Christian Jakob
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Plain Language Summary
In this study, we compare two types of computer simulations that model clouds in detail. One simulation (high-res nested large eddy simulation [LES]) is part of a series of models, where each smaller model gets its cloud patterns and atmospheric state from a larger model that covers a bigger area but with less detail. The other simulation (periodic LES) uses atmospheric background conditions from a larger weather model, but does not receive any clouds. The results show that the periodic LES creates clouds that change quickly, shifting between cloudy periods with large clouds and times with only a few small, scattered clouds. On the other hand, the high-res nested LES has more gradual changes in cloud patterns. In the setup consisting of a series of models, clouds tend to break into smaller fragments as they transition from larger models with less detail to smaller ones with more detail. The inheritance of clouds in the high-res nested LES results in larger, more clustered clouds during periods of similar cloud cover, compared to the periodic LES.
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Plain Language Summary
In this study, we compare two types of computer simulations that model clouds in detail. One simulation (high-res nested large eddy simulation [LES]) is part of a series of models, where each smaller model gets its cloud patterns and atmospheric state from a larger model that covers a bigger area but with less detail. The other simulation (periodic LES) uses atmospheric background conditions from a larger weather model, but does not receive any clouds. The results show that the periodic LES creates clouds that change quickly, shifting between cloudy periods with large clouds and times with only a few small, scattered clouds. On the other hand, the high-res nested LES has more gradual changes in cloud patterns. In the setup consisting of a series of models, clouds tend to break into smaller fragments as they transition from larger models with less detail to smaller ones with more detail. The inheritance of clouds in the high-res nested LES results in larger, more clustered clouds during periods of similar cloud cover, compared to the periodic LES.
Most cumulus parametrizations today make use of a simple conceptual model of convection, called the mass-flux approach. This approach depicts convection as an ensemble of updrafts and downdrafts occurring within a model grid-box. The aim of this study is to determine convective mass-fluxes and their constituents on the scale of a 100 km GCM grid-box from a C-band polarimetric radar and thereafter investigate the relative role of area fraction and vertical velocity in determining the shape and magnitude of bulk mass-flux profiles. We make use of observational estimates of these quantities spanning 13 wet seasons in the tropical region of Darwin. Following a bulk approach, the results show that the distribution of mass-flux is positively skewed and its mean profile peaks at 4 km. This is the result of constant area fractions and increasing vertical velocities below that level. Above 4 km, in-cloud vertical velocity plays a marginal role compared to the convective area fraction in controlling mass-flux profiles.