A CLOUD-RESOLVING MODELING STUDY OF SURFACE RAINFALL PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH LANDFALLING TYPHOON KAEMI(2006)

The detailed surface rainfall processes associated with landfalling typhoon Kaemi（2006） are investigated based on hourly data from a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation. The model is integrated for 6 days with imposed large-scale vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal temperature and vapor advection from National Center for Environmental Prediction （NCEP） / Global Data Assimilation System （GDAS） data. The simulation data are validated with observations in terms of surface rain rate. The Root-Mean-Squared （RMS） difference in surface rain rate between the simulation and the gauge observations is 0.660 mm h^-1, which is smaller than the standard deviations of both the simulated rain rate （0.753 mm h^-1） and the observed rain rate （0.833 mm h^-1）. The simulation data are then used to study the physical causes associated with the detailed surface rainfall processes during the landfall. The results show that time averaged and model domain-mean Ps mainly comes from large-scale convergence （QWVF） and local vapor loss （positive QWVT）. Large underestimation （about 15%） of Ps will occur if QWVT and QCM （cloud source/sink） are not considered as contributors to Ps ,QWVF accounts for the variation of P during most of the integration time, while it is not always a contributor to Ps,Sometimes surface rainfall could occur when divergence is dominant with local vapor loss to be a contributor to Ps - Surface rainfall is a result ofmulti-timescale interactions. QWVE possesses the longest time scale and the lowest frequeney the second and QCM of variation with time and may exert impact on P on longer time scales. QWVF possesses longest time scale and lowest frequency and can explain most of the variation of Ps. QWVT possess shorter time scales and higher frequencies, which can explain more detailed variations in Ps. Partitioning analysis shows that stratiform rainfall is dominant from the morning of 26 July till the late night of 27 July. After that, convective rainfall dominates till about 1000 LST 28 July. Before 28 July, the variations of QWVT in rainfall-free regions contribute less to that of the domain-mean QWVT while after that they contribute much, which is consistent to the corresponding variations in their fractional coverage. The variations of QWVF in rainfall regions are the main contributors to that of the domain-mean QWVF, then the main contributors to the surface rain rate before the afternoon of 28 July.

A Review of Cloud-Resolving Model Studies of Convective Processes

Convective processes affect large-scale environments through cloud-radiation interaction, cloud micro- physical processes, and surface rainfall processes. Over the last three decades, cloud-resolving models （CRMs） have demonstrated to be capable of simulating convective-radiative responses to an imposed large-scale forcing. The CRM-produced cloud and radiative properties have been utilized to study the convective- related processes and their ensemble effects on large-scale circulations. This review the recent progress on the understanding of convective processes with the use of CRM simulations, including precipitation processes; cloud microphysical and radiative processes; dynamical processes; precipitation efficiency; diurnal variations of tropical oceanic convection; local-scale atmosphere-ocean coupling processes; and tropical convective-radiative equilibrium states. Two different ongoing applications of CRMs to general circulation models （GCMs） are discussed： replacing convection and cloud schemes for studying the interaction between cloud systems and large-scale circulation, and improving the schemes for climate simulations.

Water Vapor,Cloud,and Surface Rainfall Budgets Associated with the Landfall of Typhoon Krosa(2007):A Two-Dimensional Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

Water vapor, cloud, and surface rainfall budgets associated with the landfall of Typhoon Krosa on 6-8 October 2007 are analyzed based on a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation. The model is integrated with imposed zonally-uniform vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal temperature, and vapor advection from NCEP/Global Data Assimilation System （GDAS） data. The simulation data that are validated with observations are examined to study physical causes associated with surface rainfall processes during the landfall. The time- and domain-mean analysis shows that when Krosa approached the eastern coast of China on 6 October, the water vapor convergence over land caused a local atmospheric moistening and a net condensation that further produced surface rainfall and an increase of cloud hydrometeor concentration. Meanwhile, latent heating was balanced by advective cooling and a local atmospheric warming. One day later, the enhancement of net condensation led to an increase of surface rainfall and a local atmospheric drying, while the water vapor convergence weakened as a result of the landfall-induced deprivation of water vapor flux. At the same time, the latent heating is mainly compensated the advective cooling. Further weakening of vapor convergence on 8 October enhanced the local atmospheric drying while the net condensation and associated surface rainfall was maintained. The latent heating is balanced by advective cooling and a local atmospheric cooling.

Impacts of Initial Conditions on Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

Impacts of initial conditions on cloud-resolving model simulations are investigated using a series of sensitivity experiments. Five experiments with perturbed initial temperature, moisture, and cloud conditions are conducted and compared to the control experiment. The model is forced by the large-scale vertical velocity and zonal wind observed and derived from NCEP/Global Data Assimilation System （GDAS）. The results indicate that model predictions of rainfall are much more sensitive to the initial conditions than those of temperature and moisture. Further analyses of the surface rainfall equation and the moisture and cloud hydrometeor budgets reveal that the calculations of vapor condensation and deposition rates in the model account for the large sensitivities in rainfall simulations.

Effects of Doubled Carbon Dioxide on Rainfall Responses to Large-Scale Forcing:A Two-Dimensional Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

ABSTRACT Rainfall responses to doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration were investigated through the analysis of two pairs of two-dimensional cloud-resolving model sensitivity experiments. One pair of experiments simulated pre-summer heavy rainfall over southern China around the summer solstice, whereas the other pair of experiments simulated tropical rainfall around the winter solstice. The analysis of the time and model domain mean heat budget revealed that the enhanced local atmospheric warming was associated with doubled carbon dioxide through the weakened infrared radiative cooling during the summer solstice. The weakened mean pre-summer rainfall corresponded to the weakened mean infrared radiative cooling. Doubled carbon dioxide increased the mean tropical atmospheric warming via the enhanced mean latent heat in correspondence with the strengthened mean infrared radiative cooling during the winter solstice. The enhanced mean tropical rainfall was associated with the increased mean latent heat.

A Modeling Analysis of Rainfall and Water Cycle by the Cloud-resolving WRF Model over the Western North Pacific

Simulated regional precipitation, especially extreme precipitation events, and the regional hydrologic budgets over the western North Pacific region during the period from May to June 2008 were investigated with the high-resolution （4-km grid spacing） Weather Research and Forecast （WRF v3.2.1） model with explicit cloud microphysics. The model initial and boundary conditions were derived from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Department of Energy （NCEP/DOE） Reanalysis 2 data. The model precipitation results were evaluated against the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission （TRMM） Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis 3B42 product. The results show that the WRF simulations can reason- ably reproduce the spatial distributions of daily mean precipitation and rainy days. However, the simulated frequency distributions of rainy days showed an overestimation of light precipitation, an underestimation of moderate to heavy precipitation, but a good representation of extreme precipitation. The downscaling approach was able to add value to the very heavy precipitation over the ocean since the convective processes are resolved by the high-resolution cloud-resolving model. Moreover, the water vapor budget analysis indi- cates that heavy precipitation is contributed mostly by the stronger moisture convergence; whereas, in less convective periods, the precipitation is more influenced by the surface evaporation. The simulated water vapor budgets imply the importance in the tropical monsoon region of cloud microphysics that affects the precipitation, atmospheric latent heating and, subsequently, the large-scale circulation.

Effects of Vertical Wind Shear on the Pre-Summer Heavy Rainfall Budget:A Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

This study investigates the effects of vertical wind shear on the torrential rainfall response to the large-scale forcing using a rainfall separation analysis of a pair of two-dimensional cloud-resolving model sensitivity experiments for a pre-summer heavy rainfall event over southern China from 3-8 June 2008 coupled with National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)/Global Data Assimilation System(GDAS) data.The rainfall partitioning analysis based on the surface rainfall budget indicates that the exclusion of vertical wind shear decreases the contribution to total rainfall from the largest contributor,which is the rainfall associated with local atmospheric drying,water vapor divergence,and hydrometeor loss/convergence,through the reduction of the rainfall area and reduced rainfall during the rainfall event.The removal of vertical wind shear increases the contribution to total rainfall from the rainfall associated with local atmospheric drying,water vapor convergence,and hydrometeor loss/convergence through the expansion of the rainfall area and enhanced rainfall.The elimination of vertical wind shear enhances heavy rainfall and expands its area,whereas it reduces moderate rainfall and its area.

Application of Radar Reflectivity Factor in Initializing Cloud-Resolving Mesoscale Model.PartⅡ:Numerical Simulation Experiments

Microphysics elements and vertical velocity retrieved were incorporated using the nudging method into the initial data assimilation of GRAPES （Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System） model. Simulation experiments indicated that nudging technique was effective in forcing the model forecast gradually consistent to the observations, yielding the thermodynamically and dynamically balanced analysis field. As viewed from the simulation results, water vapor is vital to precipitation, and it is a governing factor for the amount and duration of precipitation. The initial cloud water, rain water, and vertical velocity determine the strength distribution of convection and precipitation at the beginning time of forecast; the horizontal wind field steers the motion of the mesoscale weather system embedded in and impacts the position of precipitation zone to a large extent. The simulation experiments show that the influence of the initial retrieval data on prediction weakens with the increase of forecast time, and within the first hour of forecast, the retrieval data have an important impact on the evolution of the weather system, but its influence becomes trivial after the first three hours. Changing the nudging coefficient and the integral time-spacing of numerical model will bring some influences to the results. Herein only one radar reflectivity was used, the radar observations did not cover the whole model domain, and some empirical parameters were used in the retrieval method, therefore some differences still lie between simulation and observation to a certain extent, and further studies on several aspects are expected.

Application of Radar Reflectivity Factor in Initializing Cloud-Resolving Mesoscale Model.Part I:Retrieval of Microphysical Elements and Vertical Velocity

Assuming that cloud reaches static state in the warm microphysical processes, water vapor mixing ratio （qv）, cloud water mixing ratio （qc）, and vertical velocity （w） can be calculated from rain water mixing ratio （qr）. Through relation of Z-qr, qr can be retrieved by radar reflectivity factor （Z）. Retrieval results indicate that the distributions of mixing ratios of vapor, cloud, rain, and vertical velocity are consistent with radar images, and the three-dimensional spatial structure of the convective cloud is presented. Treating qv saturated at the echo area, the retrieved qr is about 0.1 g kg^-1, qc is always less than 0.3 g kg^-1, w is usually below 0.5 m s^-1, and rain droplet terminal velocity （vr） is around 5.0 m s^-1 in the place where radar reflectivity factor is about 25 dBz; in the place where echo is 45 dBz, the retrieved qr and qc are always about 3.0 g kg^-1, w is greater than 5.0 m s^-1, and vr is around 7.0 m s^-1. In the vertical, the maximum updraft velocity is greater than 3.0 m s^-1 at the height of around 5.0 km, the maximum cloud water content is about 3.0 g kg^-1 above 5 km and the maximum rain water content is about 3.0 g kg^-1 below 6 km. Due to the assumption that the cloud is in static state, there will be some errors in the retrieved variables within the clouds which are rapidly growing or dying-out, and in such cases, more sophisticated radar data control technique will help to improve the retrieval results.

Improving Representation of Tropical Cloud Overlap in GCMs Based on Cloud-Resolving Model Data

The decorrelation length（Lcf） has been widely used to describe the behavior of vertical overlap of clouds in general circulation models（GCMs）; however, it has been a challenge to associate Lcf with the large-scale meteorological conditions during cloud evolution. This study explored the relationship between Lcf and the strength of atmospheric convection in the tropics based on output from a global cloud-resolving model. Lcf tends to increase with vertical velocity in the mid-troposphere（w500） at locations of ascent, but shows little or no dependency on w500 at locations of descent. A representation of Lcf as a function of vertical velocity is obtained, with a linear regression in ascending regions and a constant value in descending regions. This simple and dynamic-related representation of Lcf leads to a significant improvement in simulation of both cloud cover and radiation fields compared with traditional overlap treatments. This work presents a physically justifiable approach to depicting cloud overlap in the tropics in GCMs.

CLOUD-RESOLVING MODELING OF CONVECTIVE PROCESSES

Recent decades have witnessed the rapid development of cloud-system resolving models （CRM）, which are now capable of simulating cloud systems and accompanying interactions on scales up to global, albeit in the latter application small- scale convection （cumulus） remains unresolved. The implication of such a truncation is not understood. The CRM approach has its roots in non-hydrostatic cloud models developed a generation ago for simulating individual cumulonimbus in integrations lasting about an hour Advances in computer capacity enable CRMs to be run with progressively larger computational domains and be integrated for weeks or months,

A Tri-mode of Mock-Walker Cells

This work uses cloud-resolving simulations to study mock-Walker cells driven by a specified sea surface temperature(SST).The associated precipitation in the mock-Walker cells exhibits three different modes,including a single peak of precipitation over the SST maximum(mode 1),symmetric double peaks of precipitation straddling the SST maximum(mode 2),and a single peak of precipitation on one side of the SST maximum(mode 3).The three modes are caused by three distinct convective activity center migration traits.Analyses indicate that the virtual effect of water vapor plays an important role in differentiating the three modes.When the SST gradient is large,the virtual effect may be strong enough to overcome the temperature effect,generating a low-level low-pressure anomaly below the ascending branch of the Walker cell off the center.The results here highlight the importance of the virtual effect of water vapor and its interaction with convection and large-scale circulation in the Walker circulation.

A Modeling Study of Diurnal Rainfall Variations during the 21-Day Period of TOGA COARE

The surface rainfall processes and diurnal variations associated with tropical oceanic convection are examined by analyzing a surface rainfall equation and thermal budget based on hourly zonal-mean data from a series of two-dimensional cloud-resolving simulations. The model is integrated for 21 days with imposed large-scale vertical velocity, zonal wind, and horizontal advection obtained from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment （TOGA COARE） in the control experiment. Diurnal analysis shows that the infrared radiative cooling after sunset, as well as the advective cooling associated with imposed large-scale ascending motion, destabilize the atmosphere and release convective available potential energy to energize nocturnal convective development. Substantial local atmospheric drying is associated with the nocturnal rainfall peak in early morning, which is a result of the large condensation and deposition rates in the vapor budget. Sensitivity experiments show that diurnal variations of radiation and large-scale forcing can produce a nocturnal rainfall peak through infrared and advective cooling, respectively.

Responses of Vertical Structures in Convective and Stratiform Regions to Large-Scale Forcing during the Landfall of Severe Tropical Storm Bilis (2006)

The responses of vertical structures, in convective and stratiform regions, to the large-scale forcing during the landfall of tropical storm Bilis （2006） are investigated using the data from a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation. An imposed large-scale forcing with upward motion in the mid and upper troposphere and downward motion in the lower troposphere on 15 July suppresses convective clouds, which leads to -100% coverage of raining stratiform clouds over the entire model domain. The imposed forcing extends upward motion to the lower troposphere during 16-17 July, which leads to an enhancement of convective clouds and suppression of raining stratiform clouds. The switch of large-scale lower-tropospheric vertical velocity from weak downward motion on 15 July to moderate upward motion during 16-17 July produces a much broader distribution of the vertical velocity, water vapor and hydrometeor fluxes, perturbation specific humidity, and total hydrometeor mixing ratio during 16-17 July than those on 15 July in the analysis of contoured frequency-altitude diagrams. Further analysis of the water vapor budget reveals that local atmospheric moistening is mainly caused by the enhancement of evaporation of rain associated with downward motion on 15 July, whereas local atmospheric drying is mainly determined by the advective drying associated with downward motion over raining stratiform regions and by the net condensation associated with upward motion over convective regions during 16-17 July.

Torrential Rainfall Responses to Ice Microphysical Processes during Pre-Summer Heavy Rainfall over Southern China

In this study, the effects of key ice microphysical processes on the pre-summer heavy rainfall over southern China during 3-8 June 2008 were investigated. A series of two-dimensional sensitivity cloud-resolving model simulations were forced with zonally uniform vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal temperature, and water vapor advection data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction （NCEP）/Global Data Assimilation System （GDAS）. The effects of key ice microphysical processes on the responses of rainfall to large-scale forcing were analyzed by comparing two sensitivity experiments with a control experiment. In one sensitivity experiment, ice crystal radius, associated with depositional growth of snow from cloud ice, was reduced from 100 #m in the control experiment to 50 #m, and in the other sensitivity experiment the efficiency of the growth of graupel from the accretion of snow was reduced to 50~ from 100% in the control experiment. The results show that the domain-mean rainfall responses to these ice microphysical processes are stronger during the decay phase than during the onset and mature phases. During the decay phase, the increased mean rain rate resulting from the decrease in ice crystal radius is associated with the enhanced mean local atmospheric drying, the increased mean local hydrometeor loss, and the suppressed mean water vapor divergence. The increased mean rain rate caused by the reduction in accretion efficiency is related to the reduced mean water vapor divergence and the enhanced mean local hydrometeor loss.

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.

Dependence of the Accuracy of Precipitation and Cloud Simulation on Temporal and Spatial Scales

Precipitation and associated cloud hydrometeors have large temporal and spatial variability, which makes accurate quantitative precipitation forecasting difficult. Thus, dependence of accurate precipitation and associated cloud simulation on temporal and spatial scales becomes an important issue. We report a cloud- resolving modeling analysis on this issue by comparing the control experiment with experiments perturbed by initial temperature, water vapor, and cloud conditions. The simulation is considered to be accurate only if the root-mean-squared difference between the perturbation experiments and the control experiment is smaller than the standard deviation. The analysis may suggest that accurate precipitation and cloud simulations cannot be obtained on both fine temporal and spatial scales simultaneously, which limits quanti- tative precipitation forecasting. The accurate simulation of water vapor convergence could lead to accurate precipitation and cloud simulations on daily time scales, but it may not be beneficial to precipitation and cloud simulations on hourly time scales due to the dominance of cloud processes.

Numerical Simulation Study for the Structure and Evolution of Tropical Squall Line

The occurrence and evolution of an oceanic tropical squall line observed on 22 February 1993 during TOGA-COARE over the equatorial Pacific Ocean were simulated by use of a three-dimensional, nonhydrostatic storm-scale numerical model ARPS. The capacity of ARPS to simulate such tropical squall line was verified. The structure and dynamic mechanism of the squall line were discussed in details as well The impacts of the different microphysical process that including the ice phase and warm rain schemes on structure and evolution of the squall line were investigated by the sensitive experiment. The simulations of the three-dimensional structure and evolution of the squall line are closely related with the observations when the proper microphysical processes were employed. The more latent heating released in the ice phase processes associated with the freezing process leads to strengthening deep convection due to the vertical gradient of buoyancy, which results in a long life of the convective system. In contrast, the warm rain process is characterized by short life period, more pronounced rearward tilt structure and extension of stratiform cloud.

A phase analysis of vorticity vectors associated with tropical convection

Three new vorticity vectors have been proposed by Gao et al to study the two-dimensional tropical convection. In the present paper, phase relations between surface rain rate and the vorticity vectors are analysed with the calculations of lag correlation coefficients based on hourly zonally-averaged mass-integrated cloud-resolving simulation data. The cloud-resolving model is integrated with the vertical velocity, zonal wind, horizontal thermal and moisture advections, and sea surface temperature observed and derived from tropical ocean global atmosphere - coupled ocean atmosphere response experiment （TOGA-COARE） for 10 days. Maximum local increase of the vertical component of the convective vorticity vector leads maximum surface rain rate by 2 hours mainly due to the interaction between vorticity and zonal gradient of ice heating. While maximum local increase of the vertical component of the moist vorticity vector leads maxfinum surface rain rate by 2 hours mainly because of the interaction between zonal specific humidity gradient and zonal buoyancy gradient. And the maximum local decrease of the zonal component of the dynamic vorticity vector leads maximum surface rain rate by 2 hours mainly due to the interactions between vorticity and vertical pressure gradient as well as vorticity and buoyancy.

Aerosol Microphysical and Radiative Effects on Continental Cloud Ensembles

Aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in the current climate assessment. Much of the complexity arises from the non-monotonic responses of clouds, precipitation and radiative fluxes to aerosol perturbations under various meteorological conditions. In this study, an aerosol-aware WRF model is used to investigate the microphysical and radiative effects of aerosols in three weather systems during the March 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period campaign at the US Southern Great Plains. Three simulated cloud ensembles include a low-pressure deep convective cloud system, a collection of less-precipitating stratus and shallow cumulus, and a cold frontal passage. The WRF simulations are evaluated by several ground-based measurements. The microphysical properties of cloud hydrometeors, such as their mass and number concentrations, generally show monotonic trends as a function of cloud condensation nuclei concentrations. Aerosol radiative effects do not influence the trends of cloud microphysics, except for the stratus and shallow cumulus cases where aerosol semi-direct effects are identified. The precipitation changes by aerosols vary with the cloud types and their evolving stages, with a prominent aerosol invigoration effect and associated enhanced precipitation from the convective sources. The simulated aerosol direct effect suppresses precipitation in all three cases but does not overturn the aerosol indirect effect. Cloud fraction exhibits much smaller sensitivity （typically less than 2%） to aerosol perturbations, and the responses vary with aerosol concentrations and cloud regimes. The surface shortwave radiation shows a monotonic decrease by increasing aerosols, while the magnitude of the decrease depends on the cloud type.