i
Improvements to the snow melting process in a partially double moment microphysics parameterization
-
2017
Source: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(2), 1150-1166, 2017
Details:
-
Journal Title:Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
-
Personal Author:
-
NOAA Program & Office:
-
Description:Polarimetric upgrades to the U.S. radar network have allowed new insight into the precipitation processes of tropical cyclones. Previous work by the authors compared the reflectivity at horizontal polarization and differential reflectivity observations from two hurricanes to simulated radar observations from the WRF model, and found that the aerosol-aware Thompson-Eidhammer microphysical scheme performed the best of several commonly used bulk microphysical parameterizations. Here we expand our investigation of the Thompson-Eidhammer scheme, and find that though it provided the most accurate forecast in terms of wind speed and simulated radar signatures, the scheme produces areas in which the differential reflectivity was much higher than observed. We conclude that the Thompson-Eidhammer scheme produces drop size distributions that have a larger median drop size than observed in regions of light stratiform precipitation. Examination of the vertical structure of simulated differential reflectivity indicates that the source of the discrepancy between the model and radar observations likely originates within the melting layer. The treatment of number production of rain drops from melting snow in the microphysical scheme is shown to be the ultimate source of the enhancement of differential reflectivity. A modification to the scheme is shown to result in better fidelity of the radar variables with the observations without degrading the short-term intensity forecast. Additional tests with an idealized squall line simulation are consistent with the hurricane results, suggesting the modification is generally applicable. The modifications to the Thompson-Eidhammer scheme shown here have been incorporated into updates of the WRF model starting with version 3.8.1.
-
Keywords:
-
Source:Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(2), 1150-1166, 2017
-
Document Type:
-
Rights Information:CC BY-NC-ND
-
Compliance:PMC
-
Main Document Checksum:urn:sha256:a59c9969cb711d41bed5195256bc14447ddbdcabd654e683df90e1f6e14c4839
-
File Type:
Supporting Files
-
No Additional Files
More +
Related Documents
-
2019 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 11(6), 1803-1829, 2019Description:Strongly coupled data assimilation (SCDA) views the Earth as one unified system. This allows observations to have an instantaneous impact across bound...Personal Author:Li, Dan ;Malyshev, Sergey...2016 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 8(2), 917-935, 2016Description:A number of recent studies investigated impacts of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes (LULCC) on climate with global Earth System Models (ESMs). Yet many...Vertically resolved weak temperature gradient analysis of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in SP-CESMCitePersonal Author:Wolding, Brandon O. ;Maloney, Eric D....2016 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 8(4), 1586-1619, 2016Description:The collective effects of convection can influence large-scale circulations that, in turn, act to organize convective activity. Such scale interaction...2019 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 11(7), 2352-2374, 2019Description:Precipitation amount (A), frequency (F), intensity (I), and duration (D) are important properties of precipitation, but their estimates are sensitive ...2019 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 11(7), 1917-1939, 2019Description:Mesoscale eddies stir along the neutral plane, and the resulting neutral diffusion is a fundamental aspect of subgrid-scale tracer transport in ocean ...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(1), 307-331, 2017Description:WTG balance is used to examine how changes in the moist thermodynamic structure of the tropics affect the MJO in two simulations of the Superparameter...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(8), 2946-2967, 2017Description:The processes that lead to changes in the propagation and maintenance of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) as a response to increasing CO2 are exa...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(2), 932-948, 2017Description:This paper describes a new intermediate global atmosphere model in which synoptic and planetary dynamics including the advection of water vapor are ex...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(2), 1251-1268, 2017Description:Changes in the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) with increasing CO2 concentrations are examined using the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Global Cl...Personal Author:Li, Dan ;Malyshev, Sergey...2016 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 8(2), 936-953, 2016Description:Using a newly developed urban canopy model (UCM) coupled to the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) land model LM3 (LM3-UCM), this study exam...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(2), 781-789, 2017Description:The current NCEP operational four-dimensional ensemble-variational data assimilation system uses a control forecast at T1534 resolution coupled with a...2017 | Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 122(8), 9056-9067, 2017Description:Since the mid-1970s, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft have operated instruments for monitoring the space environment fro...2017 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 9(8), 3045-3068, 2017Description:The quasi-geostrophic omega equation has been used extensively to examine the large-scale vertical velocity patterns of atmospheric systems. It is der...2017 | Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 122(8), 9068-9079, 2017Description:We have developed a method for reprocessing the multidecadal, multispacecraft Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Special Sensor Magnetometer (DM...2016 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 8(4), 1969-1985, 2016Description:In this study, a one-dimensional (1-D) thermal diffusion lake model within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was investigated for the L...2017 | Geophysical Research Letters 44(9), 4107-4115, 2017Description:This study investigates some of the benefits and drawbacks of assimilating terrestrial water storage (TWS) observations from the Gravity Recovery and ...Personal Author:Lei, Lili ;Anderson, Jeffrey L....2016 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 8(2), 719-734, 2016Description:Assimilation of satellite radiances has been proven to have positive impacts on the forecast skill, especially for regions with sparse conventional ob...2018 | Journal of Advances in Modeling Systems 10(2), 421-447, 2018Description:Detailed, regional climate projections, particularly for precipitation, are critical for many applications. Accurate precipitation downscaling in the ...2017 | Earth and Space Science 4(5), 314-334, 2017Description:While global climate models (GCMs) provide useful projections of near‐surface wind vectors into the 21st century, resolution is not sufficient enoug...2017 | GeoHealth 1(1), 37-50, 2017Description:Estuarine environments are continuously being shaped by both natural and anthropogenic sources which directly/indirectly influence the organisms that ...
More +