A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System

Abstract In the atmosphere, convection can organize from smaller scale updrafts into more coherent structures on various scales. In bulk‐plume cumulus convection parameterizations, this type of organization has to be represented in terms of how the resolved flow would “feel” convection if more coher...

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Main Authors: Lisa Bengtsson, Juliana Dias, Stefan Tulich, Maria Gehne, Jian‐Wen Bao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2021-01-01
Series:Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020MS002260
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author Lisa Bengtsson
Juliana Dias
Stefan Tulich
Maria Gehne
Jian‐Wen Bao
author_facet Lisa Bengtsson
Juliana Dias
Stefan Tulich
Maria Gehne
Jian‐Wen Bao
author_sort Lisa Bengtsson
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In the atmosphere, convection can organize from smaller scale updrafts into more coherent structures on various scales. In bulk‐plume cumulus convection parameterizations, this type of organization has to be represented in terms of how the resolved flow would “feel” convection if more coherent structures were present on the subgrid. This type of subgrid organization acts as building blocks for larger scale tropical convective organization known to modulate local and remote weather. In this work a parameterization for subgrid (and cross‐grid) organization in a bulk‐plume convection scheme is proposed using the stochastic, self‐organizing, properties of cellular automata (CA). We investigate the effects of using a CA which can interact with three different components of the bulk‐plume scheme that modulate convective activity: entrainment, triggering, and closure. The impacts of the revised schemes are studied in terms of the model's ability to organize convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs). The differing impacts of adopting the stochastic CA scheme, as compared to the widely used Stochastically Perturbed Physics Tendency (SPPT) scheme, are also assessed. Results show that with the CA scheme, precipitation is more spatially and temporally organized, and there is a systematic shift in equatorial wave phase speed not seen with SPPT. Previous studies have noted a linear relationship between Gross Moist Stability (GMS) and Kelvin wave phase speed. Analysis of GMS in this study shows an increase in Kelvin wave phase speed and an increase in GMS with the CA scheme, which is tied to a shift from large‐scale precipitation to convective precipitation.
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spelling doaj.art-a1e7d1fbfa234420b4dbdccd8588df3e2023-10-21T14:51:48ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems1942-24662021-01-01131n/an/a10.1029/2020MS002260A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast SystemLisa Bengtsson0Juliana Dias1Stefan Tulich2Maria Gehne3Jian‐Wen Bao4CIRES University of Colorado Boulder CO USANOAA ESRL PSL Boulder CO USACIRES University of Colorado Boulder CO USACIRES University of Colorado Boulder CO USANOAA ESRL PSL Boulder CO USAAbstract In the atmosphere, convection can organize from smaller scale updrafts into more coherent structures on various scales. In bulk‐plume cumulus convection parameterizations, this type of organization has to be represented in terms of how the resolved flow would “feel” convection if more coherent structures were present on the subgrid. This type of subgrid organization acts as building blocks for larger scale tropical convective organization known to modulate local and remote weather. In this work a parameterization for subgrid (and cross‐grid) organization in a bulk‐plume convection scheme is proposed using the stochastic, self‐organizing, properties of cellular automata (CA). We investigate the effects of using a CA which can interact with three different components of the bulk‐plume scheme that modulate convective activity: entrainment, triggering, and closure. The impacts of the revised schemes are studied in terms of the model's ability to organize convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs). The differing impacts of adopting the stochastic CA scheme, as compared to the widely used Stochastically Perturbed Physics Tendency (SPPT) scheme, are also assessed. Results show that with the CA scheme, precipitation is more spatially and temporally organized, and there is a systematic shift in equatorial wave phase speed not seen with SPPT. Previous studies have noted a linear relationship between Gross Moist Stability (GMS) and Kelvin wave phase speed. Analysis of GMS in this study shows an increase in Kelvin wave phase speed and an increase in GMS with the CA scheme, which is tied to a shift from large‐scale precipitation to convective precipitation.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020MS002260cellular automatacumulus convectionconvective organizationstochastic physics
spellingShingle Lisa Bengtsson
Juliana Dias
Stefan Tulich
Maria Gehne
Jian‐Wen Bao
A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
cellular automata
cumulus convection
convective organization
stochastic physics
title A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
title_full A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
title_fullStr A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
title_full_unstemmed A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
title_short A Stochastic Parameterization of Organized Tropical Convection Using Cellular Automata for Global Forecasts in NOAA's Unified Forecast System
title_sort stochastic parameterization of organized tropical convection using cellular automata for global forecasts in noaa s unified forecast system
topic cellular automata
cumulus convection
convective organization
stochastic physics
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2020MS002260
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