Publication Abstracts

Lamraoui et al. 2019

Lamraoui, F., J.F. Booth, C.M. Naud, M.P. Jensen, and K.L. Johnson, 2019: The interaction between boundary layer and convection schemes in a WRF simulation of post-cold-frontal clouds over the ARM East North Atlantic site. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 124, no. 8, 4699-4721, doi:10.1029/2018JD029370.

The correct representation of low-level midlatitude clouds found in the wake of cold fronts strongly relies on the representation of planetary boundary layer (PBL) and convection processes, which are typically parameterized separately in numerical models. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF), this study investigates how distinct pairs of PBL and convection parameterization schemes represent cloud fraction in the post-cold-frontal region. The simulations focus on the region of the DOE-ARM Eastern North Atlantic observation site in the Azores Islands in the wake of a cold front that passed on December 25, 2015. Different PBL and convection schemes are combined to create 12 distinct configurations. The main differences between the selected physical parameterizations are the strength of vertical mixing and the entrainment. The simulations produce a wide range of cloud fractions, where some configurations significantly underestimate while others clearly overestimate satellite and surface-based estimates of cloud fraction. A skill score is used to quantitatively assess the performance of each configuration with respect to ground-based radar data. The key processes that are found to significantly impact the cloud fraction distribution are the strength of the PBL decoupling, the vertical wind shear, entrainment and detrainment rates in shallow convection and the occurrence of drizzle. This indicates that to successfully simulate post-cold-frontal clouds, modeled physics must balance strong internal vertical mixing and weak exchange with the free troposphere. For this case study, cloud fraction was more sensitive to the choice of convection scheme than PBL scheme.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{la04500c,
  author={Lamraoui, F. and Booth, J. F. and Naud, C. M. and Jensen, M. P. and Johnson, K. L.},
  title={The interaction between boundary layer and convection schemes in a WRF simulation of post-cold-frontal clouds over the ARM East North Atlantic site},
  year={2019},
  journal={Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
  volume={124},
  number={8},
  pages={4699--4721},
  doi={10.1029/2018JD029370},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - la04500c
AU  - Lamraoui, F.
AU  - Booth, J. F.
AU  - Naud, C. M.
AU  - Jensen, M. P.
AU  - Johnson, K. L.
PY  - 2019
TI  - The interaction between boundary layer and convection schemes in a WRF simulation of post-cold-frontal clouds over the ARM East North Atlantic site
JA  - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
JO  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
VL  - 124
IS  - 8
SP  - 4699
EP  - 4721
DO  - 10.1029/2018JD029370
ER  -

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