A53E-3259:
Scale Dependency of Convective Momentum Transport as Diagnosed from Cloud-Resolving Model Simulation with Spectral-bin Microphysics
Friday, 19 December 2014
Yi-Chin Liu1, Jiwen Fan2, Guang Jun Zhang3, Kuan-Man Xu4 and Steven John Ghan2, (1)Battelle Pacific Northwest, Richland, WA, United States, (2)Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States, (3)Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Center for Clouds Chemistry, La Jolla, CA, United States, (4)NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, United States
Abstract:
Convective momentum transport (CMT) has been demonstrated to have a large impact on global atmospheric circulation in both observational and numerical studies. In General Circulation Models (GCMs) CMT is often parameterized in a simple way by assuming that in-cloud horizontal momentum depends only on lateral entrainment and detrainment rates [Schneider and Lindzen, 1976]. In addition to lateral entrainment and detrainment rates the effect of perturbation pressure gradient force induced by convection (Pc) on momentum transport is significant. Because it is the most complicated term to be parameterized, a very simple form of products among a constant coefficient, mass flux, and environment vertical wind shear was employed to parameterize it [Gregory et al., 1997]. In addition, none of these CMT parameterizations deal with the scale problems. Thus, the goal of this study is to evaluate the past CMT parameterizations and explore the scale dependencies of Pc and CMT using Cloud Resolving Model (CRM) simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) coupled with the most sophisticated spectral-bin microphysics. Our preliminary results show that the parameterized CMT from the top-hat approach is underestimated especially at the gray zone scale (~4-50 km); using the simplified 3-updraft and 1-downdraft formulation proposed in our previous study for eddy transport of moisture, the CMT can be represented well. The formulation also produced a more accurate mass flux compared to the top-hat approach, which can potentially improve the parameterization of Pc. We investigate the relative contributions from linear and nonlinear forcing to Pc at different model grid spacing (dx). Our results show that the assumption that non-linear forcing is much smaller than linear force is valid only at dx > 128 km and dx < 8 km. At the dx = 32~16 km, linear and nonlinear forcings become compatible, suggesting a more sophisticated formula for Pc might be needed.
