Effects of convective adjustment time scale on the simulation of tropical climate

This paper describes the effects of convective adjustment time scale (τ) on the simulation of tropical climate. The NCAR-Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) has been used for this study. In the default configuration of the model, the prescribed value of τ, a characteristic time scale with which convective available potential energy (CAPE) is removed at an exponential rate by convection, is assumed to be 1?h. However, some recent observational findings suggest that, it is larger by around one order of magnitude. In order to investigate the dependence of tropical climate simulation to this time scale, we conducted two simulations, one with a time scale of 1?h (CTRL) and another with 8?h (EXPT), and examined the differences in simulated climate. For this, we analyzed both the mean as well as transient features, viz., seasonal mean quantities, equatorial waves, and meridional migration of convective disturbances. The spatial distributions of seasonal mean precipitation are found to be better in EXPT. The spatial correlation coefficients of CTRL and EXPT with the observations are 0.79 and 0.83, respectively, for northern hemisphere winter. Similarly, for northern hemisphere summer, the values are 0.67 and 0.79, respectively. In addition, there is also an improvement in the simulation of equatorial waves, specifically, the Kelvin waves, Madden–Julian oscillation, and n?=?1 equatorial Rossby waves become more realistic in EXPT. The characteristics of meridional migration of convective activity over tropics also become more reasonable in EXPT. Thus, it is found that there is a clear improvement in some of the key aspects of the simulated tropical climate with the revised convective adjustment time scale.     

Variability of global lightning activity on the ENSO time scale

Global lightning activity has been studied on the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) time scale based on recordings of the Earth's Schumann resonances at Nagycenk (NCK), Hungary as well as observations from the OTD (Optical Transient Detector) and the LIS (Lightning Imaging Sensor) satellites in space. Both the intensity and position of lightning activity vary on the ENSO time scale. The magnitude of the global variation in lightning flash rate is ~10% from La Niña to El Niño. In general, more lightning is observed in the tropical–extratropical land regions during warm, El Niño episodes, especially in Southeast Asia. Although oceanic lightning activity is a minor contributor to global lightning, an opposite behavior is observed in the Pacific and other oceanic regions. More lightning is present during cold, La Niña conditions than during the warm, El Niño episodes. The annual distribution of global lightning is slightly offset from the equator into the Northern Hemisphere due to the north–south asymmetry of the land/ocean area ratio. Schumann resonance intensity variations suggest a southward (equator-ward) shift and satellite observations support this and show in addition an eastward shift in the global position during warm, El Niño episodes. The greatest lightning contrast between warm El Niño and cold La Niña episodes has been identified at the latitudes of descending dry air in the Hadley circulation.     

Climatological aspects of the tropical convective boundary layer

The characteristics of a boundary layer depend both on conditions at the surface and in the interior of the medium. In the undisturbed tropics, the latter are largely determined by subsidence and by infrared radiational cooling. One-dimensional models are used to establish relationships between the inversion height, subsidence, upper-air humidity and sea-surface temperature. In particular, it is shown that a universally colder tropical ocean would probably be covered by more extensive clouds.Contribution No. 1700 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami.     

Transient convective waves in the tropical SW Indian Ocean

Summary Wave-organized convective features in the southwest Indian Ocean are described using Hovmoller composites of satellite imagery, OLR anomalies and ECMWF precipitable water departures during the southern summer. Westward movement of large convective elements is noted in the 10–20°S latitude band in about half of the years between 1970 and 1984. A study of 47 convective systems from satellite imagery establishes the climatological features, including zonal propagation speeds for maritime systems in the range –2 to –4 m s^–1, wavelengths of 25–35° longitude (3,000 km), lifespans of 10–20 days and convective areas of 7–10° longitude (800 km). Transient convective waves over the tropical SW Indian Ocean are slower and more diverse than their northern hemisphere counterparts. Interannual tendencies in the frequency and mode are studied. Wet summers over SE Africa correspond with an increased frequency of westward moving convective systems, whereas in dry summers convective systems tend to be quasi-stationary. INSAT data composites provide additional insight into the convective structure and show that tropical waves penetrated into southern Africa in February 1988. A more quantitative assessment of transient convective waves is provided by Hovmoller composites of OLR anomalies and precipitable water departures. Both display westward moving systems in 1976 and 1984 and highlight the wide variety and mixed mode character of convective waves. A case study is analyzed which illustrates the deepening of a moist, unstable layer coincident with the westward passage of a convective wave.With 12 Figures     

Estimating the convective velocity scale for diffusion applications

A simple mixed layer model is used to derive the following expressions for the maximum (daily) convective velocity scale. w _*m = AQ _m ^1/2; w _*m = Bz _im The variables A and B are shown to vary within narrow limits thus allowing them to be treated as constants. This is very useful for routine computation of w _*m , an important variable for dispersion under unstable conditions, from estimates of either the kinematic surface heat flux Q _m (m^-1) or the maximum mixed layer height z _im .Analysis of observations made during the Minnesota boundary layer experiment shows that there is ample justification for assigning typical values to A and B in estimating w _*m.     

Role of the cloud adjustment time scale in simulation of the interannual variability of Indian summer monsoon

The simulation of precipitation in a general circulation model relying on relaxed mass flux cumulus parameterization scheme is sensitive to cloud adjustment time scale (CATS). In this study, the frequency of the dominant intra-seasonal mode and interannual variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) simulated by an atmospheric general circulation model is shown to be sensitive to the CATS. It has been shown that a longer CATS of about 5 h simulates the spatial distribution of the ISMR better. El Niño Southern Oscillation–ISMR relationship is also sensitive to CATS. The equatorial Indian Ocean rainfall and ISMR coupling is sensitive to CATS. Our study suggests that a careful choice of CATS is necessary for adequate simulation of spatial pattern as well as interannual variation of Indian summer monsoon precipitation.     

Effects of convective scale downdrafts on the rainfall simulation in NCAR-CAM3

In this work, an attempt is made to systematically evaluate the effect of convective scale downdrafts on the model-simulated rainfall, in both aqua- and actual-planet frameworks, using the NCAR CAM3. From the aqua-planet simulations, it was found that there is a reduction in the total rainfall (TRF) with increase in the intensity of downdrafts, which is primarily attributed to the reduction in the deep convective component (DRF). However, with stronger downdrafts, the shallow convective and the large-scale components (SRF and LRF, respectively) are found to increase. The reduction in DRF is due to the increased evaporation of convective precipitation within the downdrafts. It is found that, with intense downdrafts, there is an increase in relative humidity throughout the troposphere, due to the combined effect of both moisture and temperature. There is an overall increase in specific humidity of the atmosphere with stronger downdrafts, excepting at around the 900-hPa level. In addition, there is a reduction in temperature throughout the troposphere, primarily due to the reduction in the overall temperature tendency due to moist processes and that due to the radiative processes. The changes in the radiative forcing are found to be primarily due to a significant increase in the low cloud fraction with strong downdrafts. In the actual-planet framework, it is seen that, with strong convective downdrafts, there is a reduction in TRF and DRF and a corresponding increase in SRF and LRF, similar to the results obtained from the aqua-planet simulations. The vertical structures of the thermodynamic variables (RH, q, and T) show similar sensitivity to the downdraft intensity as that seen in the aqua-planet framework. Sensitivity of frequency and intensity of model-simulated rainfall to the downdraft intensity was also analyzed, and it was seen that there were significant differences in the frequency distribution of rainfall. It was seen that, with an increase in downdraft intensity, there is an increase in the frequency of light rain (1–10?mm/day) for TRF with a corresponding reduction in all other rainfall bins. A similar behavior was seen for the DRF as well, while the SRF and LRF components showed an increase in rainfall accumulation in all the bins. In addition, the impact of convective downdrafts on the mean spatial pattern of rainfall is also analyzed, for the DJF and JJA periods (boreal winter and summer, respectively). For the DJF period, with strong downdrafts, it was seen that grossly over the whole domain, there were a reduction in DRF and an increase in SRF and LRF. In contrast, during JJA, although a major part of the domain showed a reduction in DRF, there were regions like western Arabian Sea and the Somali coast with increase in DRF with intense downdrafts. The SRF and LRF components, however, show a spatially homogeneous increase over almost the entire domain with increase in downdraft intensity.     

Effects of the East Asian summer monsoon on tropical cyclone genesis over the South China Sea on an interdecadal time scale

Tropical cyclone (TC) genesis over the South China Sea (SCS) during 1965-2004 was analyzed.The locations of TC genesis display evident seasonal changes,with the mean position of formation situated nort...     

Short timescale air-sea coupling in the tropical deep convective regime

Summary The relationship between surface rainfall rate and sea-surface temperature (SST) over tropical cloudy areas is revisited, and associated air-sea interaction processes are investigated based on hourly grid simulation data over cloudy areas from a two-dimensional coupled ocean-cloud resolving atmosphere model. A cloud-weighted data analysis shows that surface evaporation flux decreases with increasing SST and is one order of magnitude smaller than the residual between moisture convergence and condensation, playing a negligible role in moisture budget. Moisture convergence determines the surface rainfall rate by determining vapor condensation and deposition rates. Ocean mixed-layer thermal budget shows that the atmospheric surface flux is a major process responsible for SST variation while thermal advection and thermal entrainment play a secondary role. The results indicate that atmospheric impacts on the ocean are important whereas oceanic impacts on the atmosphere are not, in the tropical air-sea system, on short timescales. Thus, the relationship between surface rainfall rate and SST over tropical cloudy areas is not physically important. Further estimates indicate that the surface evaporation flux and residual between moisture convergence and condensation could have the same order of magnitude in daily-mean moisture budget.     

Initiation Mechanism of Meso-β Scale Convective Systems

With the aid of the Penn State-NCAR MM5 model, the initiation mechanism of meso-β scaleconvective systems (MCS) is investigated on the basis of simulation of the temporal and spatialthermodynamic structure of the MCS that occurred in Wuhan, Hubei, China and its surrounding area on 21July 1998. Using the PV inversion method, comparisons among the upper-, middle-, and low-leveltropospheric potential vorticity (PV) perturbations, as well as their effects on the initiation of MCS, indicatethat the low-level tropospheric PV perturbations play an important role in the triggering of MCS. Furtheranalysis reveals that the interaction between the southwest low-level jet and the gravity-inertia wave indeedinitiates MCS in the conditionally unstable ambient atmosphere.     

PDO对西北太平洋热带气旋活动与大尺度环流关系的影响

利用NCEP再分析资料和上海台风研究所整编的热带气旋资料,研究了在太平洋年代际振荡(PDO)冷暖位相中西北太平洋热带气旋频数与太平洋海表温度(SST)年际相关的分布差异,以及500 hPa高度场对热带气旋频数和生成源地的影响.结果表明,在PDO冷位相时期,热带气旋频数与赤道东太平洋SST存在显著相关,副热带高压位置偏东...     

The Indian summer monsoon drought of 2002 and its linkage with tropical convective activity over northwest Pacific

The Indian subcontinent witnessed a severe monsoon drought in 2002, which largely resulted from a major rainfall deficiency in the month of July. While moderate El Nino conditions prevailed during this period, the atmospheric convective activity was anomalously enhanced over northwest and north-central Pacific in the 10–20°N latitude belt; and heavy rainfall occurred over this region in association with a series of northward moving tropical cyclones. Similar out-of-phase rainfall variations over the Indian region and the northwest (NW) Pacific have been observed during other instances of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The dynamical linkage corresponding to this out-of-phase rainfall variability is explored in this study by conducting a set of numerical experiments using an atmospheric general circulation model. The results from the model simulations lend credence to the role of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies in forcing the out-of-phase precipitation variability over the NW Pacific and the Indian monsoon region. It is seen that the ENSO induced circulation response reveals an anomalous pattern comprising of alternating highs and lows which extend meridionally from the equatorial region into the sub-tropic and mid-latitude regions of west-central Pacific. This meridional pattern is associated with an anomalous cyclonic circulation over NW Pacific, which is found to favor enhanced tropical cyclonic activity and intensified convection over the region. In turn, the intensified convection over NW Pacific induces subsidence and rainfall deficiency over the Indian landmass through anomalous east-west circulation in the 10–20°N latitude belt. Based on the present findings, it is suggested that the convective activity over NW Pacific is an important component in mediating the ENSO-monsoon teleconnection dynamics.     

The tropical very low-frequency oscillation on interannual scale

This is a review on the studies of tropical very low-frequency oscillation (VLFO) on interannual scale, mainly on the recent researches undertaken by Chinese scientists which are not well known outside of the country.This paper summarizes the basic features of VLFO in the tropics, the characteristic time and spacial structure of oscillation, especially the new concept of Low Latitude Oscillation consisted of two components: the well-known Southern Oscillation (SO) and the so-called Northern Oscillation (NO). A large number of evidences have been provided to illustrate the relationship between VLFO in tropics and the climate variation in China, such as the long-term variation of north Pacific high, the frequency of typhoon and the cyclone over the East China Sea, the summer monsoon rainfall in Yangtze valley basin and the cold summer disaster in Northeast China, and so on. Finally throw some lights on the nature of VLFO on imerannual scale.     

Modulating synoptic scale convective activity and boundary layer dissipation in the IPESD models of the Madden–Julian oscillation

A self-contained derivation of the IPESD models [Majda, A.J., Klein, R., 2003. Systematic multi-scale models for the tropics. J. Atmos. Sci. 60, 393–408] governing synoptic and planetary scale tropical flows is provided. This derivation demonstrates the analytic tractability of the model and the effect of zonally and meridionally tilted synoptic scale heating on the forcing of planetary scale flows through upscale momentum and temperature fluxes. Exploiting the analytic tractability of the models, different aspects of the planetary scale forcing are traced to meridional and vertical tilts in the synoptic scale heating profile. Variants of the archetypal IPESD models for the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) presented in Majda and Biello [Majda, A.J., Biello, J.A., 2004. A multi-scale model for tropical intraseasonal oscillations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 101, 4736–4741; Biello, J.A., Majda, A.J., 2005. A new multi-scale model for the Madden–Julian oscillation. J. Atmos. Sci. 62, 1694–1721] are studied. In addition to vertically tilted synoptic scale heating, the models discussed herein incorporate upscale zonal momentum flux due to meridional flux convergence arising from meridionally tilted heating. The effect of a boundary layer momentum drag at the base of the free troposphere is also systematically incorporated into the IPESD models. Both meridional tilts and lower boundary layer drag are shown to meridionally confine the MJO westerly wind burst and drive a planetary scale barotropic flow. Meridionally tilted heating can also greatly strengthen the wind burst at the base of the troposphere and modify its vertical profile. The competing effects of meridionally tilted, and off-equatorial heating can also significantly weaken the MJO winds. Appendices are provided which discuss generalizations and a solution algorithm for the IPESD models.     

澳大利亚冷空气活动对西北太平洋热带气旋生成的影响

利用1980—2012年NCEP/NCAR再分析资料及中国气象局的最佳台风路径资料,研究澳大利亚冷空气活动对西北太平洋热带气旋生成的影响。研究发现,北半球夏季925 h Pa经向风超过6 m/s的频数在澳大利亚东北部海域最高,达40 d/a。为此,确定澳大利亚冷空气侵入南北半球低纬的关键区为澳大利亚东北部所罗门海地区,并用该区域经向风风速定义了一个澳大利亚冷空气活动强度指数。该指数与越赤道气流及赤道西风都有很好的相关关系,还与同期的SOI(Southern Oscillation Index,南方涛动指数)显著相关。当SOI偏低(高)时,关键区经向风风速偏强(弱)。合成分析和相关分析结果表明,澳大利亚冷空气活动强、弱年西北太平洋热带气旋生成的位置的变化与季风槽的变化一致,西北太平洋热带气旋生成总数则无显著差异。澳大利亚冷空气活动强年季风槽偏强偏东,热带气旋生成位置偏东偏南;而弱年季风槽偏弱偏西,热带气旋生成位置偏西偏北。低层涡度场、水汽输送、风垂直切变以及低纬地区对流活动的分布表明,澳大利亚冷空气活动强年有利于热带气旋生成位置偏东、偏南;弱年偏西、偏北。     

Influence of monsoon over the warm pool on interannual variation on tropical cyclone activity over the western North Pacific

The relationship between the interannual variation in tropical cyclone （TC） activity over the western North Pacific （WNP） and the thermal state over the warm pool （WP） is examined in this paper. The results show that the subsurface temperature in the WP is well correlated with TC geographical distribution and track type. Their relation is linked by the East Asian monsoon trough. During the warm years, the westward-retreating monsoon trough creates convergence and vorticity fields that are favorable for tropical cyclogenesis in the northwest of the WNP, whereas more TCs concentrating in the southeast result from eastward penetration of the monsoon trough during the cold years. The steering flows at 500 hPa lead to a westward displacement track in the warm years and recurving prevailing track in the cold years.
The two types of distinct processes in the monsoon environment triggering tropical cyclogenesis are hypothesized by composites centered for TC genesis location corresponding to two kinds of thermal states of the WP. During the warm years, low-frequency intraseasonal oscillation is active in the west of the WNP such that eastward-propagating westerlies cluster TC genesis in that region. In contrast, during the cold years, the increased cyclogenesis in the southeast of the WNP is mainly associated with tropical depression type disturbances transiting from equatorially trapped mixed Rossby gravity waves. Both of the processes may be fundamental mechanisms for the inherent interannual variation in TC activity over the WNP.     

Feedback between convective heating and dynamics and movements of tropical cyclones

Summary It is shown that there exists a mechanism that can cause north-northwest movement of tropical cyclones in addition to already recognised mechanisms such as steering current and beta drift. This mechanism depends on the interaction between organised convection and dynamics. In the initial stages of formation of a cyclone, it is assumed that the hydrodynamic instabilities result in an incipient disturbance that organises some convection giving rise to a heat source. The atmospheric response to a localized heat source located off the equator in the northern hemisphere produces a low level vorticity field with a maximum in the northwest sector of the original heat source. If the Ekman-CISK which depends on the low level vorticity, was the dominating mechanism for moisture convergence, the location of the heat source would move to the new location of vorticity maximum. A repetition of this process would result in a northwest movement of the heat source and hence that of the cyclone. The movement of a tropical vortex under the influence of this mechanism which depends on asymmetries created by linear dispersion of Rossby waves is first illustrated using a linear model. It is then demonstrated that this process also enhances the motion of a tropical vortex in a nonlinear model. Importance of this feedback and the resulting movements of a tropical vortex in determining the actual track of a cyclone and in bogusing an initial vortex for prediction models are illustrated.With 6 Figures     

弱垂直风切变下台前飑线不同发展阶段的热、动力特征分析

利用多普勒雷达、风廓线雷达、FY-4A黑体亮温(TBB)、地基微波辐射计、地面自动站等多种观测资料以及ERA5再分析资料,对“利奇马”(2019)台前飑线的过程演变及其发生位置、移动方向和长生命史的异常特征进行分析,结果表明：(1) 台前飑线过程经历了发展形成、加强成熟和减弱消亡三个阶段,其中第二阶段影响范围最广、强度最强,过境造成的气象要素变化具有极端性。地面中尺度雷暴高压、飑前热低压、冷池、暖中心特征明显。(2) 台前飑线发生在增强的大陆高压与台风之间的湿区带上;台风为台前飑线过程提供了充沛水汽,强的不稳定环境产生大的对流有效位能(CAPE)和东北气流辐合;上干下湿的热力不稳定层结、低空强的垂直风切变是此次台前飑线生成的大气环境条件。(3) 台前飑线进入福建后,大气层结不稳定持续显著增强、低空垂直风切变异常增强且时间长维持以及台前飑线与前缘激发生成的对流风暴合并促使台前飑线发展增强,是其生命史延长的重要原因。(4) 东北气流增强引导台前飑线向西南方向移动,飑线与引导气流夹角大,二者移动方向一致,移速加快,有利地面大风增幅。(5) 地基微波辐射计资料计算的热力对流参数(K、TT和A指数)的峰值与大风极值有着很好的对应关系,K≥37 ℃和A≥11 ℃指数对强对流天气预警有一定的参考价值。

     

台风生成阶段周期性对流爆发机制及辐射的影响

最新观测统计分析表明台风生成前对流活动存在周期性特征,周期集中在18~26 h,峰值多出现在夜间。本文通过一系列理想的云分辨数值控制试验和辐射敏感性对比试验讨论了台风生成阶段周期性对流爆发的成因以及辐射日变化在此过程中产生的影响。结果表明,在给定无日变化的恒定太阳辐射情况下,台风生成过程中也会出现与观测一致的周期性对流爆发,说明辐射日变化不是该周期性形成的控制因素。对湿静力能扰动的收支分析发现边界层中湿静力能的周期性增减是导致周期性深对流爆发的关键因素。深对流爆发形成的冷池通过平流作用降低了边界层内的湿静力能,需要通过辐射与海表面通量过程使其恢复,才能再次触发对流。辐射日变化对于一些较弱的热带低压涡旋有调制作用,能使其周期性对流爆发的峰值时间相位改变并趋于在夜晚出现;但对于较强的涡旋,辐射的这种调制作用并不显著,涡旋会保持其最初对流爆发的周期和相位。本研究对观测到的台风生成阶段对流峰值出现在白天或夜间的情况都可以作出合理解释,也深化了对台风生成过程对流和辐射的作用和影响科学问题的理解。