Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model
<p>Stratospheric water vapour (SWV) is a climatically important atmospheric constituent due to its impacts on the radiation budget and atmospheric chemical composition. Despite the important role of SWV in the climate system, the processes controlling the distribution and variation in water va...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/20/2143/2020/acp-20-2143-2020.pdf |
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| author | Z. Qu Z. Qu Y. Huang P. A. Vaillancourt J. N. S. Cole J. A. Milbrandt M.-K. Yau K. Walker J. de Grandpré |
| author_facet | Z. Qu Z. Qu Y. Huang P. A. Vaillancourt J. N. S. Cole J. A. Milbrandt M.-K. Yau K. Walker J. de Grandpré |
| author_sort | Z. Qu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Stratospheric water vapour (SWV) is a climatically important
atmospheric constituent due to its impacts on the radiation budget and
atmospheric chemical composition. Despite the important role of SWV in the
climate system, the processes controlling the distribution and variation in
water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are not
well understood. In order to better understand the mechanism of transport of
water vapour through the tropopause, this study uses the high-resolution
Global Environmental Multiscale model of the Environment and Climate Change
Canada to simulate a lower stratosphere moistening event over North
America. Satellite remote sensing and aircraft in situ observations are used to
evaluate the quality of model simulation. The main focus of this study is to
evaluate the processes that influence the lower stratosphere water vapour
budget, particularly the direct water vapour transport and the moistening due
to the ice sublimation. In the high-resolution simulations with horizontal
grid spacing of less than 2.5 km, it is found that the main contribution to
lower stratospheric moistening is the upward transport caused by the
breaking of gravity waves. In contrast, for the lower-resolution simulation
with horizontal grid spacing of 10 km, the lower stratospheric moistening is
dominated by the sublimation of ice. In comparison with the aircraft in situ
observations, the high-resolution simulations predict the water vapour
content in the UTLS well, while the lower-resolution simulation overestimates
the water vapour content. This overestimation is associated with the overly
abundant ice in the UTLS along with a sublimation rate that is too high in the lower
stratosphere. The results of this study affirm the strong influence of
overshooting convection on the lower stratospheric water vapour and highlight
the importance of both dynamics and microphysics in simulating the water
vapour distribution in the UTLS region.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:12:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b3b543b38ab4a038cf5a51acfeeb462 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T22:12:52Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b3b543b38ab4a038cf5a51acfeeb4622022-12-22T00:48:42ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242020-02-01202143215910.5194/acp-20-2143-2020Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction modelZ. Qu0Z. Qu1Y. Huang2P. A. Vaillancourt3J. N. S. Cole4J. A. Milbrandt5M.-K. Yau6K. Walker7J. de Grandpré8Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, CanadaObservations-Based Research Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, CanadaRecherche en Prévision Numérique, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, CanadaCanadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, ON, CanadaRecherche en Prévision Numérique, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, CanadaDepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaRecherche en Prévision Numérique, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada<p>Stratospheric water vapour (SWV) is a climatically important atmospheric constituent due to its impacts on the radiation budget and atmospheric chemical composition. Despite the important role of SWV in the climate system, the processes controlling the distribution and variation in water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) are not well understood. In order to better understand the mechanism of transport of water vapour through the tropopause, this study uses the high-resolution Global Environmental Multiscale model of the Environment and Climate Change Canada to simulate a lower stratosphere moistening event over North America. Satellite remote sensing and aircraft in situ observations are used to evaluate the quality of model simulation. The main focus of this study is to evaluate the processes that influence the lower stratosphere water vapour budget, particularly the direct water vapour transport and the moistening due to the ice sublimation. In the high-resolution simulations with horizontal grid spacing of less than 2.5 km, it is found that the main contribution to lower stratospheric moistening is the upward transport caused by the breaking of gravity waves. In contrast, for the lower-resolution simulation with horizontal grid spacing of 10 km, the lower stratospheric moistening is dominated by the sublimation of ice. In comparison with the aircraft in situ observations, the high-resolution simulations predict the water vapour content in the UTLS well, while the lower-resolution simulation overestimates the water vapour content. This overestimation is associated with the overly abundant ice in the UTLS along with a sublimation rate that is too high in the lower stratosphere. The results of this study affirm the strong influence of overshooting convection on the lower stratospheric water vapour and highlight the importance of both dynamics and microphysics in simulating the water vapour distribution in the UTLS region.</p>https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/20/2143/2020/acp-20-2143-2020.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Z. Qu Z. Qu Y. Huang P. A. Vaillancourt J. N. S. Cole J. A. Milbrandt M.-K. Yau K. Walker J. de Grandpré Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| title_full | Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| title_fullStr | Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| title_short | Simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| title_sort | simulation of convective moistening of the extratropical lower stratosphere using a numerical weather prediction model |
| url | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/20/2143/2020/acp-20-2143-2020.pdf |
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