Negative water vapour skewness and dry tongues in the convective boundary layer: observations and large-eddy simulation budget analysis

This study focuses on the intrusion of dry air into the convective boundary layer (CBL) originating from the top of the CBL. Aircraft in-situ measurements from the IHOP_2002 field campaign indicate a prevalence of negative skewness of the water vapour distribution within the growing daytime CBL over land. This negative skewness is interpreted according to large-eddy simulations (LES) as the result of descending dry downdrafts originating from above the mixed layer. LES are used to determine the statistical properties of these intrusions: their size and thermodynamical characteristics. A conditional sampling analysis demonstrates their significance in the retrieval of moisture variances and fluxes. The rapid CBL growth explains why greater negative skewness is observed during the growing phase: the large amounts of dry air that are quickly incorporated into the CBL prevent a full homogenisation by turbulent mixing. The boundary-layer warming in this phase also plays a role in the acquisition of negative buoyancy for these dry tongues, and thus possibly explains their kinematics in the lower CBL. Budget analysis helps to identify the processes responsible for the negative skewness. This budget study underlines the main role of turbulent transport, which distributes the skewness produced at the top or the bottom of the CBL into the interior of the CBL. The dry tongues contribute significantly to this turbulent transport.     

The Effect of Uniform Rotation on Convective Instability of a Mushy Layer During Binary Alloys Solidification

The linear stability analysis of interstitial liquid within the mushy layer relative to a steady basic state is performed in order to incorporate the effect of uniform rotation on the onset of convective instability whose existence was found by Anderson and Worster (1996). The full set of non–dimensional governing equations for the temperature field, the local solid fraction and the fluid velocity are reduced asymptotically. In particular, the limit of small dimensionless mushy layer thickness, the limit of small differences between the initial and eutectic compositions of the liquid and the limit of large Stefan number are considered. The square root of Taylor number is assumed to be of the order unity. These simplifying assumptions involved in our analysis lead to a much simplified model which can essentially be solved analytically.     

Heat flow in the Basin and Range province and thermal effects of tectonic extension

In regions of tectonic extension, vertical convective transport of heat in the lithosphere is inevitable. The resulting departure of lithosphere temperature and thickness from conduction-model estimates depends upon the mechanical mode of extension and upon how rapidly extension is (and has been) taking place. Present knowledge of these processes is insufficient to provide adequate constraints on thermal models. The high and variable regional heat flow and the intense local heat discharge at volcanic centers in the Basin and Range province of the United States could be accounted for by regional and local variations in extensional strain rate without invoking anomalous conductive heat flow from the asthenosphere. Anomalous surface heat flow typical of the province could be generated by distributed extension at average rates of about 1/2 to 1%/m.y., similar to rates estimated from structural evidence. To account for higher heat flow in subregions like the Battle mountain High, these rates would be increased by a factor of about 3, and locally at active bimodal volcanic centers, by an order of magnitude more.     

Mean Profiles of Moisture Fluxes in Snow-Filled Boundary Layers

Profiles of moisture fluxes have been examined for convective boundary layers containing clouds and snow, using data derived from aircraft measurements taken on four dates during the 1983/1984 University of Chicago lake-effect snow project. Flux profiles were derived from vertical stacks of aircraft cross-wind flight legs taken at various heights over Lake Michigan near the downwind shore. It was found that, if ice processes are taken into account, profiles of potential temperature and water content were very similar to those presented in past studies of convective boundary layers strongly heated from below. Profiles of total water content and equivalent potential temperature adjusted for ice were nearly invariant with height, except very near the top of the boundary layer, suggesting that internal boundary-layer mixing processes were rapid relative to the rates at which heat and vapour were transported into the boundary layer through entrainment and surface fluxes. Ice was found to play a significant, measurable role in boundary-layer moisture fluxes. It was estimated that 40 to 57% of the upward vapour flux was returned to the surface in the form of snow, converting about 45 to 64% of the surface latent heat flux into sensible heat in the snow-producing process. Assuming advective fluxes are relatively small (thought to be appropriate after the first few tens of km over the lake as suggested by past studies), the boundary layer was found to warm at a rate faster than could be explained by surface heat fluxes and latent heat releases alone, the remainder of the heating presumably coming from radiational processes and entrainment. Discussions of moisture phase change processes throughout the boundary layer and estimates of errors of these flux measurements are presented.     

A study of a fair weather boundary layer in TOGA-COARE: Parameterization of surface fluxes in large scale and regional models for light wind conditions

The study focuses on a way to parameterize the effect of subgrid scale convective motions on surface fluxes in large scale and regional models for the case of light surface winds. As previously proposed, these subgrid effects are assumed to scale with the convection intensity through the relationship: where is the mean velocity of the wind, U₀ the velocity of the mean wind, w_* the free convection velocity, and an empirical coefficient to be determined. Both observations and numerical simulation are presently used to determine the free convection coefficient .Large eddy simulation of a fair weather convective boundary layer case observed during TOGA-COARE is performed. Comparisons between observations and the simulation of surface properties and vertical profiles in the planetary boundary layer are presented. The simulated vertical turbulent fluxes of heat, moisture and buoyancy range well within estimates from aircraft measurements.The most important result is that the true free convection coefficient , directly estimated from simulation, leads to a value of 0.65, smaller than the ones estimated from temporal and spatial variances. Using observations and simulation, estimates of from temporal and spatial variances are obtained with similar values 0.8. From both theoretical derivations and numerical computations, it is shown that estimates of the true from variances are possible but only after applying a correction factor equal to 0.8. If this correction is not used, is overestimated by about 25%. The time and space sampling problem is also addressed in using numerical simulations.     

QINGHAI-XIZANG SURFACE LONG-WAVE RADIATION PARAMETERIZATION WITH ITS CLIMATIC CALCULATION*

In the context of August 1982- July 1983 radiation balance data of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, detailed study is made of the relation between the active-surface temperature and surface temperature, proposing two parameterization schemes on surface long-wave radiation(SLWR)of the form U=kδσ(T₀+273)⁴ and U=δσ[(T₀+273)⁴+△T)]⁴, where k and △T are indicated by parameterization equations, separately, others being in conventional notation. Retrieved verification shows the two formulae to be of the same fitting accuracy with the mean relative error of 3.6% and suitable for computing instantaneous and mean flux density, alongside analyzed daily and annual variations of k and △T. Eventually. SLWR in the target area is investigated and its climatic characteristics examined.     

On cumulus-scale transport of horizontal momentum in monsoon depression over India

A diagnostie method of cumulus parameterization is suggested in which vertical transport of horizontal momentum by cumulus-scale is derived by making use of large-scale vorticity as well as divergence budget equations. Data for composite monsoon depression over India available from our earlier studies used to test the method. As a first approximation, the results are obtained using only the vorticity budget equation.The results show that in the southwest sector of the monsoon depression, which is characterized by maximum cloudiness and precipitation, there is an excess of cyclonic vorticity in the lower troposphere and anticyclonic vorticity in the upper troposphere associated with the large-scale motion. The distribution of eddy vertical transport of horizontal momentum is such that anticyclonic vorticity is generated in the lower troposphere and cyclonic vorticity aloft. Cumulus-scale eddies thus work against the large-scale system and tend to off-set the large-scale imbalance in vorticity.     

THE STUDY OF RETRIEVAL THEORY AND METHODS FROM SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING FOR METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS OVER EASTERN ASIA—PART Ⅱ:ISPRM AND VSPRM2

Based on the practice of improved simultaneous physical retrieval model(ISPRM),in the lightof the functional analysis approach,the variational simultaneous physical retrieval model(VSPRM)has been developed.Its approximation of 1st degree is VSPRM1,which is identicalwith the ISPRM.Its approximation of 2nd degree is VSPRM2,more advanced than the VSPRM1.This paper has analyzed the function of VSPRM2,pointing out the potentiality of synergy retrievalof this model.Also,it has dealt with the problem of parameterization of water vapor's kernelfunctions and retrieval of water vapor remote sensing.Because of the characteristics of this strong ill posed inverse problem,prior information mustbe used wisely in order to get the accurate calculation of radiance R.In the previous paper,wediscussed how to build the best first guess field,the way to determine the P_s and to correct thecalculation of radiance.In this paper,we continue discussing in depth about the calculation oftransmittance,the determination of surface parameters and the selection for an optimumcombination of channels for the low-level sounding.The long-term experiment and comparison work under operational environment have shownthat the ISPRM is useful for retrieval of temperature and water vapor parameters over Chinaincluding the Tibetan Plateau,and it further proves the scientific nature of well-posed inversetheory.     

Impacts of Two Ice Parameterization Schemes on the Cloud Microphysical Processes and Precipitation of a Severe Storm in Northern China

A severe storm that occurred over Beijing in northern China on 23 June 2011 was simulated with two different ice crystal parameterization schemes(the DeMott scheme and Meyers scheme) by using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System. Compared with the DeMott scheme, the simulation results with the Meyers scheme have the following characteristics:(1) Updrafts are stronger and more numerous;(2) The cloud is better organized and contains a greater peak of ice-phase hydrometeor mixing ratios;(3) Cloud water and hail mixing ratios increase while graupel mixing ratios decrease;(4) The surface precipitation is initially greater. However, at the end of the simulation, less precipitation is produced. In short, the differences between the two schemes are not obvious, but the De Mott scheme has a relatively more reasonable result.     

THE LIMITATION OF CLOUD-BASE MASS FLUX IN CUMULUS PARAMETERIZATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN A HIGH-RESOLUTION MODEL

A large area of unrealized precipitation is produced with the standard convective parameterization scheme in a high-resolution model, while subgrid-scale convection that cannot be explicitly resolved is omitted without convective parameterization. A modified version of the convection scheme with limited mass flux at cloud base is introduced into a south-China regional high-resolution model to alleviate these problems. A strong convection case and a weak convection case are selected to analyze the influence of limited cloud-base mass flux on precipitation forecast. The sensitivity of different limitation on mass flux at cloud base is also discussed. It is found that using instability energy closure for Simplified Arakawa- Schubert Scheme will produce better precipitation forecast than the primary closure based on quasi-equilibrium assumption. The influence of the convection scheme is dependent on the upper limit of mass flux at cloud base. The total rain amount is not so sensitive to the limitation of mass flux in the strong convection case as in the weak one. From the comparison of two different methods for limiting the cloud-base mass flux, it is found that shutting down the cumulus parameterization scheme completely when the cloud-base mass flux exceeds a given limitation is more suitable for the forecast of precipitation.