The radiative influence of aerosol effects on liquid-phase cumulus and stratiform clouds based on sensitivity studies with two climate models

Aerosol effects on warm (liquid-phase) cumulus cloud systems may have a strong radiative influence via suppression of precipitation in convective systems. A consequence of this suppression of precipitation is increased liquid water available for large-scale stratiform clouds, through detrainment, that in turn affect their precipitation efficiency. The nature of this influence on radiation, however, is dependent on both the treatment of convective condensate and the aerosol distribution. Here, we examine these issues with two climate models—CSIRO and GISS, which treat detrained condensate differently. Aerosol–cloud interactions in warm stratiform and cumulus clouds (via cloud droplet formation and autoconversion) are treated similarly in both models. The influence of aerosol–cumulus cloud interactions on precipitation and radiation are examined via simulations with present-day and pre-industrial aerosol emissions. Sensitivity tests are also conducted to examine changes to climate due to changes in cumulus cloud droplet number (N _c); the main connection between aerosols and cumulus cloud microphysics. Results indicate that the CSIRO GCM is quite sensitive to changes in aerosol concentrations such that an increase in aerosols increases N _c, cloud cover, total liquid water path (LWP) and reduces total precipitation and net cloud radiative forcings. On the other hand, the radiative fluxes in the GISS GCM appear to have minimal changes despite an increase in aerosols and N _c. These differences between the two models—reduced total LWP in the GISS GCM for increased aerosols, opposite to that seen in CSIRO—appear to be more sensitive to the detrainment of convective condensate, rather than to changes in N _c. If aerosols suppress convective precipitation as noted in some observationally based studies (but not currently treated in most climate models), the consequence of this change in LWP suggests that: (1) the aerosol indirect effect (calculated as changes to net cloud radiative forcing from anthropogenic aerosols) may be higher than previously calculated or (2) lower than previously calculated. Observational constrains on these results are difficult to obtain and hence, until realistic cumulus-scale updrafts are implemented in models, the logic of detraining non-precipitating condensate at appropriate levels based on updrafts and its effects on radiation, will remain an uncertainty.     

Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions in WRF Model: Sensitivity to Autoconversion Parameterization

Cloud-to-rain autoconversion process is an important player in aerosol loading, cloud morphology, and precipitation variations because it can modulate cloud microphysical characteristics depending on the participation of aerosols, and affects the spatio-temporal distribution and total amount of precipitation. By applying the Kessler, the Khairoutdinov-Kogan(KK), and the Dispersion autoconversion parameterization schemes in a set of sensitivity experiments, the indirect effects of aerosols on clouds and precipitation are investigated for a deep convective cloud system in Beijing under various aerosol concentration backgrounds from 50 to 10000 cm-3. Numerical experiments show that aerosol-induced precipitation change is strongly dependent on autoconversion parameterization schemes. For the Kessler scheme, the average cumulative precipitation is enhanced slightly with increasing aerosols, whereas surface precipitation is reduced significantly with increasing aerosols for the KK scheme. Moreover, precipitation varies non-monotonically for the Dispersion scheme, increasing with aerosols at lower concentrations and decreasing at higher concentrations.These different trends of aerosol-induced precipitation change are mainly ascribed to differences in rain water content under these three autoconversion parameterization schemes. Therefore, this study suggests that accurate parameterization of cloud microphysical processes, particularly the cloud-to-rain autoconversion process, is needed for improving the scientific understanding of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions.     

Impact of Anthropogenic Aerosols on Summer Precipitation in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration in China:Regional Climate Modeling Using WRF-Chem

The WRF model with chemistry(WRF-Chem) was employed to simulate the impacts of anthropogenic aerosols on summer precipitation over the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration in China. With the aid of a high-resolution gridded inventory of anthropogenic emissions of trace gases and aerosols, we conducted relatively long-term regional simulations,considering direct, semi-direct and indirect effects of the aerosols. Comparing the results of sensitivity experiments with and without emissions, it was found that anthropogenic aerosols tended to enhance summer precipitation over the metropolitan areas. Domain-averaged rainfall was increased throughout the day, except for the time around noon. Aerosols shifted the precipitation probability distribution from light or moderate to extreme rain. Further analysis showed that the anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing had a cooling effect at the land surface, but a warming effect in the atmosphere. However, enhanced convective strength and updrafts accompanied by water vapor increases and cyclone-like wind shear anomalies were found in the urban areas. These responses may originate from cloud microphysical effects of aerosols on convection, which were identified as the primary cause for the summer rainfall enhancement.     

Turbulence Effects on Precipitation and Cloud Radiative Properties in Shallow Cumulus: an Investigation Using the WRF-LES Model Coupled with Bin Microphysics

Using the large-eddy simulation version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with a detailed bin microphysics scheme, the effects of turbulence-induced collision enhancement (TICE) on precipitation and cloud radiative properties in shallow cumulus are investigated. Similar to previous studies, the enhanced droplet collision results in an increase in rainwater content and surface precipitation amount. However, under low aerosol number concentration, the relative frequency of large surface precipitation amount is decreased mainly due to the decreased condensation amount. Due to TICE, the mean drop size increases and the drop number concentration decreases, which results in a decrease in evaporation and hence increasing cloud fraction. However, these changes induce a decrease in cloud optical thickness which largely offsets the increased cloud fraction when the domain-averaged albedo is calculated. Similarly, a decrease in cloud top height caused by the decreased in-cloud vertical velocity largely offsets the increased cloud fraction when the domain-averaged outgoing longwave radiation is calculated. Therefore, the effects of TICE on cloud radiative properties in shallow cumulus do not appear prominently. In addition, TICE results in a decrease in the shear production of turbulent kinetic energy, which indicates that TICE acts to produce a negative feedback.     

青藏高原那曲地区一次对流云降水的数值模拟

利用NCEP FNL再分析资料为初始场,通过WRF中尺度数值模式(V3.9.1版本)对2015年8月26~27日青藏高原那曲地区一次对流云降水过程进行了模拟,分析了不同积云对流参数化方案和云微物理参数化方案组合对本次降水过程中降水量、环流场、雷达反射率以及云微物理特征模拟效果的影响。结果表明:WRF模式能较好地模拟出本次降水的时空变化特征,但不同参数化方案组合各有优势,总体而言,Grell-Devenyi+SUB_YLIN和Grell-Freitas+SUB_YLIN组合模拟性能最优。本次对流云降水以冰相过程为主,雪粒子贡献最大,暖云粒子对降水的影响并不明显。从云微物理过程的时间演变可看出,性能最好的SUB_YLIN方案能合理模拟降水过程中雪粒子与冰晶粒子间的转换过程,雪粒子可在凝结过程中释放潜热促使对流运动发展,也可通过融化过程促进降水发生,对流层高层冰晶粒子凝华产生的潜热释放亦为深对流的发展创造了有利条件。      

Impacts of nucleating aerosol on anvil-cirrus clouds: A modeling study

This paper examines the potential effects of Saharan dust intrusions on the microphysical structure and optical properties of anvil-cirrus clouds. A series of 3-D LES simulations were initialized and forced by output data from mesoscale simulations in a previous study, in which we analyzed the impact of the enhanced low-level concentrations of cloud-nucleating aerosols on the characteristics of convective storms. The effects of enhancing aerosol concentrations on the ice-particle size distributions as well as some of their moments were analyzed as the LES model domain followed the trajectory of the simulated cirrus cloud. The experimental design was based on aerosol concentrations observed over the peninsula of Florida toward the end of the CRYSTAL-FACE field campaign held during July 2002.Results indicate that variations in the concentrations of nucleation aerosols have a significant effect on the optical properties and lifetime of cirrus anvil clouds. In addition, enhancing low-level aerosols can affect the radiation budget, leading to surface radiative cooling. Both IFN and CCN enhancements show important effects; however, results suggest that CCN and GCCN play a more dominant role.     

The effect of aerosol representation on cloud microphysical properties in Northeast Asia

This study performed a three-dimensional regional-scale simulation of aerosol and cloud fields using a meso-scale non-hydrostatic model with a bin-based cloud microphysics. The representation of aerosols in the model has been improved to account for more realistic multi-modal size distribution and multiple chemical compositions. Two case studies for shallow stratocumulus over Northeast Asia in March 2005 were conducted with different aerosol conditions to evaluate model performance. Improved condensation nuclei (CN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are attributable to the newly constructed aerosol size distribution. The simulated results of cloud microphysical properties (cloud droplet effective radius, liquid water path, and optical thickness) with improved CN/CCN number are close to the retrievals from satellite-based observation. The effects of aerosol on the microphysical properties of shallow stratocumulus are investigated by model simulation, in terms of columnar aerosol number concentration. Enhanced aerosol number concentration results in increased liquid water path in humid case, but invariant liquid water path in dry case primarily due to precipitation occurrence. The changes of cloud microphysical properties are more predominant for small aerosol burden than for large aerosol burden with the retarded changes in cloud mass and size due to inactive condensation and collision-coalescence processes. Quantitative evaluation of sensitivity factor between aerosol and cloud microphysical properties indicates a strong aerosol-cloud interaction in Northeast Asian region.     

积层混合云结构和云微物理的数值模拟

对三维非静力中尺度模式ARPS的云微物理方案进行了改进,利用改进后的模式模拟了华北地区的积层混合云降水个例,通过对模拟结果的分析并结合实况资料研究了积层混合云的降水特征、云物理结构特征和微物理过程。结果表明,积层混合云降水分布不均匀,雨区中存在多个强降水中心,云系中微物理量在水平和垂直方向上分布都不均匀,积云中的垂直液态水积分含量大大高于层云中含量,此次降水冰相过程占主导地位,霰的融化是最主要的雨生成项。     

黄河上游对流云降水微物理特征的数值模拟试验

利用二维动力-热力场和水凝物粒子分档数值模式,对黄河上游河曲地区浅对流云降水微物理特征进行了试验性模拟,得出了浅对流云中暖雨增长机制可以单独形成雨,且其成雨速率可以快于冷雨过程等有意义的结果。     

A modeling study of the effects of aerosols on clouds and precipitation over East Asia

The National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model (version 3.5) coupled with the Morrison?CGettelman two-moment cloud microphysics scheme is employed to simulate the aerosol effects on clouds and precipitation in two numerical experiments, one representing present-day conditions (year?2000) and the other the pre-industrial conditions (year?1750) over East Asia by considering both direct and indirect aerosol effects. To isolate the aerosol effects, we used the same set of boundary conditions and only altered the aerosol emissions in both experiments. The simulated results show that the cloud microphysical properties are markedly affected by the increase in aerosols, especially for the column cloud droplet number concentration (DNC), liquid water path (LWP), and the cloud droplet effective radius (DER). With increased aerosols, DNC and LWP have been increased by 137% and 28%, respectively, while DER is reduced by 20%. Precipitation rates in East Asia and East China are reduced by 5.8% and 13%, respectively, by both the aerosol??s second indirect effect and the radiative forcing that enhanced atmospheric stability associated with the aerosol direct and first indirect effects. The significant reduction in summer precipitation in East Asia is also consistent with the weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon, resulting from the decreasing thermodynamic contrast between the Asian landmass and the surrounding oceans induced by the aerosol??s radiative effects. The increase in aerosols reduces the surface net shortwave radiative flux over the East Asia landmass, which leads to the reduction of the land surface temperature. With minimal changes in the sea surface temperature, hence, the weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon further enhances the reduction of summer precipitation over East Asia.     

气溶胶对北京中尺度对流系统影响的数值试验

利用可分辨云模式(WRF),模拟研究了不同气溶胶浓度对北京地区2001年8月23日一次产生强降水和冰雹的对流天气的影响。结果表明,气溶胶浓度的增加不利于对流云的发展,导致地面降水减小,但是对降水结构没有明显影响。气溶胶浓度增加导致云中水成物数浓度和质量浓度均发生变化,其中云水、冰晶和雪含量增加,而雨水、霰和雹含量减小。从云微物理学分析发现,气溶胶浓度减小有利于高层云的形成,云滴有效半径随着气溶胶浓度增加而减小。     

污染气溶胶对山西一次降水过程影响的数值模拟

利用耦合Morrision双参数物理方案的WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting)中尺度数值模式,对发生在2007年6月13日山西地区的一次强降水过程进行了模拟,并对清洁和污染背景下气溶胶对云微物理结构和降水变化的影响进行了敏感性试验和对比分析.结果显示:污染背景下,降水区域没有明显变...     

中国区域气溶胶对东亚夏季风的可能影响（I）：硫酸盐气溶胶的影响

利用NCAR的新一代GCM CAM3.0模式离线耦合一个气溶胶同化系统,模拟研究了中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶的直接气候效应对东亚夏季风及其降水的影响。结果显示：中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶引起全球平均的直接辐射强迫为-0.25 W/m²,中国内陆约25°N以北普遍降温,而海表温度升高。由此导致海陆温差缩小,东亚夏季风强度减弱,中国地区季风降水明显减少,而尤以积云降水减少起主要作用。硫酸盐气溶胶对中国地区的对流活动起抑制作用。     

成都地区雨滴谱特征

选取成都信息工程学院气象观测场LNM激光雨滴谱仪获得的2009—2011年175次降水过程的观测资料,依据产生降水云的性质进行统计分类,基于微物理特征参量讨论了成都地区积云、积层混合云以及层状云降水雨滴谱的总体特征,同时结合3个典型个例的微结构参量进行对比分析。结果表明:成都地区积云降水和积层混合云降水的雨滴谱比层状云宽且雨滴数密度比层状云多,特别是在大雨滴和甚小雨滴部分;4种反映雨滴谱特性的特征直径从大到小依次为积云降水、积层混合云降水、层状云降水;成都地区层状云降水的雨强主要来自于小雨滴,而积云降水和积层混合云降水的雨强主要来自于大雨滴;雨强取决于大雨滴的数量,小雨滴贡献率与雨强呈负相关,中数体积直径对雨强变化有一定指示作用。对成都地区雨滴谱特征的研究,有利于进一步了解该地区降水的微物理特性及成雨机制,为降水数值预报工作积累资料和经验。     

气溶胶影响云和降水的机理和观测研究进展

气溶胶对云和降水的影响,对于气候系统、大气环境以及水循环至关重要。气溶胶粒子作为云凝结核和大气冰核影响云的微物理过程,进而影响雨、雪、雹和其他形式的降水。近年来,在理解气溶胶的化学成分,气溶胶微物理特性以及气溶胶作为云凝结核和大气冰核影响云降水等方面已取得重大进展。本文对于气溶胶的概念、来源以及气溶胶的直接和间接效应进行了简要概述,重点总结了国内外在气溶胶影响云和降水的机理研究方面的成果,回顾了近年来利用卫星、地面观测设备、机载探测设备等对气溶胶和云进行遥感观测和直接观测所获得的观测事实并讨论了其可能的物理机制,在总结前人研究成果的基础上对未来的研究方向进行了讨论。     

中国区域气溶胶对东亚夏季风的可能影响（I）：硫酸盐气溶胶的影响

 利用NCAR的新一代GCM CAM3.0模式离线耦合一个气溶胶同化系统,模拟研究了中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶的直接气候效应对东亚夏季风及其降水的影响。结果显示：中国区域硫酸盐气溶胶引起全球平均的直接辐射强迫为-0.25 W/m²,中国内陆约25°N以北普遍降温,而海表温度升高。由此导致海陆温差缩小,东亚夏季风强度减弱,中国地区季风降水明显减少,而尤以积云降水减少起主要作用。硫酸盐气溶胶对中国地区的对流活动起抑制作用。     

不同云微物理方案对一次飑线过程模拟的影响

本文利用WRF(Weather Research and Forecasting)模式的不同云微物理方案对2009年6月14日发生在华东地区的一次飑线过程进行1 km的高分辨率模拟,探讨不同云微物理方案对飑线模拟的影响。结果表明:双参数方案的模拟效果总体上优于单参数方案,其中WDM6方案模拟效果最佳,能够较好的模拟出强对流回波区、层云区的主要特征。在单参数方案中以WSM6方案最优。Kessler和LIN方案模拟飑线的回波范围偏小,强度偏弱。进一步对比热力和动力场发现,WDM6方案模拟的冷池的面积最大,强度最强,气压最高,飑线前部的入流处风速最大。不同云微物理方案对微物理场的影响较明显,相比单参数方案,双参数方案模拟的水凝物混合比更高,且能够模拟粒子数浓度,更准确地描述了云中的各类粒子特征。     

对流云对大气气溶胶和相对湿度变化响应的数值模拟

利用二维面对称分档云模式研究了气溶胶颗粒物浓度和尺度谱分布对混合相对流云微物理过程和降水的影响, 并重点讨论了气溶胶效应随环境相对湿度的变化。结果表明, 在初始热力和动力条件相同的情况下, 相对清洁的海洋性云在发展和成熟阶段能更有效地产生雨滴、 冰晶和霰粒, 形成更强的雷达反射率。随着气溶胶浓度增加, 比如在本文模拟的污染大陆性云中, 气溶胶粒子数浓度的增加限制云滴增长, 不利于降水粒子的形成。模拟结果也发现, 环境相对湿度对气溶胶效应有显著影响, 即当地面相对湿度从50%增大到70%时, 所模拟的云从浅对流泡发展为深对流云; 气溶胶对云微物理特性和降水的影响在干空气中较小, 但在湿空气中表现非常显著, 这与前人结果一致。随着相对湿度的增加, 冰相粒子出现的时间提前, 增长加快, 云砧范围扩大, 但相对来说, 降水起始时间对相对湿度的变化比气溶胶更敏感。     

气溶胶对北京地区不同类型云降水影响的数值模拟

利用耦合Milbrandt双参数显式云方案的WRF模式,在大陆型和海洋型气溶胶浓度背景下,对北京地区暴雨、中雨和微量降水等3次云降水过程进行了数值模拟研究。结果表明,气溶胶的增加对北京地区云降水有多方面的影响：（1）影响地面降水量。随着气溶胶浓度的增加,北京地区的暴雨、中雨和微量降水平均累计降水量分别减少了23.8%,...     

WRF模式不同微物理过程对东北降水相态预报的影响

为了研究不同微物理过程对中尺度模式降水相态预报的影响,利用中尺度模式WRF（V3.1）和NCEP再分析资料,采用WSM 6方案、Goddard方案和New Thompson方案等3种不同微物理过程参数化方案,对2006-2008年东北地区存在降水相变的11次降水过程进行了敏感性试验。通过对降水和云微物理特征影响的分析,了解不同方案间的预报差异。结果表明：不同微物理方案对降水落区和强度预报影响不明显,而降水相态对微物理参数化方案较为敏感,主要表现在对雨区和雨夹雪区预报影响显著。从总体预报效果来看Goddard方案表现较好。选用不同微物理参数化方案模拟的底层大气云微物理特征存在较大的差别,正是这种差别直接导致了降水相态预报间的差异。