Evaluation of cloud microphysical schemes on aerosol indirect effects from different scale models

Quantification of aerosol indirect effects in climate modeling remain unresolved and of large uncertainties. The complicated aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in climate model are suggested to be quite sensitive to some tunable microphysical parameters such as the threshold radius associated with autoconversion of cloud droplets to rain droplets. More fundamental studies regarding to different microphysical processes used in various cloud microphysical schemes should be devoted, evaluated and investigated.

In this study, we apply a synergy of different scale models with the same cloud and aerosol microphysical schemes (Chen and Liu, 2004; Cheng et al., 2007; and Chen et al., 2013) to understand and evaluate how cloud microphysical processes can be influenced by different microphysical schemes and their interaction with aerosols and radiation. These models include Kinematic Driver (KiD), Single Column Model of Community Atmosphere Model (SCAM), Large Eddy Simulation (LES), and NCAR CESM model. Simulation results from these models will be further validated and compared to either field campaign or satellite observations depending on the scale of the models. Off-line satellite simulator approach (i.e. Joint-Simulator) will also be applied for evaluating cloud microphysics against CloudSat and CALIPSO. Such type of synergy of models can be very useful for improvement, development and evaluation of physical parameterizations for global climate prediction and weather forecast in the near future especially for processes related to cloud macrophysics and microphysics.