RADIATIVE AND MICROPHYSICAL EFFECTS OF ICE CLOUDS ON A TORRENTIAL RAINFALL EVENT OVER HUNAN, CHINA

The radiative and microphysical effects of ice clouds on a torrential rainfall event over Hunan,China in June 2004 are investigated by analyzing the sensitivity of cloud-resolving model simulations.The model is initialized by zonally-uniform vertical velocity,zonal wind,horizontal temperature and vapor advection from National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP) /National Center for Atmospheric Research(NCAR) reanalysis data.The exclusion of radiative effects of ice clouds increases model domain mean surface rain rates through the increase in the mean net condensation associated with the increase in the mean radiative cooling during the onset phase and the increases in the mean net condensation and the mean hydrometeor loss during the mature phase.The decrease in the mean rain rate corresponds to the decreased mean net condensation and associated mean latent heat release as the enhanced mean radiative cooling by the removal of radiative effects of ice clouds cools the mean local atmosphere during the decay phase.The removal of microphysical effects of ice clouds decreases the mean rain rates through the decrease in the mean net condensation during the onset phase,while the evolution of mean net condensation and the mean hydrometeor changes from decrease to increase during the mature phase.The reduction in the mean rain rate is primarily associated with the mean hydrometeor change in the absence of microphysical effects of ice clouds during the decay phase.     

Torrential rainfall responses to radiative and microphysical processes of ice clouds during a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006)

Ice clouds are an important component in precipitation systems. The radiative processes of ice clouds directly impact radiation in heat budget and the microphysical processes of ice clouds directly affect latent heat and net condensation through deposition processes, which may eventually change surface rainfall. Thus, torrential rainfall responses to radiative and microphysical processes of ice clouds during a landfall of severe tropical storm Bilis (2006) are investigated with the analysis of sensitivity experiments. The two-dimensional cloud-resolving model is integrated for 3 days with imposed zonally uniform vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal temperature and vapor advection from NCEP/GDAS data. One sensitivity experiment excludes the radiative effects of ice clouds and the other sensitivity experiment excludes ice microphysics and associated radiative and microphysical processes. Model domain mean surface rain rate is barely changed by the exclusion of radiative effects of ice clouds due to the small decrease in net condensation associated with the small reduction in latent heat as a result of the offset between the increase in radiative cooling and the decrease in heat divergence. The exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds decreases the mean rain rate simply through the suppression of latent heat as a result of the removal of deposition processes. The total exclusion of ice microphysics decreases the mean rain rate mainly through the exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds.     

An Analysis of Thermally-Related Surface Rainfall Budgets Associated with Convective and Stratiform Rainfall

Both water vapor and heat processes play key roles in producing surface rainfall.While the water vapor effects of sea surface temperature and cloud radiative and microphysical processes on surface rainfall have been investigated in previous studies,the thermal effects on rainfall are analyzed in this study using a series of two-dimensional equilibrium cloud-resolving model experiments forced by zonally-uniform,constant,large-scale zonal wind and zero large-scale vertical velocity.The analysis of thermally-related surface rainfall budget reveals that the model domain mean surface rain rate is primarily associated with the mean infrared cooling rate.Convective rainfall and transport of hydrometeor concentration from convective regions to raining stratiform regions corresponds to the heat divergence over convective regions,whereas stratiform rainfall corresponds to the transport of hydrometeor concentration from convective regions and heat divergence over raining stratiform regions.The heat divergence over convective regions is mainly balanced by the heat convergence over rainfall-free regions,which is,in turn,offset by the radiative cooling over rainfall-free regions.The sensitivity experiments of rainfall to the effects of sea surface temperature and cloud radiative and microphysical processes show that the sea surface temperature and cloud processes affect convective rainfall through the changes in infrared cooling rate over rainfall-free regions and transport rate of heat from convective regions to rainfall-free regions.     

不同云方案对祁连山降水模拟的影响

应用MM5中尺度模式,选用4种不同云微物理方案(Dudhia简单冰相方案、Reisner混合相方案、Reisner2霰方案和Schultz微物理方案),对2002年7月12-13日祁连山区降水过程进行了数值模拟试验。模拟结果的对比分析表明,不同云微物理方案在祁连山区降水的模拟中对降水落区的模拟均偏南;除Reisner2霰方案外,其他3种方案对降水中心落点的模拟影响不大,降水中心强度对云微物理方案不敏感;显式降水和参数化降水对云微物理方案有不同程度的依赖性;云微物理过程通过影响动力条件发生发展的时间和强度,来影响强降水发生的时间和强度。通过各云微物理参数的分析发现,各物理过程中微物理参数参与降水的过程不同:对Dudhia简单冰相方案来说,雨水和云水是形成降水的主要过程;Reisner混合相方案中降水的形成主要是由于雨水、云水、雪和霰的碰并过程,冰晶的碰并相对较弱;在Reisner2霰方案中,雨水、云水、冰晶、雪和霰均参与碰并碰冻过程;Schultz微物理方案中冰晶、雪和霰的碰并过程更为重要。     

2010年6月中旬浙闽赣地区暴雨特征和冰云热力效应的数值模拟分析

以2010年6月19日发生在浙闽赣地区的一次强降水过程为例,利用中尺度WRF模式进行模拟,用模拟资料对该地区降水收支特征和冰云热力作用进行分析。依据局地水汽/热量变化项、水汽/热量辐合辐散项和云凝物辐合辐散项这3个因子可将降水分为8类,其中局地水汽变干和大气变暖、水汽辐合和热量辐散以及云凝物辐合时,降水强度(雨强)最强,而局地水汽变湿和大气变冷、水汽辐合和热量辐散以及云凝物辐合时,降水覆盖率最大。冰云热力效应包括辐射和潜热两部分。基准试验与敏感性试验对比分析表明冰云辐射减弱降水,而冰云潜热增强降水。热量收支对比分析发现冰云辐射造成辐射冷却的减弱在对流层中低层随高度增加,减弱大气不稳定和降水;而冰云潜热造成潜热增强在对流层中高层随高度减小,增强大气不稳定和降水。     

东北冷涡中尺度云系降水机制研究 II: 数值模拟

在利用卫星、雷达和机载PMS(粒子测量系统)等观测资料对2003年7月8日东北冷涡积层混合云系的降水形成机制分析的基础上,将观测分析与数值模拟研究相结合,用中尺度数值模式对积层混合云系做数值模拟,并结合观测资料进一步分析了积层混合云系的微物理结构、粒子形成过程和降水形成机制,获得如下结果:(1)混合云中对流云具有分层的微物理结构.冰晶含水量最大值出现的高度最高,其次由高到低的排序是雪、云水、霰和雨;雨水主要出现在云的暖区;各种粒子中以雨水含水量最高,其次是霰.对流云体生命期较长,微物理结构基本稳定.(2)粒子形成增长过程有差异.冰晶通过凝华过程增长.雪主要来源于冰晶,产生后主要通过撞冻、收集冰晶和凝华过程增长,其中撞冻过冷云水增长对雪质量贡献最大,其产生率极大值高度与过冷云水相当.丰富的过冷云水,给雪的撞冻增长提供了有利条件.在高、中和低层雪的形成有着不同的机制,高层雪收集冰晶长大后,下落到低层又以雪撞冻过冷云水的结淞增长为主要过程.霰主要由雨滴冻结和雪的转化产生,过冷雨滴与冰晶接触冻结成霰;过冷雨滴收集雪,雪随着雨滴的冻结而转化成霰.因此霰的产生与过冷雨滴关系极大.霰主要撞冻云水、收集雪和冰晶增长,其中撞冻是霰的重要增长过程.雨水主要由霰的融化形成,降水主要是由冷云过程产生的.在过冷层,霰撞冻增长占优势.云上部的冰晶和雪对云的中部具有播撒作用,过冷层中存在丰富的过冷水,对冰相粒子的撞冻增长有利.对云水消耗的分析表明,雨滴对云滴的收集、霰和雪对云水的撞冻增长是消耗云水的主要过程.(3)从各种粒子的形成和增长过程可以看出,大部分雨水由霰融化形成,暖云过程贡献要小得多.可见,降水主要是由冷云过程产生的,这与观测分析的结果一致.     

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.     

EVALUATION OF CONVECTIVE-STRATIFORM RAINFALL SEPARATION SCHEMES BY PRECIPITATION AND CLOUD STATISTICS

In this study,two convective-stratiform rainfall partitioning schemes are evaluated using precipitation and cloud statistics for different rainfall types categorized by applying surface rainfall equation on grid-scale data from a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation.One scheme is based on surface rainfall intensity whereas the other is based on cloud content information.The model is largely forced by the large-scale vertical velocity derived from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment(TOGA COARE).The results reveal that over 40% of convective rainfall is associated with water vapor divergence,which primarily comes from the rainfall type with local atmospheric drying and water hydrometeor loss/convergence,caused by precipitation and evaporation of rain.More than 40% of stratiform rainfall is related to water vapor convergence,which largely comes from the rainfall type with local atmospheric moistening and hydrometeor loss/convergence attributable to water clouds through precipitation and the evaporation of rain and ice clouds through the conversion from ice hydrometeor to water hydrometeor.This implies that the separation methods based on surface rainfall and cloud content may not clearly separate convective and stratiform rainfall.     

CLOUD RADIATIVE AND MICROPHYSICAL EFFECTS ON THE RELATION BETWEEN SPATIAL MEAN RAIN RATE, RAIN INTENSITY AND FRACTIONAL RAINFALL COVERAGE

Cloud radiative and microphysical effects on the relation between spatial mean rain rate, rain intensity and fractional rainfall coverage are investigated in this study by conducting and analyzing a series of two-dimensional cloud resolving model sensitivity experiments of pre-summer torrential rainfall in June 2008. The analysis of time-mean data shows that the exclusion of radiative effects of liquid clouds reduces domain mean rain rate by decreasing convective rain rate mainly through the reduced convective-rainfall area associated with the strengthened hydrometeor gain in the presence of radiative effects of ice clouds, whereas it increases domain mean rain rate by enhancing convective rain rate mainly via the intensified convective rain intensity associated with the enhanced net condensation in the absence of radiative effects of ice clouds. The removal of radiative effects of ice clouds decreases domain mean rain rate by reducing stratiform rain rate through the suppressed stratiform rain intensity related to the suppressed net condensation in the presence of radiative effects of liquid clouds, whereas it increases domain mean rain rate by strengthening convective rain rate mainly via the enhanced convective rain intensity in response to the enhanced net condensation in the absence of radiative effects of liquid clouds. The elimination of microphysical effects of ice clouds suppresses domain mean rain rate by reducing stratiform rain rate through the reduced stratiform-rainfall area associated with severely reduced hydrometeor loss.     

华南一次暖区暴雨的演变及云微物理机制模拟研究

利用WRF v4.0中尺度模式及0.25 °×0.25 °高分辨率的GDAS分析资料,对2017年6月15日发生在华南的一次典型暖区暴雨过程进行数值研究。多源观测资料对比分析表明,Thompson aerosol aware云微物理方案与YSU边界层方案组合合理再现了此次暴雨的演变过程。观测与模拟的强风速下传、低层风场切变及降水之间存在较好的对应关系,强的雷达反射率与水汽通量散度中心一致。在中尺度对流系统（MCS）发展和成熟阶段,冷池的出流抬升是新生对流的重要触发条件,地形的动力抬升作用并非主导。云微物理分析指出,由于华南上空充沛的水汽及过冷雨水,雪的最大来源项表现为水汽凝华成雪,而霰的最大来源项为过冷雨滴碰并冰晶、雪并冻结成霰。在零度层之下的1.5 km区域,冰相粒子的融化率可达暖雨过程（1×10-4g/(kg·s)的2倍,暗示其在融化层对雨水形成的支配作用,而雪霰的重力沉降扮演了重要角色。此外,相变过程显著影响着大气的温度变化,当对流云底较低时,低层的水汽凝结将抵消雨水蒸发导致的冷却作用,减弱地面冷池的强度。      

The cloud processes of a simulated moderate snowfall event in North China

The understanding of the cloud processes of snowfall is essential to the artificial enhancement of snow and the numerical simulation of snowfall. The mesoscale model MM5 is used to simulate a moderate snowfall event in North China that occurred during 20–21 December 2002. Thirteen experiments are performed to test the sensitivity of the simulation to the cloud physics with different cumulus parameterization schemes and different options for the Goddard cloud microphysics parameterization schemes. It is shown that the cumulus parameterization scheme has little to do with the simulation result. The results also show that there are only four classes of water substances, namely the cloud water, cloud ice, snow, and vapor, in the simulation of the moderate snowfall event. The analysis of the cloud microphysics budgets in the explicit experiment shows that the condensation of supersaturated vapor, the depositional growth of cloud ice, the initiation of cloud ice, the accretion of cloud ice by snow, the accretion of cloud water by snow, the deposition growth of snow, and the Bergeron process of cloud ice are the dominant cloud microphysical processes in the simulation. The accretion of cloud water by snow and the deposition growth of the snow are equally important in the development of the snow.     

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.     

双参数微物理方案的冰相过程模拟及冰核数浓度的影响试验

利用耦合Morrison 2-mon(MOR)双参数微物理方案的中尺度天气研究与预报模式(WRF)中的单气柱模式,对热带暖池国际云试验(TWP-ICE)期间的个例进行数值模拟。通过与观测资料和云分辨率模式的模拟结果进行对比,检验MOR方案对热带对流云系的微物理特征的模拟能力。模拟结果显示:MOR方案能够较好地模拟出热带云系中液相和冰相水凝物的垂直分布以及随时间的演变特征。地表向下长波辐射和大气顶向外长波辐射的量级和时间演变趋势同观测也非常接近。对与冰晶和雪有关的云微物理特征分析之后发现:季风活跃期,冰晶主要的源汇项有凝华增长过程、沉降过程、冰晶向雪的自动转化以及冰晶被雪碰并的过程。由于冰晶主体位于温度低于―20℃的高空,因而它对雨水的形成主要是间接贡献。同时期雪的主要源汇项中,凝华增长和沉降过程占据着主导地位。雪的凝华过程消耗了大量的水汽,可能抑制了冰晶的增长。另外雪的融化过程非常强盛,是产生降水的重要因子。季风抑制期,冰相的微物理过程变得相对简单且整体削弱,以凝华升华和沉降过程为主。凝华凝冻核的数浓度(N_dep)的气溶胶敏感性试验表明:季风抑制期,高空的冰晶云的宏观和微观性质对凝华凝冻核数浓度的响应情况呈现显著的线性特征。冰晶的含量随着N_dep的增加而增加,反之降低。该时期微物理过程主要同冰晶有关,水分的分配较为简单,N_dep增加时,高空冰云中小冰晶粒子数目增多且云顶升高,使得大气顶部向外长波辐射(OLR)值减小,反之冰云主体中冰晶有效半径增加,高空的冰云更加透明,云顶更低,对 OLR值增加起促进作用。而季风活跃期,微物理过程复杂,冰晶云的宏微观特征对N_dep的响应表现出一定的不规律特征。     

云凝结物平流输送对降水云系发展影响的数值模拟研究

大气动力学中"平流输送"是非常重要的宏观动力学过程,云凝结物的平流输送与降水云系的发展演变密切相关,它把宏观动力过程与各种云凝结物粒子的时空演变联系起来,云凝结物的平流输送可以增加或减少局地大气中云凝结物的含量,改变云凝结物的空间分布状况,影响云凝结物的微观物理过程,进而促进或抑制降水云系的发展演变.本文在数值模拟研究中.通过改变云凝结物平流输送的状况来研究宏观动力过程对云微观物理过程的影响,因而利用ARPS模式开展3个分别排除云凝结物水平平流输送、垂直平流输送和三维平流输送的敏感试验,进行关于云凝结物平流输送对降水云系发展演变影响的敏感性数值模拟研究.结果表明,云凝结物的平流输送对水汽比湿的影响很小.云凝结物的三维平流输送有利于增加降水云系中雪和霰的混合比含量,抑制云水、雨水和云冰混合比含量的增长.云凝结物的水平平流输送可以降低降水云系中云水和雨水的混合比含量,增加云冰和雪的混合比含量;云凝结物垂直平流输送的作用是增加降水云系中雨水、雪和霰的混合比含量,减少云与冰混合比含量.云凝结物三维平流输送效应的分析表明,云凝结物的三维平流输送主要通过调整云凝结物的微物理过程源汇项以及降水粒子(雨水、雪和霰)的下落末速项来改变降水云系中云凝结物的垂直结构;另外,雪的三维平流输送对雪本身的分布也有一定影响.     

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.     

北京地区一次降雪系统大气水凝物输送特征及降雪微物理机制的数值模拟研究

北京冬季降雪云系存在丰富的可开发利用的云水资源。出于人工增雪研究和充分开发云水资源的需要,文中对北京2019年11月29日发生的年度首场降雪进行了观测,对其资料做了分析和中尺度数值模拟,研究了降雪过程的宏观特征、水凝物输送及降雪的微物理机制。结果表明:影响本次北京降雪的是稳定性层状冷云云系,水凝物主要从北京区域的西边界和南边界输送到区域内,而从东边界和北边界流出,具有西向和南向分量的湿气流是降雪云系水物质的输送通道。降雪云中的水凝物基本全为冰晶和雪,有少量的云水,整层云系都含有非常丰富的水汽并且贯穿整个降雪时段。在冰面过饱和环境中,水汽凝华（Prds）是雪的主要增长过程;其次是云冰增长成雪（Prci）和云冰聚合成雪（Prai）的过程。     

冻滴微物理过程的分档数值模拟试验研究

霰和冻滴是深对流降水的主要来源。由于二者密度差异造成的不同下落末速度必然会导致云微物理过程的变化以及降水时空分布的改变。我们在以色列特拉维夫大学二维轴对称对流云全分档模式的基础上,将水成物粒子从34档增加到40档,修改了霰和雪的密度,加入冻滴分档处理的微物理过程,发展了一个包括液滴、冰晶、雪、霰和冻滴更为详细的云微物理分档模式。利用改进后的模式模拟了一次理想的强对流天气过程,分析了改进模式与原模式模拟的云微物理量场以及水成物粒子的时空分布特征,模拟结果表明:（1）由于冻滴的产生,较大的下落末速度导致在云内-3℃至-8℃较早地出现了冻滴,并造成了大量的冰晶繁生。（2）冻滴形成前期,液态水中心区域位于垂直上升速度大值中心上方,形成液态水累积区;冻滴形成期,液态水累积区位于0℃层以上,雨滴冻结生成冻滴,霰与半径大于100 μm的液滴碰并生成冻滴;冻滴增长期,在垂直上升气流的支撑下,冻滴碰并过冷水增长,导致冻滴含量增大,液态水含量减小。因此,改进模式能较好的模拟冻滴的形成过程,可以将该分档处理的微物理方案耦合到三维WRF（Weather Research and Forecasting model）模式中,更深入地研究强雷暴风切变在冰雹生成过程中的作用。     

Numerical comparison study of cloud microphysical parameterization schemes for a moderate snowfall event in North China

Summary A moderate snowfall event in North China is simulated using the high-resolution mesoscale model MM5. A fourfold-nest experiment, with a minimum horizontal grid size of 2 km, is run. In order to study the cloud microphysics processes associated with the snowfall, two experiments were conducted in two inner domains, one using the Goddard scheme (Goddard experiment), and the other using the Reisner scheme (Reisner experiment). The analysis focused on the comparison of the cloud microphysics processes which occurred in the experiments. It is shown that there is no implicit precipitation of cumulus parameterization in the domain of grid scale 18 km. The snowfall distribution patterns in the experiments are slightly different, but the microphysical characteristics and processes may have considerable differences between the two experiments: (1) The water substances in the cloud have cloud water, cloud ice and snow, but no rainwater and graupel in the Goddard experiment. However, the water substances in the cloud have cloud ice, snow, and graupel, but no cloud water and rainwater in the Reisner experiment. (2) The cloud ice mixing ratios in the Goddard experiment are larger than those in the Reisner experiment. (3) In the Goddard experiment, the dominant cloud microphysical processes include the growth of cloud water by the condensation of supersaturated vapor, the depositional growth of cloud ice, the initiation of cloud ice, the accretion of cloud ice by snow, the accretion of cloud water by snow, the deposition growth of snow and the Bergeron process of cloud ice. In the Reisner experiment, the dominant cloud microphysical processes include the depositional growth of cloud ice, the conversion of cloud ice to snow, the deposition of snow, and the deposition growth of graupel. (4) There is only snowfall in the Goddard experiment. Meanwhile, there is ice fall, snow fall, and graupel in the Reisner experiment. But the ice fall and graupel in the Reisner experiment is very slight and can be ignored.     

SENSITIVITY OF PRECIPITATION TO SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND ITS DIURNAL VARIATION: A PARTITIONING ANALYSIS BASED ON SURFACE RAINFALL BUDGET

The sensitivity of precipitation to sea surface temperature(SST) and its diurnal variation is investigated through a rainfall partitioning analysis of two-dimensional cloud-resolving model experiments based on surface rainfall budget.For all experiments,the model is set up using zero vertical velocity and a constant zonal wind and is integrated over 40 days to reach quasi-equilibrium states.The 10-day equilibrium grid-scale simulation data and a time-invariant SST of 29°C are used in the control experiment.In the sensitivity experiments,time-invariant SSTs are 27°C and 31°C with an average value of 29°C when the minimum and maximum values of diurnal SST differences are 1°C and 2°C,respectively.The results show that the largest contribution to total rainfall is from the rainfall with water vapor convergence and local atmospheric drying and hydrometeor gain/divergence(~30%) in all experiments.When SST increases from 27°C to 29°C,the contribution from water vapor convergence decreases.The increase of SST reduces the contribution of the rainfall with water vapor convergence primarily through the decreased contribution of the rainfall with local atmospheric drying and hydrometeor gain/divergence and the rainfall with local atmospheric moistening and hydrometeor loss/convergence.The inclusion of diurnal variation of SST with the diurnal difference of 1°C decreases the rainfall contribution from water vapor convergence primarily through the decreased contribution of the rainfall with local atmospheric moistening and hydrometeor loss/convergence.The contribution of the rainfall from water vapor convergence is barely changed as the diurnal difference of SST increases from 1°C to 2°C.     

A Simulation Study on the Characteristics of Cloud Microphysics of Heavy Rainfall in the Meiyu Front

A heavy rainfall in the Meiyu front during 4--5 July 2003 is simulated by use of the non-hydrostatic mesoscale model MM5 (V3--6) with different explicit cloud microphysical parameterization schemes. The characteristics of microphysical process of convective cloud are studied by the model outputs. The simulation study reveals that: (1) The mesoscale model MM5 with explicit cloud microphysical process is capable of simulating the instant heavy rainfall in the Meiyu front, the rainfall simulation could be improved significantly as the model resolution is increased, and the Goddard scheme is better than the Reisner or Schultz scheme. (2) The convective cloud in the Meiyu front has a comprehensive structure composed of solid, liquid and vapor phases of water, the mass density of water vapor is the largest one in the cloud; the next one is graupel, while those of ice, snow, rain water and the cloud water are almost same. The height at which mass density peaks for different hydrometeors is almost unchangeable during the heavy rainfall period. The mass density variation of rain water, ice, and graupel are consistent with that of ground precipitation, while that of water vapor in the low levels is 1--2 h earlier than the precipitation. (3) The main contribution to the water vapor budget in the atmosphere is the convergence of vapor flux through advection and convection, which provides the main vapor source of the rainfall. Besides the basic process of the auto-conversion of cloud water to rain water, there is an additional cloud microphysical process that is essential to the formation of instant heavy rainfall, the ice-phase crystals are transformed into graupels first and then the increased graupels mix with cloud water and accelerates the conversion of cloud water to rain water. The positive feedback mechanism between latent heat release and convection is the main cause to maintain and develop the heavy precipitation.