Torrential rainfall responses to ice microphysical processes during pre-summer heavy rainfall over southern China

In this study,the effects of key ice microphysical processes on the pre-summer heavy rainfall over southern China during 3-8 June 2008 were investigated.A series of two-dimensional sensitivity cloud-resolving model simulations were forced with zonally uniform vertical velocity,zonal wind,horizontal temperature,and water vapor advection data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)/Global Data Assimilation System(GDAS).The effects of key ice microphysical processes on the responses of rainfall to large-scale forcing were analyzed by comparing two sensitivity experiments with a control experiment.In one sensitivity experiment,ice crystal radius,associated with depositional growth of snow from cloud ice,was reduced from 100 μm in the control experiment to 50 μm,and in the other sensitivity experiment the efficiency of the growth of graupel from the accretion of snow was reduced to 50% from 100% in the control experiment.The results show that the domain-mean rainfall responses to these ice microphysical processes are stronger during the decay phase than during the onset and mature phases.During the decay phase,the increased mean rain rate resulting from the decrease in ice crystal radius is associated with the enhanced mean local atmospheric drying,the increased mean local hydrometeor loss,and the suppressed mean water vapor divergence.The increased mean rain rate caused by the reduction in accretion efficiency is related to the reduced mean water vapor divergence and the enhanced mean local hydrometeor loss.     

Effects of vertical wind shear on convective development during a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006)

Effects of vertical wind shear on convective development during the landfall of tropical storm Bilis (2006) are investigated with a pair of sensitivity experiments using a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model. The validated simulation data from Wang et al. [Wang, D., Li, X., Tao, W.-K., Liu, Y., Zhou, H., 2009: Torrential rainfall processes associated with a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006): A two-dimensional cloud-resolving modeling study. Atmos. Res., 91, 94–104.] are used as the control experiment. The difference between the control and sensitivity experiments is that vertically varying zonal winds in the control experiment are replaced by their mass-weighted means in the sensitivity experiment. The imposed vertical velocity with ascending motion in the upper troposphere and descending motion in the lower troposphere is responsible for dominant stratiform rainfall on 15 July. The vertical wind shear does not have important impacts on development of stratiform rainfall. One day later, imposed upward motion extends to the lower troposphere. The inclusion of negative vertical wind shear produces well-organized convection and strong convective rainfall because it causes kinetic energy transfer from large-scale forcing to perturbation circulations.     

Regional dependence of microphysical and radiative effects of ice clouds on vertical structures of tropical tropospheric temperature

Regional dependence of microphysical and radiative effects of ice clouds on vertical structure of tropical tropospheric temperature is examined by analyzing thermodynamic budgets over clear sky, raining stratiform, convective, and non-raining stratiform regions with three two-dimensional sensitivity equilibrium cloud-resolving model simulation data. The decrease in the mean tropospheric cooling caused by radiative effects of ice clouds results from the decreases in local atmospheric cooling over clear sky regions around 12?C16?km through the decrease in heat divergence and below 7.5?km through the decrease in radiative cooling and over non-raining stratiform regions around 6?C13?km through the increase in latent heat. The increase in the mean tropospheric cooling caused by microphysical effects of ice clouds results from the increases in local atmospheric cooling over clear sky regions through the decrease in heat convergence below 4?km the increase in radiative cooling around 4?C8?km and over non-raining stratiform regions through the increase in radiative cooling around 7?C10?km. The raining regions do not show any significant thermal changes due to the cancellation between heat convergence and latent heat.     

Microphysical and radiative effects of ice clouds on diurnal variations of tropical convective and stratiform rainfall

Microphysical and radiative effects of ice clouds on diurnal variations of tropical convective and stratiform rainfall are examined with the equilibrium simulation data from three experiments conducted with a two-dimensional cloud resolving model with imposed temporally and zonally invariant winds and sea surface temperature and zero mean vertical velocity. The experiment without ice radiative effects is compared with the control experiment with ice microphysics (both the ice radiative and microphysical effects) to study effects of ice radiative effects on diurnal rainfall variations whereas it is compared with the experiment without ice microphysics to examine ice microphysical effects on the diurnal rainfall variations. The ice radiative processes mainly affect diurnal cycle of convective rainfall whereas the ice microphysical processes have important impacts on the diurnal cycles of both convective and stratiform rainfall. Turning off the ice radiative effects generally enhances convective rainfall during the morning and evening and suppresses convective rainfall in the afternoon whereas turning off the ice microphysical effects generally suppresses convective and stratiform rainfall during the morning and enhances convective and stratiform rainfall in the afternoon and evening. The ice radiative and microphysical effects on the diurnal cycle of surface rainfall are mainly associated with that of vapor condensation and deposition, which is controlled by air temperature through saturation specific humidity. The ice effects on the diurnal cycle of local temperature tendency are largely explained by that of latent heating since the diurnal cycle of radiation is insensitive to the ice effects.     

一次特大暴雨(雪)天气过程的微物理模拟

利用非静力中尺度模式MM5(V3.7)模拟了2007年3月3-5日发生在辽宁地区的一次特大暴雨(雪)天气过程.分析在相同的天气形势背景下,不同降水类型中心各种水成物的相态分布特点,重点对各种水成物的源项进行详细分析.结果表明:雨水碰并雪成雨是雨水产生的主要云微物理过程,雪、霰和云水的碰并对雨水的形成起着非常重要的作用,...     

“碧利斯”（2006）暴雨过程降水强度和降水效率分析

利用2006年第4号强热带风暴“碧利斯”登陆过程的高分辨率数值模拟资料,结合三维地面降水诊断方程和降水效率公式,研究了“碧利斯”登陆后引发的局地暴雨过程,重点分析了此次局地暴雨过程的降水强度和降水效率及其与宏微观物理因子的联系。结果表明,降水强度越强,降水效率越高,但两者并非一一对应的线性关系,随着降水强度增大,降水效率增高的趋势逐渐变缓;伴随暴雨系统快速发展,降水强度和降水效率均显著增强,而主要降水源/汇项的时间变化要复杂得多;暴雨发生前时段与发生时段降水物理过程存在显著差异,发生前,较明显的水汽辐合显著加湿局地大气,并通过微物理转化支持降水云系发展,液相水凝物辐合对降水云系快速发展贡献明显,固相水凝物辐合贡献不显著,较强的“云滴与雨滴碰并（P_racw）”微物理过程同液相水凝物明显辐合可能有直接关系,“霰融化造成雨滴增长（P_gmlt）”仅为P_racw的27%,发生时段,进一步明显加强的水汽辐合依旧是主要降水来源,而汇项发生了明显变化,同时,微物理转化过程与发生前比更活跃,尤其是P_racw和P_gmlt,其中,P_gmlt增强更明显,其值接近P_racw的50%。     

Tropical convective responses to microphysical and radiative processes: a sensitivity study with a 2-D cloud resolving model

Summary Prognostic cloud schemes are increasingly used in weather and climate models in order to better treat cloud-radiation processes. Simplifications are often made in such schemes for computational efficiency, like the scheme being used in the National Centers for Environment Prediction models that excludes some microphysical processes and precipitation-radiation interaction. In this study, sensitivity tests with a 2-D cloud resolving model are carried out to examine effects of the excluded microphysical processes and precipitation-radiation interaction on tropical thermodynamics and cloud properties. The model is integrated for 10 days with the imposed vertical velocity derived from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment. The experiment excluding the depositional growth of snow from cloud ice shows anomalous growth of cloud ice and more than 20% increase of fractional cloud cover, indicating that the lack of the depositional snow growth causes unrealistically large mixing ratio of cloud ice. The experiment excluding the precipitation-radiation interaction displays a significant cooling and drying bias. The analysis of heat and moisture budgets shows that the simulation without the interaction produces more stable upper troposphere and more unstable mid and lower troposphere than does the simulation with the interaction. Thus, the suppressed growth of ice clouds in upper troposphere and stronger radiative cooling in mid and lower troposphere are responsible for the cooling bias, and less evaporation of rain associated with the large-scale subsidence induces the drying in mid and lower troposphere.     

Precipitation responses to radiative effects of ice clouds: A cloud-resolving modeling study of a pre-summer torrential precipitation event

The precipitation responses to the radiative effects of ice clouds are investigated through analysis of five-day and horizontally averaged data from 2D cumulus ensemble model experiments of a pre-summer torrential precipitation event. The exclusion of the radiative effects of ice clouds lowered the precipitation rate through a substantial reduction in the decrease of hydrometeors when the radiative effects of water clouds were switched on, whereas it increased the precipitation rate through hydrometeor change from an increase to a decrease when the radiative effects of ice clouds were turned off. The weakened hydrometeor decrease was associated with the enhanced longwave radiative cooling mainly through the decreases in the melting of non-precipitating ice to non-precipitating water. The hydrometeor change from an increase to a decrease corresponded to the strengthened longwave radiative cooling in the upper troposphere through the weakened collection of non-precipitating water by precipitation water.     

Cloud Microphysical Budget Associated with Torrential Rainfall During the Landfall of Severe Tropical Storm Bilis (2006)

Effects of vertical wind shear, radiation, and ice clouds on cloud microphysical budget associated with torrential rainfall during landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006) are investigated by using a series of analysis of two-day grid-scale sensitivity experiment data. When upper-tropospheric upward motions and lower-tropospheric downward motions occur on 15 July 2006, the removal of vertical wind shear and ice clouds increases rainfall contributions from the rainfall type (CM) associated with positive net condensation and hydrometeor loss/convergence, whereas the exclusion of cloud radiative effects and cloud-radiation interaction reduces rainfall contribution from CM. The elimination of vertical wind shear and cloud-radiation interaction increases rainfall contribution from the rainfall type (Cm) associated with positive net condensation and hydrometeor gain/divergence, but the removal of cloud radiative effects and ice clouds decreases rainfall contribution from Cm. The enhancements in rainfall contribution from the rainfall type (cM) associated with negative net condensation and hydrometeor loss/convergence are caused by the exclusion of cloud radiative effects, cloud-radiation interaction and ice clouds, whereas the reduction in rainfall contribution from cM results from the removal of vertical wind shear. When upward motions appear throughout the troposphere on 16 July, the exclusion of all these effects increases rainfall contribution from CM, but generally decreases rainfall contributions from Cm and cM.     

Vertical structure and microphysical characteristics of Typhoon Kompasu (2010) at landfall

The vertical structure and microphysics of Typhoon Kompasu that caused a lot of damage associated with strong winds and heavy rainfall over the Seoul metropolitan area on 1～2 September 2010 were examined primarily from wind profiler measurements. Four different periods that represent a stratiform, outer rainband, inner rainband, and eyewall region during passage of Typhoon Kompasu from 1200 to 2300 UTC 1 September were selected based on bright band intensities and vertical profiles of radar reflectivities and Doppler velocities. The bright band signatures observed in all of these periods indicated that the structure of Kompasu was basically stratiform in a weakening phase. Maximum rainfall rates up to 50 mm hr^?1 at the surface and mean wind speeds greater than 30 m s^?1 in the 2–4 km layer were observed in the eyewall region. Unlike the other regions that showed nearly zero vertical air motions or weak downdrafts below a melting layer, a mean updraft of ～1 m s^?1 was analyzed only in the eyewall region, which suggests that the updrafts may have enhanced drop growth that led to increasing surface rainfall rates. For each region, the vertical mean characteristics of rainfall parameters retrieved from wind profiler spectra below the melting layer were also examined. The rain properties between the inner and outer rainband were similar although they were apart with a distance of more than 100 km (> 2 hrs in time). The averaged mass-weighted mean diameters within the rainbands were larger than those in the stratiform and eyewall regions. A weaker bright band in the eyewall region suggests the presence of a relatively larger number of rimed particles associated with the updrafts around the melting layer. A stronger bright band was present in the rainbands, which indicates more active aggregation right above the melting layer.     

Radiative effects on torrential rainfall during the landfall of Typhoon Fitow (2013)

Cloud microphysical and rainfall responses to radiative processes are examined through analysis of cloud-resolving model sensitivity experiments of Typhoon Fitow(2013) during landfall.The budget analysis shows that the increase in the mean rainfall caused by the exclusion of radiative effects of water clouds corresponds to the decrease in accretion of raindrops by cloud ice in the presence of radiative effects of ice clouds,but the rainfall is insensitive to radiative effects of water clouds in the absence of radiative effects of ice clouds.The increases in the mean rainfall resulting from the removal of radiative effects of ice clouds correspond to the enhanced net condensation.The increases(decreases) in maximum rainfall caused by the exclusion of radiative effects of water clouds in the presence(absence) of radiative effects of ice clouds,or the removal of radiative effects of ice clouds in the presence(absence) of radiative effects of water clouds,correspond mainly to the enhancements(reductions) in net condensation.The mean rain rate is a product of rain intensity and fractional rainfall coverage.The radiation-induced difference in the mean rain rate is related to the difference in rain intensity.The radiation-induced difference in the maximum rain rate is associated with the difference in the fractional coverage of maximum rainfall.     

Cloud microphysical and precipitation responses to a large-scale forcing in the tropical deep convective regime

Summary Cloud microphysical and precipitation responses to a large-scale forcing in the tropical deep convective regime are investigated based on hourly zonally-averaged, vertically-integrated simulation data from a two-dimensional coupled ocean-cloud resolving atmosphere model. The model is forced by the large-scale vertical velocity and zonal wind observed and derived from TOGA COARE for a 50-day period. The accretion of cloud water by graupel induces growth of graupel that enhances raindrops through its melting during a weak-forcing period, whereas the large deposition rate of vapor associated with a large upper-tropospheric upward motion causes growth of snow from the conversion of cloud ice and enhancement of graupel from the accretion of snow during a strong-forcing period. The local changes of raindrops and graupel switch from the negative to positive values as the forcing strengthens in the weak-forcing case, whereas the variations of cloud hydrometeors are not sensitive to the strength of the forcing in the strong-forcing case. Phase analysis indicates that cloud water leads the surface rain rate by 1 hour. The surface rain rate can be calculated based on the conservation of vapor and cloud hydrometeors and the budget of raindrops. The vapor source and local changes of cloud hydrometeors could have impacts in the calculation of the surface rain rate. The vapor source determines the surface rain rate in the strong-forcing case whereas the cloud variations could become important in the weak-forcing case. In the budget of raindrops, the sum of the collection of cloud water by raindrops, the melting of graupel, and the evaporation of raindrops determines the surface rain rate in the strong-forcing case whereas the other rain-related microphysical processes become important in the weak-forcing case.     

“碧利斯”暴雨增幅高分辨率数值模拟及诊断分析

利用中尺度非静力数值模式ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System),对2006年第4号强热带风暴“碧利斯”的登陆过程,尤其是登陆后的暴雨增幅过程开展了高分辨率数值模拟,并利用观测资料对模拟结果进行了验证,进一步基于该高分辨率模拟资料对该暴雨增幅过程开展了诊断分析.结果表明,ARPS模式较好地模拟再现了“碧利斯”的登陆过程以及登陆后在广东、江西、湖南三省交界处引发的暴雨增幅过程;散度垂直通量和湿位涡的大值区与暴雨增幅地区均有良好的对应关系,对强降水落区有较好指示意义,其中散度垂直通量的对应关系更好.湿位涡不仅很好地反映了与暴雨增幅相关的湿位涡分布,同时也很好地反映了“碧利斯”环流本身所对应的湿位涡分布特征.     

登陆热带风暴Bilis（2006）暴雨特征及其可能原因

利用NCEP/NCAR 1°×1°格点再分析资料、FY-2C TBB（black bright temperature）资料及中国740站降水资料,对0604号强热带风暴Bilis登陆后的暴雨特征及其可能原因进行诊断分析,结果表明：（1）Bilis登陆过程中强降水中心位于风暴中心西北侧沿岸,主要影响福建和浙江两省;进入内陆后强降水中心向风暴中心以西转移,最后在风暴中心西南侧聚集,主要影响广东东北部、福建、江西和湖南南部。（2）西北太平洋副热带高压的稳定少动为Bilis陆上西行过程中产生持续性降水提供了稳定的背景场。（3）Bilis西南部季风环流的发展增强为Bilis登陆后强降水的产生提供了必要的水汽条件。（4）涡合并和自激增长形成的中尺度系统与风暴涡旋的相互作用,是Bilis登陆后产生强降水的可能机制。     

A diagnostic study of the asymmetric distribution of rainfall during the landfall of typhoon Haitang (2005)

The precipitation during landfall of typhoon Haitang (2005) showed asymmetric structures (left side/right side of the track). Analysis of Weather Research and Forecasting model simulation data showed that rainfall on the right side was more than 15 times stronger than on the left side. The causes were analyzed by focusing on comparing the water vapor flux, stability and upward motion between the two sides. The major results were as follows: (2) Relative humidity on both sides was over 80%, whereas the convergence of water vapor flux in the lower troposphere was about 10 times larger on the right side than on the left side. (5) Both sides featured conditional symmetric instability [MPV (moist potential vorticity) <0], but the right side was more unstable than the left side. (6) Strong (weak) upward motion occurred throughout the troposphere on the right (left) side. The Q vector diagnosis suggested that large-scale and mesoscale forcing accounted for the difference in vertical velocity. Orographic lift and surface friction forced the development of the asymmetric precipitation pattern. On the right side, strong upward motion from the forcing of different scale weather systems and topography caused a substantial release of unstable energy and the transportation of water vapor from the lower to the upper troposphere, which produced torrential rainfall. However, the above conditions on the left side were all much weaker, which led to weaker rainfall. This may have been the cause of the asymmetric distribution of rainfall during the landfall of typhoon Haitang.     

The role of the land surface processes in the rainfall generated by a landfall typhoon: A simulation of the typhoon Sepat (2007)

Landfall tropical cyclones are a major kind of severe weather affecting China. The typhoon Sepat, declassified as tropical storm after its landfalling, caused a continuous heavy rainfall event over China mainland from 19th to 25th August, 2007. The storm cyclone resided over the Hunan province for 60 hours, causing observed accumulated precipitation larger than 300 mm in a large area of the Hunan province and leading severe flood events. This event was simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the surface layer scheme UTOPIA. The model was able to reproduce the main characteristics of the event, including the typhoon track and the rainfall field and timing. In addition, three sets of sensitivity experiments have been performed. In the first one, the effects of different land surface schemes (RUC, NOAH and UTOPIA) coupled with WRF on the precipitation, sensible and latent heat flux fields associated with the Typhoon Sepat (2007) were investigated. The second set of sensitivity experiments analyzed the role of the surface fluxes (sensible and latent heat flux) on the typhoon evolution. The third set of sensitivity experiments regarded the initialization of the soil moisture content. These experiments showed that both latent and sensible heat fluxes sustained this landfalling typhoon, maintaining the spiral structure of rain belt. Among the two fluxes, the latent heat one played a major role in determining the intensity, the track and the rainfall distribution of the typhoon. In addition, the correct initialization of the soil moisture content has reveled a fundamental parameter to be initialized in order to correctly evaluate the distribution and intensity of the rain field. The intercomparison between the three different land surface schemes coupled with WRF showed that the WRF-UTOPIA and WRF-NOAH outputs seem comparable between each other and physically most realistic than those of WRF-RUC. These analyses were helpful to understand the evolution and the development of the landfalling typhoon, and demonstrated that WRF-UTOPIA and WRF-NOAH could be considered a good tool for managing the risk evaluation connected with the occurrence of such events at regional scale.     

Responses of Vertical Structures in Convective and Stratiform Regions to Large-Scale Forcing during the Landfall of Severe Tropical Storm Bilis （2006）

The responses of vertical structures,in convective and stratiform regions,to the large-scale forcing during the landfall of tropical storm Bilis(2006) are investigated using the data from a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation.An imposed large-scale forcing with upward motion in the mid and upper troposphere and downward motion in the lower troposphere on 15 July suppresses convective clouds,which leads to ～100% coverage of raining stratiform clouds over the entire model domain.The imposed forci...     

Sensitivity of Tropical Cyclone Precipitation to Atmospheric Moisture Content： Case Study of Bilis （2006）

In this article, the authors used the Weather Research and Forecast model to investigate the sensitivity of tropical cyclone Bilis' total precipitation to ambient water vapor content. The tropical cycl...