Identification

Title

TWP-ICE global atmospheric model intercomparison: Convection responsiveness and resolution impact

Abstract

Results are presented from an intercomparison of atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) simulations of tropical convection during the Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE). The distinct cloud properties, precipitation, radiation, and vertical diabatic heating profiles associated with three different monsoon regimes (wet, dry, and break) from available observations are used to evaluate 9 AGCM forecasts initialized daily from realistic global analyses. All models captured well the evolution of large-scale circulation and thermodynamic fields, but cloud properties differed substantially among models. Compared with the relatively well simulated top-heavy heating structures during the wet and break period, most models had difficulty in depicting the bottom-heavy heating profiles associated with cumulus congestus during the dry period. The best performing models during this period were the ones whose convection scheme was most responsive to the free tropospheric humidity. Compared with the large impact of cloud and convective parameterizations on model cloud and precipitation characteristics, resolution has relatively minor impact on simulated cloud properties. However, one feature that was influenced by resolution in several models was the diurnal cycle of precipitation. Peaking at a different time from convective precipitation, large-scale precipitation generally increases in high resolution forecasts and modulates the total precipitation diurnal cycle. Overall, the study emphasizes the need for convection parameterizations that are more responsive to environmental conditions as well as the substantial diversity among large-scale cloud and precipitation schemes in current AGCMs. This experiment has demonstrated itself to be a very useful test bed for those developing cloud and convection schemes for AGCMs.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7s75h0s

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2012-05-08T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact