostrophic-model">A study of two cases of comma-cloud cyclogenesis using a semigeostrophic model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Craig, G.C.; Cho, Hanru 1992-12-01 The linear stability of two atmospheric flows is studied, with basic-state data taken from environments where comma clouds are observed to flow. Each basic state features a baroclinic zone associated with an upper-level jet, with conditional instability on the north side. The semigeostrophic approximation is utilized, along with a simple parameterization for cumulus heating, and the eigenvalue problem is solved employing a Chebyshev spectral technique. 47 refs. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19750009797','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19750009797">Wind estimates from cloud motions: Phase 1 of an in situ aircraft verification experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Hasler, A. F.; Shenk, W. E.; Skillman, W. 1974-01-01 An initial experiment was conducted to verify geostationary satellite derived cloud motion wind estimates with in situ aircraft wind velocity measurements. Case histories of one-half hour to two hours were obtained for 3-10km diameter cumulus cloud systems on 6 days. Also, one cirrus cloud case was obtained. In most cases the clouds were discrete enough that both the cloud motion and the ambient wind could be measured with the same aircraft Inertial Navigation System (INS). Since the INS drift error is the same for both the cloud motion and wind measurements, the drift error subtracts out of the relative motion determinations. The magnitude of the vector difference between the cloud motion and the ambient wind at the cloud base averaged 1.2 m/sec. The wind vector at higher levels in the cloud layer differed by about 3 m/sec to 5 m/sec from the cloud motion vector. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830021653','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19830021653">The 1980 stratospheric-tropospheric exchange experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Margozzi, A. P. (Editor) 1983-01-01 Data are presented from the Stratospheric-Tropospheric Water Vapor Exchange Experiment. Measurements were made during 11 flights of the NASA U-2 aircraft which provided data from horizontal traverser and samplings in and about the tops of extensive cirrus-anvil clouds produced by overshooting cumulus turrets. Aircraft measurements were made of water vapor, ozone, ambient and cloud top temperature, fluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, nitric acid, aerosols, and ice crystal populations. Balloonsondes were flown about twice daily providing data on ozone, wind fields, pressure and temperature to altitudes near 30 km. Satellite photography provided detailed cloud and cloud top temperature information. Descriptions of individual experiments and detailed compilations of all results are provided. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017APS..DFDQ15001R','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017APS..DFDQ15001R">The fluid dynamics of atmospheric clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20010029453&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Densemble','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20010029453&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Densemble">The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model: Model Description and Its Application for Studying the TOGA COARE and GATE Convective Systems</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor) 2001-01-01 The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model was utilized in two and three dimensions in order to examine the behavior and response of simulated deep tropical cloud systems occurred in west Pacific warm pool region and Atlantic ocean. The periods chosen for simulation were convectively active period over the TOGA-COARE IFA (19-27 December 1992) and GATE (September 1 to 7, 1974). The TOGA COARE IFA period was also in the framework of the GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) WG4 case 2. We will examine the differences between the microphysics (warm rain and ice processes, evaporation/sublimation and condensation/deposition), Q1 (Temperature) and Q2 (Water vapor) budgets between these two convective events occurred in different large-scale environments. The contribution of stratiform precipitation and its relationship to the vertical shear of the large-scale horizontal wind will also be examined. The results from GCSS model intercomparsion will be presented. The new improvements (i.e., microphysics, cloud radiation interaction, surface processes and numerical advection scheme) of the GCE model as well as their sensitivity to the model results will be discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800028703&hterms=covariance+correlation&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3Dcovariance%2Bcorrelation','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800028703&hterms=covariance+correlation&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3Dcovariance%2Bcorrelation">Covariance analyses of satellite-derived mesoscale wind fields</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Maddox, R. A.; Vonder Haar, T. H. 1979-01-01 Statistical structure functions have been computed independently for nine satellite-derived mesoscale wind fields that were obtained on two different days. Small cumulus clouds were tracked at 5 min intervals, but since these clouds occurred primarily in the warm sectors of midlatitude cyclones the results cannot be considered representative of the circulations within cyclones in general. The field structure varied considerably with time and was especially affected if mesoscale features were observed. The wind fields on the 2 days studied were highly anisotropic with large gradients in structure occurring approximately normal to the mean flow. Structure function calculations for the combined set of satellite winds were used to estimate random error present in the fields. It is concluded for these data that the random error in vector winds derived from cumulus cloud tracking using high-frequency satellite data is less than 1.75 m/s. Spatial correlation functions were also computed for the nine data sets. Normalized correlation functions were considerably different for u and v components and decreased rapidly as data point separation increased for both components. The correlation functions for transverse and longitudinal components decreased less rapidly as data point separation increased. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-STS106-718-056.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-STS106-718-056.html">View of a dust storm taken from Atlantis during STS-106</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2000-09-11 STS106-718-056 (11 September 2000) --- One of the STS-106 crew members on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis used a handheld 70mm camera to photograph this image of Afghanistan dust/front winds in the upper Amu Darya Valley. The strong winds along the northern border of Afghanistan lofted thick, light brown dust into the air (top half of the view). In this desert environment land surfaces are not protected by vegetation from the effect of blowing wind. The central Asian deserts experience the greatest number of dust storm days on the planet each year. The sharp dust front shows that the dust has not traveled far, but has been raised from the surfaces in the view. Dust is entrained in the atmosphere by horizontal winds but also by vertical movements. Here the vertical component is indicated by the fact that the higher points along the dust front are each topped by a small cumulus cloud, which appear as a line of small white puffballs. Cumulus clouds indicate upward motion and here the air which has entrained the dust is lifting the air above to the level of condensation at each point where a small cloud has formed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010APS..DFD.CV005I','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010APS..DFD.CV005I">Inertial particles in a shearless mixing layer: direct numerical simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Ireland, Peter; Collins, Lance 2010-11-01 Entrainment, the drawing in of external fluid by a turbulent flow, is present in nearly all turbulent processes, from exhaust plumes to oceanic thermoclines to cumulus clouds. While the entrainment of fluid and of passive scalars in turbulent flows has been studied extensively, comparatively little research has been undertaken on inertial particle entrainment. We explore entrainment of inertial particles in a shearless mixing layer across a turbulent-non-turbulent interface (TNI) and a turbulent-turbulent interface (TTI) through direct numerical simulation (DNS). Particles are initially placed on one side of the interface and are advanced in time in decaying turbulence. Our results show that the TTI is more efficient in mixing droplets than the TNI. We also find that without the influence of gravity, over the range of Stokes numbers present in cumulus clouds, particle concentration statistics are essentially independent of the dissipation scale Stokes number. The DNS data agrees with results from experiments performed in a wind tunnel with close parametric overlap. We anticipate that a better understanding of the role of gravity and turbulence in inertial particle entrainment will lead to improved cloud evolution predictions and more accurate climate models. Sponsored by the U.S. NSF. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....1714433C','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ACP....1714433C">Further evidence for CCN aerosol concentrations determining the height of warm rain and ice initiation in convective clouds over the Amazon basin</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Campos Braga, Ramon; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Weigel, Ralf; Jurkat, Tina; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Wendisch, Manfred; Pöschl, Ulrich; Voigt, Christiane; Mahnke, Christoph; Borrmann, Stephan; Albrecht, Rachel I.; Molleker, Sergej; Vila, Daniel A.; Machado, Luiz A. T.; Grulich, Lucas 2017-12-01 We have investigated how aerosols affect the height above cloud base of rain and ice hydrometeor initiation and the subsequent vertical evolution of cloud droplet size and number concentrations in growing convective cumulus. For this purpose we used in situ data of hydrometeor size distributions measured with instruments mounted on HALO aircraft during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign over the Amazon during September 2014. The results show that the height of rain initiation by collision and coalescence processes (Dr, in units of meters above cloud base) is linearly correlated with the number concentration of droplets (Nd in cm-3) nucleated at cloud base (Dr ≈ 5 ṡ Nd). Additional cloud processes associated with Dr, such as GCCN, cloud, and mixing with ambient air and other processes, produce deviations of ˜ 21 % in the linear relationship, but it does not mask the clear relationship between Dr and Nd, which was also found at different regions around the globe (e.g., Israel and India). When Nd exceeded values of about 1000 cm-3, Dr became greater than 5000 m, and the first observed precipitation particles were ice hydrometeors. Therefore, no liquid water raindrops were observed within growing convective cumulus during polluted conditions. Furthermore, the formation of ice particles also took place at higher altitudes in the clouds in polluted conditions because the resulting smaller cloud droplets froze at colder temperatures compared to the larger drops in the unpolluted cases. The measured vertical profiles of droplet effective radius (re) were close to those estimated by assuming adiabatic conditions (rea), supporting the hypothesis that the entrainment and mixing of air into convective clouds is nearly inhomogeneous. Additional CCN activation on aerosol particles from biomass burning and air pollution reduced re below rea, which further inhibited the formation of raindrops and ice particles and resulted in even higher altitudes for rain and ice initiation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A51L..08Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A51L..08Z">Shallow-to-Deep Convection Transition over Land: Atmospheric and surface controls inferred from long-term ground-based observations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Zhang, Y.; Klein, S. A. 2016-12-01 Warm-season decade-long observations are used to investigate mechanisms controlling the transition from shallow to deep convection over land. The data are from the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains site. The study focuses on two questions: 1) what environmental parameters differ between the two convective regimes: fair-weather shallow cumulus versus late-afternoon deep convection, especially in the late morning a few hours before deep convection begins? And 2) Do convective regimes such as fair-weather shallow cumulus and late-afternoon deep convection have any preferences over soil moisture conditions (dry or wet) and soil moisture heterogeneities? It is found that a more humid environment immediately above the boundary layer is present before the start of late afternoon heavy precipitation events. Greater boundary layer inhomogeneity in moist static energy, temperature, moisture, and horizontal wind before precipitation begins is correlated to larger rain rates at the initial stage of precipitation. Late-afternoon deep convection tends to prefer drier soil conditions with larger surface heterogeneity. This observational study helps our understanding of convective responses to different environmental factors especially surface versus atmospheric controls. This work leads to the establishment of composite cases of different continental convective regimes for large-eddy simulations and single-column tests of climate model parameterizations. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-698972 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015JAMES...7.1368L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015JAMES...7.1368L">A Simplified Land Model (SLM) for use in cloud-resolving models: Formulation and evaluation</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lee, Jungmin M.; Khairoutdinov, Marat 2015-09-01 A Simplified Land Model (SLM) that uses a minimalist set of parameters with a single-layer vegetation and multilevel soil structure has been developed distinguishing canopy and undercanopy energy budgets. The primary motivation has been to design a land model for use in the System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) cloud-resolving model to study land-atmosphere interactions with a sufficient level of realism. SLM uses simplified expressions for the transport of heat, moisture, momentum, and radiation in soil-vegetation system. The SLM performance has been evaluated over several land surface types using summertime tower observations of micrometeorological and biophysical data from three AmeriFlux sites, which include grassland, cropland, and deciduous-broadleaf forest. In general, the SLM captures the observed diurnal cycle of surface energy budget and soil temperature reasonably well, although reproducing the evolution of soil moisture, especially after rain events, has been challenging. The SLM coupled to SAM has been applied to the case of summertime shallow cumulus convection over land based on the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Southern Great Plain (SGP) observations. The simulated surface latent and sensible heat fluxes as well as the evolution of thermodynamic profiles in convective boundary layer agree well with the estimates based on the observations. Sensitivity of atmospheric boundary layer development to the soil moisture and different land cover types has been also examined. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_13");'>13</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li class="active">15</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_16" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li class="active">16</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="301"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1167150-scale-dependence-entrainment-mixing-mechanisms-cumulus-clouds','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1167150-scale-dependence-entrainment-mixing-mechanisms-cumulus-clouds">Scale dependence of entrainment-mixing mechanisms in cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Niu, Shengjie; ... 2014-12-17 This work empirically examines the dependence of entrainment-mixing mechanisms on the averaging scale in cumulus clouds using in situ aircraft observations during the Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Aerial Facility Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) field campaign. A new measure of homogeneous mixing degree is defined that can encompass all types of mixing mechanisms. Analysis of the dependence of the homogenous mixing degree on the averaging scale shows that, on average, the homogenous mixing degree decreases with increasing averaging scales, suggesting that apparent mixing mechanisms gradually approach from homogeneous mixing to extreme inhomogeneous mixing with increasingmore » scales. The scale dependence can be well quantified by an exponential function, providing first attempt at developing a scale-dependent parameterization for the entrainment-mixing mechanism. The influences of three factors on the scale dependence are further examined: droplet-free filament properties (size and fraction), microphysical properties (mean volume radius and liquid water content of cloud droplet size distributions adjacent to droplet-free filaments), and relative humidity of entrained dry air. It is found that the decreasing rate of homogeneous mixing degree with increasing averaging scales becomes larger with larger droplet-free filament size and fraction, larger mean volume radius and liquid water content, or higher relative humidity. The results underscore the necessity and possibility of considering averaging scale in representation of entrainment-mixing processes in atmospheric models.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19780040454&hterms=attention+size&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dattention%2Bsize','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19780040454&hterms=attention+size&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dattention%2Bsize">Effects of cloud size and cloud particles on satellite-observed reflected brightness</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Reynolds, D. W.; Mckee, T. B.; Danielson, K. S. 1978-01-01 Satellite observations allowed obtaining data on the visible brightness of cumulus clouds over South Park, Colorado, while aircraft observations were made in cloud to obtain the drop size distributions and liquid water content of the cloud. Attention is focused on evaluating the relationship between cloud brightness, horizontal dimension, and internal microphysical structure. A Monte Carlo cloud model for finite clouds was run using different distributions of drop sizes and numbers, while varying the cloud depth and width to determine how theory would predict what the satellite would view from its given location in space. Comparison of these results to the satellite observed reflectances is presented. Theoretical results are found to be in good agreement with observations. For clouds of optical thickness between 20 and 60, monitoring cloud brightness changes in clouds of uniform depth and variable width gives adequate information about a cloud's liquid water content. A cloud having a 10:1 width to depth ratio is almost reaching its maximum brightness for a specified optical thickness. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19850065000&hterms=draft&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Ddraft','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19850065000&hterms=draft&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Ddraft">Computer image processing of up-draft flow motion and severe storm formation observed from satellite</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070021462','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070021462">The Influence of Aerosols on the Shortwave Cloud Radiative Forcing from North Pacific Oceanic Clouds: Results from the Cloud Indirect Forcing Experiment (CIFEX)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wilcox, Eric M.; Roberts, Greg; Ramanathan, V. 2006-01-01 Aerosols over the Northeastern Pacific Ocean enhance the cloud drop number concentration and reduce the drop size for marine stratocumulus and cumulus clouds. These microphysical effects result in brighter clouds, as evidenced by a combination of aircraft and satellite observations. In-situ measurements from the Cloud Indirect Forcing Experiment (CIFEX) indicate that the mean cloud drop number concentration in low clouds over the polluted marine boundary layer is greater by 53/cu cm compared to clean clouds, and the mean cloud drop effective radius is smaller by 4 microns. We link these in-situ measurements of cloud modification by aerosols, for the first time, with collocated satellite broadband radiative flux observations from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) to show that these microphysical effects of aerosols enhance the top-of-atmosphere cooling by -9.9+/-4.3 W/sq m for overcast conditions. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53A0265P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A53A0265P">Statistical properties of cloud and precipitation events in Central Amazonia using GoAmazon2014/5 data: revisiting deep convection timescales.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140010543','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20140010543">The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne 2012-01-01 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10807573','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10807573">Reduction of tropical cloudiness by soot</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Ackerman; Toon; Stevens; Heymsfield; Ramanathan; Welton 2000-05-12 Measurements and models show that enhanced aerosol concentrations can augment cloud albedo not only by increasing total droplet cross-sectional area, but also by reducing precipitation and thereby increasing cloud water content and cloud coverage. Aerosol pollution is expected to exert a net cooling influence on the global climate through these conventional mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate an opposite mechanism through which aerosols can reduce cloud cover and thus significantly offset aerosol-induced radiative cooling at the top of the atmosphere on a regional scale. In model simulations, the daytime clearing of trade cumulus is hastened and intensified by solar heating in dark haze (as found over much of the northern Indian Ocean during the northeast monsoon). </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050210129&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050210129&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S. 2005-01-01 Cloud microphysics are inevitable affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds, Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effect of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bim microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992PhDT........62T','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992PhDT........62T">O the Size Dependence of the Chemical Properties of Cloud Droplets: Exploratory Studies by Aircraft</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Twohy, Cynthia H. 1992-09-01 Clouds play an important role in the climate of the earth and in the transport and transformation of chemical species, but many questions about clouds remain unanswered. In particular, the chemical properties of droplets may vary with droplet size, with potentially important consequences. The counterflow virtual impactor (CVI) separates droplets from interstitial particles and gases in a cloud and also can collect droplets in discrete size ranges. As such, the CVI is a useful tool for investigating the chemical components present in droplets of different sizes and their potential interactions with cloud processes. The purpose of this work is twofold. First, the sampling characteristics of the airborne CVI are investigated, using data from a variety of experiments. A thorough understanding of CVI properties is necessary in order to utilize the acquired data judiciously and effectively. Although the impaction characteristics of the CVI seem to be predictable by theory, the airborne instrument is subject to influences that may result in a reduced transmission efficiency for droplets, particularly if the inlet is not properly aligned. Ways to alleviate this problem are being investigated, but currently the imperfect sampling efficiency must be taken into account during data interpretation. Relationships between the physical and chemical properties of residual particles from droplets collected by the CVI and droplet size are then explored in both stratiform and cumulus clouds. The effects of various cloud processes and measurement limitations upon these relationships are discussed. In one study, chemical analysis of different -sized droplets sampled in stratiform clouds showed a dependence of chemical composition on droplet size, with larger droplets containing higher proportions of sodium than non-sea-salt sulfate and ammonium. Larger droplets were also associated with larger residual particles, as expected from simple cloud nucleation theory. In a study of marine cumulus clouds, the CVI was combined with a cloud condensation nucleus spectrometer to study the supersaturation spectra of residual particles from droplets. The median critical supersaturation of the droplet residual particles was consistently less than or equal to the median critical supersaturation of ambient particles except at cloud top, where residual particles exhibited a variety of critical supersaturations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1981PhDT........95R','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1981PhDT........95R">Study of the Fine-Scale Structure of Cumulus Clouds.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Rodi, Alfred R. Small cumulus clouds are studied using data from an instrumented aircraft. Two aspects of the role of turbulence and mixing in these couds are examined: (1) the effect of mixing on the droplet size distribution, and (2) the effect of turbulence on the spread of ice crystal plumes artificially generated with cloud seeding agents. The data were collected in the course of the Bureau of Reclamation's High Plains Cooperative Experiment (HIPLEX) in Montana in the summers of 1978-80 by the University of Wyoming King Air aircraft. The shape of the cloud droplet spectrum as measured by the Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP) is found to be very sensitive to entrainment of dry environmental air into the cloud. The narrowest cloud droplet spectra, the highest droplet concentrations, and the largest sized droplets are found in the cloud parcels which are least affected by entrainment. The most dilute regions of cloud exhibit the broadest spectra which are frequently bimodal. A procedure for measuring cloud inhomogeneity from FSSP is developed. The data shows that the clouds are extremely inhomogeneous in structure. Current models of inhomogeneous mixing are shown to be inadequate in explaining droplet spectrum effects. However, the inhomogeneous models characterize the data far better than classical models of droplet spectrum evolution. High resolution measurements of ice crystals from the PMS two dimensional imaging probe are used to characterize the spread of the ice crystal plume in seeded clouds. Plume spread is found to be a very complicated process which is in some cases dominated by organized motions in the cloud. As a result, classical diffusion theory is often inadequate to predict plume growth. The turbulent diffusion that occurs is shown to be best modeled using the relative diffusion concept of Richardson. Procedures for adapting aircraft data to the relative diffusion model are developed, including techniques for converting the aircraft Eulerian data into estimates of Lagrangian correlations. Predictions of the model are compared with observations of plume growth. A detailed analysis of errors in the air motion sensing system on the aircraft is presented. A procedure is developed to estimate the errors due to aircraft gyroscope sensitivity to horizontal accelerations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1376765-cloudy-planetary-boundary-layer-oscillation-arising-from-coupling-turbulence-precipitation-climate-simulations','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1376765-cloudy-planetary-boundary-layer-oscillation-arising-from-coupling-turbulence-precipitation-climate-simulations">A cloudy planetary boundary layer oscillation arising from the coupling of turbulence with precipitation in climate simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Zheng, X.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H. -Y. The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) adopts Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB) scheme and an updated microphysics (MG2) scheme for a more unified treatment of cloud processes. This makes interactions between parameterizations tighter and more explicit. In this study, a cloudy planetary boundary layer (PBL) oscillation related to interaction between CLUBB and MG2 is identified in CAM. This highlights the need for consistency between the coupled subgrid processes in climate model development. This oscillation occurs most often in the marine cumulus cloud regime. The oscillation occurs only if the modeled PBL is strongly decoupled and precipitation evaporates below the cloud.more » Two aspects of the parameterized coupling assumptions between CLUBB and MG2 schemes cause the oscillation: (1) a parameterized relationship between rain evaporation and CLUBB's subgrid spatial variance of moisture and heat that induces an extra cooling in the lower PBL and (2) rain evaporation which happens at a too low an altitude because of the precipitation fraction parameterization in MG2. Either one of these two conditions can overly stabilize the PBL and reduce the upward moisture transport to the cloud layer so that the PBL collapses. Global simulations prove that turning off the evaporation-variance coupling and improving the precipitation fraction parameterization effectively reduces the cloudy PBL oscillation in marine cumulus clouds. By evaluating the causes of the oscillation in CAM, we have identified the PBL processes that should be examined in models having similar oscillations. This study may draw the attention of the modeling and observational communities to the issue of coupling between parameterized physical processes.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1376765-cloudy-planetary-boundary-layer-oscillation-arising-from-coupling-turbulence-precipitation-climate-simulations','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1376765-cloudy-planetary-boundary-layer-oscillation-arising-from-coupling-turbulence-precipitation-climate-simulations">A cloudy planetary boundary layer oscillation arising from the coupling of turbulence with precipitation in climate simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Zheng, X.; Klein, S. A.; Ma, H. -Y.; ... 2017-08-24 The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) adopts Cloud Layers Unified By Binormals (CLUBB) scheme and an updated microphysics (MG2) scheme for a more unified treatment of cloud processes. This makes interactions between parameterizations tighter and more explicit. In this study, a cloudy planetary boundary layer (PBL) oscillation related to interaction between CLUBB and MG2 is identified in CAM. This highlights the need for consistency between the coupled subgrid processes in climate model development. This oscillation occurs most often in the marine cumulus cloud regime. The oscillation occurs only if the modeled PBL is strongly decoupled and precipitation evaporates below the cloud.more » Two aspects of the parameterized coupling assumptions between CLUBB and MG2 schemes cause the oscillation: (1) a parameterized relationship between rain evaporation and CLUBB's subgrid spatial variance of moisture and heat that induces an extra cooling in the lower PBL and (2) rain evaporation which happens at a too low an altitude because of the precipitation fraction parameterization in MG2. Either one of these two conditions can overly stabilize the PBL and reduce the upward moisture transport to the cloud layer so that the PBL collapses. Global simulations prove that turning off the evaporation-variance coupling and improving the precipitation fraction parameterization effectively reduces the cloudy PBL oscillation in marine cumulus clouds. By evaluating the causes of the oscillation in CAM, we have identified the PBL processes that should be examined in models having similar oscillations. This study may draw the attention of the modeling and observational communities to the issue of coupling between parameterized physical processes.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A53F3273J','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A53F3273J">Sounding-Based Thermodynamic Budgets from Dynamo/Cindy/Amie</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Johnson, R. H.; Ciesielski, P. E.; Ruppert, J. H.; Katsumata, M. 2014-12-01 The DYNAMO/CINDY/AMIE field campaign, conducted over the Indian Ocean from October 2011 to March 2012, was designed to study the initiation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Two prominent MJOs occurred in the experimental domain during the Special Observing Period in October and November. Data from a northern and a southern sounding array (NSA and SSA, respectively) have been used to investigate the apparent heat sources and sinks (Q1 and Q2) and radiative heating rates QR throughout the life cycles of the two MJO events. The MJO signal was far stronger in the NSA than the SSA, so attention is focused on results for the NSA. Time series of Q1, Q2, and the vertical eddy flux of moist static energy reveal an evolution of cloud systems for both MJOs consistent with prior studies: shallow, non-precipitating cumulus during the suppressed phase, followed by cumulus congestus, then deep convection during the active phase, and finally stratiform precipitation. However, the duration of these phases was shorter for the November MJO than for the October event. The profiles of Q1 and Q2 for the two arrays indicate a greater stratiform rain fraction for the NSA than the SSA, a finding supported by TRMM measurements. Surface rainfall rates and column-integrated QR determined as residuals from the budgets show good agreement with satellite-based estimates. The column-integrated QR anomaly was nearly 20% of the net-tropospheric convective heating anomaly for the October MJO, approaching the proposed condition for radiative-convective instability. The ratio was far less for the November event, further emphasizing important distinctions between the two MJOs. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/project/misr/gallery/rockies','SCIGOV-ASDC'); return false;" href="https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/project/misr/gallery/rockies">Rockies</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/">Atmospheric Science Data Center </a> 2014-05-15 article title: Front Range of the Rockies View ... north and east. Denver is situated just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, located in the lower right of the images. The ... of erosion. Scattered cumulus clouds floating above the mountain peaks are visible in these images, and stand out most dramatically in ... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150000154','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150000154">The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model (GCE): Improvements and Applications for Studying Precipitation Processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Lang, Stephen E.; Zeng, Xiping; Li, Xiaowen; Matsui, Toshi; Mohr, Karen; Posselt, Derek; Chern, Jiundar; Peters-Lidard, Christa; Norris, Peter M.; <a style="text-decoration: none; " href="javascript:void(0); " onClick="displayelement('author_20150000154'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20150000154_show'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20150000154_hide'); "> <img style="display:inline; width:12px; height:12px; " src="images/arrow-up.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20150000154_show"> <img style="width:12px; height:12px; display:none; " src="images/arrow-down.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20150000154_hide"> 2014-01-01 Convection is the primary transport process in the Earth's atmosphere. About two-thirds of the Earth's rainfall and severe floods derive from convection. In addition, two-thirds of the global rain falls in the tropics, while the associated latent heat release accounts for three-fourths of the total heat energy for the Earth's atmosphere. Cloud-resolving models (CRMs) have been used to improve our understanding of cloud and precipitation processes and phenomena from micro-scale to cloud-scale and mesoscale as well as their interactions with radiation and surface processes. CRMs use sophisticated and realistic representations of cloud microphysical processes and can reasonably well resolve the time evolution, structure, and life cycles of clouds and cloud systems. 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. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCE) has been developed and improved at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center over the past three decades. It is amulti-dimensional non-hydrostatic CRM that can simulate clouds and cloud systems in different environments. Early improvements and testing were presented in Tao and Simpson (1993) and Tao et al. (2003a). A review on the application of the GCE to the understanding of precipitation processes can be found in Simpson and Tao (1993) and Tao (2003). In this paper, recent model improvements (microphysics, radiation and land surface processes) are described along with their impact and performance on cloud and precipitation events in different geographic locations via comparisons with observations. In addition, recent advanced applications of the GCE are presented that include understanding the physical processes responsible for diurnal variation, examining the impact of aerosols (cloud condensation nuclei or CCN and ice nuclei or IN) on precipitation processes, utilizing a satellite simulator to improve the microphysics, providing better simulations for satellite-derived latent heating retrieval, and coupling with a general circulation model to improve the representation of precipitation processes. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19840040370&hterms=field+infrared&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3DNear%2Bfield%2Binfrared','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19840040370&hterms=field+infrared&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3DNear%2Bfield%2Binfrared">The angular distribution of infrared radiances emerging from broken fields of cumulus clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Naber, P. S.; Weinman, J. A. 1984-01-01 Infrared radiances were simultaneously measured from broken cloud fields over the eastern Pacific Ocean by means of the eastern and western geostationary satellites. The measurements were compared with the results of models that characterized the clouds as black circular cylinders disposed randomly on a plane and as black cuboids disposed in regular and in shifted periodic arrays. The data were also compared with the results obtained from a radiative transfer model that considered emission and scattering by a regular array of periodic cuboidal clouds. It was found that the radiances did not depend significantly on the azimuth angle; this suggested that the observed cloud fields were not regular periodic arrays. However, the dependence on zenith angle suggested that the clouds were not disposed randomly either. The implication of these measurements on the understanding of the transfer of infrared radiances through broken cloud fields is considered. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002AtmRe..61..251O','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002AtmRe..61..251O">Cloud cover classification through simultaneous ground-based measurements of solar and infrared radiation</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Orsini, Antonio; Tomasi, Claudio; Calzolari, Francescopiero; Nardino, Marianna; Cacciari, Alessandra; Georgiadis, Teodoro 2002-04-01 Simultaneous measurements of downwelling short-wave solar irradiance and incoming total radiation flux were performed at the Reeves Nevè glacier station (1200 m MSL) in Antarctica on 41 days from late November 1994 to early January 1995, employing the upward sensors of an albedometer and a pyrradiometer. The downwelling short-wave radiation measurements were analysed following the Duchon and O'Malley [J. Appl. Meteorol. 38 (1999) 132] procedure for classifying clouds, using the 50-min running mean values of standard deviation and the ratio of scaled observed to scaled clear-sky irradiance. Comparing these measurements with the Duchon and O'Malley rectangular boundaries and the local human observations of clouds collected on 17 days of the campaign, we found that the Duchon and O'Malley classification method obtained a success rate of 93% for cirrus and only 25% for cumulus. New decision criteria were established for some polar cloud classes providing success rates of 94% for cirrus, 67% for cirrostratus and altostratus, and 33% for cumulus and altocumulus. The ratios of the downwelling short-wave irradiance measured for cloudy-sky conditions to that calculated for clear-sky conditions were analysed in terms of the Kasten and Czeplak [Sol. Energy 24 (1980) 177] formula together with simultaneous human observations of cloudiness, to determine the empirical relationship curves providing reliable estimates of cloudiness for each of the three above-mentioned cloud classes. Using these cloudiness estimates, the downwelling long-wave radiation measurements (obtained as differences between the downward fluxes of total and short-wave radiation) were examined to evaluate the downwelling long-wave radiation flux normalised to totally overcast sky conditions. Calculations of the long-wave radiation flux were performed with the MODTRAN 3.7 code [Kneizys, F.X., Abreu, L.W., Anderson, G.P., Chetwynd, J.H., Shettle, E.P., Berk, A., Bernstein, L.S., Robertson, D.C., Acharya, P., Rothman, L.S., Selby, J.E.A., Gallery, W.O., Clough, S.A., 1996. In: Abreu, L.W., Anderson, G.P. (Eds.), The MODTRAN 2/3 Report and LOWTRAN 7 MODEL. Contract F19628-91-C.0132, Phillips Laboratory, Geophysics Directorate, PL/GPOS, Hanscom AFB, MA, 261 pp.] for both clear-sky and cloudy-sky conditions, considering various cloud types characterised by different cloud base altitudes and vertical thicknesses. From these evaluations, best-fit curves of the downwelling long-wave radiation flux were defined as a function of the cloud base height for the three polar cloud classes. Using these relationship curves, average estimates of the cloud base height were obtained from the three corresponding sub-sets of long-wave radiation measurements. The relative frequency histograms of the cloud base height defined by examining these three sub-sets were found to present median values of 4.7, 1.7 and 3.6 km for cirrus, cirrostratus/altostratus and cumulus/altocumulus, respectively, while median values of 6.5, 1.8 and 2.9 km were correspondingly determined by analysing only the measurements taken together with simultaneous cloud observations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1036220','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1036220">Evaluating Global Aerosol Models and Aerosol and Water Vapor Properties Near Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Richard A. Ferrare; David D. Turner Project goals: (1) Use the routine surface and airborne measurements at the ARM SGP site, and the routine surface measurements at the NSA site, to continue our evaluations of model aerosol simulations; (2) Determine the degree to which the Raman lidar measurements of water vapor and aerosol scattering and extinction can be used to remotely characterize the aerosol humidification factor; (3) Use the high temporal resolution CARL data to examine how aerosol properties vary near clouds; and (4) Use the high temporal resolution CARL and Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) data to quantify entrainment in optically thin continental cumulus clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A41G0136G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A41G0136G">Accurate representation of organized convection in CFSv2 via a stochastic lattice model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Goswami, B. B.; Khouider, B.; Krishna, R. P. M. M.; Mukhopadhyay, P.; Majda, A. 2016-12-01 General circulation models (GCM) show limitations of various sorts in their representation of synoptic and intra-seasonal variability associated with tropical convective systems apart from the success of superparameterization and cloud system permitting global models. This systematic deficiency is believed to be due to the inadequate treatment of organized convection by the underlying cumulus parameterizations, which have the quasi-equilibrium assumption as a common denominator. By its nature, this assumption neglects the continuous interactions across scales between convection and the large scale dynamics. By design, the stochastic multicloud model (SMCM) mimics the interactions between the three cloud types, congestus, deep, and stratiform, that are observed to play a central role across multiple scales in the dynamics and physical structure of tropical convective systems. It is based on a stochastic lattice model, overlaid over each GCM grid box, where an order parameter taking the values 0,1,2,3 at each lattice site according to whether the site is clear sky or occupied by a congestus, deep, or stratiform cloud, respectively. As such the SMCM mimics the unresolved variability due to cumulus convection and the interactions across multiple scales of organized convective systems, following the philosophy of superparameterization. Here, we discuss the implementation of the SMCM in NCEP Climate Forecast System model (CFS), version-2, through the use of a simple parametrization of adiabatic heating and moisture sink due to cumulus clouds based on their observed vertical profiles (a.k.a Q1 and Q2). Much like the success of superparameterization but without the burden of high computational cost, a 20 year run showed tremendous improvements in the ability of the CFS-SMCM model to represent synoptic and intraseasonal variability associated with organized convection as well as a few minor improvements in the simulated climatology when compared to the control CFSv2 model which is based on the widely used simplified Arakawa-Shubert parameterization. This extra-ordinary improvement comes in despite the fact that CFSv2 is one of the best GCMs in terms of its representation of intra-seasonal oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950063678&hterms=1092&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3D%2526%25231092','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950063678&hterms=1092&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3D%2526%25231092">Vertical transport by convective clouds: Comparisons of three modeling approaches</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_14");'>14</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li class="active">16</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_17" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li class="active">17</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="321"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AGUFM.A31H..07Q','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AGUFM.A31H..07Q">Effects of Cumulus Parameterization on the U.S. Summer Precipitation Prediction by the Regional Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting Model (CWRF)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Qiao, F.; Liang, X. 2011-12-01 Accurate prediction of U.S. summer precipitation, including its geographic distribution, the occurrence frequency and intensity, and diurnal cycle, has been a long-standing problem for most climate and weather models. This study employs the Climate-Weather Research and Forecasting model (CWRF) to investigate the effects of cumulus parameterization on prediction of these key precipitation features during the summers of 1993 and 2008 when severe floods occurred over the U.S. Midwest. Among the 12 widely-used cumulus schemes incorporated in the CWRF, the Ensemble Cumulus Parameterization modified from G3 (ECP) scheme and the Zhang-McFarland cumulus scheme modified by Liang (ZML) well reproduce the geographic distributions of observed 1993 and 2008 floods, albeit both slightly underestimating the maximum amount. However, the ZML scheme greatly overestimates the rainfall amount over the North American Monsoon region and Southeast U.S. while the ECP scheme has a better performance over the entire U.S. Compared to global general circulations models that tend to produce too frequent rainy events at reduced intensity, the CWRF better captures both frequency and intensity of extreme events (heavy rainfall and dry bells). However, most existing cumulus schemes in the CWRF are likely to convert atmospheric moisture into rainfall too fast, leading to less rainy days and stronger heavy rainfall events. A few cumulus schemes can depict the diurnal characteristics in certain but not all the regions over the U.S. For example, the Grell scheme shows its superiority in reproducing the eastward diurnal phase transition and the nocturnal peaks over the Great Plains, whereas the other schemes all fail in capturing this feature. By investigating the critical trigger function(s) that enable these cumulus schemes to capture the observed features, it provides opportunity to better understand the underlying mechanisms that drive the diurnal variation, and thus significantly improves the U.S. summer rainfall diurnal cycle prediction. These will be discussed. For an oral presentation at AGU Fall Meeting 2011 A15: Cloud, Convection, Precipitation, and Radiation: Observations and Modeling, San Francisco, California, USA, 5-9 December 2011. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0033F','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0033F">THOR: A New Higher-Order Closure Assumed PDF Subgrid-Scale Parameterization; Evaluation and Application to Low Cloud Feedbacks</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Firl, G. J.; Randall, D. A. 2013-12-01 The so-called "assumed probability density function (PDF)" approach to subgrid-scale (SGS) parameterization has shown to be a promising method for more accurately representing boundary layer cloudiness under a wide range of conditions. A new parameterization has been developed, named the Two-and-a-Half ORder closure (THOR), that combines this approach with a higher-order turbulence closure. THOR predicts the time evolution of the turbulence kinetic energy components, the variance of ice-liquid water potential temperature (θil) and total non-precipitating water mixing ratio (qt) and the covariance between the two, and the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum, θil, and qt. Ten corresponding third-order moments in addition to the skewnesses of θil and qt are calculated using diagnostic functions assuming negligible time tendencies. The statistical moments are used to define a trivariate double Gaussian PDF among vertical velocity, θil, and qt. The first three statistical moments of each variable are used to estimate the two Gaussian plume means, variances, and weights. Unlike previous similar models, plume variances are not assumed to be equal or zero. Instead, they are parameterized using the idea that the less dominant Gaussian plume (typically representing the updraft-containing portion of a grid cell) has greater variance than the dominant plume (typically representing the "environmental" or slowly subsiding portion of a grid cell). Correlations among the three variables are calculated using the appropriate covariance moments, and both plume correlations are assumed to be equal. The diagnosed PDF in each grid cell is used to calculate SGS condensation, SGS fluxes of cloud water species, SGS buoyancy terms, and to inform other physical parameterizations about SGS variability. SGS condensation is extended from previous similar models to include condensation over both liquid and ice substrates, dependent on the grid cell temperature. Implementations have been included in THOR to drive existing microphysical and radiation parameterizations with samples drawn from the trivariate PDF. THOR has been tested in a single-column model framework using standardized test cases spanning a range of large-scale conditions conducive to both shallow cumulus and stratocumulus clouds and the transition between the two states. The results were compared to published LES intercomparison results using the same cases, and the gross characteristics of both cloudiness and boundary layer turbulence produced by THOR were within the range of results from the respective LES ensembles. In addition, THOR was used in a single-column model framework to study low cloud feedbacks in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Using initialization and forcings developed as part of the CGILS project, THOR was run at 8 points along a cross-section from the trade-wind cumulus region east of Hawaii to the coastal stratocumulus region off the coast of California for both the control climate and a climate perturbed by +2K SST. A neutral to weakly positive cloud feedback of 0-4 W m-2 K-1 was simulated along the cross-section. The physical mechanisms responsible appeared to be increased boundary layer entrainment and stratocumulus decoupling leading to reduced maximum cloud cover and liquid water path. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030032179&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Densemble','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030032179&hterms=ensemble&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Densemble">Microphysics, Radiation and Surface Processes in the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Starr, David (Technical Monitor) 2002-01-01 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). The 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 (size about 2-200 km). The CRMs also allow explicit interaction between out-going longwave (cooling) and in-coming solar (heating) radiation with clouds. Observations can provide the initial conditions and validation for CRM results. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) Model, a CRM, has been developed and improved at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center over the past two decades. The GCE model has been used to understand the following: 1) water and energy cycles and their roles in the tropical climate system; 2) the vertical redistribution of ozone and trace constituents by individual clouds and well organized convective systems over various spatial scales; 3) the relationship between the vertical distribution of latent heating (phase change of water) and the large-scale (pre-storm) environment; 4) the validity of assumptions used in the representation of cloud processes in climate and global circulation models; and 5) the representation of cloud microphysical processes and their interaction with radiative forcing over tropical and midlatitude regions. Four-dimensional cloud and latent heating fields simulated from the GCE model have been provided to the TRMM Science Data and Information System (TSDIS) to develop and improve algorithms for retrieving rainfall and latent heating rates for TRMM and the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS). More than 90 referred papers using the GCE model have been published in the last two decades. Also, more than 10 national and international universities are currently using the GCE model for research and teaching. In this talk, five specific major GCE improvements: (1) ice microphysics, (2) longwave and shortwave radiative transfer processes, (3) land surface processes, (4) ocean surface fluxes and (5) ocean mixed layer processes are presented. The performance of these new GCE improvements will be examined. Observations are used for model validation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1236407-nbsp-flexible-importance-sampling-method-integrating-subgrid-processes','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1236407-nbsp-flexible-importance-sampling-method-integrating-subgrid-processes">A flexible importance sampling method for integrating subgrid processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Raut, E. K.; Larson, V. E. 2016-01-29 Numerical models of weather and climate need to compute grid-box-averaged rates of physical processes such as microphysics. These averages are computed by integrating subgrid variability over a grid box. For this reason, an important aspect of atmospheric modeling is spatial integration over subgrid scales. The needed integrals can be estimated by Monte Carlo integration. Monte Carlo integration is simple and general but requires many evaluations of the physical process rate. To reduce the number of function evaluations, this paper describes a new, flexible method of importance sampling. It divides the domain of integration into eight categories, such as the portion that containsmore » both precipitation and cloud, or the portion that contains precipitation but no cloud. It then allows the modeler to prescribe the density of sample points within each of the eight categories. The new method is incorporated into the Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS). Here, the resulting method is tested on drizzling cumulus and stratocumulus cases. In the cumulus case, the sampling error can be considerably reduced by drawing more sample points from the region of rain evaporation.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760010653','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760010653">Wind estimates from cloud motions: Preliminary results from phases 1, 2, and 3 of an in situ aircraft verification experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Hasler, A. F.; Shenk, W. E.; Skillman, W. C. 1975-01-01 Low level aircraft equipped with Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) were used to define the vertical extent and horizontal motion of a cloud and to measure the ambient wind field. A high level aircraft, also equipped with an INS, took photographs to describe the horizontal extent of the cloud field and to measure cloud motion. The aerial photographs were also used to make a positive identification in a satellite picture of the cloud observed by the low level aircraft. The experiment was conducted over the tropical oceans in the vicinity of Florida, Puerto Rico, Panama and in the Western Gulf of Mexico. Results for tropical cumulus clouds indicate excellent agreement between the cloud motion and the wind at the cloud base. The magnitude of the vector difference between the cloud motion and the cloud base wind is less than 1.3 m/sec for 67% of the cases with track lengths of 1 hour or longer. The cirrus cloud motions agreed best with the mean wind in the cloud layer with a vector difference of about 1.6 m/sec. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20160006531','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20160006531">Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column in Cloudy Weather Conditions using An IM-CW Lidar at 1.57 Micron</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Lin, Bing; Obland, Michael; Harrison, F. Wallace; Nehrir, Amin; Browell, Edward; Campbell, Joel; Dobler, Jeremy; Meadows, Bryon; Fan, Tai-Fang; Kooi, Susan; <a style="text-decoration: none; " href="javascript:void(0); " onClick="displayelement('author_20160006531'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20160006531_show'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20160006531_hide'); "> <img style="display:inline; width:12px; height:12px; " src="images/arrow-up.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20160006531_show"> <img style="width:12px; height:12px; display:none; " src="images/arrow-down.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20160006531_hide"> 2015-01-01 This study evaluates the capability of atmospheric CO2 column measurements under cloudy conditions using an airborne intensity-modulated continuous-wave integrated-path-differential-absorption lidar operating in the 1.57-m CO2 absorption band. The atmospheric CO2 column amounts from the aircraft to the tops of optically thick cumulus clouds and to the surface in the presence of optically thin clouds are retrieved from lidar data obtained during the summer 2011 and spring 2013 flight campaigns, respectively. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160003595&hterms=wolf&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAuthor-Name%26Nf%3DPublication-Date%257CBTWN%2B20130101%2B20180525%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dwolf','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160003595&hterms=wolf&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAuthor-Name%26Nf%3DPublication-Date%257CBTWN%2B20130101%2B20180525%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dwolf">Constraints on Cumulus Parameterization from Simulations of Observed MJO Events</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Del Genio, Anthony; Wu, Jingbo; Wolf, Audrey B.; Chen, Yonghua; Yao, Mao-Sung; Kim, Daehyun 2015-01-01 Two recent activities offer an opportunity to test general circulation model (GCM) convection and its interaction with large-scale dynamics for observed Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) events. This study evaluates the sensitivity of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) GCM to entrainment, rain evaporation, downdrafts, and cold pools. Single Column Model versions that restrict weakly entraining convection produce the most realistic dependence of convection depth on column water vapor (CWV) during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MJO Investigation Experiment at Gan Island. Differences among models are primarily at intermediate CWV where the transition from shallow to deeper convection occurs. GCM 20-day hindcasts during the Year of Tropical Convection that best capture the shallow–deep transition also produce strong MJOs, with significant predictability compared to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data. The dry anomaly east of the disturbance on hindcast day 1 is a good predictor of MJO onset and evolution. Initial CWV there is near the shallow–deep transition point, implicating premature onset of deep convection as a predictor of a poor MJO simulation. Convection weakly moistens the dry region in good MJO simulations in the first week; weakening of large-scale subsidence over this time may also affect MJO onset. Longwave radiation anomalies are weakest in the worst model version, consistent with previous analyses of cloud/moisture greenhouse enhancement as the primary MJO energy source. The authors’ results suggest that both cloud-/moisture-radiative interactions and convection–moisture sensitivity are required to produce a successful MJO simulation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19960047072','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19960047072">Analysis of Cumulus Solar Irradiance Reflectance (CSIR) Events</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Laird, John L.; Harshvardham 1996-01-01 Clouds are extremely important with regard to the transfer of solar radiation at the earth's surface. This study investigates Cumulus Solar Irradiance Reflection (CSIR) using ground-based pyranometers. CSIR events are short-term increases in solar radiation observed at the surface as a result of reflection off the sides of convective clouds. When sun-cloud observer geometry is favorable, these occurrences produce characteristic spikes in the pyranometer traces and solar irradiance values may exceed expected clear-sky values. Ultraviolet CSIR events were investigated during the summer of 1995 using Yankee Environmental Systems UVA-1 and UVB-1 pyranometers. Observed data were compared to clear-sky curves which were generated using a third degree polynomial best-fit line technique. Periods during which the observed data exceeded this clear-sky curve were identified as CSIR events. The magnitude of a CSIR event was determined by two different quantitative calculations. The MAC (magnitude above clear-sky) is an absolute measure of the difference between the observed and clear-sky irradiances. Maximum MAC values of 3.4 Wm(exp -2) and 0.069 Wm(exp -2) were observed at the UV-A and UV-B wavelengths, respectively. The second calculation determined the percentage above clear-sky (PAC) which indicated the relative magnitude of a CSIR event. Maximum UV-A and UV-B PAC magnitudes of 10.1% and 7.8%, respectively, were observed during the study. Also of interest was the duration of the CSIR events which is a function of sun-cloud-sensor geometry and the speed of cloud propagation over the measuring site. In both the UV-A and UV-B wavelengths, significant CSIR durations of up to 30 minutes were observed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A11C1907D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A11C1907D">Model-Observation Comparisons of Biomass Burning Smoke and Clouds Over the Southeast Atlantic Ocean</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Doherty, S. J.; Saide, P.; Zuidema, P.; Shinozuka, Y.; daSilva, A.; McFarquhar, G. M.; Pfister, L.; Carmichael, G. R.; Ferrada, G. A.; Howell, S. G.; Freitag, S.; Dobracki, A. N.; Smirnow, N.; Longo, K.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Adebiyi, A. A.; Podolske, J. R.; Small Griswold, J. D.; Hekkila, A.; Ueyama, R.; Wood, R.; Redemann, J. 2017-12-01 From August through October, in the SE Atlantic a plume of biomass burning smoke from central Africa overlays a relatively persistent stratocumulus-to-cumulus cloud deck. These smoke aerosols are believed to have significant climate forcing via aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions, though both the magnitude and sign of this forcing is highly uncertain. This is due to large model spread in simulated aerosol and cloud properties and, until now, a sparsity of observations to constrain the models. Here we will present a comparison of both aerosol and cloud properties over the region using data from the first deployment of the NASA ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) field experiment (August-September 2016). We examine both horizontal and geographic variations in a range of aerosol and cloud properties and their position relative to each other, since the degree to which aerosols and clouds coincide both horizontally and vertically is perhaps the greatest source of uncertainty in their climate forcing. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19720018638','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19720018638">The geometry and physical properties of exhaust clouds generated during the static firing of S-1C and S-2 rocket engines</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Forbes, R. E.; Smith, M. R.; Farrell, R. R. 1972-01-01 An experimental program was conducted during the static firing of the S-1C stage 13, 14, and 15 rocket engines and the S-2 stage 13, 14, and 15 rocket engines. The data compiled during the experimental program consisted of photographic recordings of the time-dependent growth and diffusion of the exhaust clouds, the collection of meteorological data in the ambient atmosphere, and the acquisition of data on the physical structure of the exhaust clouds which were obtained by flying instrumented aircraft through the clouds. A new technique was developed to verify the previous measurements of evaporation and entrainment of blast deflector cooling water into the cloud. The results of the experimental program indicate that at the lower altitudes the rocket exhaust cloud or plume closely resembles a free-jet type of flow. At the upper altitudes, where the cloud is approaching an equilibrium condition, structure is very similar to a natural cumulus cloud. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19800004410','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19800004410">Airborne measurements of cloud-forming nuclei and aerosol particles in stabilized ground clouds produced by solid rocket booster firings</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Hindman, E. E., II; Ala, G. G.; Parungo, F. P.; Willis, P. T.; Bendura, R. J.; Woods, D. 1978-01-01 Airborne measurements of cloud volumes, ice nuclei and cloud condensation nuclei, liquid particles, and aerosol particles were obtained from stabilized ground clouds (SGCs) produced by Titan 3 launches at Kennedy Space Center, 20 August and 5 September 1977. The SGCs were bright, white, cumulus clouds early in their life and contained up to 3.5 g/m3 of liquid in micron to millimeter size droplets. The measured cloud volumes were 40 to 60 cu km five hours after launch. The SGCs contained high concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei active at 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1.0% supersaturation for periods of three to five hours. The SGCs also contained high concentrations of submicron particles. Three modes existed in the particle population: a 0.05 to 0.1 micron mode composed of aluminum-containing particles, a 0.2 to 0.8 micron mode, and a 2.0 to 10 micron mode composed of particles that contained primarily aluminum. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004AGUSMGC54A..04L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004AGUSMGC54A..04L">Stereoscopic, thermal, and true deep cumulus cloud top heights</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1415700-assessing-resolution-adaptability-zhang-mcfarlane-cumulus-parameterization-spatial-temporal-averaging-resolution-adaptability-zm-scheme','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1415700-assessing-resolution-adaptability-zhang-mcfarlane-cumulus-parameterization-spatial-temporal-averaging-resolution-adaptability-zm-scheme">Assessing the Resolution Adaptability of the Zhang-McFarlane Cumulus Parameterization With Spatial and Temporal Averaging: RESOLUTION ADAPTABILITY OF ZM SCHEME</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Yun, Yuxing; Fan, Jiwen; Xiao, Heng Realistic modeling of cumulus convection at fine model resolutions (a few to a few tens of km) is problematic since it requires the cumulus scheme to adapt to higher resolution than they were originally designed for (~100 km). To solve this problem, we implement the spatial averaging method proposed in Xiao et al. (2015) and also propose a temporal averaging method for the large-scale convective available potential energy (CAPE) tendency in the Zhang-McFarlane (ZM) cumulus parameterization. The resolution adaptability of the original ZM scheme, the scheme with spatial averaging, and the scheme with both spatial and temporal averaging at 4-32more » km resolution is assessed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, by comparing with Cloud Resolving Model (CRM) results. We find that the original ZM scheme has very poor resolution adaptability, with sub-grid convective transport and precipitation increasing significantly as the resolution increases. The spatial averaging method improves the resolution adaptability of the ZM scheme and better conserves the total transport of moist static energy and total precipitation. With the temporal averaging method, the resolution adaptability of the scheme is further improved, with sub-grid convective precipitation becoming smaller than resolved precipitation for resolution higher than 8 km, which is consistent with the results from the CRM simulation. Both the spatial distribution and time series of precipitation are improved with the spatial and temporal averaging methods. The results may be helpful for developing resolution adaptability for other cumulus parameterizations that are based on quasi-equilibrium assumption.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040031523','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040031523">Large-eddy Simulation of Stratocumulus-topped Atmospheric Boundary Layers with Dynamic Subgrid-scale Models</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Senocak, Inane 2003-01-01 The objective of the present study is to evaluate the dynamic procedure in LES of stratocumulus topped atmospheric boundary layer and assess the relative importance of subgrid-scale modeling, cloud microphysics and radiation modeling on the predictions. The simulations will also be used to gain insight into the processes leading to cloud top entrainment instability and cloud breakup. In this report we document the governing equations, numerical schemes and physical models that are employed in the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCEM3D). We also present the subgrid-scale dynamic procedures that have been implemented in the GCEM3D code for the purpose of the present study. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18079399','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18079399">A Madden-Julian oscillation event realistically simulated by a global cloud-resolving model.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Miura, Hiroaki; Satoh, Masaki; Nasuno, Tomoe; Noda, Akira T; Oouchi, Kazuyoshi 2007-12-14 A Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is a massive weather event consisting of deep convection coupled with atmospheric circulation, moving slowly eastward over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Despite its enormous influence on many weather and climate systems worldwide, it has proven very difficult to simulate an MJO because of assumptions about cumulus clouds in global meteorological models. Using a model that allows direct coupling of the atmospheric circulation and clouds, we successfully simulated the slow eastward migration of an MJO event. Topography, the zonal sea surface temperature gradient, and interplay between eastward- and westward-propagating signals controlled the timing of the eastward transition of the convective center. Our results demonstrate the potential making of month-long MJO predictions when global cloud-resolving models with realistic initial conditions are used. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019917','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019917">Chemistry on the mesoscale: Modeling and measurement issues</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Thompson, Anne; Pleim, John; Walcek, Christopher; Ching, Jason; Binkowski, Frank; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Dickerson, Russell; Pickering, Kenneth 1993-01-01 The topics covered include the following: Regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM) -- a coupled chemistry/mesoscale model; convection in RADM; unresolved issues for mesoscale modeling with chemistry -- nonprecipitating clouds; unresolved issues for mesoscale modeling with chemistry -- aerosols; tracer studies with Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model (GCEM); field observations of trace gas transport in convection; and photochemical consequences of convection. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002JAtS...59.1825Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2002JAtS...59.1825Z">The Importance of Three Physical Processes in a Minimal Three-Dimensional Tropical Cyclone Model.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Zhu, Hongyan; Smith, Roger K. 2002-06-01 The minimal three-dimensional tropical cyclone model developed by Zhu et al. is used to explore the role of shallow convection, precipitation-cooled downdrafts, and the vertical transport of momentum by deep convection on the dynamics of tropical cyclone intensification. The model is formulated in coordinates and has three vertical levels, one characterizing a shallow boundary layer, and the other two representing the upper and lower troposphere, respectively. It has three options for treating cumulus convection on the subgrid scale and a simple scheme for the explicit release of latent heat on the grid scale.In the model, as in reality, shallow convection transports air with low moist static energy from the lower troposphere to the boundary layer, stabilizing the atmosphere not only to itself, but also to deep convection. Also it moistens and cools the lower troposphere. For realistic parameter values, the stabilization in the vortex core region is the primary effect: it reduces the deep convective mass flux and therefore the rate of heating and drying in the troposphere. This reduced heating, together with the direct cooling of the lower troposphere by shallow convection, diminishes the buoyancy in the vortex core and thereby the vortex intensification rate.The effects of precipitation-cooled downdrafts depend on the closure scheme chosen for deep convection. In the two closures in which the deep cloud mass flux depends on the degree of convective instability, the downdrafts do not change the total mass flux of air that subsides into the boundary layer, but they carry air with a lower moist static energy into this layer than does subsidence outside downdrafts. As a result they decrease the rate of intensification during the early development stage. Nevertheless, by reducing the deep convective mass flux and the drying effect of compensating subsidence, they enable grid scale saturation, and therefore rapid intensification, to occur earlier than in calculations where they are excluded. In the closure in which the deep cloud mass flux depends on the mass convergence in the boundary layer, downdrafts reduce the gestation period and increase the intensification rate.Convective momentum transport as represented in the model weakens both the primary and secondary circulations of the vortex. However, it does not significantly reduce the maximum intensity attained after the period of rapid development. The weakening of the secondary circulation impedes vortex development and significantly prolongs the gestation period.Where possible the results are compared with those found in other studies. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19760052987&hterms=neither+deep+shallow&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dneither%2Bdeep%2Bshallow','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19760052987&hterms=neither+deep+shallow&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dneither%2Bdeep%2Bshallow">Response of deep and shallow tropical maritime cumuli to large-scale processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Yanai, M.; Chu, J.-H.; Stark, T. E.; Nitta, T. 1976-01-01 The bulk diagnostic method of Yanai et al. (1973) and a simplified version of the spectral diagnostic method of Nitta (1975) are used for a more quantitative evaluation of the response of various types of cumuliform clouds to large-scale processes, using the same data set in the Marshall Islands area for a 100-day period in 1956. The dependence of the cloud mass flux distribution on radiative cooling, large-scale vertical motion, and evaporation from the sea is examined. It is shown that typical radiative cooling rates in the tropics tend to produce a bimodal distribution of mass spectrum exhibiting deep and shallow clouds. The bimodal distribution is further enhanced when the large-scale vertical motion is upward, and a nearly unimodal distribution of shallow clouds prevails when the relative cooling is compensated by the heating due to the large-scale subsidence. Both deep and shallow clouds are modulated by large-scale disturbances. The primary role of surface evaporation is to maintain the moisture flux at the cloud base. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JAMES...9...39T','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JAMES...9...39T">The "Grey Zone" cold air outbreak global model intercomparison: A cross evaluation using large-eddy simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1234913','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1234913"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Kuang, Zhiming; Gentine, Pierre Over the duration of this project, we have made the following advances. 1) We have developed a novel approach to obtain a Lagrangian view of convection from high-resolution numerical model through Lagrangian tracking. This approach nicely complements the more traditionally used Eulerian statistics. We have applied this approach to a range of problem. 2) We have looked into improving and extending our parameterizations based on stochastically entraining parcels, developed previously for shallow convection. 3) This grant also supported our effort on a paper where we compared cumulus parameterizations and cloud resolving models in terms of their linear response functions. Thismore » work will help the community to better evaluate and develop cumulus parameterization. 4) We have applied Lagrangian tracking to shallow convection, deep convection with and without convective organization to better characterize their dynamics and the transition between them. 5) We have devised a novel way of using Lagrangian to identify cold pools, an area identified as of great interest by the ASR community. Our algorithm has a number of advantages and in particular can handle merging cold pools more gracefully than existing techniques. 6) We demonstrated that we can, for the first time, correctly reproduce both the diurnal and seasonal cycle of the hydrologic cycle in the Amazon using a strategy that explicitly represents convection but parameterizes large-scale circulation. In addition we showed that the main cause of the wet season is the presence of an early morning fog, which insulate the surface from top of the atmosphere shortwave radiation. In essence this fog makes the day shorter because radiation cannot penetrate to the surface in the early morning. This is why all fluxes are reduced in the wet season compared to the dry season. 7) We have investigated the life cycle of cold pools and the role of surface diabatic heating. We show that surface heating can kill cold pols and reduce the number of large cold pools and the organization of convection. The effect is quite dramatic over land where the entire distribution of cold pools is modified, and the cold pools are much warmer and more humid with surface diabatic heating below the cold pools. The PI and the co-PI continue to work together on parameterization of cold pools.« less </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_15");'>15</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li class="active">17</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_18" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li class="active">18</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="341"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19870053486&hterms=method+projects&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dmethod%2Bprojects','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19870053486&hterms=method+projects&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dmethod%2Bprojects">Cloud cover over the equatorial eastern Pacific derived from July 1983 International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project data using a hybrid bispectral threshold method</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Minnis, Patrick; Harrison, Edwin F.; Gibson, Gary G. 1987-01-01 A set of visible and IR data obtained with GOES from July 17-31, 1983 is analyzed using a modified version of the hybrid bispectral threshold method developed by Minnis and Harrison (1984). This methodology can be divided into a set of procedures or optional techniques to determine the proper contaminate clear-sky temperature or IR threshold. The various optional techniques are described; the options are: standard, low-temperature limit, high-reflectance limit, low-reflectance limit, coldest pixel and thermal adjustment limit, IR-only low-cloud temperature limit, IR clear-sky limit, and IR overcast limit. Variations in the cloud parameters and the characteristics and diurnal cycles of trade cumulus and stratocumulus clouds over the eastern equatorial Pacific are examined. It is noted that the new method produces substantial changes in about one third of the cloud amount retrieval; and low cloud retrievals are affected most by the new constraints. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.A53D1441Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.A53D1441Z">Use of High-Resolution Satellite Observations to Evaluate Cloud and Precipitation Statistics from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Zhou, Y.; Tao, W.; Hou, A. Y.; Zeng, X.; Shie, C. 2007-12-01 The cloud and precipitation statistics simulated by 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model for different environmental conditions, i.e., the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX), CRYSTAL-FACE, and KAWJEX are compared with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TMI and PR rainfall measurements and as well as cloud observations from the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments. 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. The model presents large discrepancies in rain spectrum and vertical hydrometer profiles. The discrepancy in the precipitation field is also consistent with the cloud and radiation observations. The study will focus on the effects of large scale forcing and microphysics to the simulated model- observation discrepancies. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-GSFC_20171208_Archive_e001264.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-GSFC_20171208_Archive_e001264.html">Cloud Streets over the Atlantic Ocean</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2017-12-08 In the midst of a cold snap that sent temperatures 20–40°F (11–22°C) below normal across much of the United States, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the Atlantic Ocean on January 7, 2014. Cloud streets—long parallel bands of cumulus clouds—form when cold air blows over warmer waters and a warmer air layer (or temperature inversion) rests over the top of both. The comparatively warm water gives up heat and moisture to the cold air above, and columns of heated air called thermals naturally rise through the atmosphere. The temperature inversion acts like a lid, so when the rising thermals hit it, they roll over and loop back on themselves, creating parallel cylinders of rotating air. As this happens, the moisture cools and condenses into flat-bottomed, fluffy-topped cumulus clouds that line up parallel to the direction of the prevailing wind. On January 7, the winds were predominantly out of the northwest. Cloud streets can stretch for hundreds of kilometers if the land or water surface underneath is uniform. Sea surface temperature need to be at least 40°F (22°C) warmer than the air for cloud streets to form. More info: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=82800 NASA Earth Observatory image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Adam Voiland. Instrument: Terra - MODIS Credit: NASA Earth Observatory NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012CoMP..163..189T','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012CoMP..163..189T">Cumulate xenoliths from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles Island Arc: a window into upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basalts</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Tollan, P. M. E.; Bindeman, I.; Blundy, J. D. 2012-02-01 In order to shed light on upper crustal differentiation of mantle-derived basaltic magmas in a subduction zone setting, we have determined the mineral chemistry and oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of individual cumulus minerals in plutonic blocks from St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. Plutonic rock types display great variation in mineralogy, from olivine-gabbros to troctolites and hornblendites, with a corresponding variety of cumulate textures. Mineral compositions differ from those in erupted basaltic lavas from St. Vincent and in published high-pressure (4-10 kb) experimental run products of a St. Vincent high-Mg basalt in having higher An plagioclase coexisting with lower Fo olivine. The oxygen isotope compositions (δ18O) of cumulus olivine (4.89-5.18‰), plagioclase (5.84-6.28‰), clinopyroxene (5.17-5.47‰) and hornblende (5.48-5.61‰) and hydrogen isotope composition of hornblende (δD = -35.5 to -49.9‰) are all consistent with closed system magmatic differentiation of a mantle-derived basaltic melt. We employed a number of modelling exercises to constrain the origin of the chemical and isotopic compositions reported. δ18OOlivine is up to 0.2‰ higher than modelled values for closed system fractional crystallisation of a primary melt. We attribute this to isotopic disequilibria between cumulus minerals crystallising at different temperatures, with equilibration retarded by slow oxygen diffusion in olivine during prolonged crustal storage. We used melt inclusion and plagioclase compositions to determine parental magmatic water contents (water saturated, 4.6 ± 0.5 wt% H2O) and crystallisation pressures (173 ± 50 MPa). Applying these values to previously reported basaltic and basaltic andesite lava compositions, we can reproduce the cumulus plagioclase and olivine compositions and their associated trend. We conclude that differentiation of primitive hydrous basalts on St. Vincent involves crystallisation of olivine and Cr-rich spinel at depth within the crust, lowering MgO and Cr2O3 and raising Al2O3 and CaO of residual melt due to suppression of plagioclase. Low density, hydrous basaltic and basaltic andesite melts then ascend rapidly through the crust, stalling at shallow depth upon water saturation where crystallisation of the chemically distinct cumulus phases observed in this study can occur. Deposited crystals armour the shallow magma chamber where oxygen isotope equilibration between minerals is slowly approached, before remobilisation and entrainment by later injections of magma. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/48995','TREESEARCH'); return false;" href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/48995">The seeding of cumulus clouds by ground-based silver iodide generators</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/">Treesearch</a> Vincent J. Schaefer; John H. Dieterich 1959-01-01 The control of thunderstorms is a challenging objective in experimental meteorology. For the past five years it has been the long-range goal of Project Skyfire. The lightning storm season in western Montana, northern Idaho, eastern Oregon and Washington normally extends from June to September with the greatest storm intensity occurring in July and August. Over the past... </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AGUFMED33A1235S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AGUFMED33A1235S">RICO Graduate Student Research Flight: The Island Tail Objective</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Small, J. D.; Anderson-Bereznicki, S. D.; Medeiros, B.; Nuijens, L.; Henry, C. K.; O'Donnell, D. M.; Morales, F.; Shen, H. 2005-12-01 The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) project was an intensive field project aimed to study and understand precipitation processes in trade wind cumulus. The project took place from Nov 23, 2004 until Jan 25, 2005 on two small islands of the Lesser Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda, where trade wind cumulus fields frequently occur during suppressed wintertime conditions. RICO provided a unique combination of research and education by offering the RICO Graduate Seminar Series and the development and implementation of a graduate student designed and directed research flight. One of the main goals of the graduate student research flight was to allow graduate students to participate in the process of developing a research flight plan and identifying scientific goals and objectives first-hand. Added benefits included the possibility of addressing scientific questions not included in the main RICO objectives. This also involved collaboration when discussing different ideas and initiatives and the full development of all stages of the research flight including the coordination of two research aircraft (NCAR-C130, University of Wyoming King Air), one research vessel (RV Seward Johnson), S-Pol radar site and real time operations center satellite information. Seventeen graduate students from both the US and Europe developed two different plans to be presented to RICO project principle investigators; both of which were approved. The island tail objective aimed at characterizing the line of clouds known as 'island tails' that frequently form off the leeward coast of the Caribbean islands. This objective was successful in its implementation on Jan 18, 2005 with measurements made in vigorous, waterspout producing tail clouds immediately downwind of Barbuda. The investigation of these 'tails' fills a void in current cloud physics research since it is the first time this ubiquitous feature of trade-wind islands has been the focus of careful study. Scientific questions to be addressed with data collected on the island tail include: 1) Are these clouds forced by a heated island effect or another dynamical mechanism? 2) Do islands serve merely as source regions of aerosol which act as nucleation sites? 3) Where in the island tail does rain develop, if at all? A description of the unique learning experience and the educational and scientific benefits of the graduate student research flight island tail objective are outlined and discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1164577-simulation-summer-monsoon-rainfall-over-east-asia-using-ncep-gfs-cumulus-parameterization-different-horizontal-resolutions','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1164577-simulation-summer-monsoon-rainfall-over-east-asia-using-ncep-gfs-cumulus-parameterization-different-horizontal-resolutions">Simulation of the Summer Monsoon Rainfall over East Asia using the NCEP GFS Cumulus Parameterization at Different Horizontal Resolutions</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Lim, Kyo-Sun; Hong, Song You; Yoon, Jin-Ho 2014-10-01 The most recent version of Simplified Arakawa-Schubert (SAS) cumulus scheme in National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) (GFS SAS) has been implemented into the Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model with a modification of triggering condition and convective mass flux to become depending on model’s horizontal grid spacing. East Asian Summer Monsoon of 2006 from June to August is selected to evaluate the performance of the modified GFS SAS scheme. Simulated monsoon rainfall with the modified GFS SAS scheme shows better agreement with observation compared to the original GFS SAS scheme. The original GFS SAS schememore » simulates the similar ratio of subgrid-scale precipitation, which is calculated from a cumulus scheme, against total precipitation regardless of model’s horizontal grid spacing. This is counter-intuitive because the portion of resolved clouds in a grid box should be increased as the model grid spacing decreases. This counter-intuitive behavior of the original GFS SAS scheme is alleviated by the modified GFS SAS scheme. Further, three different cumulus schemes (Grell and Freitas, Kain and Fritsch, and Betts-Miller-Janjic) are chosen to investigate the role of a horizontal resolution on simulated monsoon rainfall. The performance of high-resolution modeling is not always enhanced as the spatial resolution becomes higher. Even though improvement of probability density function of rain rate and long wave fluxes by the higher-resolution simulation is robust regardless of a choice of cumulus parameterization scheme, the overall skill score of surface rainfall is not monotonically increasing with spatial resolution.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20160006542','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20160006542">Potential New Lidar Observations for Cloud Studies</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Winker, Dave; Hu, Yong; Narir, Amin; Cai, Xia 2015-01-01 The response of clouds to global warming represents a major uncertainty in estimating climate sensitivity. These uncertainties have been tracked to shallow marine clouds in the tropics and subtropics. CALIOP observations have already been used extensively to evaluate model predictions of shallow cloud fraction and top height (Leahy et al. 2013; Nam et al 2012). Tools are needed to probe the lowest levels of the troposphere. The large footprint of satellite lidars gives large multiple scattering from clouds which presents new possibilities for cloud retrievals to constrain model predictions. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070020529&hterms=thermodynamics&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dthermodynamics','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070020529&hterms=thermodynamics&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dthermodynamics">North Pacific Cloud Feedbacks Inferred from Synoptic-Scale Dynamic and Thermodynamic Relationships</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Norris, Joel R.; Iacobellis, Sam F. 2005-01-01 This study analyzed daily satellite cloud observations and reanalysis dynamical parameters to determine how mid-tropospheric vertical velocity and advection over the sea surface temperature gradient control midlatitude North Pacific cloud properties. Optically thick clouds with high tops are generated by synoptic ascent, but two different cloud regimes occur under synoptic descent. When vertical motion is downward during summer, extensive stratocumulus cloudiness is associated with near surface northerly wind, while frequent cloudless pixels occur with southerly wind. Examinations of ship-reported cloud types indicates that midlatitude stratocumulus breaks up as the the boundary level decouples when it is advected equatorward over warmer water. Cumulus is prevalent under conditions of synoptic descent and cold advection during winter. Poleward advection of subtropical air over colder water causes stratification of the near-surface layer that inhibits upward mixing of moisture and suppresses cloudiness until a fog eventually forms. Averaging of cloud and radiation data into intervals of 500-hPa vertical velocity and advection over the SST gradient enables the cloud response to changes in temperature and the stratification of the lower troposphere to be investigated independent of the dynamics. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040081271','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040081271">A New Way to Measure Cirrus Ice Water Content by Using Ice Raman Scatter with Raman Lidar</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wang, Zhien; Whiteman, David N.; Demoz, Belay; Veselovskii, Igor 2004-01-01 High and cold cirrus clouds mainly contain irregular ice crystals, such as, columns, hexagonal plates, bullet rosettes, and dendrites, and have different impacts on the climate system than low-level clouds, such as stratus, stratocumulus, and cumulus. The radiative effects of cirrus clouds on the current and future climate depend strongly on cirrus cloud microphysical properties including ice water content (IWC) and ice crystal sizes, which are mostly an unknown aspect of cinus clouds. Because of the natural complexity of cirrus clouds and their high locations, it is a challenging task to get them accurately by both remote sensing and in situ sampling. This study presents a new method to remotely sense cirrus microphysical properties by using ice Raman scatter with a Raman lidar. The intensity of Raman scattering is fundamentally proportional to the number of molecules involved. Therefore, ice Raman scattering signal provides a more direct way to measure IWC than other remote sensing methods. Case studies show that this method has the potential to provide essential information of cirrus microphysical properties to study cloud physical processes in cirrus clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A23C0259H','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A23C0259H">Vertical velocity-CCN correlations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Hudson, J. G.; Noble, S. R. 2013-12-01 The realization that smaller cloud droplets evaporate more readily (Xue and Feingold 2006; Jiang et al. 2002) gives rise to an anti-indirect aerosol effect (IAE); less cloudiness with pollution. The greater latent heat exchange of the greater evaporation in more polluted clouds adds TKE and buoyancy gradients that can enhance vertical velocity (W), mixing and entrainment (Zhao and Austin 2005). Stronger W can increase horizontal motions, which can further enhance droplet evaporation, which further enhances latent heat exchange and vertical motions, thus, positive feedback. This could also include latent heat released during condensation (Lee and Feingold 2010), which is more rapid for the greater surface areas of the smaller more numerous droplets. These theories imply a positive relationship between within-cloud W variations; i.e., standard deviation of W (σw) and CCN concentration (NCCN) rather than W and NCCN. This implies greater turbulence in polluted clouds, which could possibly counteract the reduction of cloudiness of anti-IAE. During two stratus cloud projects, 50 cloud penetrations in 9 MASE flights and 34 cloud penetrations in 13 POST flights, within-cloud σw-NCCN showed correlation coefficients (R) of 0.50 and 0.39. Panel a shows similar within-cloud σw-NCCN R in all altitude bands for 17 RICO flights in small cumulus clouds. R for W-NCCN showed similar values but only at low altitudes. Out-of-cloud σw-NCCN showed similar high values except at the highest altitudes. Within-cloud σw showed higher R than within-cloud W with droplet concentrations (Nc), especially at higher altitudes. Panel b for 13 ICE-T cumulus cloud flights in the same location as RICO but during the opposite season, however, showed σw and W uncorrelated with NCCN at all altitudes; and W and σw correlated with Nc only at the highest altitudes. On the other hand, out-of-cloud σw was correlated with NCCN at all altitudes with R similar to the corresponding R of the other projects. Overall these results are consistent with the theories noted above. Supported by NSF AGS-1035230 and DOE SC0009162. Jiang, H., G. Feingold, and W.R. Cotton, 2002: J. Geophys. Res, 107, D24, 4813. Lee, S.-S., and G. Feingold, 2010: Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L23806. Xue, H., and G. Feingold, 2006: J. Atmos. Sci., 63, 1605-1622. Zhao, M., and P.H. Austin, 2005: J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 1291-1310. Fig. Correlation coefficients (R) between mean and standard deviations of vertical velocity (W; σw within and outside of clouds) with CCN concentrations at 1% supersaturation (N1%) measured below the clouds and with droplet concentrations (Nc) within various altitude bands. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26438280','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26438280">Insights into low-latitude cloud feedbacks from high-resolution models.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Bretherton, Christopher S 2015-11-13 Cloud feedbacks are a leading source of uncertainty in the climate sensitivity simulated by global climate models (GCMs). Low-latitude boundary-layer and cumulus cloud regimes are particularly problematic, because they are sustained by tight interactions between clouds and unresolved turbulent circulations. Turbulence-resolving models better simulate such cloud regimes and support the GCM consensus that they contribute to positive global cloud feedbacks. Large-eddy simulations using sub-100 m grid spacings over small computational domains elucidate marine boundary-layer cloud response to greenhouse warming. Four observationally supported mechanisms contribute: 'thermodynamic' cloudiness reduction from warming of the atmosphere-ocean column, 'radiative' cloudiness reduction from CO2- and H2O-induced increase in atmospheric emissivity aloft, 'stability-induced' cloud increase from increased lower tropospheric stratification, and 'dynamical' cloudiness increase from reduced subsidence. The cloudiness reduction mechanisms typically dominate, giving positive shortwave cloud feedback. Cloud-resolving models with horizontal grid spacings of a few kilometres illuminate how cumulonimbus cloud systems affect climate feedbacks. Limited-area simulations and superparameterized GCMs show upward shift and slight reduction of cloud cover in a warmer climate, implying positive cloud feedbacks. A global cloud-resolving model suggests tropical cirrus increases in a warmer climate, producing positive longwave cloud feedback, but results are sensitive to subgrid turbulence and ice microphysics schemes. © 2015 The Author(s). </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20020061380','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20020061380">Mesoscale Convective Systems During SCSMEX: Simulations with a Regional Climate Model and a Cloud-Resolving Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W. K.; Wang, Y.; Qian, J.; Shie, C. -L.; Lau, W. K. -M.; Kakar, R.; Starr, David O' C. (Technical Monitor) 2002-01-01 The South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) was conducted in May-June 1998. One of its major objectives is to better understand the key physical processes for the onset and evolution of the summer monsoon over Southeast Asia and southern China (Lau et al. 2000). Multiple observation platforms (e.g., soundings, Doppler radar, ships, wind seafarers, radiometers, etc.) during SCSMEX provided a first attempt at investigating the detailed characteristics of convection and circulation changes, associated with monsoons over the South China Sea region. SCSMEX also provided precipitation derived from atmospheric budgets (Johnson and Ciesielski 2002) and comparison to those obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). In this paper, a regional climate model and a cloud-resolving model are used to perform multi-day integrations to understand the precipitation processes associated with the summer monsoon over Southeast Asia and southern China. The regional climate model is used to understand the soil - precipitation interaction and feedback associated with a flood event that occurred in and around China's Atlantic River during SCSMEX. Sensitivity tests on various land surface models, cumulus parameterization schemes (CASE), sea surface temperature (SST) variations and midlatitude influences are also performed to understand the processes associated with the onset of the monsoon over the S. China Sea during SCSMEX. Cloud-resolving models (CRMs) use more sophisticated and physically realistic parameterizations of cloud microphysical processes with very fine spatial and temporal resolution. One of the major characteristics of CRMs is an explicit interaction between clouds, radiation and the land/ocean surface. It is for this reason that GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) has formed the GCSS (GEWEX Cloud System Study) expressly for the purpose of improving the representation of the moist processes in large-scale models using CRMs. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is a CRM and is used to simulate convective systems associated with the onset of the South China Sea monsoon in 1998. The BRUCE model includes the same land surface model, cloud physics, and radiation scheme used in the regional climate model. A comparison between the results from the GCE model and regional climate model is performed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0005S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013AGUFM.A31A0005S">Implementing a warm cloud microphysics parameterization for convective clouds in NCAR CESM</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012JGRD..11712210K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012JGRD..11712210K">An assessment of the cloud signals simulated by NICAM using ISCCP, CALIPSO, and CloudSat satellite simulators</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Kodama, C.; Noda, A. T.; Satoh, M. 2012-06-01 This study presents an assessment of three-dimensional structures of hydrometeors simulated by the NICAM, global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model without cumulus parameterization, using multiple satellite data sets. A satellite simulator package (COSP: the CFMIP Observation Simulator Package) is employed to consistently compare model output with ISCCP, CALIPSO, and CloudSat satellite observations. Special focus is placed on high thin clouds, which are not observable in the conventional ISCCP data set, but can be detected by the CALIPSO observations. For the control run, the NICAM simulation qualitatively captures the geographical distributions of the high, middle, and low clouds, even though the horizontal mesh spacing is as coarse as 14 km. The simulated low cloud is very close to that of the CALIPSO low cloud. Both the CloudSat observations and NICAM simulation show a boomerang-type pattern in the radar reflectivity-height histogram, suggesting that NICAM realistically simulates the deep cloud development process. A striking difference was found in the comparisons of high thin cirrus, showing overestimated cloud and higher cloud top in the model simulation. Several model sensitivity experiments are conducted with different cloud microphysical parameters to reduce the model-observation discrepancies in high thin cirrus. In addition, relationships among clouds, Hadley circulation, outgoing longwave radiation and precipitation are discussed through the sensitivity experiments. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A51L..07J','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A51L..07J">The Shallow-to-Deep Transition in Convective Clouds During GoAmazon 2014/5</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1167155','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1167155">“Lidar Investigations of Aerosol, Cloud, and Boundary Layer Properties Over the ARM ACRF Sites”</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Ferrare, Richard; Turner, David 2015-01-13 Project goals; Characterize the aerosol and ice vertical distributions over the ARM NSA site, and in particular to discriminate between elevated aerosol layers and ice clouds in optically thin scattering layers; Characterize the water vapor and aerosol vertical distributions over the ARM Darwin site, how these distributions vary seasonally, and quantify the amount of water vapor and aerosol that is above the boundary layer; Use the high temporal resolution Raman lidar data to examine how aerosol properties vary near clouds; Use the high temporal resolution Raman lidar and Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) data to quantify entrainment in optically thinmore » continental cumulus clouds; and Use the high temporal Raman lidar data to continue to characterize the turbulence within the convective boundary layer and how the turbulence statistics (e.g., variance, skewness) is correlated with larger scale variables predicted by models.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860052053&hterms=watershed&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dwatershed','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19860052053&hterms=watershed&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dwatershed">Remote sensing of cloud distributions over the Bayanhar Mountains - Watershed of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Hung, R. J.; Liu, J. M.; Dodge, J. C.; Smith, R. E. 1986-01-01 Although the two largest rivers in China originate in the same region separated only by the Bayanhar Mountains as a watershed, the Yangtze and Yellow rivers behave in quite different ways. Most of the warm and humid air currents from the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal are blocked by the Bayanhar Mountains. As a result the amount of water in the Yellow River is only 5 percent of that in the Yangtze river. Based on the cloud coverage area and the cloud volumetric distributions, and also the thickness above 9.4 km of the cumulus clouds located north and south of the Bayanhar Mountains from the geosynchronous satellite infrared imagery, the results suggest that a more detailed investigation is warranted in the hope that the proper modification of cumuli north of the Bayanhar Mountains would enhance the rainfall over the fountainhead of the Yellow River. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910054356&hterms=water+resources&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Bresources','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910054356&hterms=water+resources&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Bresources">Satellite remote sensing of water resources in the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers of China based on infrared imagery of cloud distributions</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Hung, R. J.; Dodge, James C. 1990-01-01 Although the two largest rivers in China originate in the same region, separated only by the Bayanhar Mountains as a watershed, the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers behave in quite different ways. Most of the warm and humid air currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are blocked by the Bayanhar Mountains. As a result, the amount of water in the Yellow River is only 5 percent of that in the Yangtze River. Based on the cloud coverage area and the cloud volumetric distributions, and also the thickness above 9.4 kms of the cumulus clouds located north and south of the Bayanhar Mountains, from GEO satellite IR imagery, the results suggest that a more detailed investigation is warranted in the hope that the proper modification of cumuli north of the Bayanhar Mountains would enhance the rainfall over the fountainhead of the Yellow River. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930018073','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930018073">An evaluation of satellite-derived humidity and its relationship to convective development</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Fuelberg, Henry E. 1993-01-01 An aircraft prototype of the High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS) was flown over Tennessee and northern Alabama during summer 1986. The HIS temperature and dewpoint soundings were examined on two flight days to determine their error characteristics and utility in mesoscale analyses. Random errors were calculated from structure functions while total errors were obtained by pairing the HIS soundings with radiosonde-derived profiles. Random temperature errors were found to be less than 1 C at most levels, but random dewpoint errors ranged from 1 to 5 C. Total errors of both parameters were considerably greater, with dewpoint errors especially large on the day having a pronounced subsidence inversion. Cumulus cloud cover on 15 June limited HIS mesoscale analyses on that day. Previously undetected clouds were found in many HIS fields of view, and these probably produced the low-level horizontal temperature and dewpoint variations observed in the retrievals. HIS dewpoints at 300 mb indicated a strong moisture gradient that was confirmed by GOES 6.7-micron imagery. HIS mesoscale analyses on 19 June revealed a tongue of humid air stretching across the study area. The moist region was confirmed by radiosonde data and imagery from the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS). Convective temperatures derived from HIS retrievals helped explain the cloud formation that occurred after the HIS overflights. Crude estimates of Bowen ratio were obtained from HIS data using a mixing-line approach. Values indicated that areas of large sensible heat flux were the areas of first cloud development. These locations were also suggested by GOES visible and infrared imagery. The HIS retrievals indicated that areas of thunderstorm formation were regions of greatest instability. Local landscape variability and atmospheric temperature and humidity fluctuations were found to be important factors in producing the cumulus clouds on 19 June. HIS soundings were capable of detecting some of this variability. The authors were impressed by HIS's performance on the two study days. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_16");'>16</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li class="active">18</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_19" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li class="active">19</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="361"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1913789G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1913789G">Investigation of aerosol effects on shallow marine convection - Lidar measurements during NARVAL-I and NARVAL-II</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A33L3364W','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.A33L3364W">A Conceptual Model for Tropical Cyclone Formation</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Wang, Z. 2014-12-01 The role of cumulus congestus (shallow and congestus convection) in tropical cyclone (TC) formation is examined in a high-resolution simulation of Tropical Cyclone Fay (2008). It is found that cumulus congestus plays a dominant role in moistening the lower to middle troposphere and spinning up the near-surface circulation before genesis, while deep convection plays a key role in moistening the upper troposphere and intensifying the cyclonic circulation over a deep layer. The transition from the tropical wave stage to the TC stage is marked by a substantial increase in net condensation and potential vorticity generation by deep convection in the inner wave pouch region. This study suggests that TC formation can be regarded as a two-stage process. The first stage is a gradual process of moisture preconditioning and the low-level spinup, in which cumulus congestus plays a dominant role. The second stage commences with the rapid development of deep convection in the inner pouch region after the air column is moistened sufficiently, whereupon the concentrated convective heating near the pouch center strengthens the transverse circulation and leads to the amplification of the cyclonic circulation over a deep layer. The rapid development of deep convection can be explained by the power-law increase of precipitation rate with column water vapor (CWV) above a critical value. The high CWV near the pouch center thus plays an important role in convective organization. It is also shown that cumulus congestus can effectively drive the low-level convergence and provides a direct and simple pathway for the development of the TC proto-vortex near the surface. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19840026772','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19840026772">Determination of rainfall and condensational heating in the South Pacific convergence zone during FGGE SOP-1</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Robertson, F. R. 1984-01-01 The role of cloud related diabatic processes in maintaining the structure of the South Pacific Convergence Zone is discussed. The method chosen to evaluate the condensational heating is a diagnostic cumulus mass flux technique which uses GOES digital IR data to characterize the cloud population. This method requires as input an estimate of time/area mean rainfall rate over the area in question. Since direct observation of rainfall in the South Pacific is not feasible, a technique using GOES IR data is being developed to estimate rainfall amounts for a 2.5 degree grid at 12h intervals. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019901','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19940019901">Report of the proceedings of the Colloquium and Workshop on Multiscale Coupled Modeling</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Koch, Steven E. (Editor) 1993-01-01 The Colloquium and Workshop on Multiscale Coupled Modeling was held for the purpose of addressing modeling issues of importance to planning for the Cooperative Multiscale Experiment (CME). The colloquium presentations attempted to assess the current ability of numerical models to accurately simulate the development and evolution of mesoscale cloud and precipitation systems and their cycling of water substance, energy, and trace species. The primary purpose of the workshop was to make specific recommendations for the improvement of mesoscale models prior to the CME, their coupling with cloud, cumulus ensemble, hydrology, air chemistry models, and the observational requirements to initialize and verify these models. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19770009469','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19770009469">A study of mesoscale surface heat and moisture budgets and their relationship to airmass cumulus clouds observed in LANDSAT imagery. [Manhatten, Kansas and Fargo, North Dakota</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Merritt, E. S. (Principal Investigator); Sabatini, R. R.; Heitkemper, L.; Hart, W. D.; Hlavka, D. L. 1976-01-01 The author has identified the following significant results. The three budget analyses show a weak correspondence between LANDSAT cloud patterns and elements of the energy and moisture budgets. It was found that a little more energy is contributed by the ground to heat the air in cloudy areas. Improvements are warranted in the budget models and data coverage necessary to describe the environment. These models can serve as a basis for more complex models of surface air heat and moisture exchanges which would utilize readily available meteorological data on a mesoscale. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/902673-modification-atmospheric-boundary-layer-small-island-observations-from-nauru','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/902673-modification-atmospheric-boundary-layer-small-island-observations-from-nauru">Modification of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer by a Small Island: Observations from Nauru</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Matthews, Stuart; Hacker, Jorg M.; Cole, Jason N. 2007-03-01 Nauru, a small island in the tropical pacific, generates plumes of clouds that may grow to several hundred km length. This study uses observations to examine the mesoscale disturbance of the marine atmospheric boundary layer by the island that produces these cloud streets. Observations of the surface layer were made from two ships in the vicinity of Nauru and from instruments on the island. The structure of the atmospheric boundary layer over the island was investigated using aircraft flights. Cloud production over Nauru was examined using remote sensing instruments. During the day the island surface layer was warmer than themore » marine surface layer and wind speed was lower than over the ocean. Surface heating forced the growth of a thermal internal boundary layer, above which a street of cumulus clouds formed. The production of clouds resulted in reduced downwelling shortwave irradiance at the island surface. A plume of warm-dry air was observed over the island which extended 15 – 20 km downwind.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51D0079K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51D0079K">Applying an economical scale-aware PDF-based turbulence closure model in NOAA NCEP GCMs.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Krueger, S. K.; Belochitski, A.; Moorthi, S.; Bogenschutz, P.; Pincus, R. 2015-12-01 A novel unified representation of sub-grid scale (SGS) turbulence, cloudiness, and shallow convection is being implemented into the NOAA NCEP Global Forecasting System (GFS) general circulation model. The approach, known as Simplified High Order Closure (SHOC), is based on predicting a joint PDF of SGS thermodynamic variables and vertical velocity and using it to diagnose turbulent diffusion coefficients, SGS fluxes, condensation and cloudiness. Unlike other similar methods, only one new prognostic variable, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), needs to be intoduced, making the technique computationally efficient.SHOC code was adopted for a global model environment from its origins in a cloud resolving model, and incorporated into NCEP GFS. SHOC was first tested in a non-interactive mode, a configuration where SHOC receives inputs from the host model, but its outputs are not returned to the GFS. In this configuration: a) SGS TKE values produced by GFS SHOC are consistent with those produced by SHOC in a CRM, b) SGS TKE in GFS SHOC exhibits a well defined diurnal cycle, c) there's enhanced boundary layer turbulence in the subtropical stratocumulus and tropical transition-to-cumulus areas d) buoyancy flux diagnosed from the assumed PDF is consistent with independently calculated Brunt-Vaisala frequency in identifying stable and unstable regions.Next, SHOC was coupled to GFS, namely turbulent diffusion coefficients computed by SHOC are now used in place of those currently produced by the GFS boundary layer and shallow convection schemes (Han and Pan, 2011), as well as condensation and cloud fraction diagnosed from the SGS PDF replace those calculated in the current large-scale cloudines scheme (Zhao and Carr, 1997). Ongoing activities consist of debugging the fully coupled GFS/SHOC.Future work will consist of evaluating model performance and tuning the physics if necessary, by performing medium-range NWP forecasts with prescribed initial conditions, and AMIP-type climate tests with prescribed SSTs. Depending on the results, the model will be tuned or parameterizations modified. Next, SHOC will be implemented in the NCEP CFS, and tuned and evaluated for climate applications - seasonal prediction and long coupled climate runs. Impact of new physics on ENSO, MJO, ISO, monsoon variability, etc will be examined. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41G0046L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41G0046L">Magic - Marine Arm Gpci Investigation of Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lewis, E. R.; Wiscombe, W. J.; Albrecht, B. A.; Bland, G.; Flagg, C. N.; Klein, S. A.; Kollias, P.; Mace, G. G.; Reynolds, M.; Schwartz, S. E.; Siebesma, P.; Teixeira, J.; Wood, R.; Zhang, M. 2012-12-01 MAGIC, the Marine ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program) GPCI Investigation of Clouds, will deploy the Second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) aboard the Horizon Lines cargo container ship M/V Spirit traversing the route between Los Angeles, CA and Honolulu, HI from October, 2012 through September, 2013 (except from a few months in the middle of this time period when the ship will be in dry dock). During this time AMF2 will observe and characterize the properties of clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and atmospheric radiation; standard meteorological and oceanographic variables; and atmospheric structure. There will also be Intensive Observational Periods (IOPs), one in January, 2013 and one in July, 2013 during which more detailed measurements of the atmospheric structure will be made. Clouds remain a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. In this context, subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds play a key role in cloud-climate feedbacks that are not well understood yet play a large role in biases both in seasonal coupled model forecasts and annual mean climate forecasts. In particular, current climate models do not accurately represent the transition from the stratocumulus (Sc) regime, with its high albedo and large impact on the global radiative balance of Earth, to shallow trade-wind cumulus (Cu), which play a fundamental role in global surface evaporation and also albedo. Climate models do not yet adequately parameterize the small-scale physical processes associated with turbulence, convection, and radiation in these clouds. Part of this inability results from lack of accurate data on these clouds and the conditions responsible for their properties, including aerosol properties, radiation, and atmospheric and oceanographic conditions. The primary objectives of MAGIC are to improve the representation of the Sc-to-Cu transition in climate models by characterizing the essential properties of this transition, and to produce the observed statistics of these Sc-to-Cu characteristics for the deployment period along the transect. This first marine deployment of AMF2 will yield an unparalleled and extremely rich data set that will greatly enhance the ability to understand and parameterize clouds and precipitation, aerosols, and radiation and the interactions among them; the processes that determine their properties; and factors that control these processes. Deployment of AMF2 on a ship that routinely traverses this route will provide a long-term data set over a vast cloud region which is of intense interest to climate modelers. Specifically, the proposed transect lies closely along the cross section used for the GPCI, and the data collected will provide constraint, validation, and support for this modeling effort, and for associated modeling efforts such as the CGILS and EUCLIPSE. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1198577-joint-retrievals-cloud-drizzle-marine-boundary-layer-clouds-using-ground-based-radar-lidar-zenith-radiances','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1198577-joint-retrievals-cloud-drizzle-marine-boundary-layer-clouds-using-ground-based-radar-lidar-zenith-radiances">Joint retrievals of cloud and drizzle in marine boundary layer clouds using ground-based radar, lidar and zenith radiances</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Fielding, M. D.; Chiu, J. C.; Hogan, R. J.; ... 2015-07-02 Active remote sensing of marine boundary-layer clouds is challenging as drizzle drops often dominate the observed radar reflectivity. We present a new method to simultaneously retrieve cloud and drizzle vertical profiles in drizzling boundary-layer clouds using surface-based observations of radar reflectivity, lidar attenuated backscatter, and zenith radiances under conditions when precipitation does not reach the surface. Specifically, the vertical structure of droplet size and water content of both cloud and drizzle is characterised throughout the cloud. An ensemble optimal estimation approach provides full error statistics given the uncertainty in the observations. To evaluate the new method, we first perform retrievalsmore » using synthetic measurements from large-eddy simulation snapshots of cumulus under stratocumulus, where cloud water path is retrieved with an error of 31 g m -2. The method also performs well in non-drizzling clouds where no assumption of the cloud profile is required. We then apply the method to observations of marine stratocumulus obtained during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement MAGIC deployment in the Northeast Pacific. Here, retrieved cloud water path agrees well with independent three-channel microwave radiometer retrievals, with a root mean square difference of 10–20 g m -2.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19870007993','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19870007993">T-28 data acquisition during COHMEX 1986</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Musil, Dennis J.; Smith, Paul L. 1986-01-01 As part of the 1986 Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) a cloud physics instrumented T-28 aircraft was used in conjunction with multiple ground based Doppler radars to characterize hydrometeors and updraft structure within developing summertime cumulus and cumulonimbus cloud systems near Huntsville, Alabama. Instrumentation aboard the aircraft included a Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP), a PMS 2D Cloud Probe and a PMS 2D Precipitation Probe, as well as a hail spectrometer and a foil impactor. Hydrometeor spectra were obtained in the interior of mature thunderstorms over the size range from cloud droplets through hailstones. In addition, vertical wind speed, temperature, Johnson-Williams (JW) liquid water content and electric field measurements were made. Significant microphysical differences exist between these clouds and summertime cumulonimbus clouds which develop over the Central Plains. One notable difference in clouds displaying similar radar reflectivities is that COHMEX hydrometeors are typically smaller and more numerous than those observed in the Central Plains. The COHMEX cloud microphysical measurements represent ground truth values for the remote sensing instrumentation which was flown over the cloud tops at altitudes between 60,000 and 70,000 ft aboard NASA U-2 and ER-2 aircraft. They are also being used jointly with a numerical cloud model to assist in understanding the development of summertime subtropical clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17818153','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17818153">Atmospheric electrical detection of organized convection.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29681661','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29681661">Sensitivities of Summertime Mesoscale Circulations in the Coastal Carolinas to Modifications of the Kain-Fritsch Cumulus Parameterization.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Sims, Aaron P; Alapaty, Kiran; Raman, Sethu 2017-01-01 Two mesoscale circulations, the Sandhills circulation and the sea breeze, influence the initiation of deep convection over the Sandhills and the coast in the Carolinas during the summer months. The interaction of these two circulations causes additional convection in this coastal region. Accurate representation of mesoscale convection is difficult as numerical models have problems with the prediction of the timing, amount, and location of precipitation. To address this issue, the authors have incorporated modifications to the Kain-Fritsch (KF) convective parameterization scheme and evaluated these mesoscale interactions using a high-resolution numerical model. The modifications include changes to the subgrid-scale cloud formulation, the convective turnover time scale, and the formulation of the updraft entrainment rates. The use of a grid-scaling adjustment parameter modulates the impact of the KF scheme as a function of the horizontal grid spacing used in a simulation. Results indicate that the impact of this modified cumulus parameterization scheme is more effective on domains with coarser grid sizes. Other results include a decrease in surface and near-surface temperatures in areas of deep convection (due to the inclusion of the effects of subgrid-scale clouds on the radiation), improvement in the timing of convection, and an increase in the strength of deep convection. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150008257','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150008257">Airborne Measurements of CO2 Column Concentration and Range Using a Pulsed Direct-Detection IPDA Lidar</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Abshire, James B.; Ramanathan, Anand; Riris, Haris; Mao, Jianping; Allan, Graham R.; Hasselbrack, William E.; Weaver, Clark J.; Browell, Edward V. 2013-01-01 We have previously demonstrated a pulsed direct detection IPDA lidar to measure range and the column concentration of atmospheric CO2. The lidar measures the atmospheric backscatter profiles and samples the shape of the 1,572.33 nm CO2 absorption line. We participated in the ASCENDS science flights on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during August 2011 and report here lidar measurements made on four flights over a variety of surface and cloud conditions near the US. These included over a stratus cloud deck over the Pacific Ocean, to a dry lake bed surrounded by mountains in Nevada, to a desert area with a coal-fired power plant, and from the Rocky Mountains to Iowa, with segments with both cumulus and cirrus clouds. Most flights were to altitudes >12 km and had 5-6 altitude steps. Analyses show the retrievals of lidar range, CO2 column absorption, and CO2 mixing ratio worked well when measuring over topography with rapidly changing height and reflectivity, through thin clouds, between cumulus clouds, and to stratus cloud tops. The retrievals shows the decrease in column CO2 due to growing vegetation when flying over Iowa cropland as well as a sudden increase in CO2 concentration near a coal-fired power plant. For regions where the CO2 concentration was relatively constant, the measured CO2 absorption lineshape (averaged for 50 s) matched the predicted shapes to better than 1% RMS error. For 10 s averaging, the scatter in the retrievals was typically 2-3 ppm and was limited by the received signal photon count. Retrievals were made using atmospheric parameters from both an atmospheric model and from in situ temperature and pressure from the aircraft. The retrievals had no free parameters and did not use empirical adjustments, and >70% of the measurements passed screening and were used in analysis. The differences between the lidar-measured retrievals and in situ measured average CO2 column concentrations were <1.4 ppm for flight measurement altitudes >6 km. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1268080','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1268080">Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M. There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV)more » and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m –2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol–LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. In conclusion, potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol–humidity relationship.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ACP....16.5203P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ACP....16.5203P">Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.; Ramanathan, Veerabhadran; Wilcox, Eric M.; Bender, Frida A.-M. 2016-04-01 There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m-2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol-LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. Potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol-humidity relationship. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1268080-observed-correlations-between-aerosol-cloud-properties-indian-ocean-trade-cumulus-regime','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1268080-observed-correlations-between-aerosol-cloud-properties-indian-ocean-trade-cumulus-regime">Observed correlations between aerosol and cloud properties in an Indian Ocean trade cumulus regime</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Pistone, Kristina; Praveen, Puppala S.; Thomas, Rick M.; ... 2016-04-27 There are many contributing factors which determine the micro- and macrophysical properties of clouds, including atmospheric vertical structure, dominant meteorological conditions, and aerosol concentration, all of which may be coupled to one another. In the quest to determine aerosol effects on clouds, these potential relationships must be understood. Here we describe several observed correlations between aerosol conditions and cloud and atmospheric properties in the Indian Ocean winter monsoon season.In the CARDEX (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment) field campaign conducted in February and March 2012 in the northern Indian Ocean, continuous measurements were made of atmospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV)more » and the liquid water path (LWP) of trade cumulus clouds, concurrent with measurements of water vapor flux, cloud and aerosol vertical profiles, meteorological data, and surface and total-column aerosol from instrumentation at a ground observatory and on small unmanned aircraft. We present observations which indicate a positive correlation between aerosol and cloud LWP only when considering cases with low atmospheric water vapor (PWV < 40 kg m –2), a criterion which acts to filter the data to control for the natural meteorological variability in the region.We then use the aircraft and ground-based measurements to explore possible mechanisms behind this observed aerosol–LWP correlation. The increase in cloud liquid water is found to coincide with a lowering of the cloud base, which is itself attributable to increased boundary layer humidity in polluted conditions. High pollution is found to correlate with both higher temperatures and higher humidity measured throughout the boundary layer. A large-scale analysis, using satellite observations and meteorological reanalysis, corroborates these covariations: high-pollution cases are shown to originate as a highly polluted boundary layer air mass approaching the observatory from a northwesterly direction. The source air mass exhibits both higher temperatures and higher humidity in the polluted cases. While the warmer temperatures may be attributable to aerosol absorption of solar radiation over the subcontinent, the factors responsible for the coincident high humidity are less evident: the high-aerosol conditions are observed to disperse with air mass evolution, along with a weakening of the high-temperature anomaly, while the high-humidity condition is observed to strengthen in magnitude as the polluted air mass moves over the ocean toward the site of the CARDEX observations. In conclusion, potential causal mechanisms of the observed correlations, including meteorological or aerosol-induced factors, are explored, though future research will be needed for a more complete and quantitative understanding of the aerosol–humidity relationship.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20068701','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20068701">Influence of particle size distribution on reflected and transmitted light from clouds.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Kattawar, G W; Plass, G N 1968-05-01 The light reflected and transmitted from clouds with various drop size distributions is calculated by a Monte Carlo technique. Six different models are used for the drop size distribution: isotropic, Rayleigh, haze continental, haze maritime, cumulus, and nimbostratus. The scattering function for each model is calculated from the Mie theory. In general, the reflected and transmitted radiances for the isotropic and Rayleigh models tend to be similar, as are those for the various haze and cloud models. The reflected radiance is less for the haze and cloud models than for the isotropic and Rayleigh models/except for an angle of incidence near the horizon when it is larger around the incident beam direction. The transmitted radiance is always much larger for the haze and cloud models near the incident direction; at distant angles it is less for small and moderate optical thicknesses and greater for large optical thicknesses (all comparisons to isotropic and Rayleigh models). The downward flux, cloud albedo, and ean optical path are discussed. The angular spread of the beam as a function of optical thickness is shown for the nimbostratus model. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1333515-parameterizing-microphysical-effects-variances-covariances-moisture-heat-content-using-multivariate-probability-density-function-study-clubb-tag-mvcs','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1333515-parameterizing-microphysical-effects-variances-covariances-moisture-heat-content-using-multivariate-probability-density-function-study-clubb-tag-mvcs"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Griffin, Brian M.; Larson, Vincent E. Microphysical processes, such as the formation, growth, and evaporation of precipitation, interact with variability and covariances (e.g., fluxes) in moisture and heat content. For instance, evaporation of rain may produce cold pools, which in turn may trigger fresh convection and precipitation. These effects are usually omitted or else crudely parameterized at subgrid scales in weather and climate models.A more formal approach is pursued here, based on predictive, horizontally averaged equations for the variances, covariances, and fluxes of moisture and heat content. These higher-order moment equations contain microphysical source terms. The microphysics terms can be integrated analytically, given a suitably simplemore » warm-rain microphysics scheme and an approximate assumption about the multivariate distribution of cloud-related and precipitation-related variables. Performing the integrations provides exact expressions within an idealized context.A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a shallow precipitating cumulus case is performed here, and it indicates that the microphysical effects on (co)variances and fluxes can be large. In some budgets and altitude ranges, they are dominant terms. The analytic expressions for the integrals are implemented in a single-column, higher-order closure model. Interactive single-column simulations agree qualitatively with the LES. The analytic integrations form a parameterization of microphysical effects in their own right, and they also serve as benchmark solutions that can be compared to non-analytic integration methods.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1182178','PMC'); return false;" href="https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1182178">The effect of smoke, dust, and pollution aerosol on shallow cloud development over the Atlantic Ocean</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pmc">PubMed Central</a> Kaufman, Yoram J.; Koren, Ilan; Remer, Lorraine A.; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Rudich, Yinon 2005-01-01 Clouds developing in a polluted environment tend to have more numerous but smaller droplets. This property may lead to suppression of precipitation and longer cloud lifetime. Absorption of incoming solar radiation by aerosols, however, can reduce the cloud cover. The net aerosol effect on clouds is currently the largest uncertainty in evaluating climate forcing. Using large statistics of 1-km resolution MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite data, we study the aerosol effect on shallow water clouds, separately in four regions of the Atlantic Ocean, for June through August 2002: marine aerosol (30°S–20°S), smoke (20°S–5°N), mineral dust (5°N–25°N), and pollution aerosols (30°N– 60°N). All four aerosol types affect the cloud droplet size. We also find that the coverage of shallow clouds increases in all of the cases by 0.2–0.4 from clean to polluted, smoky, or dusty conditions. Covariability analysis with meteorological parameters associates most of this change to aerosol, for each of the four regions and 3 months studied. In our opinion, there is low probability that the net aerosol effect can be explained by coincidental, unresolved, changes in meteorological conditions that also accumulate aerosol, or errors in the data, although further in situ measurements and model developments are needed to fully understand the processes. The radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere incurred by the aerosol effect on the shallow clouds and solar radiation is –11 ± 3 W/m2 for the 3 months studied; 2/3 of it is due to the aerosol-induced cloud changes, and 1/3 is due to aerosol direct radiative effect. PMID:16076949 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1455139-macroscopic-impacts-cloud-precipitation-processes-maritime-shallow-convection-simulated-large-eddy-simulation-model-bin-microphysics','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1455139-macroscopic-impacts-cloud-precipitation-processes-maritime-shallow-convection-simulated-large-eddy-simulation-model-bin-microphysics">Macroscopic impacts of cloud and precipitation processes on maritime shallow convection as simulated by a large eddy simulation model with bin microphysics</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> 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 </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_17");'>17</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li class="active">19</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_20" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li class="active">20</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="381"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19730019562','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19730019562">ERTS-1 views the Great Lakes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Lyons, W. A.; Pease, S. R. 1973-01-01 The meteorological content of ERTS images, particularly mesoscale effects of the Great Lakes and air pollution dispersion is summarized. Summertime lake breeze frontal clouds and various winter lake-effect convection patterns and snow squalls are revealed in great detail. A clear-cut spiral vortex over southern Lake Michigan is related to a record early snow storm in the Chicago area. Marked cloud changes induced by orographic and frictional effects on Lake Michigan's lee shore snow squalls are seen. The most important finding, however, is a clear-cut example of alterations in cumulus convection by anthropogenic condensation and/or ice nuclei from northern Indiana steel mills during a snow squall situation. Jet aircraft condensation trails are also found with surprising frequency. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1336060-distinct-impacts-aerosols-evolving-continental-cloud-complex-during-racoro-field-campaign','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1336060-distinct-impacts-aerosols-evolving-continental-cloud-complex-during-racoro-field-campaign">Distinct Impacts of Aerosols on an Evolving Continental Cloud Complex during the RACORO Field Campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Lin, Yun; Wang, Yuan; Pan, Bowen; ... 2016-08-26 In this study, a continental cloud complex, consisting of shallow cumuli, a deep convective cloud (DCC), and stratus, is simulated by a cloud-resolving Weather Research and Forecasting Model to investigate the aerosol microphysical effect (AME) and aerosol radiative effect (ARE) on the various cloud regimes and their transitions during the Department of Energy Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Aerial Facility Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) campaign. Under an elevated aerosol loading with AME only, a reduced cloudiness for the shallow cumuli and stratus resulted from more droplet evaporation competing with suppressed precipitation, but an enhanced cloudinessmore » for the DCC is attributed to more condensation. With the inclusion of ARE, the shallow cumuli are suppressed owing to the thermodynamic effects of light-absorbing aerosols. The responses of DCC and stratus to aerosols are monotonic with AME only but nonmonotonic with both AME and ARE. The DCC is invigorated because of favorable convection and moisture conditions at night induced by daytime ARE, via the so-called aerosol-enhanced conditional instability mechanism. Finally, the results reveal that the overall aerosol effects on the cloud complex are distinct from the individual cloud types, highlighting that the aerosol–cloud interactions for diverse cloud regimes and their transitions need to be evaluated to assess the regional and global climatic impacts.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010AGUFM.A13H0306D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010AGUFM.A13H0306D">3D Cloud Tomography, Followed by Mean Optical and Microphysical Properties, with Multi-Angle/Multi-Pixel Data</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Davis, A. B.; von Allmen, P. A.; Marshak, A.; Bal, G. 2010-12-01 The geometrical assumption in all operational cloud remote sensing algorithms is that clouds are plane-parallel slabs, which applies relatively well to the most uniform stratus layers. Its benefit is to justify using classic 1D radiative transfer (RT) theory, where angular details (solar, viewing, azimuthal) are fully accounted for and precise phase functions can be used, to generate the look-up tables used in the retrievals. Unsurprisingly, these algorithms catastrophically fail when applied to cumulus-type clouds, which are highly 3D. This is unfortunate for the cloud-process modeling community that may thrive on in situ airborne data, but would very much like to use satellite data for more than illustrations in their presentations and publications. So, how can we obtain quantitative information from space-based observations of finite aspect ratio clouds? Cloud base/top heights, vertically projected area, mean liquid water content (LWC), and volume-averaged droplet size would be a good start. Motivated by this science need, we present a new approach suitable for sparse cumulus fields where we turn the tables on the standard procedure in cloud remote sensing. We make no a priori assumption about cloud shape, save an approximately flat base, but use brutal approximations about the RT that is necessarily 3D. Indeed, the first order of business is to roughly determine the cloud's outer shape in one of two ways, which we will frame as competing initial guesses for the next phase of shape refinement and volume-averaged microphysical parameter estimation. Both steps use multi-pixel/multi-angle techniques amenable to MISR data, the latter adding a bi-spectral dimension using collocated MODIS data. One approach to rough cloud shape determination is to fit the multi-pixel/multi-angle data with a geometric primitive such as a scalene hemi-ellipsoid with 7 parameters (translation in 3D space, 3 semi-axes, 1 azimuthal orientation); for the radiometry, a simple radiosity-type model is used where the cloud surface "emits" either reflected (sunny-side) or transmitted (shady-side) light at different levels. As it turns out, the reflected/transmitted light ratio yields an approximate cloud optical thickness. Another approach is to invoke tomography techniques to define the volume occupied by the cloud using, as it were, cloud masks for each direction of observation. In the shape and opacity refinement phase, initial guesses along with solar and viewing geometry information are used to predict radiance in each pixel using a fast diffusion model for the 3D RT in MISR's non-absorbing red channel (275 m resolution). Refinement is constrained and stopped when optimal resolution is reached. Finally, multi-pixel/mono-angle MODIS data for the same cloud (at comparable 250 m resolution) reveals the desired droplet size information, hence the volume-averaged LWC. This is an ambitious remote sensing science project drawing on cross-disciplinary expertise gained in medical imaging using both X-ray and near-IR sources and detectors. It is high risk but with potentially high returns not only for the cloud modeling community but also aerosol and surface characterization in the presence of broken 3D clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120009704','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120009704">Microphysics in Multi-scale Modeling System with Unified Physics</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2012-01-01 Recently, a multi-scale modeling system with unified physics was developed at NASA Goddard. It consists of (1) a cloud-resolving model (Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model, GCE model), (2) a regional scale model (a NASA unified weather research and forecast, WRF), (3) a coupled CRM and global model (Goddard Multi-scale Modeling Framework, MMF), and (4) a land modeling system. The same microphysical processes, long and short wave radiative transfer and land processes and the explicit cloud-radiation, and cloud-land surface interactive processes are applied in this multi-scale modeling system. This modeling system has been coupled with a multi-satellite simulator to use NASA high-resolution satellite data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of cloud and precipitation processes simulated by the model. In this talk, a review of developments and applications of the multi-scale modeling system will be presented. In particular, the microphysics development and its performance for the multi-scale modeling system will be presented. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AGUFM.A24B..03B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011AGUFM.A24B..03B">Characteristics of tropical clouds using A-train information and their relationships with sea surface temperature</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Behrangi, A.; Kubar, T. L.; Lambrigtsen, B. 2011-12-01 Different cloud types have substantially different characteristics in terms of radiative forcing and microphysical properties, both important components of Earth's climate system. Relationships between tropical cloud type characteristics and sea surface temperature (SST) using two-years of A-train data are investigated in this presentation. Stratocumulus clouds are the dominant cloud type over SSTs less than 301K, and in fact their fraction is strongly inversely related to SST. This is physically logical as both static stability and large-scale subsidence scale well with decreasing SST. At SSTs greater than 301K, high clouds are the most abundant cloud type. All cloud types (except nimbostratus and stratocumulus) become sharply more abundant for SSTs greater than a window between 299K and 300.5K, depending on cloud type. The fraction of high, deep convective, altostratus, and altocumulus clouds peak at an SST close to 303K, while cumulus clouds have a broad cloud fraction peak centered near 301K. Deep convective and other high cloud types decrease sharply above SSTs of 303K. While overall early morning clouds are 10% (4%) more frequent than afternoon clouds as indicated by CloudSat (lidar-radar), certain cloud types occur more frequently in the early afternoon, such as high clouds. We also show that a large amount of warm precipitation mainly from stratocumulus clouds is missed or significantly underestimated by the current suite of satellite-based global precipitation measuring sensors. However, the operational sensitivity of Cloudsat cloud profiling radar permits to capture significant fraction of light drizzle and warm rain. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUSM.A43A..22S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUSM.A43A..22S">Sensitivity of the forecast skill to the combination of physical parameterizations in the WRF/Chem model: A study in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Silva Junior, R. S.; Rocha, R. P.; Andrade, M. F. 2007-05-01 The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is the region of the atmosphere that suffers the direct influence of surface processes and the evolution of their characteristics during the day is of great importance for the pollutants dispersion. The aim of the present work is to analyze the most efficient combination of PBL, cumulus convection and cloud microphysics parameterizations for the forecast of the vertical profile of wind speed over Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP) that presents serious problems of atmospheric pollution. The model used was the WRF/Chem that was integrated for 48 h forecasts during one week of observational experiment that take place in the MRSP during October-November of 2006. The model domain has 72 x 48 grid points, with 18 km of resolution, centered in the MRSP. Considering a mixed-physics ensemble approach the forecasts used a combination of the parameterizations: (a) PBL the schemes of Mellor-Yamada-Janjic (MYJ) and Yonsei University Scheme (YSU); (b) cumulus convections schemes of Grell-Devenyi ensemble (GDE) and Betts-Miller-Janjic (BMJ); (c) cloud microphysics schemes of Purdue Lin (MPL) and NCEP 5-class (MPN). The combinations tested were the following: MYJ-BMJ-MPL, MYJ-BMJ-MPN, MYJ-GDE-MPL, MYJ-GDE-MPN, YSU-BMJ-MPL, YSU-BMJ-MPN, YSU-GDE-MPL, YSU-GDE-MPN, i.e., a set of 8 previsions for day. The model initial and boundary conditions was obtained of the AVN-NCEP model. Besides this data set, the MRSP observed soundings were used to verify the WRF results. The statistical analysis considered the correlation coefficient, root mean square error, mean error between forecasts and observed wind profiles. The results showed that the most suitable combination is the YSU-GDE-MPL. This can be associated to the GDE cumulus convection scheme, which takes into consideration the entrainment process in the clouds, and also the MPL scheme that considers a larger number of classes of water phase, including the ice and mixed phases. For PBL the YSU presents the better approaches to represent the wind speed, where the atmospheric gradients are stronger and the atmosphere is less mixed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..19.9927G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..19.9927G">The role of 2-methylglyceric acid and oligomer formation in the multiphase processing of secondary organic aerosol from isoprene and methacrolein photooxidation (CUMULUS project)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Giorio, Chiara; Brégonzio-Rozier, Lola; Siekmann, Frank; Cazaunau, Mathieu; Temime-Roussel, Brice; Langley DeWitt, Helen; Gratien, Aline; Michoud, Vincent; Pangui, Edouard; Morales, Sébastien; Ravier, Sylvain; Zielinski, Arthur T.; Tapparo, Andrea; Vermeylen, Reinhilde; Claeys, Magda; Voisin, Didier; Salque-Moreton, Guillaume; Kalberer, Markus; Doussin, Jean-François; Monod, Anne 2017-04-01 Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) undergo atmospheric processing and form a wide range of oxidised and water-soluble compounds. These compounds could partition into atmospheric water droplets, and react within the aqueous phase producing higher molecular weight and less volatile compounds which could remain in the particle phase after water evaporation (Ervens et al., 2011). The aim of this work was the molecular characterisation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the photooxidation of isoprene and methacrolein during cloud evapo-condensation cycles. The experiments were performed within the CUMULUS project (CloUd MULtiphase chemistry of organic compoUndS in the troposphere), at the 4.2 m3 stainless steel CESAM chamber at LISA (Brégonzio-Rozier et al., 2016). In each experiment, isoprene or methacrolein was photooxidised with HONO and clouds have been produced to study oxidation processes in a multiphase environment that well simulates the interactions between VOCs, SOA particles and cloud droplets. During all the experiments, SOA was characterised online with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and offline with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and direct infusion nanoelectrospray ionisation high resolution mass spectrometry (nanoESI-HRMS). We observed that the main SOA compound in all experiments was 2-methylglyceric acid which undergoes oligomerisation reactions. A large number of long homologous series of oligomers were detected in all experiments, together with a complex co-oligomerised system made of monomers with a large variety of different structures. Comparison of SOA from multiphasic (smog chamber) experiments and samples from aqueous phase oxidation of methacrolein with •OH radical pointed out different types of oligomerisation reactions dominating the two different systems. Ervens et al. (2011) Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 11069 11102. Brégonzio-Rozier et al. (2016) Atmos. Chem. Phys. 16, 1747 1760. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..17.4255L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..17.4255L">Evaluating Cloud Initialization in a Convection-permit NWP Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70034889','USGSPUBS'); return false;" href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70034889">Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/index.jsp?view=adv">USGS Publications Warehouse</a> Rodriguez, S.; Le, Mouelic S.; Rannou, P.; Tobie, G.; Baines, K.H.; Barnes, J.W.; Griffith, C.A.; Hirtzig, M.; Pitman, K.M.; Sotin, Christophe; Brown, R.H.; Buratti, B.J.; Clark, R.N.; Nicholson, P.D. 2009-01-01 Clouds on Titan result from the condensation of methane and ethane and, as on other planets, are primarily structured by circulation of the atmosphere. At present, cloud activity mainly occurs in the southern (summer) hemisphere, arising near the pole and at mid-latitudes from cumulus updrafts triggered by surface heating and/or local methane sources, and at the north (winter) pole, resulting from the subsidence and condensation of ethane-rich air into the colder troposphere. General circulation models predict that this distribution should change with the seasons on a 15-year timescale, and that clouds should develop under certain circumstances at temperate latitudes (40??) in the winter hemisphere. The models, however, have hitherto been poorly constrained and their long-term predictions have not yet been observationally verified. Here we report that the global spatial cloud coverage on Titan is in general agreement with the models, confirming that cloud activity is mainly controlled by the global circulation. The non-detection of clouds at latitude 40??N and the persistence of the southern clouds while the southern summer is ending are, however, both contrary to predictions. This suggests that Titans equator-to-pole thermal contrast is overestimated in the models and that its atmosphere responds to the seasonal forcing with a greater inertia than expected. ?? 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070031943&hterms=physics+pdf&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dphysics%2Bpdf','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20070031943&hterms=physics+pdf&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dphysics%2Bpdf">Clouds in GEOS-5</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Bacmeister, Julio; Rienecker, Michele; Suarez, Max; Norris, Peter 2007-01-01 The GEOS-5 atmospheric model is being developed as a weather-and-climate capable model. It must perform well in assimilation mode as well as in weather and climate simulations and forecasts and in coupled chemistry-climate simulations. In developing GEOS-5, attention has focused on the representation of moist processes. The moist physics package uses a single phase prognostic condensate and a prognostic cloud fraction. Two separate cloud types are distinguished by their source: "anvil" cloud originates in detraining convection, and large-scale cloud originates in a PDF-based condensation calculation. Ice and liquid phases for each cloud type are considered. Once created, condensate and fraction from the anvil and statistical cloud types experience the same loss processes: evaporation of condensate and fraction, auto-conversion of liquid or mixed phase condensate, sedimentation of frozen condensate, and accretion of condensate by falling precipitation. The convective parameterization scheme is the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert, or RAS, scheme. Satellite data are used to evaluate the performance of the moist physics packages and help in their tuning. In addition, analysis of and comparisons to cloud-resolving models such as the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model are used to help improve the PDFs used in the moist physics. The presentation will show some of our evaluations including precipitation diagnostics. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts046-86-064.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts046-86-064.html">Florida, Bahamas, Cuba and Gulf Stream, USA</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1992-08-08 This unique photo offers a view of the Florida peninsula, western Bahamas, north central Cuba and the deep blue waters of the Gulf Stream, that hugs the east coast of Florida (27.0N, 82.0W). In addition to being an excellent photograph for showing the geographical relationships between the variety of landforms in this scene, the typical effect of the land-sea breeze is very much in evidence as few clouds over water, cumulus build up over landmass. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=STS043-151-141&hterms=5S&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3D5S','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=STS043-151-141&hterms=5S&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D80%26Ntt%3D5S">Mouths of the Amazon River, Brazil, South America</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 1991-01-01 Huge sediment loads from the interior of the country flow through the Mouths of the Amazon River, Brazil (0.5S, 50.0W). The river current carries hundreds of tons of sediment through the multiple outlets of the great river over 100 miles from shore before it is carried northward by oceanic currents. The characteristic 'fair weather cumulus' pattern of low clouds over the land but not over water may be observed in this scene. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-s43-151-141.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-s43-151-141.html">Mouths of the Amazon River, Brazil, South America</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1991-08-11 Huge sediment loads from the interior of the country flow through the Mouths of the Amazon River, Brazil (0.5S, 50.0W). The river current carries hundreds of tons of sediment through the multiple outlets of the great river over 100 miles from shore before it is carried northward by oceanic currents. The characteristic "fair weather cumulus" pattern of low clouds over the land but not over water may be observed in this scene. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018scwv.book..199S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018scwv.book..199S">Structure and Dynamical Influence of Water Vapor in the Lower Tropical Troposphere</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Stevens, Bjorn; Brogniez, Hélène; Kiemle, Christoph; Lacour, Jean-Lionel; Crevoisier, Cyril; Kiliani, Johannes In situ, airborne and satellite measurements are used to characterize the structure of water vapor in the lower tropical troposphere—below the height, z *, of the triple-point isotherm, T *. The measurements are evaluated in light of understanding of how lowertropospheric water vapor influences clouds, convection and circulation, through both radiative and thermodynamic effects. Lower-tropospheric water vapor, which concentrates in the first few kilometers above the boundary layer, controls the radiative cooling profile of the boundary layer and lower troposphere. Elevated moist layers originating from a preferred level of convective detrainment induce a profile of radiative cooling that drives circulations which reinforce such features. A theory for this preferred level of cumulus termination is advanced, whereby the difference between T * and the temperature at which primary ice forms gives a `first-mover advantage' to glaciating cumulus convection, thereby concentrating the regions of the deepest convection and leading to more clouds and moisture near the triple point. A preferred level of convective detrainment near T * implies relative humidity reversals below z * which are difficult to identify using retrievals from satellite-borne microwave and infrared sounders. Isotopologues retrievals provide a hint of such features and their ability to constrain the structure of the vertical humidity profile merits further study. Nonetheless, it will likely remain challenging to resolve dynamically important aspects of the vertical structure of water vapor from space using only passive sensors. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19920011428','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19920011428">Model studies on the role of moist convection as a mechanism for interaction between the mesoscales</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Waight, Kenneth T., III; Song, J. Aaron; Zack, John W.; Price, Pamela E. 1991-01-01 A three year research effort is described which had as its goal the development of techniques to improve the numerical prediction of cumulus convection on the meso-beta and meso-gamma scales. Two MESO models are used, the MASS (mesoscale) and TASS (cloud scale) models. The primary meteorological situation studied is the 28-29 Jun. 1986 Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment (COHMEX) study area on a day with relatively weak large scale forcing. The problem of determining where and when convection should be initiated is considered to be a major problem of current approaches. Assimilation of moisture data from satellite, radar, and surface data is shown to significantly improve mesoscale simulations. The TASS model is shown to reproduce some observed mesoscale features when initialized with 3-D observational data. Convection evolution studies center on comparison of the Kuo and Fritsch-Chappell cumulus parameterization schemes to each other, and to cloud model results. The Fritsch-Chappell scheme is found to be superior at about 30 km resolution, while the Kuo scheme does surprisingly well in simulating convection down to 10 km in cases where convergence features are well-resolved by the model grid. Results from MASS-TASS interaction experiments are presented and discussed. A discussion of the future of convective simulation is given, with the conclusion that significant progress is possible on several fronts in the next few years. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017SGeo...38.1371S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017SGeo...38.1371S">Structure and Dynamical Influence of Water Vapor in the Lower Tropical Troposphere</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Stevens, Bjorn; Brogniez, Hélène; Kiemle, Christoph; Lacour, Jean-Lionel; Crevoisier, Cyril; Kiliani, Johannes 2017-11-01 In situ, airborne and satellite measurements are used to characterize the structure of water vapor in the lower tropical troposphere—below the height, z_*, of the triple-point isotherm, T_*. The measurements are evaluated in light of understanding of how lower-tropospheric water vapor influences clouds, convection and circulation, through both radiative and thermodynamic effects. Lower-tropospheric water vapor, which concentrates in the first few kilometers above the boundary layer, controls the radiative cooling profile of the boundary layer and lower troposphere. Elevated moist layers originating from a preferred level of convective detrainment induce a profile of radiative cooling that drives circulations which reinforce such features. A theory for this preferred level of cumulus termination is advanced, whereby the difference between T_* and the temperature at which primary ice forms gives a `first-mover advantage' to glaciating cumulus convection, thereby concentrating the regions of the deepest convection and leading to more clouds and moisture near the triple point. A preferred level of convective detrainment near T_* implies relative humidity reversals below z* which are difficult to identify using retrievals from satellite-borne microwave and infrared sounders. Isotopologues retrievals provide a hint of such features and their ability to constrain the structure of the vertical humidity profile merits further study. Nonetheless, it will likely remain challenging to resolve dynamically important aspects of the vertical structure of water vapor from space using only passive sensors. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AtmRe..74..461J','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005AtmRe..74..461J">The actinic UV-radiation budget during the ESCOMPTE campaign 2001: results of airborne measurements with the microlight research aircraft D-MIFU</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Junkermann, Wolfgang 2005-03-01 During the ESCOMPTE campaign 2001, the vertical distribution of ultraviolet actinic radiation was investigated with concurrent measurements of ozone, aerosol size distributions, and scattering coefficients using a microlight aircraft as airborne platform. Three-dimensional (3D) measurements were performed on a regional scale in the area between Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille up to an altitude of 4000 m a.s.l. The results show a pronounced dependence of the vertical actinic flux distribution on aerosol load and stratification while horizontally no significant variability was observed. Furthermore, investigations under cloudy conditions and in the vicinity of cumulus clouds were performed allowing comparisons with one-dimensional and recently published three-dimensional model results. Cloud effects of scattered convective clouds were often found to be masked by aerosols and the aerosol content was generally the dominating factor controlling radiation transfer. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-STS058-107-083.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-STS058-107-083.html">Mouth of the Amazon River as seen from STS-58</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 1993-10-30 STS058-107-083 (18 Oct.-1 Nov. 1993) --- A near-nadir view of the mouth of the Amazon River, that shows all signs of being a relatively healthy system, breathing and exhaling. The well-developed cumulus field over the forested areas on both the north and south sides of the river (the view is slightly to the west) shows that good evapotranspiration is underway. The change in the cloud field from the moisture influx from the Atlantic (the cloud fields over the ocean are parallel to the wind direction) to perpendicular cloud fields over the land surface are normal. This change in direction is caused by the increased surface roughness over the land area. The plume of the river, although turbid, is no more or less turbid than it has been reported since the Portuguese first rounded Brasil's coast at the end of the 15th Century. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1342305-characterization-cumulus-cloud-fields-using-trajectories-center-gravity-versus-water-mass-phase-space-aerosol-effects-warm-convective-clouds-center-gravity-versus-water-mass','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1342305-characterization-cumulus-cloud-fields-using-trajectories-center-gravity-versus-water-mass-phase-space-aerosol-effects-warm-convective-clouds-center-gravity-versus-water-mass">Characterization of cumulus cloud fields using trajectories in the center of gravity versus water mass phase space: 2. Aerosol effects on warm convective clouds: Center of Gravity Versus Water Mass 2</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Heiblum, Reuven H.; Altaratz, Orit; Koren, Ilan 2016-06-07 In Part I of this work a 3D cloud tracking algorithm and phase-space of center of gravity altitude versus cloud liquid water mass (CvM space) were introduced and described in detail. We showed how new physical insight can be gained by following cloud trajectories in the CvM space. Here, this approach is used to investigate aerosol effects on cloud fields of warm cumuli. We show a clear effect of the aerosol loading on the shape and size of CvM clusters. We also find fundamental differences in the CvM space between simulations using bin versus bulk microphysical schemes, with the binmore » scheme precipitation expressing much higher sensitivity to changes in aerosol concentrations. Using the bin microphysical scheme, we find that the increase in cloud center of gravity altitude with increase in aerosol concentrations occurs for a wide range of cloud sizes. This is attributed to reduced sedimentation, increased buoyancy and vertical velocities, and increased environmental instability, all of which are tightly coupled to inhibition of precipitation processes and subsequent feedbacks of clouds on their environment. Many of the physical processes shown here are consistent with processes typically associated with cloud invigoration.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014EGUGA..1610518B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014EGUGA..1610518B">Secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene photo-oxidation during cloud condensation-evaporation cycles (CUMULUS project)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Brégonzio-Rozier, Lola; Siekmann, Frank; Giorio, Chiara; Temime-Roussel, Brice; Pangui, Edouard; Morales, Sébastien; Gratien, Aline; Ravier, Sylvain; Monod, Anne; Doussin, Jean-Francois 2014-05-01 It is acknowledged that atmospheric photo-oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) leads to the formation of less volatile oxidized species. These compounds can undergo gas-to-particle conversion, leading to the formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA) in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, some of these oxidized species are water soluble and could also partition into cloud droplets. Higher molecular weight and less volatile compounds could be produced in the aqueous phase and remain in the particle phase after water evaporation (Ervens et al., 2011). The aim of the present work is to study SOA formation in the presence of cloud droplets during isoprene photo-oxidation. To this end, an original multiphase approach in a simulation chamber was set up in order to investigate the chemistry occurring in the gaseous, particulate and aqueous phases, and the exchange between these phases. Experiments were performed, within the CUMULUS project (CloUd MULtiphase chemistry of organic compoUndS in the troposphere), in the CESAM chamber (Wang et al., 2011). This chamber was designed to investigate multiphase processes under realistic actinic flux, and accurate control of both temperature and relative humidity. A specific protocol was set up to produce cloud events in the simulation chamber exhibiting a significant lifetime in the presence of light (10-12 minutes). By using this protocol, many clouds could be generated in a single experiment. In each experiment, around 800 ppb of isoprene was injected in the chamber together with HONO under dry conditions before irradiation. A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), a Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) and NOx and O3 analyzers were used to analyze gas-phase composition. Dried SOA size distributions and total concentrations were measured by a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). An Aerodyne High Resolution Time-Of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS) was also used to investigate aerosol composition. Cloud droplets size distributions were measured by a white light Optical Particle Counter (OPC). In all experiments, the dissolution of gaseous oxidation products into aqueous phase and SOA production have been observed during isoprene photo-oxidation in the presence of a cloud event. The overall results in additional SOA mass production and the dynamic of gaseous oxidation products and SOA mass concentrations will be presented. Ervens, B. et al. (2011). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 11(21): 11069-11102. Wang, J. et al. (2011). Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 4(11): 2465-2494. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_18");'>18</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li class="active">20</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_21" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li class="active">21</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="401"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030111351&hterms=neither+deep+shallow&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dneither%2Bdeep%2Bshallow','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030111351&hterms=neither+deep+shallow&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D10%26Ntt%3Dneither%2Bdeep%2Bshallow">Northwest Africa 773: Lunar Mare Breccia with a Shallow-formed Olivine-Cumulate Component, Very-Low-Ti Heritage, and a KREEP Connection</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Jolliff, B. L.; Korotev, R. L.; Zeigler, R. A.; Floss, C.; Haskin, L. A. 2003-01-01 Northwest Africa 773 is one of the more unusual lunar meteorites found in recent years because it contains a prominent clast lithology, which appears to be an olivine-rich cumulate and because it is a very-low-Ti (VLT) mare breccia with relatively high incompatible-trace-element concentrations and LREE/HREE enrichment. A lunar origin was verified by Fagan and coworkers on the basis of noble-gas contents, oxygen isotopes, and mineral compositions. Fagan et al. described two lithologies: (1) heterolithic impact breccia with a regolith component and (2) cumulus olivine gabbronorite. Here, we refer to these as the breccia (Bx) lithology and the olivine-cumulate (OC) lithology. The impact breccia components are predominantly volcanic (basaltic), and, in this context, the occurrence of the cumulus lithology is especially significant: is it related to the volcanic components or does it represent a deep-seated rock entrained by the basaltic magma as it rose to the surface? Elevated incompatible-element concentrations with more or less KREEP-like inter-element ratios and very-low-Ti concentrations distinguish both lithologies of this meteorite from Apollo mare basalts. Here, we summarize key compositional information (bulk and mineral), especially related to the OC lithology, to show that it formed at shallow depth and comes from a VLT ultramafic precursor that mixed with a KREEP-like trace-element component deep in the crust or upper mantle. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A52C..05G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A52C..05G">The evaluation of GCMs and a new cloud parameterisation using satellite and in-situ data as part of a Climate Process Team</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Grosvenor, D. P.; Wood, R. 2012-12-01 As part of one of the Climate Process Teams (CPTs) we have been testing the implementation of a new cloud parameterization into the CAM5 and AM3 GCMs. The CLUBB parameterization replaces all but the deep convection cloud scheme and uses an innovative PDF based approach to diagnose cloud water content and turbulence. We have evaluated the base models and the CLUBB parameterization in the SE Pacific stratocumulus region using a suite of satellite observation metrics including: Liquid Water Path (LWP) measurements from AMSRE; cloud fractions from CloudSat/CALIPSO; droplet concentrations (Nd) and Cloud Top Temperatures from MODIS; CloudSat precipitation; and relationships between Estimated Inversion Strength (calculated from AMSRE SSTs, Cloud Top Temperatures from MODIS and ECMWF re-analysis fields) and cloud fraction. This region has the advantage of an abundance of in-situ aircraft observations taken during the VOCALS campaign, which is facilitating the diagnosis of the model problems highlighted by the model evaluation. This data has also been recently used to demonstrate the reliability of MODIS Nd estimates. The satellite data needs to be filtered to ensure accurate retrievals and we have been careful to apply the same screenings to the model fields. For example, scenes with high cloud fractions and with output times near to the satellite overpass times can be extracted from the model for a fair comparison with MODIS Nd estimates. To facilitate this we have been supplied with instantaneous model output since screening would not be possible based on time averaged data. We also have COSP satellite simulator output, which allows a fairer comparison between satellite and model. For example, COSP cloud fraction is based upon the detection threshold of the satellite instrument in question. These COSP fields are also used for the model output filtering just described. The results have revealed problems with both the base models and the versions with the CLUBB parameterization. The CAM5 model produces realistic near-coast cloud cover, but too little further west in the stratocumulus to cumulus regions. The implementation of CLUBB has vastly improved this situation with cloud cover that is very similar to that observed. CLUBB also improves the Nd field in CAM5 by producing realistic near-coast increases and by removing high Nd values associated with the detrainment of droplets by cumulus clouds. AM3 has a lack of stratocumulus cloud near the South American coast and has much lower droplet concentrations than observed. VOCALS measurements showed that sulfate mass loadings were generally too high in both base models, whereas CCN concentrations were too low. This suggests a problem with the mass distribution partitioning of sulfate that is being investigated. Diurnal and seasonal comparisons have been very illuminating. CLUBB produces very little diurnal variation in LWP, but large variations in precipitation rates. This is likely to point to problems that are now being addressed by the modeling part of the CPT team, creating an iterative workflow process between the model developers and the model testers, which should facilitate efficient parameterization improvement. We will report on the latest developments of this process. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/939893','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/939893">Chapter 3: Evaluating the impacts of carbonaceous aerosols on clouds and climate</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Menon, Surabi; Del Genio, Anthony D. Any attempt to reconcile observed surface temperature changes within the last 150 years to changes simulated by climate models that include various atmospheric forcings is sensitive to the changes attributed to aerosols and aerosol-cloud-climate interactions, which are the main contributors that may well balance the positive forcings associated with greenhouse gases, absorbing aerosols, ozone related changes, etc. These aerosol effects on climate, from various modeling studies discussed in Menon (2004), range from +0.8 to -2.4 W m{sup -2}, with an implied value of -1.0 W m{sup -2} (range from -0.5 to -4.5 W m{sup -2}) for the aerosol indirect effects.more » Quantifying the contribution of aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions remain complicated for several reasons some of which are related to aerosol distributions and some to the processes used to represent their effects on clouds. Aerosol effects on low lying marine stratocumulus clouds that cover much of the Earth's surface (about 70%) have been the focus of most of prior aerosol-cloud interaction effect simulations. Since cumulus clouds (shallow and deep convective) are short lived and cover about 15 to 20% of the Earth's surface, they are not usually considered as radiatively important. However, the large amount of latent heat released from convective towers, and corresponding changes in precipitation, especially in biomass regions due to convective heating effects (Graf et al. 2004), suggest that these cloud systems and aerosol effects on them, must be examined more closely. The radiative heating effects for mature deep convective systems can account for 10-30% of maximum latent heating effects and thus cannot be ignored (Jensen and Del Genio 2003). The first study that isolated the sensitivity of cumulus clouds to aerosols was from Nober et al. (2003) who found a reduction in precipitation in biomass burning regions and shifts in circulation patterns. Aerosol effects on convection have been included in other models as well (cf. Jacobson, 2002) but the relative impacts on convective and stratiform processes were not separated. Other changes to atmospheric stability and thermodynamical quantities due to aerosol absorption are also known to be important in modifying cloud macro/micro properties. Linkages between convection and boreal biomass burning can also impact the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, radiation and cloud microphysical properties via transport of tropospheric aerosols to the lower stratosphere during extreme convection (Fromm and Servranckx 2003). Relevant questions regarding the impact of biomass aerosols on convective cloud properties include the effects of vertical transport of aerosols, spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, vertical shift in latent heat release, phase shift of precipitation, circulation and their impacts on radiation. Over land surfaces, a decrease in surface shortwave radiation ({approx} 3-6 W m{sup -2} per decade) has been observed between 1960 to 1990, whereas, increases of 0.4 K in land temperature during the same period that occurred have resulted in speculations that evaporation and precipitation should also have decreased (Wild et al. 2004). However, precipitation records for the same period over land do not indicate any significant trend (Beck et al. 2005). The changes in precipitation are thought to be related to increased moisture advection from the oceans (Wild et al. 2004), which may well have some contributions from aerosol-radiation-convection coupling that could modify circulation patterns and hence moisture advection in specific regions. Other important aspects of aerosol effects, besides the direct, semi-direct, microphysical and thermodynamical impacts include alteration of surface albedos, especially snow and ice covered surfaces, due to absorbing aerosols. These effects are uncertain (Jacobson, 2004) but may produce as much as 0.3 W m{sup -2} forcing in the Northern hemisphere that could contribute to melting of ice and permafrost and change in the length of the season (e.g. early arrival of Spring) (Hansen and Nazarenko, 2004). Besides the impacts of aerosols on the surface albedos in the polar regions, and the thermodynamical impacts of Arctic haze (composed of water soluble sulfates, nitrates, organic and black carbon (BC)), the dynamical response to Arctic haze (through the radiation-circulation feedbacks that cause changes in pressure patterns) is thought to have the potential to modify the mode and strength of large-scale teleconnection patterns such as the Barrents Sea Oscillation that could affect other climate regimes (mainly Europe) (Rinke et al. 2004). Additionally, via the Asian monsoon, wind patterns over the eastern Mediterranean and lower stratospheric pollution at higher latitudes (Lelieveld et al. 2002) are thought to be linked to the pollutants found in Asia, indicating the distant climate impacts of aerosols.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150021890','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150021890">Combined Observational and Modeling Efforts to Better Understand Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions Over Land: Preliminary Results from 7-SEAS/BASELInE 2013</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Loftus, Adrian M.; Tsay, Si-Chee 2015-01-01 This talk presents some of the detailed observations of low-level stratocumulus over northern Vietnam during 7-SEASBASELInE 2013 by SMARTLabs' ACHIEVE W-band cloud radar and other remote sensing instruments. These observations are the first of their kind for this region and will aid in ongoing studies of biomass-burning aerosol impacts on local and regional weather and climate. Preliminary results from simulations using the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) with recently implemented triple-moment bulk microphysics to examine the sensitivity of low-level stratocumulus over land to aerosols are also presented. Recommendations for future observational activities in the 7-SEAS northern region in collaboration with international partners will also be discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A43B2445P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A43B2445P">Low Cloud Feedback to Surface Warming in the World's First Global Climate Model with Explicit Embedded Boundary Layer Turbulence</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Parishani, H.; Pritchard, M. S.; Bretherton, C. S.; Wyant, M. C.; Khairoutdinov, M.; Singh, B. 2017-12-01 Biases and parameterization formulation uncertainties in the representation of boundary layer clouds remain a leading source of possible systematic error in climate projections. Here we show the first results of cloud feedback to +4K SST warming in a new experimental climate model, the ``Ultra-Parameterized (UP)'' Community Atmosphere Model, UPCAM. We have developed UPCAM as an unusually high-resolution implementation of cloud superparameterization (SP) in which a global set of cloud resolving arrays is embedded in a host global climate model. In UP, the cloud-resolving scale includes sufficient internal resolution to explicitly generate the turbulent eddies that form marine stratocumulus and trade cumulus clouds. This is computationally costly but complements other available approaches for studying low clouds and their climate interaction, by avoiding parameterization of the relevant scales. In a recent publication we have shown that UP, while not without its own complexity trade-offs, can produce encouraging improvements in low cloud climatology in multi-month simulations of the present climate and is a promising target for exascale computing (Parishani et al. 2017). Here we show results of its low cloud feedback to warming in multi-year simulations for the first time. References: Parishani, H., M. S. Pritchard, C. S. Bretherton, M. C. Wyant, and M. Khairoutdinov (2017), Toward low-cloud-permitting cloud superparameterization with explicit boundary layer turbulence, J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 9, doi:10.1002/2017MS000968. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A41J..06M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A41J..06M">Lagrangian evolution of the marine boundary layer from the Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Mohrmann, J.; Ghate, V. P.; McCoy, I. L.; Bretherton, C. S.; Wood, R.; Minnis, P.; Palikonda, R. 2017-12-01 The Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) field campaign took place July/August 2015 to study the evolution of clouds, precipitation, and aerosols in the stratocumulus-to-cumulus (Sc-Cu) transition region of the northeast Pacific marine boundary layer (MBL). Aircraft observations sampled across a wide range of cloud and aerosol conditions. The sampling strategy, where MBL airmasses were sampled with the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream-V (HIAPER) and resampled then at their advected location two days later, resulted in a dataset of 14 paired flights suitable for Lagrangian analysis. This analysis shows that Lagrangian coherence of long-lived species (namely CO and O3) across 48 hours are high, but that of subcloud aerosol, MBL depth, and cloud properties is limited. Geostationary satellite retrievals are compared against aircraft observations; these are combined with reanalysis data and HYSPLIT trajectories to document the Lagrangian evolution of cloud fraction, cloud droplet number concentration, liquid water path, estimated inversion strength (EIS), and MBL depth, which are used to expand upon and validate the aircraft-based analysis. Many of the trajectories sampled by the aircraft show a clear Sc-Cu transition. Although satellite cloud fraction and EIS were found to be strongly spatiotemporally correlated, changes in MBL cloud fraction along trajectories did not correlate with any measure of EIS forcing. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1132726-transitions-cloud-topped-marine-boundary-layers-characterized-airs-modis-large-eddy-simulation-model','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1132726-transitions-cloud-topped-marine-boundary-layers-characterized-airs-modis-large-eddy-simulation-model">Transitions of cloud-topped marine boundary layers characterized by AIRS, MODIS, and a large eddy simulation model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Yue, Qing; Kahn, Brian; Xiao, Heng 2013-08-16 Cloud top entrainment instability (CTEI) is a hypothesized positive feedback between entrainment mixing and evaporative cooling near the cloud top. Previous theoretical and numerical modeling studies have shown that the persistence or breakup of marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds may be sensitive to the CTEI parameter. Collocated thermodynamic profile and cloud observations obtained from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments are used to quantify the relationship between the CTEI parameter and the cloud-topped MBL transition from stratocumulus to trade cumulus in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Results derived from AIRS and MODIS are compared withmore » numerical results from the UCLA large eddy simulation (LES) model for both well-mixed and decoupled MBLs. The satellite and model results both demonstrate a clear correlation between the CTEI parameter and MBL cloud fraction. Despite fundamental differences between LES steady state results and the instantaneous snapshot type of observations from satellites, significant correlations for both the instantaneous pixel-scale observations and the long-term averaged spatial patterns between the CTEI parameter and MBL cloud fraction are found from the satellite observations and are consistent with LES results. This suggests the potential of using AIRS and MODIS to quantify global and temporal characteristics of the cloud-topped MBL transition.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040172171&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040172171&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S. 2004-01-01 Cloud microphysics are inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles (i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail). Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). 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 cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region, in the sub-tropics (Florida) and in the mid-latitude using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low 'clean' concentration and a high 'dirty' concentration. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..17.6008S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..17.6008S">An attempt to quantify aerosol-cloud effects in fields of precipitating trade wind cumuli</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Seifert, Axel; Heus, Thijs 2015-04-01 Aerosol indirect effects are notoriously difficult to understand and quantify. Using large-eddy simulations (LES) we attempt to quantify the impact of aerosols on the albedo and the precipitation formation in trade wind cumulus clouds. Having performed a set of large-domain Giga-LES runs we are able to capture the mesoscale self-organization of the cloud field. Our simulations show that self-organization is intrinsically tied to precipitation formation in this cloud regime making previous studies that did not consider cloud organization questionable. We find that aerosols, here modeled just as a perturbation in cloud droplet number concentration, have a significant impact on the transient behavior, i.e., how fast rain is formed and self-organization of the cloud field takes place. Though, for longer integration times, all simulations approach the same radiative-convective equilibrium and aerosol effects become small. The sensitivity to aerosols becomes even smaller when we include explicit cloud-radiation interaction as this leads to a much faster and more vigorous response of the cloud layer. Overall we find that aerosol-cloud interactions, like cloud lifetime effects etc., are small or even negative when the cloud field is close to equilibrium. Consequently, the Twomey effect does already provide an upper bound on the albedo effects of aerosol perturbations. Our analysis also highlights that current parameterizations that predict only the grid-box mean of the cloud field and do not take into account cloud organization are not able to describe aerosol indirect effects correctly, but overestimate them due to that lack of cloud dynamical and mesoscale buffering. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120015888','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120015888">A Robust Multi-Scale Modeling System for the Study of Cloud and Precipitation Processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2012-01-01 During the past decade, numerical weather and global non-hydrostatic models have started using more complex microphysical schemes originally developed for high resolution cloud resolving models (CRMs) with 1-2 km or less horizontal resolutions. These microphysical schemes affect the dynamic through the release of latent heat (buoyancy loading and pressure gradient) the radiation through the cloud coverage (vertical distribution of cloud species), and surface processes through rainfall (both amount and intensity). Recently, several major improvements of ice microphysical processes (or schemes) have been developed for cloud-resolving model (Goddard Cumulus Ensemble, GCE, model) and regional scale (Weather Research and Forecast, WRF) model. These improvements include an improved 3-ICE (cloud ice, snow and graupel) scheme (Lang et al. 2010); a 4-ICE (cloud ice, snow, graupel and hail) scheme and a spectral bin microphysics scheme and two different two-moment microphysics schemes. The performance of these schemes has been evaluated by using observational data from TRMM and other major field campaigns. In this talk, we will present the high-resolution (1 km) GeE and WRF model simulations and compared the simulated model results with observation from recent field campaigns [i.e., midlatitude continental spring season (MC3E; 2010), high latitude cold-season (C3VP, 2007; GCPEx, 2012), and tropical oceanic (TWP-ICE, 2006)]. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800066596&hterms=WIND+STORMS&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3DWIND%2BSTORMS','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800066596&hterms=WIND+STORMS&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3DWIND%2BSTORMS">Moisture convergence using satellite-derived wind fields - A severe local storm case study</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Negri, A. J.; Vonder Haar, T. H. 1980-01-01 Five-minute interval 1-km resolution SMS visible channel data were used to derive low-level wind fields by tracking small cumulus clouds on NASA's Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System. The satellite-derived wind fields were combined with surface mixing ratios to derive horizontal moisture convergence in the prestorm environment of April 24, 1975. Storms began developing in an area extending from southwest Oklahoma to eastern Tennessee 2 h subsequent to the time of the derived fields. The maximum moisture convergence was computed to be 0.0022 g/kg per sec and areas of low-level convergence of moisture were in general indicative of regions of severe storm genesis. The resultant moisture convergence fields derived from two wind sets 20 min apart were spatially consistent and reflected the mesoscale forcing of ensuing storm development. Results are discussed with regard to possible limitations in quantifying the relationship between low-level flow and between low-level flow and satellite-derived cumulus motion in an antecedent storm environment. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20090014068&hterms=investment+property&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Dinvestment%2Bproperty','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20090014068&hterms=investment+property&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D90%26Ntt%3Dinvestment%2Bproperty">Application of the CloudSat and NEXRAD Radars Toward Improvements in High Resolution Operational Forecasts</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Molthan, A. L.; Haynes, J. A.; Case, J. L.; Jedlovec, G. L.; Lapenta, W. M. 2008-01-01 As computational power increases, operational forecast models are performing simulations with higher spatial resolution allowing for the transition from sub-grid scale cloud parameterizations to an explicit forecast of cloud characteristics and precipitation through the use of single- or multi-moment bulk water microphysics schemes. investments in space-borne and terrestrial remote sensing have developed the NASA CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar and the NOAA National Weather Service NEXRAD system, each providing observations related to the bulk properties of clouds and precipitation through measurements of reflectivity. CloudSat and NEXRAD system radars observed light to moderate snowfall in association with a cold-season, midlatitude cyclone traversing the Central United States in February 2007. These systems are responsible for widespread cloud cover and various types of precipitation, are of economic consequence, and pose a challenge to operational forecasters. This event is simulated with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) Model, utilizing the NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble microphysics scheme. Comparisons are made between WRF-simulated and observed reflectivity available from the CloudSat and NEXRAD systems. The application of CloudSat reflectivity is made possible through the QuickBeam radiative transfer model, with cautious application applied in light of single scattering characteristics and spherical target assumptions. Significant differences are noted within modeled and observed cloud profiles, based upon simulated reflectivity, and modifications to the single-moment scheme are tested through a supplemental WRF forecast that incorporates a temperature dependent snow crystal size distribution. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001JAtS...58.1924Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001JAtS...58.1924Z">A Minimal Three-Dimensional Tropical Cyclone Model.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Zhu, Hongyan; Smith, Roger K.; Ulrich, Wolfgang 2001-07-01 A minimal 3D numerical model designed for basic studies of tropical cyclone behavior is described. The model is formulated in coordinates on an f or plane and has three vertical levels, one characterizing a shallow boundary layer and the other two representing the upper and lower troposphere, respectively. It has three options for treating cumulus convection on the subgrid scale and a simple scheme for the explicit release of latent heat on the grid scale. The subgrid-scale schemes are based on the mass-flux models suggested by Arakawa and Ooyama in the late 1960s, but modified to include the effects of precipitation-cooled downdrafts. They differ from one another in the closure that determines the cloud-base mass flux. One closure is based on the assumption of boundary layer quasi-equilibrium proposed by Raymond and Emanuel.It is shown that a realistic hurricane-like vortex develops from a moderate strength initial vortex, even when the initial environment is slightly stable to deep convection. This is true for all three cumulus schemes as well as in the case where only the explicit release of latent heat is included. In all cases there is a period of gestation during which the boundary layer moisture in the inner core region increases on account of surface moisture fluxes, followed by a period of rapid deepening. Precipitation from the convection scheme dominates the explicit precipitation in the early stages of development, but this situation is reversed as the vortex matures. These findings are similar to those of Baik et al., who used the Betts-Miller parameterization scheme in an axisymmetric model with 11 levels in the vertical. The most striking difference between the model results using different convection schemes is the length of the gestation period, whereas the maximum intensity attained is similar for the three schemes. The calculations suggest the hypothesis that the period of rapid development in tropical cyclones is accompanied by a change in the character of deep convection in the inner core region from buoyantly driven, predominantly upright convection to slantwise forced moist ascent. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20130000030&hterms=nature&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dnature','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20130000030&hterms=nature&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dnature">On the Nature and Extent of Optically Thin Marine low Clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Leahy, L. V.; Wood, R.; Charlson, R. J.; Hostetler, C. A.; Rogers, R. R.; Vaughan, M. A.; Winker, D. M. 2012-01-01 Macrophysical properties of optically thin marine low clouds over the nonpolar oceans (60 deg S-60 deg N) are measured using 2 years of full-resolution nighttime data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). Optically thin clouds, defined as the subset of marine low clouds that do not fully attenuate the lidar signal, comprise almost half of the low clouds over the marine domain. Regionally, the fraction of low clouds that are optically thin (f(sub thin,cld)) exhibits a strong inverse relationship with the low-cloud cover, with maxima in the tropical trades (f(sub thin,cld) greater than 0.8) and minima in regions of persistent marine stratocumulus and in midlatitudes (f(sub thin,cld) less than 0.3). Domain-wide, a power law fit describes the cloud length distribution, with exponent beta = 2.03 +/- 0.06 (+/-95% confidence interval). On average, the fraction of a cloud that is optically thin decreases from approximately 1 for clouds smaller than 2 km to less than 0.3 for clouds larger than 30 km. This relationship is found to be independent of region, so that geographical variations in the cloud length distribution explain three quarters of the variance in f(sub thin,cld). Comparing collocated trade cumulus observations from CALIOP and the airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar reveals that clouds with lengths smaller than are resolvable with CALIOP contribute approximately half of the low clouds in the region sampled. A bounded cascade model is constructed to match the observations from the trades. The model shows that the observed optically thin cloud behavior is consistent with a power law scaling of cloud optical depth and suggests that most optically thin clouds only partially fill the CALIOP footprint. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20100033465','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20100033465">Shallow and Deep Latent Heating Modes Over Tropical Oceans Observed with TRMM PR Spectral Latent Heating Data</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Takayabu, Yukari N.; Shige, Shoichi; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Hirota, Nagio 2010-01-01 The global hydrological cycle is central to the Earth's climate system, with rainfall and the physics of its formation acting as the key links in the cycle. Two-thirds of global rainfall occurs in the Tropics. Associated with this rainfall is a vast amount of heat, which is known as latent heat. It arises mainly due to the phase change of water vapor condensing into liquid droplets; three-fourths of the total heat energy available to the Earth's atmosphere comes from tropical rainfall. In addition, fresh water provided by tropical rainfall and its variability exerts a large impact upon the structure and motions of the upper ocean layer. Three-dimensional distributions of latent heating estimated from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM PR)utilizing the Spectral Latent Heating (SLH) algorithm are analyzed. Mass-weighted and vertically integrated latent heating averaged over the tropical oceans is estimated as approx.72.6 J/s (approx.2.51 mm/day), and that over tropical land is approx.73.7 J/s (approx.2.55 mm/day), for 30degN-30degS. It is shown that non-drizzle precipitation over tropical and subtropical oceans consists of two dominant modes of rainfall systems, deep systems and congestus. A rough estimate of shallow mode contribution against the total heating is about 46.7 % for the average tropical oceans, which is substantially larger than 23.7 % over tropical land. While cumulus congestus heating linearly correlates with the SST, deep mode is dynamically bounded by large-scale subsidence. It is notable that substantial amount of rain, as large as 2.38 mm day-1 in average, is brought from congestus clouds under the large-scale subsiding circulation. It is also notable that even in the region with SST warmer than 28 oC, large-scale subsidence effectively suppresses the deep convection, remaining the heating by congestus clouds. Our results support that the entrainment of mid-to-lower-tropospheric dry air, which accompanies the large-scale subsidence is the major factor suppressing the deep convection. Therefore, representation of the realistic entrainment is very important for proper reproduction of precipitation distribution and resultant large-scale circulation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21950.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21950.html">Hurricane Irma's Cloud Structure as Seen by NASA's AIRS</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2017-09-08 The large-scale structure of clouds in and around Hurricane Irma is seen in this animation and still image created with data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The clouds are typical of tropical areas both nearby and away from tropical cyclones. Observations were taken at 1 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. UTC) on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, as Irma approached the Caribbean islands and was just becoming a powerful Category 5 storm. Each cylinder represents a volume of cloud detected by AIRS. The oval cylinder ends represent a region viewed by AIRS, with the oval sizes adjusted to reflect the proportion of clouds filling the area viewed. The largest ovals are about 30 miles (45 kilometers) across. The height of the cylinders indicates the cloud thickness, with thickest clouds reaching down to the surface. The vertical scale is exaggerated 15 times. Colors represent temperatures at the tops of the clouds. The perspective views the storm diagonally from above with an initial view toward the north-northwest, with the perspective rotating clockwise for a full circle. The area depicted is about 1,000 miles by 800 miles across (1,600 by 1,300 kilometers). At the start of the loop, North America is seen at the top of the image, and coastal Venezuela at the lower right. In the initial perspective, cirrus clouds (thin and blue), associated with flow outward from the top of the hurricane, overlie warmer (pink and red) shallow clouds. About five seconds into the loop, the deep clouds in the middle of Irma are easily seen. The most dangerous parts of Irma are within the region of high and cold (blue), thick clouds surrounding the central eye. The clouds are cold because they are carried to high, cold altitudes by vigorous thunderstorms within the hurricane. The eye itself is nearly cloud free, but the few clouds within it are low and warm. As the perspective shift toward the south-southeast around seven seconds into the loop, another storm system well north of Irma can be seen. It contains high, thick clouds, with more cirrus carried outward over shallow clouds. At about nine seconds, more outflow from Irma is seen, with high, thin clouds over shallow clouds once again apparent. Shortly afterward when the view is toward the southwest, yet more deep clouds and their outflowing cirrus clouds are apparent. This image depicts many of the clouds typical of the tropics even when cyclones are not present: high, cold thunderstorms pushing cirrus clouds over nearby regions containing many warm, shallow clouds. The animation also shows the structure typical of tropical cyclones around the world: very strong thunderstorms lifting clouds into cold parts of the atmosphere, with strong outflow at upper levels carrying cirrus clouds away from the storm center, and the storm organized symmetrically around a central eye. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21950 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950033276&hterms=water+cycles&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Bcycles','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950033276&hterms=water+cycles&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D70%26Ntt%3Dwater%2Bcycles">The tropical water and energy cycles in a cumulus ensemble model. Part 1: Equilibrium climate</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Sui, C. H.; Lau, K. M.; Tao, W. K.; Simpson, J. 1994-01-01 A cumulus ensemble model is used to study the tropical water and energy cycles and their role in the climate system. The model includes cloud dynamics, radiative processes, and microphysics that incorporate all important production and conversion processes among water vapor and five species of hydrometeors. Radiative transfer in clouds is parameterized based on cloud contents and size distributions of each bulk hydrometeor. Several model integrations have been carried out under a variety of imposed boundary and large-scale conditions. In Part 1 of this paper, the primary focus is on the water and heat budgets of the control experiment, which is designed to simulate the convective - radiative equilibrium response of the model to an imposed vertical velocity and a fixed sea surface temperature at 28 C. The simulated atmosphere is conditionally unstable below the freezing level and close to neutral above the freezing level. The equilibrium water budget shows that the total moisture source, M(sub s), which is contributed by surface evaporation (0.24 M(sub s)) and the large-scale advection (0.76 M(sub s)), all converts to mean surface precipitation bar-P(sub s). Most of M(sub s) is transported verticaly in convective regions where much of the condensate is generated and falls to surface (0.68 bar-P(sub s)). The remaining condensate detrains at a rate of 0.48 bar-P(sub s) and constitutes 65% of the source for stratiform clouds above the melting level. The upper-level stratiform cloud dissipates into clear environment at a rate of 0.14 bar-P(sub s), which is a significant moisture source comparable to the detrained water vapor (0.15 bar-P(sub s)) to the upper troposphere from convective clouds. In the lower troposphere, stratiform clouds evaporate at a rate of 0.41 bar-P(sub s), which is a more dominant moisture source than surface evaporation (0.22 bar-P(sub s)). The precipitation falling to the surface in the stratiform region is about 0.32 bar-P(sub s). The associated latent heating in the water cycle is the dominant source in the heat budget that generates a net upward motion in convective regions, upper stratiform regions (above the freezing level), and a downward motion in the lower stratiform regions. The budgets reveal a cycle of water and energy resulted from radiation-dynamic-convection interactions that maintain equilibrium of the atmosphere. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29637042','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29637042">The impact of cloud vertical profile on liquid water path retrieval based on the bispectral method: A theoretical study based on large-eddy simulations of shallow marine boundary layer clouds.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Miller, Daniel J; Zhang, Zhibo; Ackerman, Andrew S; Platnick, Steven; Baum, Bryan A 2016-04-27 Passive optical retrievals of cloud liquid water path (LWP), like those implemented for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), rely on cloud vertical profile assumptions to relate optical thickness ( τ ) and effective radius ( r e ) retrievals to LWP. These techniques typically assume that shallow clouds are vertically homogeneous; however, an adiabatic cloud model is plausibly more realistic for shallow marine boundary layer cloud regimes. In this study a satellite retrieval simulator is used to perform MODIS-like satellite retrievals, which in turn are compared directly to the large-eddy simulation (LES) output. This satellite simulator creates a framework for rigorous quantification of the impact that vertical profile features have on LWP retrievals, and it accomplishes this while also avoiding sources of bias present in previous observational studies. The cloud vertical profiles from the LES are often more complex than either of the two standard assumptions, and the favored assumption was found to be sensitive to cloud regime (cumuliform/stratiform). Confirming previous studies, drizzle and cloud top entrainment of dry air are identified as physical features that bias LWP retrievals away from adiabatic and toward homogeneous assumptions. The mean bias induced by drizzle-influenced profiles was shown to be on the order of 5-10 g/m 2 . In contrast, the influence of cloud top entrainment was found to be smaller by about a factor of 2. A theoretical framework is developed to explain variability in LWP retrievals by introducing modifications to the adiabatic r e profile. In addition to analyzing bispectral retrievals, we also compare results with the vertical profile sensitivity of passive polarimetric retrieval techniques. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5889945','PMC'); return false;" href="https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5889945">The impact of cloud vertical profile on liquid water path retrieval based on the bispectral method: A theoretical study based on large-eddy simulations of shallow marine boundary layer clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pmc">PubMed Central</a> Miller, Daniel J.; Zhang, Zhibo; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Platnick, Steven; Baum, Bryan A. 2018-01-01 Passive optical retrievals of cloud liquid water path (LWP), like those implemented for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), rely on cloud vertical profile assumptions to relate optical thickness (τ) and effective radius (re) retrievals to LWP. These techniques typically assume that shallow clouds are vertically homogeneous; however, an adiabatic cloud model is plausibly more realistic for shallow marine boundary layer cloud regimes. In this study a satellite retrieval simulator is used to perform MODIS-like satellite retrievals, which in turn are compared directly to the large-eddy simulation (LES) output. This satellite simulator creates a framework for rigorous quantification of the impact that vertical profile features have on LWP retrievals, and it accomplishes this while also avoiding sources of bias present in previous observational studies. The cloud vertical profiles from the LES are often more complex than either of the two standard assumptions, and the favored assumption was found to be sensitive to cloud regime (cumuliform/stratiform). Confirming previous studies, drizzle and cloud top entrainment of dry air are identified as physical features that bias LWP retrievals away from adiabatic and toward homogeneous assumptions. The mean bias induced by drizzle-influenced profiles was shown to be on the order of 5–10 g/m2. In contrast, the influence of cloud top entrainment was found to be smaller by about a factor of 2. A theoretical framework is developed to explain variability in LWP retrievals by introducing modifications to the adiabatic re profile. In addition to analyzing bispectral retrievals, we also compare results with the vertical profile sensitivity of passive polarimetric retrieval techniques. PMID:29637042 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017RScEd..47..539M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017RScEd..47..539M">Kindergarten and Primary School Children's Everyday, Synthetic, and Scientific Concepts of Clouds and Rainfall</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Malleus, Elina; Kikas, Eve; Marken, Tiivi 2017-06-01 The purpose of this research was to explore children's understandings of everyday, synthetic and scientific concepts to enable a description of how abstract, verbally taught material relates to previous experience-based knowledge and the consistency of understanding about cloud formation. This study examined the conceptual understandings of cloud formation and rain in kindergarten (age 5-7), second (age 8-9) and fourth (age 10-11) grade children, who were questioned on the basis of structured interview technique. In order to represent consistency in children's answers, three different types of clouds were introduced (a cirrus cloud, a cumulus cloud, and a rain cloud). Our results indicate that children in different age groups gave a similarly high amount of synthetic answers, which suggests the need for teachers to understand the formation process of different misconceptions to better support the learning process. Even children in kindergarten may have conceptions that represent different elements of scientific understanding and misconceptions cannot be considered age-specific. Synthetic understanding was also shown to be more consistent (not depending on cloud type) suggesting that gaining scientific understanding requires the reorganisation of existing concepts, that is time-consuming. Our results also show that the appearance of the cloud influences children's answers more in kindergarten where they mostly related rain cloud formation with water. An ability to create abstract connections between different concepts should also be supported at school as a part of learning new scientific information in order to better understand weather-related processes. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_19");'>19</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li class="active">21</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_22" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li class="active">22</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="421"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110008164&hterms=past+year+papers&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dpast%2Byear%2Bpapers','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110008164&hterms=past+year+papers&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dpast%2Byear%2Bpapers">Multiscale Cloud System Modeling</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A42C..03G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016AGUFM.A42C..03G">Radiative characteristics of Clouds embedded in and occurring beneath Smoke analyzed using airborne multiangular measurements</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Gautam, R.; Gatebe, C. K.; Varnai, T.; Singh, M.; Poudyal, R. 2016-12-01 Clouds in the presence of absorbing aerosols results in their apparent darkening, observed at the Top of Atmosphere (TOA), which is associated with the radiative effects of aerosol absorption. Owing to the warming/darkening effect and potential impacts on regional climate via semidirect and thermodynamic pathways, above-cloud aerosols have been characterized in recent satellite-based studies. While satellite data are particularly useful in showing the radiative impact of above-cloud aerosols at the TOA, retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties are affected by large uncertainties when they co-occur. In this study, we present radiative characteristics of clouds in the presence of wildfire smoke using airborne data primarily from NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR), collected during the ARCTAS and SAFARI campaigns in Canada and southern Africa, respectively. Scattered cumulus clouds embedded in dense smoke over land (Canada) as well as smoke aerosols above marine stratocumulus clouds (southeast Atlantic) show characteristic spectral gradient across the UV-visible-NIR spectrum using CAR data. In general, clouds in the presence of smoke are impacted by absorbing aerosol-induced darkening at the shorter wavelengths (e.g. UV and blue bands), as opposed to an (expected) negative gradient for cloud-free smoke and a flat spectrum for smoke-free cloud cover. The circular and spiral flights not only allowed the complete characterization of the angular distribution of smoke-cloud radiative interactions, but also provided the vertical distribution of smoke and clouds. Overall, the observational-based smoke-cloud radiative interactions were found to be physically consistent with theoretical 1D and 3D radiation calculations. These airborne observations are also complemented by satellite data from MODIS reflectances and CERES shortwave fluxes, providing a synergistic radiative impact assessment of clouds in the presence of smoke. http://car.gsfc.nasa.gov/ </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000116360&hterms=findeisen&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dfindeisen','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000116360&hterms=findeisen&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dfindeisen">Design and Performance of McRas in SCMs and GEOS I/II GCMs</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21947.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA21947.html">Powerful Hurricane Irma Seen in 3D by NASA's CloudSat</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040110427','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040110427">Independent Pixel and Two Dimensional Estimates of LANDSAT-Derived Cloud Field Albedo</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Chambers, L. H.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Evans, K. F. 1996-01-01 A theoretical study has been conducted on the effects of cloud horizontal inhomogeneity on cloud albedo bias. A two-dimensional (2D) version of the Spherical Harmonic Discrete Ordinate Method (SHDOM) is used to estimate the albedo bias of the plane parallel (PP-IPA) and independent pixel (IPA-2D) approximations for a wide range of 2D cloud fields obtained from LANDSAT. They include single layer trade cumulus, open and closed cell broken stratocumulus, and solid stratocumulus boundary layer cloud fields over ocean. Findings are presented on a variety of averaging scales and are summarized as a function of cloud fraction, mean cloud optical depth, cloud aspect ratio, standard deviation of optical depth, and the gamma function parameter Y (a measure of the width of the optical depth distribution). Biases are found to be small for small cloud fraction or mean optical depth, where the cloud fields under study behave linearly. They are large (up to 0.20 for PP-IPA bias, -0.12 for IPA-2D bias) for large v. On a scene average basis PP-IPA bias can reach 0.30, while IPA-2D bias reaches its largest magnitude at -0.07. Biases due to horizontal transport (IPA-2D) are much smaller than PP-IPA biases but account for 20% RMS of the bias overall. Limitations of this work include the particular cloud field set used, assumptions of conservative scattering, constant cloud droplet size, no gas absorption or surface reflectance, and restriction to 2D radiative transport. The LANDSAT data used may also be affected by radiative smoothing. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-KSC-01PP1471.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-KSC-01PP1471.html">KSC-01PP1471</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2001-08-10 KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Clouds of smoke and steam roll across the ground as Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles into the blue sky against a backdrop of cumulus clouds. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A occurred at 5:10:14 p.m. EDT. Besides the Shuttle crew of four, Discovery carries the Expedition Three crew who will replace Expedition Two on the Space Station. The mission payload includes the third flight of the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, delivering additional scientific racks, equipment and supplies for the Space Station, and the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) tank. The EAS, which will be attached to the Station during two spacewalks, contains spare ammonia for the Station’s cooling system. The three-member Expedition Two crew will be returning to Earth aboard Discovery after a five-month stay on the Station </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1133231-impact-subgrid-scale-radiative-heating-variability-stratocumulus-trade-cumulus-transition-climate-models','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1133231-impact-subgrid-scale-radiative-heating-variability-stratocumulus-trade-cumulus-transition-climate-models"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Xiao, Heng; Gustafson, William I.; Wang, Hailong Subgrid-scale interactions between turbulence and radiation are potentially important for accurately reproducing marine low clouds in climate models. To better understand the impact of these interactions, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is configured for large eddy simulation (LES) to study the stratocumulus-to-trade cumulus (Sc-to-Cu) transition. Using the GEWEX Atmospheric System Studies (GASS) composite Lagrangian transition case and the Atlantic Trade Wind Experiment (ATEX) case, it is shown that the lack of subgrid-scale turbulence-radiation interaction, as is the case in current generation climate models, accelerates the Sc-to-Cu transition. Our analysis suggests that in cloud-topped boundary layers subgrid-scale turbulence-radiation interactionsmore » contribute to stronger production of temperature variance, which in turn leads to stronger buoyancy production of turbulent kinetic energy and helps to maintain the Sc cover.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930088875','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930088875">Statistical Survey of Icing Data Measured on Scheduled Airline Flights over the United States and Canada from November 1951 to June 1952</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Perkins, Porter J 1955-01-01 A statistical survey and a preliminary analysis are made of icing data collected from scheduled flights over the United States and Canada from November 1951 to June 1952 by airline aircraft equipped with NACA pressure-type icing-rate meters. This interim report presents information obtained from a continuing program sponsored by the NACA with the cooperation of the airlines. An analysis of over 600 icing encounters logged by three airlines operating in the United States, one operating in Canada and one operating up the coast to Alaska, is presented. The icing conditions encountered provided relative frequencies of many icing-cloud variables, such as horizontal extent, vertical thickness, temperatures, icing rate, liquid-water content, and total ice accumulation. Liquid-water contents were higher than data from earlier research flights in layer-type clouds but slightly lower than previous data from cumulus clouds. Broken-cloud conditions, indicated by intermittent icing, accounted for nearly one-half of all the icing encounters. About 90 percent of the encounters did not exceed a distance of 120 miles, and continuous icing did not exceed 50 miles for 90 percent of the unbroken conditions. Icing cloud thicknesses measured during climbs and descents were less than 4500 feet for 90 percent of the vertical cloud traverses. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JAMES..10..245D','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018JAMES..10..245D">Can We Use Single-Column Models for Understanding the Boundary Layer Cloud-Climate Feedback?</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Dal Gesso, S.; Neggers, R. A. J. 2018-02-01 This study explores how to drive Single-Column Models (SCMs) with existing data sets of General Circulation Model (GCM) outputs, with the aim of studying the boundary layer cloud response to climate change in the marine subtropical trade wind regime. The EC-EARTH SCM is driven with the large-scale tendencies and boundary conditions as derived from two different data sets, consisting of high-frequency outputs of GCM simulations. SCM simulations are performed near Barbados Cloud Observatory in the dry season (January-April), when fair-weather cumulus is the dominant low-cloud regime. This climate regime is characterized by a near equilibrium in the free troposphere between the long-wave radiative cooling and the large-scale advection of warm air. In the SCM, this equilibrium is ensured by scaling the monthly mean dynamical tendency of temperature and humidity such that it balances that of the model physics in the free troposphere. In this setup, the high-frequency variability in the forcing is maintained, and the boundary layer physics acts freely. This technique yields representative cloud amount and structure in the SCM for the current climate. Furthermore, the cloud response to a sea surface warming of 4 K as produced by the SCM is consistent with that of the forcing GCM. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760010377','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760010377">The study of mesoscale phenomena, winter monsoon clouds and snow area. [Sea of Japan</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tsuchiya, K. (Principal Investigator) 1975-01-01 The author has identified the following significant results. The clouds under a moderate winter monsoon situation taken with S190A camera reveal existence of clouds with band structure of various wavelengths. The wavelength ranges from 0.4 to 3.5 kms. There was a good relationship between the longitudinal cloud band and vertical wind shear. There was a distinct difference in size of clouds between the Japan Sea side or upwind side and the Pacific Ocean side or downwind side of the Japanese mainland. Large solid cumulus clusters have the size of 20 x 35 sq km over the Japan Sea off the coast of Hokuriku District. It was found that S190A aerial color pictures showing shadows of fair weather cumuli over the sea could be successfully used in estimating cloud height while S190A station 1 picture was more useful over the land since it could more clearly distinguish shadow from vegetation. The height of fair weather cumuli estimated from shadows agree with the lifted condensation level. It was also found that these pictures were effectively used in delineating snow cover area. S192 data, especially IR channel, were found to be effective in finding topography of nimbostratus. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040084629&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040084629&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L. 2004-01-01 Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembel (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). 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 in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040082183&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20040082183&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L. 2004-01-01 Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, r d a U production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembe1 (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and platelike), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). 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 in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013SPIE.8890E..0JR','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013SPIE.8890E..0JR">Automated cloud classification using a ground based infra-red camera and texture analysis techniques</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Rumi, Emal; Kerr, David; Coupland, Jeremy M.; Sandford, Andrew P.; Brettle, Mike J. 2013-10-01 Clouds play an important role in influencing the dynamics of local and global weather and climate conditions. Continuous monitoring of clouds is vital for weather forecasting and for air-traffic control. Convective clouds such as Towering Cumulus (TCU) and Cumulonimbus clouds (CB) are associated with thunderstorms, turbulence and atmospheric instability. Human observers periodically report the presence of CB and TCU clouds during operational hours at airports and observatories; however such observations are expensive and time limited. Robust, automatic classification of cloud type using infrared ground-based instrumentation offers the advantage of continuous, real-time (24/7) data capture and the representation of cloud structure in the form of a thermal map, which can greatly help to characterise certain cloud formations. The work presented here utilised a ground based infrared (8-14 μm) imaging device mounted on a pan/tilt unit for capturing high spatial resolution sky images. These images were processed to extract 45 separate textural features using statistical and spatial frequency based analytical techniques. These features were used to train a weighted k-nearest neighbour (KNN) classifier in order to determine cloud type. Ground truth data were obtained by inspection of images captured simultaneously from a visible wavelength colour camera at the same installation, with approximately the same field of view as the infrared device. These images were classified by a trained cloud observer. Results from the KNN classifier gave an encouraging success rate. A Probability of Detection (POD) of up to 90% with a Probability of False Alarm (POFA) as low as 16% was achieved. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1914333K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1914333K">Evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer in southern West Africa - an overview from the DACCIWA field campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Kalthoff, Norbert; Lohou, Fabienne; Brooks, Barbara; Jegede, Gbenga; Adler, Bianca; Ajao, Adewale; Ayoola, Muritala; Babić, Karmen; Bessardon, Geoffrey; Delon, Claire; Dione, Cheikh; Handwerker, Jan; Jambert, Corinne; Kohler, Martin; Lothon, Marie; Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, Xabier; Smith, Victoria; Sunmonu, Lukman; Wieser, Andreas 2017-04-01 In southern West Africa, extended low-level stratus clouds form very frequently during night-time and persist long into the following day influencing the diurnal cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). During the course of the day, a transition from nocturnal low-level stratus to stratocumulus, cumulus, and sometimes congestus and possibly cumulonimbus clouds is observed. In June and July 2016, a ground-based field campaign took place in southern West Africa within the framework of the Dynamics-aerosol-chemistry-cloud interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project with the aim to identify the meteorological controls on the stratus and the evolution of the ABL. During the measurement period, extensive remote sensing and in-situ measurements were performed at three supersites in Kumasi (Ghana), Savè (Benin) and Ile-Ife (Nigeria). We give an overview of the atmospheric conditions during the whole measurement period focusing on the vertical and temporal distribution of the stratus and relevant related atmospheric features. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030032287&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20030032287&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D50%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">Precipitation Processes Developed During ARM (1997), TOGA COARE (1992) GATE (1974), SCSMEX (1998), and KWAJEX (1999): Consistent 3D, Semi-3D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W.-K.; Hou, A.; Atlas, R.; Starr, D.; Sud, Y. 2003-01-01 Real clouds and cloud systems are inherently three-dimensional (3D). Because of the limitations in computer resources, however, most cloud-resolving models (CRMs) today are still two-dimensional (2D) have been used to study the response of clouds to large-scale forcing. IN these 3D simulators, the model domain was small, and the integration time was 6 hours. Only recently have 3D experiments been performed for multi-day periods for tropical clouds systems with large horizontal domains at the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and at NASA Goddard Space Center. At Goddard, a 3D cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model was used to simulate periods during TOGA COARE, GATE, SCSMEX, ARM, and KWAJEX using a 512 by 512 km domain (with 2-km resolution). The result indicate that surface precipitation and latent heating profiles are very similar between the 2D and 3D GCE model simulation. The major objective of this paper are: (1) to assess the performance of the super-parametrization technique, (2) calculate and examine the surface energy (especially radiation) and water budget, and (3) identify the differences and similarities in the organization and entrainment rates of convection between simulated 2D and 3D cloud systems. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41J0108W','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41J0108W">A physically based algorithm for non-blackbody correction of the cloud top temperature for the convective clouds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Wang, C.; Luo, Z. J.; Chen, X.; Zeng, X.; Tao, W.; Huang, X. 2012-12-01 Cloud top temperature is a key parameter to retrieval in the remote sensing of convective clouds. Passive remote sensing cannot directly measure the temperature at the cloud tops. Here we explore a synergistic way of estimating cloud top temperature by making use of the simultaneous passive and active remote sensing of clouds (in this case, CloudSat and MODIS). Weighting function of the MODIS 11μm band is explicitly calculated by feeding cloud hydrometer profiles from CloudSat retrievals and temperature and humidity profiles based on ECMWF ERA-interim reanalysis into a radiation transfer model. Among 19,699 tropical deep convective clouds observed by the CloudSat in 2008, the averaged effective emission level (EEL, where the weighting function attains its maximum) is at optical depth 0.91 with a standard deviation of 0.33. Furthermore, the vertical gradient of CloudSat radar reflectivity, an indicator of the fuzziness of convective cloud top, is linearly proportional to, d_{CTH-EEL}, the distance between the EEL of 11μm channel and cloud top height (CTH) determined by the CloudSat when d_{CTH-EEL}<0.6km. Beyond 0.6km, the distance has little sensitivity to the vertical gradient of CloudSat radar reflectivity. Based on these findings, we derive a formula between the fuzziness in the cloud top region, which is measurable by CloudSat, and the MODIS 11μm brightness temperature assuming that the difference between effective emission temperature and the 11μm brightness temperature is proportional to the cloud top fuzziness. This formula is verified using the simulated deep convective cloud profiles by the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model. We further discuss the application of this formula in estimating cloud top buoyancy as well as the error characteristics of the radiative calculation within such deep-convective clouds. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1402541-low-cloud-feedbacks-from-cloud-controlling-factors-review','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1402541-low-cloud-feedbacks-from-cloud-controlling-factors-review">Low-Cloud Feedbacks from Cloud-Controlling Factors: A Review</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Klein, Stephen A.; Hall, Alex; Norris, Joel R.; ... 2017-10-24 Here, the response to warming of tropical low-level clouds including both marine stratocumulus and trade cumulus is a major source of uncertainty in projections of future climate. Climate model simulations of the response vary widely, reflecting the difficulty the models have in simulating these clouds. These inadequacies have led to alternative approaches to predict low-cloud feedbacks. Here, we review an observational approach that relies on the assumption that observed relationships between low clouds and the “cloud-controlling factors” of the large-scale environment are invariant across time-scales. With this assumption, and given predictions of how the cloud-controlling factors change with climate warming,more » one can predict low-cloud feedbacks without using any model simulation of low clouds. We discuss both fundamental and implementation issues with this approach and suggest steps that could reduce uncertainty in the predicted low-cloud feedback. Recent studies using this approach predict that the tropical low-cloud feedback is positive mainly due to the observation that reflection of solar radiation by low clouds decreases as temperature increases, holding all other cloud-controlling factors fixed. The positive feedback from temperature is partially offset by a negative feedback from the tendency for the inversion strength to increase in a warming world, with other cloud-controlling factors playing a smaller role. A consensus estimate from these studies for the contribution of tropical low clouds to the global mean cloud feedback is 0.25 ± 0.18 W m –2 K –1 (90% confidence interval), suggesting it is very unlikely that tropical low clouds reduce total global cloud feedback. Because the prediction of positive tropical low-cloud feedback with this approach is consistent with independent evidence from low-cloud feedback studies using high-resolution cloud models, progress is being made in reducing this key climate uncertainty.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1402541-low-cloud-feedbacks-from-cloud-controlling-factors-review','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1402541-low-cloud-feedbacks-from-cloud-controlling-factors-review">Low-Cloud Feedbacks from Cloud-Controlling Factors: A Review</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Klein, Stephen A.; Hall, Alex; Norris, Joel R. Here, the response to warming of tropical low-level clouds including both marine stratocumulus and trade cumulus is a major source of uncertainty in projections of future climate. Climate model simulations of the response vary widely, reflecting the difficulty the models have in simulating these clouds. These inadequacies have led to alternative approaches to predict low-cloud feedbacks. Here, we review an observational approach that relies on the assumption that observed relationships between low clouds and the “cloud-controlling factors” of the large-scale environment are invariant across time-scales. With this assumption, and given predictions of how the cloud-controlling factors change with climate warming,more » one can predict low-cloud feedbacks without using any model simulation of low clouds. We discuss both fundamental and implementation issues with this approach and suggest steps that could reduce uncertainty in the predicted low-cloud feedback. Recent studies using this approach predict that the tropical low-cloud feedback is positive mainly due to the observation that reflection of solar radiation by low clouds decreases as temperature increases, holding all other cloud-controlling factors fixed. The positive feedback from temperature is partially offset by a negative feedback from the tendency for the inversion strength to increase in a warming world, with other cloud-controlling factors playing a smaller role. A consensus estimate from these studies for the contribution of tropical low clouds to the global mean cloud feedback is 0.25 ± 0.18 W m –2 K –1 (90% confidence interval), suggesting it is very unlikely that tropical low clouds reduce total global cloud feedback. Because the prediction of positive tropical low-cloud feedback with this approach is consistent with independent evidence from low-cloud feedback studies using high-resolution cloud models, progress is being made in reducing this key climate uncertainty.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1391809-clouds-aerosols-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-arm-mobile-facility-deployment','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1391809-clouds-aerosols-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-arm-mobile-facility-deployment">Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S. The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1- 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1201336-clouds-aerosol-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-arm-mobile-facility-deployment','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1201336-clouds-aerosol-precipitation-marine-boundary-layer-arm-mobile-facility-deployment">Clouds, aerosol, and precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM mobile facility deployment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Wood, Robert; Luke, Ed; Wyant, Matthew; ... 2014-04-27 The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21-month (April 2009-December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols, and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols, and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulusmore » and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back-trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging.The data from Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made with a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_20");'>20</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li class="active">22</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_23" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li class="active">23</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>25</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="441"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1255441','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1255441">Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An Arm Mobile Facility Deployment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S. The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) 38 deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009-December 2010) 39 comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric 40 Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is 41 to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the 42 marine boundary layer. 43 Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the 44 Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and 45 cloudiness conditions. Lowmore » clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulus and cumulus 46 occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar 47 echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1-48 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide 49 range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of 50 sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way 51 interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation 52 and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. 53 The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety 54 of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they 55 reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, 56 but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to 57 be a long-term ARM site that became operational in October 2013.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70155995','USGSPUBS'); return false;" href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70155995">Sky type discrimination using a ground-based sun photometer</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/index.jsp?view=adv">USGS Publications Warehouse</a> DeFelice, Thomas P.; Wylie, Bruce K. 2001-01-01 A 2-year feasibility study was conducted at the USGS EROS Data Center, South Dakota (43.733°N, 96.6167°W) to assess whether a four-band, ground-based, sun photometer could be used to discriminate sky types. The results indicate that unique spectral signatures do exist between sunny skies (including clear and hazy skies) and cirrus, and cirrostratus, altocumulus or fair-weather cumulus, and thin stratocumulus or altostratus, and fog/fractostratus skies. There were insufficient data points to represent other cloud types at a statistically significant level. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1430725-improvements-wrf-chem-model-quasi-hemispheric-simulations-aerosols-ozone-arctic','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1430725-improvements-wrf-chem-model-quasi-hemispheric-simulations-aerosols-ozone-arctic">Improvements to the WRF-Chem 3.5.1 model for quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone in the Arctic</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Marelle, Louis; Raut, Jean-Christophe; Law, Kathy S.; ... 2017-01-01 In this study, the WRF-Chem regional model is updated to improve simulated short-lived pollutants (e.g., aerosols, ozone) in the Arctic. Specifically, we include in WRF-Chem 3.5.1 (with SAPRC-99 gas-phase chemistry and MOSAIC aerosols) (1) a correction to the sedimentation of aerosols, (2) dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oceanic emissions and gas-phase chemistry, (3) an improved representation of the dry deposition of trace gases over seasonal snow, and (4) an UV-albedo dependence on snow and ice cover for photolysis calculations. We also (5) correct the representation of surface temperatures over melting ice in the Noah Land Surface Model and (6) couple and further test the recent KF-CuP (Kain–Fritsch +more » Cumulus Potential) cumulus parameterization that includes the effect of cumulus clouds on aerosols and trace gases. The updated model is used to perform quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone, which are evaluated against surface measurements of black carbon (BC), sulfate, and ozone as well as airborne measurements of BC in the Arctic. The updated model shows significant improvements in terms of seasonal aerosol cycles at the surface and root mean square errors (RMSEs) for surface ozone, aerosols, and BC aloft, compared to the base version of the model and to previous large-scale evaluations of WRF-Chem in the Arctic. These improvements are mostly due to the inclusion of cumulus effects on aerosols and trace gases in KF-CuP (improved RMSE for surface BC and BC profiles, surface sulfate, and surface ozone), the improved surface temperatures over sea ice (surface ozone, BC, and sulfate), and the updated trace gas deposition and UV albedo over snow and ice (improved RMSE and correlation for surface ozone). DMS emissions and chemistry improve surface sulfate at all Arctic sites except Zeppelin, and correcting aerosol sedimentation has little influence on aerosols except in the upper troposphere.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012EGUGA..14.9909G','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012EGUGA..14.9909G">Evaluation of predicted diurnal cycle of precipitation after tests with convection and microphysics schemes in the Eta Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Gomes, J. L.; Chou, S. C.; Yaguchi, S. M. 2012-04-01 Physics parameterizations and the model vertical and horizontal resolutions, for example, can significantly contribute to the uncertainty in the numerical weather predictions, especially at regions with complex topography. The objective of this study is to assess the influences of model precipitation production schemes and horizontal resolution on the diurnal cycle of precipitation in the Eta Model . The model was run in hydrostatic mode at 3- and 5-km grid sizes, the vertical resolution was set to 50 layers, and the time steps to 6 and 10 s, respectively. The initial and boundary conditions were taken from ERA-Interim reanalysis. Over the sea the 0.25-deg sea surface temperature from NOAA was used. The model was setup to run for each resolution over Angra dos Reis, located in the Southeast region of Brazil, for the rainy period between 18 December 2009 and 01 de January 2010, the model simulation range was 48 hours. In one set of runs the cumulus parameterization was switched off, in this case the model precipitation was fully simulated by cloud microphysics scheme, and in the other set the model was run with weak cumulus convection. The results show that as the model horizontal resolution increases from 5 to 3 km, the spatial pattern of the precipitation hardly changed, although the maximum precipitation core increased in magnitude. Daily data from automatic station data was used to evaluate the runs and shows that the diurnal cycle of temperature and precipitation were better simulated for 3 km when compared against observations. The model configuration results without cumulus convection shows a small contraction in the precipitating area and an increase in the simulated maximum values. The diurnal cycle of precipitation was better simulated with some activity of the cumulus convection scheme. The skill scores for the period and for different forecast ranges are higher at weak and moderate precipitation rates. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1430725','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1430725">Improvements to the WRF-Chem 3.5.1 model for quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone in the Arctic</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Marelle, Louis; Raut, Jean-Christophe; Law, Kathy S. In this study, the WRF-Chem regional model is updated to improve simulated short-lived pollutants (e.g., aerosols, ozone) in the Arctic. Specifically, we include in WRF-Chem 3.5.1 (with SAPRC-99 gas-phase chemistry and MOSAIC aerosols) (1) a correction to the sedimentation of aerosols, (2) dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oceanic emissions and gas-phase chemistry, (3) an improved representation of the dry deposition of trace gases over seasonal snow, and (4) an UV-albedo dependence on snow and ice cover for photolysis calculations. We also (5) correct the representation of surface temperatures over melting ice in the Noah Land Surface Model and (6) couple and further test the recent KF-CuP (Kain–Fritsch +more » Cumulus Potential) cumulus parameterization that includes the effect of cumulus clouds on aerosols and trace gases. The updated model is used to perform quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone, which are evaluated against surface measurements of black carbon (BC), sulfate, and ozone as well as airborne measurements of BC in the Arctic. The updated model shows significant improvements in terms of seasonal aerosol cycles at the surface and root mean square errors (RMSEs) for surface ozone, aerosols, and BC aloft, compared to the base version of the model and to previous large-scale evaluations of WRF-Chem in the Arctic. These improvements are mostly due to the inclusion of cumulus effects on aerosols and trace gases in KF-CuP (improved RMSE for surface BC and BC profiles, surface sulfate, and surface ozone), the improved surface temperatures over sea ice (surface ozone, BC, and sulfate), and the updated trace gas deposition and UV albedo over snow and ice (improved RMSE and correlation for surface ozone). DMS emissions and chemistry improve surface sulfate at all Arctic sites except Zeppelin, and correcting aerosol sedimentation has little influence on aerosols except in the upper troposphere.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017GMD....10.3661M','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017GMD....10.3661M">Improvements to the WRF-Chem 3.5.1 model for quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone in the Arctic</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Marelle, Louis; Raut, Jean-Christophe; Law, Kathy S.; Berg, Larry K.; Fast, Jerome D.; Easter, Richard C.; Shrivastava, Manish; Thomas, Jennie L. 2017-10-01 In this study, the WRF-Chem regional model is updated to improve simulated short-lived pollutants (e.g., aerosols, ozone) in the Arctic. Specifically, we include in WRF-Chem 3.5.1 (with SAPRC-99 gas-phase chemistry and MOSAIC aerosols) (1) a correction to the sedimentation of aerosols, (2) dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oceanic emissions and gas-phase chemistry, (3) an improved representation of the dry deposition of trace gases over seasonal snow, and (4) an UV-albedo dependence on snow and ice cover for photolysis calculations. We also (5) correct the representation of surface temperatures over melting ice in the Noah Land Surface Model and (6) couple and further test the recent KF-CuP (Kain-Fritsch + Cumulus Potential) cumulus parameterization that includes the effect of cumulus clouds on aerosols and trace gases. The updated model is used to perform quasi-hemispheric simulations of aerosols and ozone, which are evaluated against surface measurements of black carbon (BC), sulfate, and ozone as well as airborne measurements of BC in the Arctic. The updated model shows significant improvements in terms of seasonal aerosol cycles at the surface and root mean square errors (RMSEs) for surface ozone, aerosols, and BC aloft, compared to the base version of the model and to previous large-scale evaluations of WRF-Chem in the Arctic. These improvements are mostly due to the inclusion of cumulus effects on aerosols and trace gases in KF-CuP (improved RMSE for surface BC and BC profiles, surface sulfate, and surface ozone), the improved surface temperatures over sea ice (surface ozone, BC, and sulfate), and the updated trace gas deposition and UV albedo over snow and ice (improved RMSE and correlation for surface ozone). DMS emissions and chemistry improve surface sulfate at all Arctic sites except Zeppelin, and correcting aerosol sedimentation has little influence on aerosols except in the upper troposphere. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20170003361','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20170003361">Testing the Two-Layer Model for Correcting Near Cloud Reflectance Enhancement Using LES SHDOM Simulated Radiances</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wen, Guoyong; Marshak, Alexander; Varnai, Tamas; Levy, Robert 2016-01-01 A transition zone exists between cloudy skies and clear sky; such that, clouds scatter solar radiation into clear-sky regions. From a satellite perspective, it appears that clouds enhance the radiation nearby. We seek a simple method to estimate this enhancement, since it is so computationally expensive to account for all three-dimensional (3-D) scattering processes. In previous studies, we developed a simple two-layer model (2LM) that estimated the radiation scattered via cloud-molecular interactions. Here we have developed a new model to account for cloud-surface interaction (CSI). We test the models by comparing to calculations provided by full 3-D radiative transfer simulations of realistic cloud scenes. For these scenes, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-like radiance fields were computed from the Spherical Harmonic Discrete Ordinate Method (SHDOM), based on a large number of cumulus fields simulated by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) large eddy simulation (LES) model. We find that the original 2LM model that estimates cloud-air molecule interactions accounts for 64 of the total reflectance enhancement and the new model (2LM+CSI) that also includes cloud-surface interactions accounts for nearly 80. We discuss the possibility of accounting for cloud-aerosol radiative interactions in 3-D cloud-induced reflectance enhancement, which may explain the remaining 20 of enhancements. Because these are simple models, these corrections can be applied to global satellite observations (e.g., MODIS) and help to reduce biases in aerosol and other clear-sky retrievals. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050131814&hterms=library&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dlibrary','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050131814&hterms=library&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dlibrary">Coupled fvGCM-GCE Modeling System, 3D Cloud-Resolving Model and Cloud Library</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2005-01-01 Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud-resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional singlecolumn models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from Merent geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloudscale model (termed a super-parameterization or multiscale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameteridon NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CRMs. A seed fund is available at NASA Goddard to build a MMF based on the 2D Goddard cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM). A prototype MMF in being developed and production nms will be conducted at the beginning of 2005. In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes, (2) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), (3) A cloud library generated by Goddard MMF, and 3D GCE model, and (4) A brief discussion on the GCE model on developing a global cloud simulator. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006AGUSM.A53B..05Z','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006AGUSM.A53B..05Z">Using High-Resolution Satellite Observations for Evaluation of Cloud and Precipitation Statistics from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations. Part I: South China Sea Monsoon Experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20010050985&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20010050985&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">Tropical Oceanic Precipitation Processes Over Warm Pool: 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W.-K.; Johnson, D.; Simpson, J.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor) 2001-01-01 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 topics. 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 model simulate 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 clouds systems. The major objective of this paper is to investigate the latent heating, moisture and momentum 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 (GCE) model which includes a 3-class ice-phase microphysics scheme. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AGUSM.A11D..08P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009AGUSM.A11D..08P">Statistical Evaluation of CRM-Simulated Cloud and Precipitation Structures Using Multi- sensor TRMM Measurements and Retrievals</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Posselt, D.; L'Ecuyer, T.; Matsui, T. 2009-05-01 Cloud resolving models are typically used to examine the characteristics of clouds and precipitation and their relationship to radiation and the large-scale circulation. As such, they are not required to reproduce the exact location of each observed convective system, much less each individual cloud. Some of the most relevant information about clouds and precipitation is provided by instruments located on polar-orbiting satellite platforms, but these observations are intermittent "snapshots" in time, making assessment of model performance challenging. In contrast to direct comparison, model results can be evaluated statistically. This avoids the requirement for the model to reproduce the observed systems, while returning valuable information on the performance of the model in a climate-relevant sense. The focus of this talk is a model evaluation study, in which updates to the microphysics scheme used in a three-dimensional version of the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model are evaluated using statistics of observed clouds, precipitation, and radiation. We present the results of multiday (non-equilibrium) simulations of organized deep convection using single- and double-moment versions of a the model's cloud microphysical scheme. Statistics of TRMM multi-sensor derived clouds, precipitation, and radiative fluxes are used to evaluate the GCE results, as are simulated TRMM measurements obtained using a sophisticated instrument simulator suite. We present advantages and disadvantages of performing model comparisons in retrieval and measurement space and conclude by motivating the use of data assimilation techniques for analyzing and improving model parameterizations. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1343564','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1343564">Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) Preliminary Science Plan</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19970025054','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19970025054">The EOS CERES Global Cloud Mask</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Berendes, T. A.; Welch, R. M.; Trepte, Q.; Schaaf, C.; Baum, B. A. 1996-01-01 To detect long-term climate trends, it is essential to produce long-term and consistent data sets from a variety of different satellite platforms. With current global cloud climatology data sets, such as the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Experiment (ISCCP) or CLAVR (Clouds from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), one of the first processing steps is to determine whether an imager pixel is obstructed between the satellite and the surface, i.e., determine a cloud 'mask.' A cloud mask is essential to studies monitoring changes over ocean, land, or snow-covered surfaces. As part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) program, a series of platforms will be flown beginning in 1997 with the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and subsequently the EOS-AM and EOS-PM platforms in following years. The cloud imager on TRMM is the Visible/Infrared Sensor (VIRS), while the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is the imager on the EOS platforms. To be useful for long term studies, a cloud masking algorithm should produce consistent results between existing (AVHRR) data, and future VIRS and MODIS data. The present work outlines both existing and proposed approaches to detecting cloud using multispectral narrowband radiance data. Clouds generally are characterized by higher albedos and lower temperatures than the underlying surface. However, there are numerous conditions when this characterization is inappropriate, most notably over snow and ice of the cloud types, cirrus, stratocumulus and cumulus are the most difficult to detect. Other problems arise when analyzing data from sun-glint areas over oceans or lakes over deserts or over regions containing numerous fires and smoke. The cloud mask effort builds upon operational experience of several groups that will now be discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..122.5988L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..122.5988L">Tropical cloud and precipitation regimes as seen from near-simultaneous TRMM, CloudSat, and CALIPSO observations and comparison with ISCCP</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51I0180L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A51I0180L">Aerosol Properties over the Eastern North Pacific based on Measurements from the MAGIC Field Campaign</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lewis, E. R.; Senum, G.; Springston, S. R.; Kuang, C. 2015-12-01 The MAGIC field campaign, funded and operated by the ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) Climate Research Facility of the US Department of Energy, occurred between September 2012 and October, 2013 aboard the Horizon Lines cargo container ship Spirit making regular trips between Los Angeles, CA and Honolulu, HI. Along this route, which lies very near the GPCI (GCSS Pacific Cross-section Intercomparison) transect, the predominant cloud regime changes from stratocumulus near the California coast to trade-wind cumulus near Hawaii. The transition between these two regimes is poorly understood and not accurately represented in models. The goal of MAGIC was to acquire statistic of this transition and thus improve its representation in models by making repeated transects through this region and measuring properties of clouds and precipitation, aerosols, radiation, and atmospheric structure. To achieve these goals, the Second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2) was deployed on the Horizon Spirit as it ran its regular route between Los Angeles and Honolulu. AMF2 consists of three 20-foot SeaTainers and includes three radars and other instruments to measure properties of clouds and precipitation; the Aerosol Observing System (AOS), which has a suite of instruments to measure properties of aerosols; and other instruments to measure radiation, meteorological quantities, and sea surface temperature. Two technicians accompanied the AMF2, and scientists rode the ship as observers. MAGIC made nearly 20 round trips between Los Angeles and Honolulu (and thus nearly 40 excursions through the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition) and spent 200 days at sea, collecting an unprecedented data set. Aerosol properties measured with the AOS include number concentration and size distribution, CCN activity, hygroscopic growth, and light-scattering and absorption. Additionally, more than one hundred filter samples were collected. Aerosol properties and their spatial and temporal behavior are discussed and examined in terms of other meteorological and environmental parameters. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12571179','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12571179">Developmental potential of murine germinal vesicle stage cumulus-oocyte complexes following exposure to dimethylsulphoxide or cryopreservation: loss of membrane integrity of cumulus cells after thawing.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Ruppert-Lingham, C J; Paynter, S J; Godfrey, J; Fuller, B J; Shaw, R W 2003-02-01 Cumulus cells of the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) are important in oocyte maturation. Thus, in preserving immature oocytes it is prudent to also preserve their associated cumulus cells. The survival and function of oocytes and their associated cumulus cells was assessed following cryopreservation or exposure to cryoprotectant without freezing. Immature COCs were collected from mice primed with pregnant mare's serum. COCs were either slow-cooled or exposed to 1.5 mol/l dimethylsulphoxide without freezing. Treated and fresh COCs were stained for membrane integrity or, after in-vitro maturation and IVF, were assessed for developmental capability. Development of cumulus-denuded fresh oocytes, as well as denuded and frozen-thawed oocytes co-cultured with fresh cumulus cells, was assessed. Slow-cooled oocytes had significantly reduced coverage by intact cumulus cells compared with fresh COCs. Cumulus cell association and developmental capability were not substantially affected by exposure to cryoprotectant without freezing. Denuded fresh oocytes and cryopreserved COCs had decreased developmental potential that was not overcome by co-culture with fresh cumulus cells. Loss of association between oocyte and cumulus cells was induced by cryopreservation, but not by treatment with cryoprotectant alone. The data indicate that direct physical contact between cumulus cells and the oocyte, throughout maturation, improves subsequent embryo development. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950052929&hterms=scala&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dscala','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19950052929&hterms=scala&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Dscala">Convective transport over the central United States and its role in regional CO and ozone budgets</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Thompson, Anne M.; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Dickerson, Russell R.; Ellis, William G., Jr.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Scala, John R.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Mcnamara, Donna P.; Simpson, Joanne 1994-01-01 We have constructed a regional budget for boundary layer carbon monoxide over the central United States (32.5 deg - 50 deg N, 90 deg - 105 deg W), emphasizing a detailed evaluation of deep convective vertical fluxes appropriate for the month of June. Deep convective venting of the boundary layer (upward) dominates other components of the CO budget, e.g., downward convective transport, loss of CO by oxidation, anthropogenic emissions, and CO produced from oxidation of methane, isoprene, and anthropogenic nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs). Calculations of deep convective venting are based on the method pf Pickering et al.(1992a) which uses a satellite-derived deep convective cloud climatology along with transport statistics from convective cloud model simulations of observed prototype squall line events. This study uses analyses of convective episodes in 1985 and 1989 and CO measurements taken during several midwestern field campaigns. Deep convective venting of the boundary layer over this moderately polluted region provides a net (upward minus downward) flux of 18.1 x 10(exp 8) kg CO/month to the free troposphere during early summer. Shallow cumulus and synoptic-scale weather systems together make a comparable contribution (total net flux 16.2 x 10(exp 8) kg CO/month). Boundary layer venting of CO with other O3 precursors leads to efficient free troposheric O3 formation. We estimate that deep convective transport of CO and other precursors over the central United States in early summer leads to a gross production of 0.66 - 1.1 Gmol O3/d in good agreement with estimates of O3 production from boundary layer venting in a continental-scale model (Jacob et al., 1993a, b). On this respect the central U.S. region acts as s `chimney' for the country, and presumably this O3 contributes to high background levels of O3 in the eastern United States and O3 export to the North Atlantic. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1364422','SCIGOV-STC'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1364422"></a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/search">DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)</a> Sena, Elisa T.; McComiskey, Allison; Feingold, Graham Empirical estimates of the microphysical response of cloud droplet size distribution to aerosol perturbations are commonly used to constrain aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models. Instead of empirical microphysical estimates, here macroscopic variables are analyzed to address the influence of aerosol particles and meteorological descriptors on instantaneous cloud albedo and the radiative effect of shallow liquid water clouds. Long-term ground-based measurements from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program over the Southern Great Plains are used. A broad statistical analysis was performed on 14 years of coincident measurements of low clouds, aerosol, and meteorological properties. Here two cases representing conflicting results regardingmore » the relationship between the aerosol and the cloud radiative effect were selected and studied in greater detail. Microphysical estimates are shown to be very uncertain and to depend strongly on the methodology, retrieval technique and averaging scale. For this continental site, the results indicate that the influence of the aerosol on the shallow cloud radiative effect and albedo is weak and that macroscopic cloud properties and dynamics play a much larger role in determining the instantaneous cloud radiative effect compared to microphysical effects. On a daily basis, aerosol shows no correlation with cloud radiative properties (correlation = -0.01 ± 0.03), whereas the liquid water path shows a clear signal (correlation = 0.56 ± 0.02).« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1988JApMe..27..363W','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1988JApMe..27..363W">Marine Stratocumulus Cloud Fields off the Coast of Southern California Observed Using LANDSAT Imagery. Part II: Textural Analysis.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Welch, R. M.; Sengupta, S. K.; Kuo, K. S. 1988-04-01 Statistical measures of the spatial distributions of gray levels (cloud reflectivities) are determined for LANDSAT Multispectral Scanner digital data. Textural properties for twelve stratocumulus cloud fields, seven cumulus fields, and two cirrus fields are examined using the Spatial Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix method. The co-occurrence statistics are computed for pixel separations ranging from 57 m to 29 km and at angles of 0°, 45°, 90° and 135°. Nine different textual measures are used to define the cloud field spatial relationships. However, the measures of contrast and correlation appear to be most useful in distinguishing cloud structure.Cloud field macrotexture describes general cloud field characteristics at distances greater than the size of typical cloud elements. It is determined from the spatial asymptotic values of the texture measures. The slope of the texture curves at small distances provides a measure of the microtexture of individual cloud cells. Cloud fields composed primarily of small cells have very steep slopes and reach their asymptotic values at short distances from the origin. As the cells composing the cloud field grow larger, the slope becomes more gradual and the asymptotic distance increases accordingly. Low asymptotic values of correlation show that stratocumulus cloud fields have no large scale organized structure.Besides the ability to distinguish cloud field structure, texture appears to be a potentially valuable tool in cloud classification. Stratocumulus clouds are characterized by low values of angular second moment and large values of entropy. Cirrus clouds appear to have extremely low values of contrast, low values of entropy, and very large values of correlation.Finally, we propose that sampled high spatial resolution satellite data be used in conjunction with coarser resolution operational satellite data to detect and identify cloud field structure and directionality and to locate regions of subresolution scale cloud contamination. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800067619&hterms=WIND+STORMS&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3DWIND%2BSTORMS','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19800067619&hterms=WIND+STORMS&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3DWIND%2BSTORMS">Short-interval SMS wind vector determinations for a severe local storms area</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li class="active">23</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>25</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_24" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li class="active">24</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>25</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="461"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080038646','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080038646">Evaluation of Long-Term Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations Using Satellite Radiance Observations and Multi-Frequency Satellite Simulators</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Matsui, Toshihisa; Zeng, Xiping; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Masunaga, Hirohiko; Olson, William S.; Lang, Stephen 2008-01-01 This paper proposes a methodology known as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Triple-Sensor Three-step Evaluation Framework (T3EF) for the systematic evaluation of precipitating cloud types and microphysics in a cloud-resolving model (CRM). T3EF utilizes multi-frequency satellite simulators and novel statistics of multi-frequency radiance and backscattering signals observed from the TRMM satellite. Specifically, T3EF compares CRM and satellite observations in the form of combined probability distributions of precipitation radar (PR) reflectivity, polarization-corrected microwave brightness temperature (Tb), and infrared Tb to evaluate the candidate CRM. T3EF is used to evaluate the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model for cases involving the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX) and Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX). This evaluation reveals that the GCE properly captures the satellite-measured frequencies of different precipitating cloud types in the SCSMEX case but underestimates the frequencies of deep convective and deep stratiform types in the KWAJEX case. Moreover, the GCE tends to simulate excessively large and abundant frozen condensates in deep convective clouds as inferred from the overestimated GCE-simulated radar reflectivities and microwave Tb depressions. Unveiling the detailed errors in the GCE s performance provides the best direction for model improvements. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A21D0169P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.A21D0169P">Simulating Roll Clouds associated with Low-Level Convergence.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Prasad, A. A.; Sherwood, S. C. 2015-12-01 Convective initiation often takes place when features such as fronts and/or rolls collide, merge or otherwise meet. Rolls indicate boundary layer convergence and may initiate thunderstorms. These are often seen in satellite and radar imagery prior to the onset of deep convection. However, links between convergence driven rolls and convection are poor in global models. The poor representation of convection is the source of many model biases, especially over the Maritime Continent in the Tropics. We simulate low-level convergence lines over north-eastern Australia using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model (version 3.7). The simulations are events from September-October 2002 driven by sea breeze circulations. Cloud lines associated with bore-waves that form along the low-level convergence lines are thoroughly investigated in this study with comparisons from satellite and surface observations. Initial simulations for a series of cloud lines observed on 4th October, 2002 over the Gulf of Carpentaria showed greater agreement in the timing and propagation of the disturbance and the low-level convergence, however the cloud lines or streets of roll clouds were not properly captured by the model. Results from a number of WRF simulations with different microphysics, cumulus and planetary boundary layer schemes, resolution and boundary conditions will also be discussed. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A21H2253K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A21H2253K">Comparison of cloud optical depth and cloud mask applying BRDF model-based background surface reflectance</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Kim, H. W.; Yeom, J. M.; Woo, S. H. 2017-12-01 Over the thin cloud region, satellite can simultaneously detect the reflectance from thin clouds and land surface. Since the mixed reflectance is not the exact cloud information, the background surface reflectance should be eliminated to accurately distinguish thin cloud such as cirrus. In the previous research, Kim et al (2017) was developed the cloud masking algorithm using the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), which is one of significant instruments for Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite (COMS). Although GOCI has 8 spectral channels including visible and near infra-red spectral ranges, the cloud masking has quantitatively reasonable result when comparing with MODIS cloud mask (Collection 6 MYD35). Especially, we noticed that this cloud masking algorithm is more specialized in thin cloud detections through the validation with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) data. Because this cloud masking method was concentrated on eliminating background surface effects from the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. Applying the difference between TOA reflectance and the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model-based background surface reflectance, cloud areas both thick cloud and thin cloud can be discriminated without infra-red channels which were mostly used for detecting clouds. Moreover, when the cloud mask result was utilized as the input data when simulating BRDF model and the optimized BRDF model-based surface reflectance was used for the optimized cloud masking, the probability of detection (POD) has higher value than POD of the original cloud mask. In this study, we examine the correlation between cloud optical depth (COD) and its cloud mask result. Cloud optical depths mostly depend on the cloud thickness, the characteristic of contents, and the size of cloud contents. COD ranges from less than 0.1 for thin clouds to over 1000 for the huge cumulus due to scattering by droplets. With the cloud optical depth of CALIPSO, the cloud masking result can be more improved since we can figure out how deep cloud is. To validate the cloud mask and the correlation result, the atmospheric retrieval will be computed to compare the difference between TOA reflectance and the simulated surface reflectance. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A31G2273L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A31G2273L">Domain-averaged, Shallow Precipitation Measurements During the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lamer, K.; Luke, E. P.; Kollias, P.; Oue, M.; Wang, J. 2017-12-01 The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility operates a fixed observatory in the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) on Graciosa Island in the Azores. Straddling the tropics and extratropics, the Azores receive air transported from North America, the Arctic and sometimes Europe. At the ARM ENA site, marine boundary layer clouds are frequently observed all year round. Estimates of drizzle mass flux from the surface to cloud base height are documented using a combination of high sensitivity profiling 35-GHz radar and ceilometer observations. Three years of drizzle mass flux retrievals reveal that statistically, directly over the ENA site, marine boundary layer cloud drizzle rates tend to be weak with few heavy drizzle events. In the summer of 2017, this site hosted the first phase of the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) field campaign, which is motivated by the need for comprehensive in situ characterization of boundary layer structure, low clouds and aerosols. During this phase, the 35-GHz scanning ARM cloud radar was operated as a surveillance radar, providing regional context for the profiling observations. While less sensitive, the scanning radar measurements document a larger number of heavier drizzle events and provide domain-representative estimates of shallow precipitation. A best estimate, domain averaged, shallow precipitation rate for the region around the ARM ENA site is presented. The methodology optimally combines the ability of the profiling observations to detect the weak but frequently occurring drizzle events with the scanning cloud radar's ability to capture the less frequent heavier drizzle events. The technique is also evaluated using high resolution model output and a sophisticated forward radar operator. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1333515-parameterizing-microphysical-effects-variances-covariances-moisture-heat-content-using-multivariate-probability-density-function-study-clubb-tag-mvcs','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1333515-parameterizing-microphysical-effects-variances-covariances-moisture-heat-content-using-multivariate-probability-density-function-study-clubb-tag-mvcs">Parameterizing microphysical effects on variances and covariances of moisture and heat content using a multivariate probability density function: a study with CLUBB (tag MVCS)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Griffin, Brian M.; Larson, Vincent E. 2016-11-25 Microphysical processes, such as the formation, growth, and evaporation of precipitation, interact with variability and covariances (e.g., fluxes) in moisture and heat content. For instance, evaporation of rain may produce cold pools, which in turn may trigger fresh convection and precipitation. These effects are usually omitted or else crudely parameterized at subgrid scales in weather and climate models.A more formal approach is pursued here, based on predictive, horizontally averaged equations for the variances, covariances, and fluxes of moisture and heat content. These higher-order moment equations contain microphysical source terms. The microphysics terms can be integrated analytically, given a suitably simplemore » warm-rain microphysics scheme and an approximate assumption about the multivariate distribution of cloud-related and precipitation-related variables. Performing the integrations provides exact expressions within an idealized context.A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a shallow precipitating cumulus case is performed here, and it indicates that the microphysical effects on (co)variances and fluxes can be large. In some budgets and altitude ranges, they are dominant terms. The analytic expressions for the integrals are implemented in a single-column, higher-order closure model. Interactive single-column simulations agree qualitatively with the LES. The analytic integrations form a parameterization of microphysical effects in their own right, and they also serve as benchmark solutions that can be compared to non-analytic integration methods.« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20060012342&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20060012342&hterms=simulation+processes&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D20%26Ntt%3Dsimulation%2Bprocesses">Precipitation processes developed during TOGA COARE (1992), GATE (1974), SCSMEX (1998), and KWAJEX (1999): 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulation</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, W.-K. 2006-01-01 Real clouds and cloud systems are inherently three-dimensional (3D). Because of the limitations in computer resources, however, most cloud-resolving models (CRMs) today are still two-dimensional (2D). A few 3D CRMs have been used to study the response of clouds to large-scale forcing. In these 3D simulations, the model domain was small, and the integration time was 6 hours. Only recently have 3D experiments been performed for multi-day periods for tropical cloud systems with large horizontal domains at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), NOAA GFDL, the U.K. Met. Office, Colorado State University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. An improved 3D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model was recently used to simulate periods during TOGA COARE (December 19-27, 1992), GATE (september 1-7, 1974), SCSMEX (May 18-26, June 2-11, 1998) and KWAJEX (August 7-13, August 18-21, and August 29-September 12, 1999) using a 512 by 512 km domain and 41 vertical layers. The major objectives of this paper are: (1) to identify the differences and similarities in the simulated precipitation processes and their associated surface and water energy budgets in TOGA COARE, GATE, KWAJEX, and SCSMEX, and (2) to asses the impact of microphysics, radiation budget and surface fluxes on the organization of convection in tropics. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A31G2269K','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFM.A31G2269K">If Frisch is true - impacts of varying beam width, resolution, frequency combinations and beam overlap when retrieving liquid water content profiles</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Küchler, N.; Kneifel, S.; Kollias, P.; Loehnert, U. 2017-12-01 Cumulus and stratocumulus clouds strongly affect the Earth's radiation budget and are a major uncertainty source in weather and climate prediction models. To improve and evaluate models, a comprehensive understanding of cloud processes is necessary and references are needed. Therefore active and passive microwave remote sensing of clouds can be used to derive cloud properties such as liquid water path and liquid water content (LWC), which can serve as a reference for model evaluation. However, both the measurements and the assumptions when retrieving physical quantities from the measurements involve uncertainty sources. Frisch et al. (1998) combined radar and radiometer observations to derive LWC profiles. Assuming their assumptions are correct, there will be still uncertainties regarding the measurement setup. We investigate how varying beam width, temporal and vertical resolutions, frequency combinations, and beam overlap of and between the two instruments influence the retrieval of LWC profiles. Especially, we discuss the benefit of combining vertically, high resolved radar and radiometer measurements using the same antenna, i.e. having ideal beam overlap. Frisch, A. S., G. Feingold, C. W. Fairall, T. Uttal, and J. B. Snider, 1998: On cloud radar and microwave radiometer measurements of stratus cloud liquid water profiles. J. Geophys. Res.: Atmos., 103 (18), 23 195-23 197, doi:0148-0227/98/98JD-01827509.00. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AtmRe.118...10A','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AtmRe.118...10A">Extreme ultraviolet index due to broken clouds at a midlatitude site, Granada (southeastern Spain)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Antón, M.; Piedehierro, A. A.; Alados-Arboledas, L.; Wolfran, E.; Olmo, F. J. 2012-11-01 Cloud cover usually attenuates the ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation but, under certain sky conditions, the clouds may produce an enhancement effect increasing the UV levels at surface. The main objective of this paper is to analyze an extreme UV enhancement episode recorded on 16 June 2009 at Granada (southeastern Spain). This phenomenon was characterized by a quick and intense increase in surface UV radiation under broken cloud fields (5-7 oktas) in which the Sun was surrounded by cumulus clouds (confirmed with sky images). Thus, the UV index (UVI) showed an enhancement of a factor 4 in the course of only 30 min around midday, varying from 2.6 to 10.4 (higher than the corresponding clear-sky UVI value). Additionally, the UVI presented values higher than 10 (extreme erythemal risk) for about 20 min running, with a maximum value around 11.5. The use of an empirical model and the total ozone column (TOC) derived from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) for the period 1995-2011 showed that the value of UVI ~ 11.5 is substantially larger than the highest index that could origin the natural TOC variations over Granada. Finally, the UV erythemal dose accumulated during the period of 20 min with the extreme UVI values under broken cloud fields was 350 J/m2 which surpass the energy required to produce sunburn of the most human skin types. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..1710595B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015EGUGA..1710595B">A cloud masking algorithm for EARLINET lidar systems</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Binietoglou, Ioannis; Baars, Holger; D'Amico, Giuseppe; Nicolae, Doina 2015-04-01 Cloud masking is an important first step in any aerosol lidar processing chain as most data processing algorithms can only be applied on cloud free observations. Up to now, the selection of a cloud-free time interval for data processing is typically performed manually, and this is one of the outstanding problems for automatic processing of lidar data in networks such as EARLINET. In this contribution we present initial developments of a cloud masking algorithm that permits the selection of the appropriate time intervals for lidar data processing based on uncalibrated lidar signals. The algorithm is based on a signal normalization procedure using the range of observed values of lidar returns, designed to work with different lidar systems with minimal user input. This normalization procedure can be applied to measurement periods of only few hours, even if no suitable cloud-free interval exists, and thus can be used even when only a short period of lidar measurements is available. Clouds are detected based on a combination of criteria including the magnitude of the normalized lidar signal and time-space edge detection performed using the Sobel operator. In this way the algorithm avoids misclassification of strong aerosol layers as clouds. Cloud detection is performed using the highest available time and vertical resolution of the lidar signals, allowing the effective detection of low-level clouds (e.g. cumulus humilis). Special attention is given to suppress false cloud detection due to signal noise that can affect the algorithm's performance, especially during day-time. In this contribution we present the details of algorithm, the effect of lidar characteristics (space-time resolution, available wavelengths, signal-to-noise ratio) to detection performance, and highlight the current strengths and limitations of the algorithm using lidar scenes from different lidar systems in different locations across Europe. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050180589&hterms=library&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dlibrary','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20050180589&hterms=library&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dlibrary">Coupled fvGCM-GCE Modeling System, 3D Cloud-Resolving Model and Cloud Library</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2005-01-01 Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud- resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional single-column models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from different geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloud-scale model (termed a super-parameterization or multi-scale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameterization. NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CRMs. A seed fund is available at NASA Goddard to build a MMF based on the 2D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM). A prototype MMF in being developed and production runs will be conducted at the beginning of 2005. In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes, ( 2 ) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), (3) A cloud library generated by Goddard MMF, and 3D GCE model, and (4) A brief discussion on the GCE model on developing a global cloud simulator. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19900028054&hterms=microwaves+water+structure&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dmicrowaves%2Bwater%2Bstructure','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19900028054&hterms=microwaves+water+structure&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D30%26Ntt%3Dmicrowaves%2Bwater%2Bstructure">Marine stratocumulus structure</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Cahalan, Robert F.; Snider, Jack B. 1989-01-01 Thirty-three Landsat TM scenes of California stratocumulus cloud fields were acquired as part of the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus Intensive Field Observations in July 1987. They exhibit a wide variety of stratocumulus structures. Analysis has so far focused upon the July 7 scene, in which aircraft from NASA, NCAR, and the British Meteorological Office repeatedly gathered data across a stratocumulus-fair weather cumulus transition. The aircraft soundings validate the cloud base temperature threshold determined by spatial coherence analysis of the TM thermal band. Brightness variations in the stratocumulus region exhibit a -5/3 power-law decrease of the wavenumber spectra for scales larger than the cloud thickness, about 200 m, changing to a -3 power at smaller scales. Observations by an upward-looking three-channel microwave radiometer on San Nicolas Island also show the -5/3 power-law in total integrated liquid water, suggesting that the largest-scale TM brightness variations are primarily due to variations in the liquid water. The Kolmogorov 5/3 power suggests that for some purposes liquid water in turbulent stratocumulus clouds may be treated as a passive scalar, simply reflecting variations in vertical velocity. This may be tested using the velocities measured by the aircraft. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040051175','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040051175">Simple Models of the Spatial Distribution of Cloud Radiative Properties for Remote Sensing Studies</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 2004-01-01 This project aimed to assess the degree to which estimates of three-dimensional cloud structure can be inferred from a time series of profiles obtained at a point. The work was motivated by the desire to understand the extent to which high-frequency profiles of the atmosphere (e.g. ARM data streams) can be used to assess the magnitude of non-plane parallel transfer of radiation in thc atmosphere. We accomplished this by performing an observing system simulation using a large-eddy simulation and a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model. We define the 3D effect as the part of the radiative transfer that isn't captured by one-dimensional radiative transfer calculations. We assess the magnitude of the 3D effect in small cumulus clouds by using a fine-scale cloud model to simulate many hours of cloudiness over a continental site. We then use a Monte Carlo radiative transfer model to compute the broadband shortwave fluxes at the surface twice, once using the complete three-dimensional radiative transfer F(sup 3D), and once using the ICA F (sup ICA); the difference between them is the 3D effect given. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120002847','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20120002847">Physical Validation of GPM Retrieval Algorithms Over Land: An Overview of the Mid-Latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E)</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Petersen, Walter A.; Jensen, Michael P. 2011-01-01 The joint NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) -- DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) was conducted from April 22-June 6, 2011, centered on the DOE-ARM Southern Great Plains Central Facility site in northern Oklahoma. GPM field campaign objectives focused on the collection of airborne and ground-based measurements of warm-season continental precipitation processes to support refinement of GPM retrieval algorithm physics over land, and to improve the fidelity of coupled cloud resolving and land-surface satellite simulator models. DOE ARM objectives were synergistically focused on relating observations of cloud microphysics and the surrounding environment to feedbacks on convective system dynamics, an effort driven by the need to better represent those interactions in numerical modeling frameworks. More specific topics addressed by MC3E include ice processes and ice characteristics as coupled to precipitation at the surface and radiometer signals measured in space, the correlation properties of rainfall and drop size distributions and impacts on dual-frequency radar retrieval algorithms, the transition of cloud water to rain water (e.g., autoconversion processes) and the vertical distribution of cloud water in precipitating clouds, and vertical draft structure statistics in cumulus convection. The MC3E observational strategy relied on NASA ER-2 high-altitude airborne multi-frequency radar (HIWRAP Ka-Ku band) and radiometer (AMPR, CoSMIR; 10-183 GHz) sampling (a GPM "proxy") over an atmospheric column being simultaneously profiled in situ by the University of North Dakota Citation microphysics aircraft, an array of ground-based multi-frequency scanning polarimetric radars (DOE Ka-W, X and C-band; NASA D3R Ka-Ku and NPOL S-bands) and wind-profilers (S/UHF bands), supported by a dense network of over 20 disdrometers and rain gauges, all nested in the coverage of a six-station mesoscale rawinsonde network. As an exploratory effort to examine land-surface emissivity impacts on retrieval algorithms, and to demonstrate airborne soil moisture retrieval capabilities, the University of Tennessee Space Institute Piper aircraft carrying the MAPIR L-band radiometer was also flown during the latter half of the experiment in coordination with the ER-2. The observational strategy provided a means to sample the atmospheric column in a redundant framework that enables inter-calibration and constraint of measured and retrieved precipitation characteristics such as particle size distributions, or water contents- all within the umbrella of "proxy" satellite measurements (i.e., the ER-2). Complimenting the precipitation sampling framework, frequent and coincident launches of atmospheric soundings (e.g., 4-8/day) then provided a much larger mesoscale view of the thermodynamic and winds environment, a data set useful for initializing cloud models. The datasets collected represent a variety cloud and precipitation types including isolated cumulus clouds, severe thunderstorms, mesoscale convective systems, and widespread regions of light to moderate stratiform precipitation. We will present the MC3E experiment design, an overview of operations, and a summary of preliminary results. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ACPD...1526997S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ACPD...1526997S">Evaluating the spatio-temporal performance of sky imager based solar irradiance analysis and forecasts</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Schmidt, T.; Kalisch, J.; Lorenz, E.; Heinemann, D. 2015-10-01 Clouds are the dominant source of variability in surface solar radiation and uncertainty in its prediction. However, the increasing share of solar energy in the world-wide electric power supply increases the need for accurate solar radiation forecasts. In this work, we present results of a shortest-term global horizontal irradiance (GHI) forecast experiment based on hemispheric sky images. A two month dataset with images from one sky imager and high resolutive GHI measurements from 99 pyranometers distributed over 10 km by 12 km is used for validation. We developed a multi-step model and processed GHI forecasts up to 25 min with an update interval of 15 s. A cloud type classification is used to separate the time series in different cloud scenarios. Overall, the sky imager based forecasts do not outperform the reference persistence forecasts. Nevertheless, we find that analysis and forecast performance depend strongly on the predominant cloud conditions. Especially convective type clouds lead to high temporal and spatial GHI variability. For cumulus cloud conditions, the analysis error is found to be lower than that introduced by a single pyranometer if it is used representatively for the whole area in distances from the camera larger than 1-2 km. Moreover, forecast skill is much higher for these conditions compared to overcast or clear sky situations causing low GHI variability which is easier to predict by persistence. In order to generalize the cloud-induced forecast error, we identify a variability threshold indicating conditions with positive forecast skill. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41J0112V','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A41J0112V">Convective Cloud Towers and Precipitation Initiation, Frequency and Intensity</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Vant-hull, B.; Mahani, S. E.; Autones, F.; Rabin, R.; Mecikalski, J. R.; Khanbilvardi, R. 2012-12-01 : Geosynchronous satellite retrieval of precipitation is desirable because it would provide continuous observation throughout most of the globe in regions where radar data is not available. In the current work the distribution of precipitation rates is examined as a function of cloud tower area and cloud top temperature. A thunderstorm tracking algorithm developed at Meteo-France is used to track cumulus towers that are matched up with radar data at 5 minute 1 km resolution. It is found that roughly half of the precipitation occurs in the cloud mass that surrounds the towers, and when a tower is first detected the precipitation is already in progress 50% of the time. The average density of precipitation per area is greater as the towers become smaller and colder, yet the averaged shape of the precipitation intensity distribution is remarkably constant in all convective situations with cloud tops warmer than 220 K. This suggests that on average all convective precipitation events look the same, unaffected by the higher frequency of occurrence per area inside the convective towers. Only once the cloud tops are colder than 220 K does the precipitation intensity distribution become weighted towards higher instantaneous intensities. Radar precipitation shown in shades of green to blue, lightning in orange; black diamonds are coldest points in each tower. Ratio of number of pixels of given precipitation inside versus outside the convective towers, for various average cloud top temperatures. A flat plot indicates the distribution of rainfall inside and outside the towers has the same shape. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1364422-long-term-study-aerosolcloud-interactions-radiative-effect-southern-great-plains-using-ground-based-measurements','SCIGOV-DOEP'); return false;" href="https://www.osti.gov/pages/biblio/1364422-long-term-study-aerosolcloud-interactions-radiative-effect-southern-great-plains-using-ground-based-measurements">A long-term study of aerosol–cloud interactions and their radiative effect at the Southern Great Plains using ground-based measurements</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.osti.gov/pages">DOE PAGES</a> Sena, Elisa T.; McComiskey, Allison; Feingold, Graham 2016-09-13 Empirical estimates of the microphysical response of cloud droplet size distribution to aerosol perturbations are commonly used to constrain aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models. Instead of empirical microphysical estimates, here macroscopic variables are analyzed to address the influence of aerosol particles and meteorological descriptors on instantaneous cloud albedo and the radiative effect of shallow liquid water clouds. Long-term ground-based measurements from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program over the Southern Great Plains are used. A broad statistical analysis was performed on 14 years of coincident measurements of low clouds, aerosol, and meteorological properties. Here two cases representing conflicting results regardingmore » the relationship between the aerosol and the cloud radiative effect were selected and studied in greater detail. Microphysical estimates are shown to be very uncertain and to depend strongly on the methodology, retrieval technique and averaging scale. For this continental site, the results indicate that the influence of the aerosol on the shallow cloud radiative effect and albedo is weak and that macroscopic cloud properties and dynamics play a much larger role in determining the instantaneous cloud radiative effect compared to microphysical effects. On a daily basis, aerosol shows no correlation with cloud radiative properties (correlation = -0.01 ± 0.03), whereas the liquid water path shows a clear signal (correlation = 0.56 ± 0.02).« less </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19910004803','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19910004803">Empirical relationships between gas abundances and UV selective extinction</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Joseph, Charles L. 1990-01-01 Several studies of gas-phase abundances in lines of sight through the outer edges of dense clouds are summarized. These lines of sight have 0.4 less than E(B-V) less than 1.1 and have inferred spatial densities of a few hundred cm(-3). The primary thrust of these studies has been to compare gaseous abundances in interstellar clouds that have various types of peculiar selective extinction. To date, the most notable result has been an empirical relationship between the CN/Fe I abundance ratio and the depth of the 2200 A extinction bump. It is not clear at the present time, however, whether these two parameters are linearly correlated or the data are organized into two discrete ensembles. Based on 19 samples and assuming the clouds form discrete ensembles, lines of sight that have a CN/Fe I abundance ratio greater than 0.3 (dex) appear to have a shallow 2.57 plus or minus 0.55 bump compared to 3.60 plus or minus 0.36 for other dense clouds and compared to the 3.6 Seaton (1979) average. The difference in the strength of the extinction bump between these two ensembles is 1.03 plus or minus 0.23. Although a high-resolution IUE survey of dense clouds is far from complete, the few lines of sight with shallow extinction bumps all show preferential depletion of certain elements, while those lines of sight with normal 2200 A bumps do not. Ca II, Cr II, and Mn II appear to exhibit the strongest preferential depletion compared to S II, P II, and Mg II. Fe II and Si II depletions also appear to be enhanced somewhat in the shallow-bump lines of sight. It should be noted that Copernicus data suggest all elements, including the so-called nondepletors, deplete in diffuse clouds (Snow and Jenkins 1980, Joseph 1988). Those lines of sight through dense clouds that have normal 2200 A extinction bumps appear to be extensions of the depletions found in the diffuse interstellar medium. That is, the overall level of depletion is enhanced, but the element-to-element abundances are similar to those in diffuse clouds. In a separate study, the abundances of neutral atoms were studied in a dense cloud having a shallow 2200 A bump and in one with a normal strength bump. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017PhDT.......203S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017PhDT.......203S">A Comprehensive Analysis of Clouds, Radiation, and Precipitation in the North Pacific ITCZ in the NASA GISS ModelE GCM and Satellite Observations</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Stanfield, Ryan Evan Global circulation/climate models (GCMs) remain as an invaluable tool to predict future potential climate change. To best advise policy makers, assessing and increasing the accuracy of climate models is paramount. The treatment of clouds, radiation and precipitation in climate models and their associated feedbacks have long been one of the largest sources of uncertainty in predicting any potential future climate changes. Three versions of the NASA GISS ModelE GCM (the frozen CMIP5 version [C5], a post-CMIP5 version with modifications to cumulus and boundary layer turbulence parameterizations [P5], and the most recent version of the GCM which builds on the post-CMIP5 version with further modifications to convective cloud ice and cold pool parameterizations [E5]) have been compared with various satellite observations to analyze how recent modifications to the GCM has impacted cloud, radiation, and precipitation properties. In addition to global comparisons, two areas are showcased in regional analyses: the Eastern Pacific Northern ITCZ (EP-ITCZ), and Indonesia and the Western Pacific (INDO-WP). Changes to the cumulus and boundary layer turbulence parameterizations in the P5 version of the GCM have improved cloud and radiation estimations in areas of descending motion, such as the Southern Mid-Latitudes. Ice particle size and fall speed modifications in the E5 version of the GCM have decreased ice cloud water contents and cloud fractions globally while increasing precipitable water vapor in the model. Comparisons of IWC profiles show that the GCM simulated IWCs increase with height and peak in the upper portions of the atmosphere, while 2C-ICE observations peak in the lower levels of the atmosphere and decrease with height, effectively opposite of each other. Profiles of CF peak at lower heights in the E5 simulation, which will potentially increase outgoing longwave radiation due to higher cloud top temperatures, which will counterbalance the decrease in reflected shortwave associated with lower CFs and the thinner optical depths associated with decreased IWC and LWC in the E5 simulation. Vertical motion within the newest E5 simulation is greatly weakened over the EP-ITCZ region, potentially due to atmospheric loading from enhanced ice particle fall speeds. Comparatively, E5 simulated upward motion in the INDO-WP is stronger than its predecessors. Changes in the E5 simulation have resulted in stronger/weaker upward motion over the ocean/land in the INDO-WP region in comparison with both the C5 and P5 predecessors. Multimodel precipitation analysis shows that most of the GCMs tend to produce a wider ITCZ with stronger precipitation compared to GPCP and TRMM precipitation products. E5-simulated precipitation decreases and shifts Southward over the Easter Pacific ITCZ, which warrants further investigation into meridional heat transport and radiation fields. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.A23D1572L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AGUFM.A23D1572L">Aerosol Chemical Composition and its Effects on Cloud-Aerosol Interactions during the 2007 CHAPS Experiment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Lee, Y.; Alexander, L.; Newburn, M.; Jayne, J.; Hubbe, J.; Springston, S.; Senum, G.; Andrews, B.; Ogren, J.; Kleinman, L.; Daum, P.; Berg, L.; Berkowitz, C. 2007-12-01 Chemical composition of submicron aerosol particles was determined using an Aerodyne Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) outfitted on the DOE G-1 aircraft during the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) conducted in Oklahoma City area in June 2007. The primary objective of CHAPS was to investigate the effects of urban emissions on cloud aerosol interactions as a function of processing of the emissions. Aerosol composition was typically determined at three different altitudes: below, in, and above cloud, in both upwind and downwind regions of the urban area. Aerosols were sampled from an isokinetic inlet with an upper size cut-off of ~1.5 micrometer. During cloud passages, the AMS also sampled particles that were dried from cloud droplets collected using a counter-flow virtual impactor (CVI) sampler. The aerosol mass concentrations were typically below 10 microgram per cubic meter, and were dominated by organics and sulfate. Ammonium was often less than required for complete neutralization of sulfate. Aerosol nitrate levels were very low. We noted that nitrate levels were significantly enhanced in cloud droplets compared to aerosols, most likely resulting from dissolution of gaseous nitric acid. Organic to sulfate ratios appeared to be lower in cloud droplets than in aerosols, suggesting cloud condensation nuclei properties of aerosol particles might be affected by loading and nature of the organic components in aerosols. In-cloud formation of sulfate was considered unimportant because of the very low SO2 concentration in the region. A detailed examination of the sources of the aerosol organic components (based on hydrocarbons determined using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer) and their effects on cloud formation as a function of atmospheric processing (based on the degree of oxidation of the organic components) will be presented. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1912184S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017EGUGA..1912184S">Uncertainties related to the representation of momentum transport in shallow convection</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> 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. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li class="active">24</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>25</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="page_25" class="hiddenDiv"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li class="active">25</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ol class="result-class" start="481"> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20060013396&hterms=regional+development&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dregional%2Bdevelopment','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20060013396&hterms=regional+development&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D60%26Ntt%3Dregional%2Bdevelopment">A Coupled GCM-Cloud Resolving Modeling System, and a Regional Scale Model to Study Precipitation Processes</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Tao, Wei-Kuo 2006-01-01 Recent GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS) model comparison projects have indicated that cloud-resolving models (CRMs) agree with observations better than traditional single-column models in simulating various types of clouds and cloud systems from different geographic locations. Current and future NASA satellite programs can provide cloud, precipitation, aerosol and other data at very fine spatial and temporal scales. It requires a coupled global circulation model (GCM) and cloud-scale model (termed a super-parameterization or multi-scale modeling framework, MMF) to use these satellite data to improve the understanding of the physical processes that are responsible for the variation in global and regional climate and hydrological systems. The use of a GCM will enable global coverage, and the use of a CRM will allow for better and more sophisticated physical parameterization. NASA satellite and field campaign cloud related datasets can provide initial conditions as well as validation for both the MMF and CFWs. The Goddard MMF is based on the 2D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model and the Goddard finite volume general circulation model (fvGCM), and it has started production runs with two years results (1 998 and 1999). In this talk, I will present: (1) A brief review on GCE model and its applications on precipitation processes (microphysical and land processes), (2) The Goddard MMF and the major difference between two existing MMFs (CSU MMF and Goddard MMF), and preliminary results (the comparison with traditional GCMs), and (3) A discussion on the Goddard WRF version (its developments and applications). </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA00506.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-PIA00506.html">Thunderheads on Jupiter</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 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 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010068893','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010068893">A Study of the Response of Deep Tropical Clouds to Mesoscale Processes. Part 1; Modeling Strategies and Simulations of TOGA-COARE Convective Systems</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Johnson, Daniel E.; Tao, W.-K.; Simpson, J.; Sui, C.-H.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor) 2001-01-01 Interactions between deep tropical clouds over the western Pacific warm pool and the larger-scale environment are key to understanding climate change. Cloud models are an extremely useful tool in simulating and providing statistical information on heat and moisture transfer processes between cloud systems and the environment, and can therefore be utilized to substantially improve cloud parameterizations in climate models. In this paper, the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud-resolving model is used in multi-day simulations of deep tropical convective activity over the Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). Large-scale temperature and moisture advective tendencies, and horizontal momentum from the TOGA-COARE Intensive Flux Array (IFA) region, are applied to the GCE version which incorporates cyclical boundary conditions. Sensitivity experiments show that grid domain size produces the largest response to domain-mean temperature and moisture deviations, as well as cloudiness, when compared to grid horizontal or vertical resolution, and advection scheme. It is found that a minimum grid-domain size of 500 km is needed to adequately resolve the convective cloud features. The control experiment shows that the atmospheric heating and moistening is primarily a response to cloud latent processes of condensation/evaporation, and deposition/sublimation, and to a lesser extent, melting of ice particles. Air-sea exchange of heat and moisture is found to be significant, but of secondary importance, while the radiational response is small. The simulated rainfall and atmospheric heating and moistening, agrees well with observations, and performs favorably to other models simulating this case. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040171873','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040171873">Effects of Cloud-Microphysics on Tropical Atmospheric Hydrologic Processes in the GEOS GCM</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Lau, K. M.; Wu, H. T.; Sud, Y. C.; Walker, G. K. 2004-01-01 The sensitivity of tropical atmospheric hydrologic processes to cloud-microphysics is investigated using the NASA GEOS GCM. Results show that a faster autoconversion - rate produces more warm rain and less clouds at all levels. Fewer clouds enhances longwave cooling and reduces shortwave heating in the upper troposphere, while more warm rain produces increased condensation heating in the lower troposphere. This vertical heating differential destablizes the tropical atmosphere, producing a positive feedback resulting in more rain over the tropics. The feedback is maintained via a two-cell secondary circulation. The lower cell is capped by horizontal divergence and maximum cloud detrainment near the melting/freezing, with rising motion in the warm rain region connected to descending motion in the cold rain region. The upper cell is found above the freezing/melting level, with longwave-induced subsidence in the warm rain and dry regions, coupled to forced ascent in the deep convection region. The tropical large scale circulation is found to be very sensitive to the radiative-dynamic effects induced by changes in autoconversion rate. Reduced cloud-radiation processes feedback due to a faster autoconversion rate results in intermittent but more energetic eastward propagating Madden and Julian Oscillations (MJO). Conversely,-a slower autconversion rate, with increased cloud radiation produces MJO's with more realistic westward propagating transients, resembling a supercloud cluster structure. Results suggests that warm rain and associated low and mid level clouds, i.e., cumulus congestus, may play a critical role in regulating the time-intervals of deep convections and hence the fundamental time scales of the MJO. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26966678','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26966678">The beneficial effects of cumulus cells and oocyte-cumulus cell gap junctions depends on oocyte maturation and fertilization methods in mice.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Zhou, Cheng-Jie; Wu, Sha-Na; Shen, Jiang-Peng; Wang, Dong-Hui; Kong, Xiang-Wei; Lu, Angeleem; Li, Yan-Jiao; Zhou, Hong-Xia; Zhao, Yue-Fang; Liang, Cheng-Guang 2016-01-01 Cumulus cells are a group of closely associated granulosa cells that surround and nourish oocytes. Previous studies have shown that cumulus cells contribute to oocyte maturation and fertilization through gap junction communication. However, it is not known how this gap junction signaling affects in vivo versus in vitro maturation of oocytes, and their subsequent fertilization and embryonic development following insemination. Therefore, in our study, we performed mouse oocyte maturation and insemination using in vivo- or in vitro-matured oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCCs, which retain gap junctions between the cumulus cells and the oocytes), in vitro-matured, denuded oocytes co-cultured with cumulus cells (DCs, which lack gap junctions between the cumulus cells and the oocytes), and in vitro-matured, denuded oocytes without cumulus cells (DOs). Using these models, we were able to analyze the effects of gap junction signaling on oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryo development. We found that gap junctions were necessary for both in vivo and in vitro oocyte maturation. In addition, for oocytes matured in vivo, the presence of cumulus cells during insemination improved fertilization and blastocyst formation, and this improvement was strengthened by gap junctions. Moreover, for oocytes matured in vitro, the presence of cumulus cells during insemination improved fertilization, but not blastocyst formation, and this improvement was independent of gap junctions. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that the beneficial effect of gap junction signaling from cumulus cells depends on oocyte maturation and fertilization methods. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts099-703-007.html','SCIGOVIMAGE-NASA'); return false;" href="https://images.nasa.gov/#/details-sts099-703-007.html">Earth observations of the von Karmen effect by Socorro Is. during STS-99</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://images.nasa.gov/">NASA Image and Video Library</a> 2000-02-12 STS099-703-007 (11-22 February 2000) ---A distinct cumulus cloud pattern marks the island wake within a weak northerly wind field in the vicinity of Isla Socorro, south of the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. The photo was taken by one of the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour as it orbited Earth in February 2000. A smaller companion island, San Benedicto, is visible to the north-northeast. Socorro rises to just over 3,400 feet and disrupts the winds which apparently are not strong or persistent enough to form closed vortices. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010099433','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010099433">A Numerical Study of Tropical Sea-Air Interactions Using a Cloud Resolving Model Coupled with an Ocean Mixed-Layer Model</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Shie, Chung-Lin; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Johnson, Dan; Simpson, Joanne; Li, Xiaofan; Sui, Chung-Hsiung; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor) 2001-01-01 Coupling a cloud resolving model (CRM) with an ocean mixed layer (OML) model can provide a powerful tool for better understanding impacts of atmospheric precipitation on sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity. The objective of this study is twofold. First, by using the three dimensional (3-D) CRM-simulated (the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model, GCE) diabatic source terms, radiation (longwave and shortwave), surface fluxes (sensible and latent heat, and wind stress), and precipitation as input for the OML model, the respective impact of individual component on upper ocean heat and salt budgets are investigated. Secondly, a two-way air-sea interaction between tropical atmospheric climates (involving atmospheric radiative-convective processes) and upper ocean boundary layer is also examined using a coupled two dimensional (2-D) GCE and OML model. Results presented here, however, only involve the first aspect. Complete results will be presented at the conference. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFMGC43G1139S','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017AGUFMGC43G1139S">The role of mountain precipitation as a drought buffer in Puerto Rico: Assessing natural systems' resilience to change</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Scholl, M. A.; Clark, K. E.; Van Beusekom, A.; Shanley, J. B.; Torres-Sanchez, A.; Murphy, S. F.; Gonzalez, G. 2017-12-01 Like many island and coastal areas, the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico receive orographic precipitation (rain and cloud water), maintaining headwater streamflow and allowing diverse forest ecosystems to thrive. Although rainfall from regional-scale convective systems is greater in volume, multiple lines of evidence (stable isotope tracers; precipitation amount, frequency, and intensity; cloud immersion; regional cloud dynamics; weather analysis) show that trade-wind orographic precipitation contributes significantly to streamflow, soil water, and shallow groundwater. Ceilometer data and time-lapse photography of cloud-immersed conditions at the mountain indicated a seasonally invariant, sustained overnight regime of cloud water precipitation, in addition to the abundant rainfall in the mountains. Rising ocean temperatures and a warming tropical climate lead to questions about persistence of the trade-wind associated orographic precipitation and the resilience of similar mountain ecosystems to change. Projections for Caribbean climate change include amplification of trade winds; less frequent, more intense large convective systems; and a warming ocean. These may have opposing effects on mountain precipitation, increasing uncertainty about processes that mitigate drought. Field studies provide insights regarding these questions. Ceilometer and satellite observations showed cloud base is higher over the mountains than in the surrounding Caribbean region; with the trade-wind inversion cap, further rise in cloud base may produce shallower clouds and reduced precipitation. We analyzed the February-October 2015 drought, characterized by strong El Niño conditions, an absence of tropical storm systems, and reduced convection in easterly waves. Combined δ2H, δ18O and d-excess signatures of streamflow indicated precipitation was derived from shallow convective systems, trade-wind showers and cloud water. During severe drought on the island, streamflow-sustaining rainfall at the mountain station at 640 m persisted, albeit with 19% lower frequency and 52% fewer large (>10 mm) rain events than the 20-year average. Clearly, resilience of the mountain forest ecosystem and of streamflow to drought periods depends on orographic precipitation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000013621&hterms=curvature&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dcurvature','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000013621&hterms=curvature&qs=Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntk%3DAll%26N%3D0%26No%3D40%26Ntt%3Dcurvature">Soil Moisture, Coastline Curvature, and Sea Breeze Initiated Precipitation Over Florida</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Baker, R. David; Lynn, Barry H.; Boone, Aaron; Tao, Wei-Kuo 1999-01-01 Land surface-atmosphere interaction plays a key role in the development of summertime convection and precipitation over the Florida peninsula. Land-ocean temperature contrasts induce sea-breeze circulations along both coasts. Clouds develop along sea-breeze fronts, and significant precipitation can occur during the summer months. However, other factors such as soil moisture distribution and coastline curvature may modulate the timing, location, and intensity of sea breeze initiated precipitation. Here, we investigate the role of soil moisture and coastline curvature on Florida precipitation using the 3-D Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model coupled with the Parameterization for Land-Atmosphere-Cloud Exchange (PLACE) land surface model. This study utilizes data from the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE) collected on 27 July 1991. Our numerical simulations suggest that a realistic distribution of soil moisture influences the location and intensity of precipitation but not the timing of precipitation. In contrast, coastline curvature affects the timing and location of precipitation but has little influence on peak rainfall rates. However, both factors (soil moisture and coastline curvature) are required to fully account for observed rainfall amounts. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19790023561','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19790023561">Topoclimatological and snowhydrological survey of Switzerland</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Winiger, M. (Principal Investigator) 1979-01-01 The author has identified the following significant results. The chosen time of overflight of HCMM seems to be ideal for the study of basic climatological events. Nocturnal temperature inversion zones are easily detectable and their dependency on the relief is clearly seen. Especially the alpine valleys show a very differentiated pattern of cold lakes, separated by warmer zones as a consequence of rock and forrest barriers or changes in the valley profile. Wet areas are usually colder than dry parts under comparable topographic conditions. Even very small topographic obstacles are able to block up the flow of cold air masses (or ground water flow). Urban areas are clearly detectable. Differences to the surface temperatures of surrounding rural land are much more significant during day-time (mainly during the summer months). Fog layers are clearly defined in the visible channel (day-time), but much more difficult to identify in the IR (mainly during the night). There is not a fundamental difference to NOAA-analysis of cloud systems. The most important advantage is the better detectability of convective cloud systems (small cumulus clouds). </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27656330','PUBMED'); return false;" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27656330">Frequency and causes of failed MODIS cloud property retrievals for liquid phase clouds over global oceans.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed">PubMed</a> Cho, Hyoun-Myoung; Zhang, Zhibo; Meyer, Kerry; Lebsock, Matthew; Platnick, Steven; Ackerman, Andrew S; Di Girolamo, Larry; C-Labonnote, Laurent; Cornet, Céline; Riedi, Jerome; Holz, Robert E 2015-05-16 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrieves cloud droplet effective radius ( r e ) and optical thickness ( τ ) by projecting observed cloud reflectances onto a precomputed look-up table (LUT). When observations fall outside of the LUT, the retrieval is considered "failed" because no combination of τ and r e within the LUT can explain the observed cloud reflectances. In this study, the frequency and potential causes of failed MODIS retrievals for marine liquid phase (MLP) clouds are analyzed based on 1 year of Aqua MODIS Collection 6 products and collocated CALIOP and CloudSat observations. The retrieval based on the 0.86 µm and 2.1 µm MODIS channel combination has an overall failure rate of about 16% (10% for the 0.86 µm and 3.7 µm combination). The failure rates are lower over stratocumulus regimes and higher over the broken trade wind cumulus regimes. The leading type of failure is the " r e too large" failure accounting for 60%-85% of all failed retrievals. The rest is mostly due to the " r e too small" or τ retrieval failures. Enhanced retrieval failure rates are found when MLP cloud pixels are partially cloudy or have high subpixel inhomogeneity, are located at special Sun-satellite viewing geometries such as sunglint, large viewing or solar zenith angles, or cloudbow and glory angles, or are subject to cloud masking, cloud overlapping, and/or cloud phase retrieval issues. The majority (more than 84%) of failed retrievals along the CALIPSO track can be attributed to at least one or more of these potential reasons. The collocated CloudSat radar reflectivity observations reveal that the remaining failed retrievals are often precipitating. It remains an open question whether the extremely large r e values observed in these clouds are the consequence of true cloud microphysics or still due to artifacts not included in this study. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5012132','PMC'); return false;" href="https://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=5012132">Frequency and causes of failed MODIS cloud property retrievals for liquid phase clouds over global oceans</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pmc">PubMed Central</a> Cho, Hyoun‐Myoung; Meyer, Kerry; Lebsock, Matthew; Platnick, Steven; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Di Girolamo, Larry; C.‐Labonnote, Laurent; Cornet, Céline; Riedi, Jerome; Holz, Robert E. 2015-01-01 Abstract Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrieves cloud droplet effective radius (r e) and optical thickness (τ) by projecting observed cloud reflectances onto a precomputed look‐up table (LUT). When observations fall outside of the LUT, the retrieval is considered “failed” because no combination of τ and r e within the LUT can explain the observed cloud reflectances. In this study, the frequency and potential causes of failed MODIS retrievals for marine liquid phase (MLP) clouds are analyzed based on 1 year of Aqua MODIS Collection 6 products and collocated CALIOP and CloudSat observations. The retrieval based on the 0.86 µm and 2.1 µm MODIS channel combination has an overall failure rate of about 16% (10% for the 0.86 µm and 3.7 µm combination). The failure rates are lower over stratocumulus regimes and higher over the broken trade wind cumulus regimes. The leading type of failure is the “r e too large” failure accounting for 60%–85% of all failed retrievals. The rest is mostly due to the “r e too small” or τ retrieval failures. Enhanced retrieval failure rates are found when MLP cloud pixels are partially cloudy or have high subpixel inhomogeneity, are located at special Sun‐satellite viewing geometries such as sunglint, large viewing or solar zenith angles, or cloudbow and glory angles, or are subject to cloud masking, cloud overlapping, and/or cloud phase retrieval issues. The majority (more than 84%) of failed retrievals along the CALIPSO track can be attributed to at least one or more of these potential reasons. The collocated CloudSat radar reflectivity observations reveal that the remaining failed retrievals are often precipitating. It remains an open question whether the extremely large r e values observed in these clouds are the consequence of true cloud microphysics or still due to artifacts not included in this study. PMID:27656330 </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006PhDT.......129P','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006PhDT.......129P">Application of advanced data assimilation techniques to the study of cloud and precipitation feedbacks in the tropical climate system</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Posselt, Derek J. The research documented in this study centers around two topics: evaluation of the response of precipitating cloud systems to changes in the tropical climate system, and assimilation of cloud and precipitation information from remote-sensing platforms. The motivation for this work proceeds from the following outstanding problems: (1) Use of models to study the response of clouds to perturbations in the climate system is hampered by uncertainties in cloud microphysical parameterizations. (2) Though there is an ever-growing set of available observations, cloud and precipitation assimilation remains a difficult problem, particularly in the tropics. (3) Though it is widely acknowledged that cloud and precipitation processes play a key role in regulating the Earth's response to surface warming, the response of the tropical hydrologic cycle to climate perturbations remains largely unknown. The above issues are addressed in the following manner. First, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are used to quantify the sensitivity of the NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud resolving model (CRM) to changes in its cloud odcrnpbymiC8l parameters. TRMM retrievals of precipitation rate, cloud properties, and radiative fluxes and heating rates over the South China Sea are then assimilated into the GCE model to constrain cloud microphysical parameters to values characteristic of convection in the tropics, and the resulting observation-constrained model is used to assess the response of the tropical hydrologic cycle to surface warming. The major findings of this study are the following: (1) MCMC provides an effective tool with which to evaluate both model parameterizations and the assumption of Gaussian statistics used in optimal estimation procedures. (2) Statistics of the tropical radiation budget and hydrologic cycle can be used to effectively constrain CRM cloud microphysical parameters. (3) For 2D CRM simulations run with and without shear, the precipitation efficiency of cloud systems increases with increasing sea surface temperature, while the high cloud fraction and outgoing shortwave radiation decrease. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20150023388&hterms=jasmine&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Djasmine','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20150023388&hterms=jasmine&qs=N%3D0%26Ntk%3DAll%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchall%26Ntt%3Djasmine">Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer: An ARM Mobile Facility Deployment</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Wood, Robert; Wyant, Matthew; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Remillard, Jasmine; Kollias, Pavlos; Fletcher, Jennifer; Stemmler, Jayson; de Szoeke, Simone; Yuter, Sandra; Miller, Matthew; <a style="text-decoration: none; " href="javascript:void(0); " onClick="displayelement('author_20150023388'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20150023388_show'); toggleEditAbsImage('author_20150023388_hide'); "> <img style="display:inline; width:12px; height:12px; " src="images/arrow-up.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20150023388_show"> <img style="width:12px; height:12px; display:none; " src="images/arrow-down.gif" width="12" height="12" border="0" alt="hide" id="author_20150023388_hide"> 2015-01-01 Capsule: A 21-month deployment to Graciosa Island in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean is providing an unprecedented record of the clouds, aerosols and meteorology in a poorly-sampled remote marine environment The Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) deployment at Graciosa Island in the Azores generated a 21 month (April 2009- December 2010) comprehensive dataset documenting clouds, aerosols and precipitation using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF). The scientific aim of the deployment is to gain improved understanding of the interactions of clouds, aerosols and precipitation in the marine boundary layer. Graciosa Island straddles the boundary between the subtropics and midlatitudes in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, and consequently experiences a great diversity of meteorological and cloudiness conditions. Low clouds are the dominant cloud type, with stratocumulus and cumulus occurring regularly. Approximately half of all clouds contained precipitation detectable as radar echoes below the cloud base. Radar and satellite observations show that clouds with tops from 1- 11 km contribute more or less equally to surface-measured precipitation at Graciosa. A wide range of aerosol conditions was sampled during the deployment consistent with the diversity of sources as indicated by back trajectory analysis. Preliminary findings suggest important two-way interactions between aerosols and clouds at Graciosa, with aerosols affecting light precipitation and cloud radiative properties while being controlled in part by precipitation scavenging. The data from at Graciosa are being compared with short-range forecasts made a variety of models. A pilot analysis with two climate and two weather forecast models shows that they reproduce the observed time-varying vertical structure of lower-tropospheric cloud fairly well, but the cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations less well. The Graciosa site has been chosen to be a permanent fixed ARM site that became operational in October 2013. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70036169','USGSPUBS'); return false;" href="https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70036169">The dynamical core, physical parameterizations, and basic simulation characteristics of the atmospheric component AM3 of the GFDL global coupled model CM3</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/index.jsp?view=adv">USGS Publications Warehouse</a> Donner, L.J.; Wyman, B.L.; Hemler, R.S.; Horowitz, L.W.; Ming, Y.; Zhao, M.; Golaz, J.-C.; Ginoux, P.; Lin, S.-J.; Schwarzkopf, M.D.; Austin, J.; Alaka, G.; Cooke, W.F.; Delworth, T.L.; Freidenreich, S.M.; Gordon, C.T.; Griffies, S.M.; Held, I.M.; Hurlin, W.J.; Klein, S.A.; Knutson, T.R.; Langenhorst, A.R.; Lee, H.-C.; Lin, Y.; Magi, B.I.; Malyshev, S.L.; Milly, P.C.D.; Naik, V.; Nath, M.J.; Pincus, R.; Ploshay, J.J.; Ramaswamy, V.; Seman, C.J.; Shevliakova, E.; Sirutis, J.J.; Stern, W.F.; Stouffer, R.J.; Wilson, R.J.; Winton, M.; Wittenberg, A.T.; Zeng, F. 2011-01-01 The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) has developed a coupled general circulation model (CM3) for the atmosphere, oceans, land, and sea ice. The goal of CM3 is to address emerging issues in climate change, including aerosol-cloud interactions, chemistry-climate interactions, and coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere. The model is also designed to serve as the physical system component of earth system models and models for decadal prediction in the near-term future-for example, through improved simulations in tropical land precipitation relative to earlier-generation GFDL models. This paper describes the dynamical core, physical parameterizations, and basic simulation characteristics of the atmospheric component (AM3) of this model. Relative to GFDL AM2, AM3 includes new treatments of deep and shallow cumulus convection, cloud droplet activation by aerosols, subgrid variability of stratiform vertical velocities for droplet activation, and atmospheric chemistry driven by emissions with advective, convective, and turbulent transport. AM3 employs a cubed-sphere implementation of a finite-volume dynamical core and is coupled to LM3, a new land model with ecosystem dynamics and hydrology. Its horizontal resolution is approximately 200 km, and its vertical resolution ranges approximately from 70 m near the earth's surface to 1 to 1.5 km near the tropopause and 3 to 4 km in much of the stratosphere. Most basic circulation features in AM3 are simulated as realistically, or more so, as in AM2. In particular, dry biases have been reduced over South America. In coupled mode, the simulation of Arctic sea ice concentration has improved. AM3 aerosol optical depths, scattering properties, and surface clear-sky downward shortwave radiation are more realistic than in AM2. The simulation of marine stratocumulus decks remains problematic, as in AM2. The most intense 0.2% of precipitation rates occur less frequently in AM3 than observed. The last two decades of the twentieth century warm in CM3 by 0.328C relative to 1881-1920. The Climate Research Unit (CRU) and Goddard Institute for Space Studies analyses of observations show warming of 0.568 and 0.528C, respectively, over this period. CM3 includes anthropogenic cooling by aerosol-cloud interactions, and its warming by the late twentieth century is somewhat less realistic than in CM2.1, which warmed 0.668C but did not include aerosol-cloud interactions. The improved simulation of the direct aerosol effect (apparent in surface clear-sky downward radiation) in CM3 evidently acts in concert with its simulation of cloud-aerosol interactions to limit greenhouse gas warming. ?? 2011 American Meteorological Society. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040079735','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20040079735">Deep Convective Cloud Top Heights and Their Thermodynamic Control During CRYSTAL-FACE</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> 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. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A53G0211T','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012AGUFM.A53G0211T">First UAV Measurements of Entrainment Layer Fluxes with Coupled Cloud Property Measurements</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Thomas, R. M.; Praveen, P. S.; Wilcox, E. M.; Pistone, K.; Bender, F.; Ramanathan, V. 2012-12-01 This study details entrainment flux measurements made from a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) containing turbulent water vapor flux instrumentation (Thomas et al., 2012). The system was flown for 26 flights during the Cloud, Aerosol, Radiative forcing, Dynamics EXperiment (CARDEX) in the Maldives in March 2012 to study interrelationships between entrainment, aerosols, water budget, cloud microphysics and radiative fluxes in a trade wind cumulus cloud regime. A major advantage of using this lightweight, precision autopiloted UAV system with scientific telemetry is the ability to target small-scale features in the boundary layer, such as an entrainment layer, with minimal aircraft induced disruption. Results are presented from two UAVs flown in stacked formation: one UAV situated in-cloud measuring cloud-droplet size distribution spectra and liquid water content, and another co-located 100m above measuring turbulent properties and entrainment latent heat flux (λEE). We also show latent heat flux and turbulence measurements routinely made at the entrainment layer base and altitudes from the surface up to 4kft. Ratios of λEE to corresponding surface tower values (λES) display a bimodal frequency distribution with ranges 0.22-0.53 and 0.79-1.5, with occasional events >7. Reasons for this distribution are discussed drawing upon boundary layer and free tropospheric dynamics and meteorology, turbulence length scales, surface conditions, and cloud interactions. Latent heat flux profiles are combined with in-cloud UAV Liquid Water Content (LWC) data and surface based Liquid Water Path (LWP) and Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) measurements to produce observationally constrained vertical water budgets, providing insights into diurnal coupling of λEE and λES. Observed λEE, λES, water budgets, and cloud microphysical responses to entrainment are then contextualized with respect to measured aerosol loading profiles and airmass history. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..12211131L','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017JGRD..12211131L">Impact of In-Cloud Aqueous Processes on the Chemistry and Transport of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Li, Yang; Barth, Mary C.; Patton, Edward G.; Steiner, Allison L. 2017-10-01 We investigate the impacts of cloud aqueous processes on the chemistry and transport of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) using the National Center for Atmospheric Research's large-eddy simulation code with an updated chemical mechanism that includes both gas- and aqueous-phase reactions. We simulate transport and chemistry for a meteorological case with a diurnal pattern of nonprecipitating cumulus clouds from the Baltimore-Washington area DISCOVER-AQ campaign. We evaluate two scenarios with and without aqueous-phase chemical reactions. In the cloud layer (2-3 km), the addition of aqueous phase reactions decreases HCHO by 18% over the domain due to its solubility and the fast depletion from aqueous reactions, resulting in a corresponding decrease in radical oxidants (e.g., 18% decrease in OH). The decrease of OH increases the mixing ratios of isoprene and methacrolein (MACR) (100% and 15%, respectively) in the cloud layer because the reaction rate is lower. Aqueous-phase reactions can modify the segregation between OH and BVOC by changing the sign of the segregation intensity, causing up to 55% reduction in the isoprene-OH reaction rate and 40% reduction for the MACR-OH reaction when clouds are present. Analysis of the isoprene-OH covariance budget shows the chemistry term is the primary driver of the strong segregation in clouds, triggered by the decrease in OH. All organic acids except acetic acid are formed only through aqueous-phase reactions. For acids formed in the aqueous phase, turbulence mixes these compounds on short time scales, with the near-surface mixing ratios of these acids reaching 20% of the mixing ratios in the cloud layer within 1 h of cloud formation. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ACP....1614231B','NASAADS'); return false;" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ACP....1614231B">Cloud photogrammetry with dense stereo for fisheye cameras</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html">NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)</a> Beekmans, Christoph; Schneider, Johannes; Läbe, Thomas; Lennefer, Martin; Stachniss, Cyrill; Simmer, Clemens 2016-11-01 We present a novel approach for dense 3-D cloud reconstruction above an area of 10 × 10 km2 using two hemispheric sky imagers with fisheye lenses in a stereo setup. We examine an epipolar rectification model designed for fisheye cameras, which allows the use of efficient out-of-the-box dense matching algorithms designed for classical pinhole-type cameras to search for correspondence information at every pixel. The resulting dense point cloud allows to recover a detailed and more complete cloud morphology compared to previous approaches that employed sparse feature-based stereo or assumed geometric constraints on the cloud field. Our approach is very efficient and can be fully automated. From the obtained 3-D shapes, cloud dynamics, size, motion, type and spacing can be derived, and used for radiation closure under cloudy conditions, for example. Fisheye lenses follow a different projection function than classical pinhole-type cameras and provide a large field of view with a single image. However, the computation of dense 3-D information is more complicated and standard implementations for dense 3-D stereo reconstruction cannot be easily applied. Together with an appropriate camera calibration, which includes internal camera geometry, global position and orientation of the stereo camera pair, we use the correspondence information from the stereo matching for dense 3-D stereo reconstruction of clouds located around the cameras. We implement and evaluate the proposed approach using real world data and present two case studies. In the first case, we validate the quality and accuracy of the method by comparing the stereo reconstruction of a stratocumulus layer with reflectivity observations measured by a cloud radar and the cloud-base height estimated from a Lidar-ceilometer. The second case analyzes a rapid cumulus evolution in the presence of strong wind shear. </li> <li> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" onclick="trackOutboundLink('http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070030218','NASA-TRS'); return false;" href="http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070030218">Evaluation of a Cloud Resolving Model Using TRMM Observations for Multiscale Modeling Applications</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp">NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)</a> Posselt, Derek J.; L'Ecuyer, Tristan; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Hou, Arthur Y.; Stephens, Graeme L. 2007-01-01 The climate change simulation community is moving toward use of global cloud resolving models (CRMs), however, current computational resources are not sufficient to run global CRMs over the hundreds of years necessary to produce climate change estimates. As an intermediate step between conventional general circulation models (GCMs) and global CRMs, many climate analysis centers are embedding a CRM in each grid cell of a conventional GCM. These Multiscale Modeling Frameworks (MMFs) represent a theoretical advance over the use of conventional GCM cloud and convection parameterizations, but have been shown to exhibit an overproduction of precipitation in the tropics during the northern hemisphere summer. In this study, simulations of clouds, precipitation, and radiation over the South China Sea using the CRM component of the NASA Goddard MMF are evaluated using retrievals derived from the instruments aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite platform for a 46-day time period that spans 5 May - 20 June 1998. The NASA Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is forced with observed largescale forcing derived from soundings taken during the intensive observing period of the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment. It is found that the GCE configuration used in the NASA Goddard MMF responds too vigorously to the imposed large-scale forcing, accumulating too much moisture and producing too much cloud cover during convective phases, and overdrying the atmosphere and suppressing clouds during monsoon break periods. Sensitivity experiments reveal that changes to ice cloud microphysical parameters have a relatively large effect on simulated clouds, precipitation, and radiation, while changes to grid spacing and domain length have little effect on simulation results. The results motivate a more detailed and quantitative exploration of the sources and magnitude of the uncertainty associated with specified cloud microphysical parameters in the CRM components of MMFs. </li> </ol> <div class="pull-right"> <ul class="pagination"> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_1");'>«</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_21");'>21</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_22");'>22</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_23");'>23</a></li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_24");'>24</a></li> <li class="active">25</li> <li><a href="#" onclick='return showDiv("page_25");'>»</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer-extlink text-muted" style="margin-bottom:1rem; text-align:center;">Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. 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