Publication Abstracts
Lee et al. 2019
, , and , 2019: An evaluation of size-resolved cloud microphysics scheme numerics for use with radar observations. Part I: Collision-coalescence. J. Atmos. Sci., 76, no. 1, 247-263, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-18-0174.1.
This study evaluates some available schemes designed to solve the stochastic collection equation (SCE) for collision-coalescence of hydrometeors using a size-resolved (bin) microphysics approach, and documents their numerical properties within the framework of a box model. Comparing three widely used SCE schemes, we find that all converge to almost identical solutions at sufficiently fine mass grids. However, one scheme converges far slower than the other two and shows pronounced numerical diffusion at the large-drop tail of the size distribution. One of the remaining two schemes is recommended on the basis that it is well-converged on a relatively coarse mass grid, stable for large time steps, strictly mass-conservative, and computationally efficient. To examine the effects of SCE scheme choice on simulating clouds and precipitation, two of the three schemes are compared in large-eddy simulations of a drizzling stratocumulus field. A forward simulator that produces Doppler spectra from the large-eddy simulation results is used to compare the model output directly with radar observations. The scheme with pronounced numerical diffusion predicts excessively large mean Doppler velocities and overly broad and negatively skewed spectra compared with observations, consistent with numerical diffusion8 demonstrated in the box model. Statistics obtained using the recommended scheme are closer to the observations, but otable differences remain, indicating that factors other than SCE scheme accuracy are limiting simulation fidelity.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{le05700x,
author={Lee, H. and Fridlind, A. M. and Ackerman, A. S.},
title={An evaluation of size-resolved cloud microphysics scheme numerics for use with radar observations. Part I: Collision-coalescence},
year={2019},
journal={Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences},
volume={76},
number={1},
pages={247--263},
doi={10.1175/JAS-D-18-0174.1},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - le05700x AU - Lee, H. AU - Fridlind, A. M. AU - Ackerman, A. S. PY - 2019 TI - An evaluation of size-resolved cloud microphysics scheme numerics for use with radar observations. Part I: Collision-coalescence JA - J. Atmos. Sci. JO - Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences VL - 76 IS - 1 SP - 247 EP - 263 DO - 10.1175/JAS-D-18-0174.1 ER -
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