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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Mesoscale Convective Systems Represented in High Resolution E3SMv2 and Impact of New Cloud and Convection Parameterizations

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) play an important role in modulating the global hydrological cycle, general circulation, and radiative energy budget. In this study, we evaluate MCS simulations in the second version of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SMv2). E3SMv2 atmosphere model (EAMv2) is run at the uniform 0.25? horizontal resolution. We track MCSs consistently in the model and observations using the PyFLEXTRKR algorithm, which defines MCS based on both cloud-top brightness temperature (Tb) and surface precipitation. Results from using Tb only to define MCS, commonly used in previous studies, are also discussed. Furthermore, sensitivity experiments are performed to examine the impact of new cloud and convection parameterizations developed for EAMv3 on simulated MCSs. Our results show that EAMv2 simulated MCS precipitation is largely underestimated in the tropics and contiguous United States. This is mainly attributed to the underestimated precipitation intensity in EAMv2. In contrast, the simulated MCS frequency becomes more comparable to observations if MCSs are defined only based on cloud-top Tb. The Tb-based MCS tracking method, however, includes many cloud systems with very weak precipitation which conflicts with the MCS definition. This result illustrates the importance of accounting for precipitation in evaluating simulated MCSs. We also find that the new physics parameterizations help increase the relative contribution of convective precipitation to total precipitation in the tropics, but the simulated MCS properties are generally not improved. This suggests that simulating MCSs will remain a challenge for the next version of E3SM.

Zhang, Meng↗
NASA NTRS1997

Evaluating and Understanding Parameterized Convective Processes and their Role in the Development of Mesoscale Precipitation Systems

Research efforts during the second year have centered on improving the manner in which convective stabilization is achieved in the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model MM5. Ways of improving this stabilization have been investigated by (1) refining the partitioning between the Kain-Fritsch convective parameterization scheme and the grid scale by introducing a form of moist convective adjustment; (2) using radar data to define locations of subgrid-scale convection during a dynamic initialization period; and (3) parameterizing deep-convective feedbacks as subgrid-scale sources and sinks of mass. These investigations were conducted by simulating a long-lived convectively-generated mesoscale vortex that occurred during 14-18 Jul. 1982 and the 10-11 Jun. 1985 squall line that occurred over the Kansas-Oklahoma region during the PRE-STORM experiment. The long-lived vortex tracked across the central Plains states and was responsible for multiple convective outbreaks during its lifetime.

Fritsch, J. Michael↗
NASA NTRS1995

Evaluating and Understanding Parameterized Convective Processes and Their Role in the Development of Mesoscale Precipitation Systems

Research efforts during the first year focused on numerical simulations of two convective systems with the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model. The first of these systems was tropical cyclone Irma, which occurred in 1987 in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria during the AMEX field program. Comparison simulations of this system were done with two different convective parameterization schemes (CPS's), the Kain-Fritsch (1993 - KF) and the Betts-Miller (Betts 1986- BM) schemes. The second system was the June 10-11 1985 squall line simulation, which occurred over the Kansas-Oklahoma region during the PRE-STORM experiment. Simulations of this system using the KF scheme were examined in detail.

Fritsch, J. Michael↗
NASA NTRS1996

Evaluating and Understanding Parameterized Convective Processes and Their Role in the Development of Mesoscale Precipitation Systems

Research efforts focused on numerical simulations of two convective systems with the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model. The first of these systems was tropical cyclone Irma, which occurred in 1987 in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria during the AMEX field program. Comparison simulations of this system were done with two different convective parameterization schemes (CPS's), the Kain-Fritsch (KF) and the Betts-Miller (BM) schemes. The second system was the June 10-11, 1985 squall line simulation, which occurred over the Kansas-Oklahoma region during the PRE-STORM experiment. Simulations of this system using the KF scheme were examined in detail.

Fritsch, J. Michael↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evaluating and Improving Scale–Awareness of a Convective Parameterization Closure Using Cloud–Resolving Model Simulations of Convection

This study aims to evaluate a revised closure of the Zhang-McFarlane (ZM) scheme for deep convection and to further improve its scale awareness. Output from two cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations of both midlatitude organized (MC3E) and tropical unorganized (TWP-ICE) convection are used for the evaluation. By averaging the CRM output over different subdomain sizes from 64 km to 4 km, convection-associated fields are obtained to represent the fields at different horizontal resolutions of global climate models (GCMs). The convection parameterization closure is then tested using these fields. Results show that the cloud base mass flux M b determined from the closure has a relatively good relationship with CRM-simulated convection at coarse resolutions for both MC3E and TWP-ICE, but their correlation degrades at higher resolutions, especially when approaching the gray zone scale under 10 km. The fluctuation of CAPE consumption rate per unit cloud base mass flux for different convective events is found to be an important factor affecting the correlation. When averaged over the base domain, the cloud base mass flux determined by the closure is found to increase with decreasing subdomain size, implying that the closure is not scale-aware. To improve its scale-awareness, a modified closure is designed to alleviate the overprediction of convection at high GCM resolutions. Furthermore, results show that the modified closure has the scale-aware ability to suppress the overprediction problem at high GCM resolutions for both MC3E and TWP-ICE.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reduction of Pacific Double‐ITCZ Bias by Convection Parameterization in NCAR CESM2.2

Abstract The impact of convective closure on the double‐ITCZ bias in the NCAR CESM2.2 is investigated in this study. The standard CESM2.2 simulates a remarkable double‐ITCZ bias in the central and eastern Pacific, especially in boreal winter and spring. Modifications to the closure in convection parameterization scheme greatly reduce the double‐ITCZ bias in all seasons, demonstrating that convection parameterization can substantially influence the double‐ITCZ bias in CESM2.2. Further analyses suggest that convection parameterization can modulate the tropical atmosphere‐ocean feedback processes, through which it influences the SST in the southern ITCZ region and hence the double‐ITCZ bias. The changes in the upper ocean temperature advection induced by modified convective closure plays important roles in reducing the warm SST bias and double‐ITCZ precipitation bias in the southern ITCZ region. The modified convective closure improves the low‐level cloud and shortwave cloud radiative forcing in the southeastern Pacific. However, surface heat flux plays only a limited role in reducing warm SST bias and double ITCZ bias because the impacts of shortwave radiation changes are largely canceled by changes in longwave radiation and latent heat flux.

Song, Xiaoliang [Scripps Institution of Oceanograp↗
NASA NTRS2022

Constraining Clouds and Convective Parameterizations in A Climate Model Using Paleoclimate Data

Cloud and convective parameterizations strongly influence uncertainties in equilibrium climate sensitivity. We provide a proof-of-concept study to constrain these parameterizations in a perturbed parameter ensemble of the atmosphere-only version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E2.1 simulations by evaluating model biases in the present-day runs using multiple satellite climatologies and by comparing simulated δ 18 O of precipitation (δ 18 O p ), known to be sensitive to parameterization schemes, with a global database of speleothem δ 18 O records covering the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), mid-Holocene (MH) and pre-industrial (PI) periods. Relative to modern interannual variability, paleoclimate simulations show greater sensitivity to parameter changes, allowing for an evaluation of model uncertainties over a broader range of climate forcing and the identification of parts of the world that are parameter sensitive. Certain simulations reproduced absolute δ 18 O p values across all time periods, along with LGM and MH δ 18 O p anomalies relative to the PI, better than the default parameterization. No single set of parameterizations worked well in all climate states, likely due to the non-stationarity of cloud feedbacks under varying boundary conditions. Future work that involves varying multiple parameter sets simultaneously with coupled ocean feedbacks will likely provide improved constraints on cloud and convective parameterizations.

cloud and convective parameterization↗
NASA NTRS2014

Sensitivity of Tropical Cyclones to Parameterized Convection in the NASA GEOS5 Model

The sensitivity of tropical cyclones (TCs) to changes in parameterized convection is investigated to improve the simulation of TCs in the North Atlantic. Specifically, the impact of reducing the influence of the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert (RAS) scheme-based parameterized convection is explored using the Goddard Earth Observing System version5 (GEOS5) model at 0.25 horizontal resolution. The years 2005 and 2006 characterized by very active and inactive hurricane seasons, respectively, are selected for simulation. A reduction in parameterized deep convection results in an increase in TC activity (e.g., TC number and longer life cycle) to more realistic levels compared to the baseline control configuration. The vertical and horizontal structure of the strongest simulated hurricane shows the maximum lower-level (850-950hPa) wind speed greater than 60 ms and the minimum sea level pressure reaching 940mb, corresponding to a category 4 hurricane - a category never achieved by the control configuration. The radius of the maximum wind of 50km, the location of the warm core exceeding 10 C, and the horizontal compactness of the hurricane center are all quite realistic without any negatively affecting the atmospheric mean state. This study reveals that an increase in the threshold of minimum entrainment suppresses parameterized deep convection by entraining more dry air into the typical plume. This leads to cooling and drying at the mid- to upper-troposphere, along with the positive latent heat flux and moistening in the lower-troposphere. The resulting increase in conditional instability provides an environment that is more conducive to TC vortex development and upward moisture flux convergence by dynamically resolved moist convection, thereby increasing TC activity.

GEOS5↗
NASA NTRS2020

Impact of Resolution and Parameterized Convection on the Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation in a Global Nonhydrostatic Model

A series of 40-day non-hydrostatic global simulations was run with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model with horizontal grid spacing ranging from 50 km to 3.5 km. Here we evaluate the diurnal cycle of precipitation and organized convection as a function of resolution. For validation we use the TRMM 3B42 and IMERG precipitation products and 4 km Merged Infrared brightness temperature, focusing on three regions: the contiguous United States (CONUS), the Maritime Continent, and Amazonia. We find that higher resolution has mixed impacts on diurnal phase. Regions dominated by non-local propagating convection show the greatest improvement, with better representation of organized convective systems. Precipitation in regions dominated by local thermodynamic forcing tends to peak too early at high resolution. Diurnal amplitudes in all regions develop unrealistic small-scale variability at high resolution, while amplitudes tend to be underestimated at low resolution. The GEOS model uses the Grell-Freitas scale-aware convection scheme, which smoothly reduces parameterized deep convection with increasing resolution. We find that some parameterized convection is beneficial for the diurnal amplitude and phase even with a 3.5 km model grid, but only when throttled with the scale-aware approach. An additional 3.5 km experiment employing the GFDL microphysics scheme and higher vertical resolution shows further improvement in propagating convection, but an earlier rainfall peak in locally forced regions.

Nathan P. Arnold↗
NASA NTRS2020

Cascading toward a Kilometer‐scale GCM: Impacts of a Scale‐aware Convection Parameterization in the Goddard Earth Observing System GCM.

The NASA Goddard Earth Observing System global model is evaluated through a cascade of simulations with increasing horizontal resolution. This model employs a non-hydrostatic dynamical core and includes a scale-aware, deep convection parameterization (DPCP). 40-daysimulations at six resolutions (100km to 3km) with unvarying model formulation were produced. At the highest resolution, extreme experiments were carried out; one with no DPCP, and one with its scale-awareness eliminated. Simulated precipitation, radiative balance, and atmospheric thermodynamic and dynamical variables are well reproduced with respect to both observational and reanalysis data. As model resolution increases, the convective precipitation smoothly transitions from being mostly produced by the convection parameterization to the cloud microphysics parameterization. However, contrary to current thought, these extreme cases argue for maintaining, to some extent, the scale-aware deep convection parameterization even at 3kmscale, as the run relying solely on explicit grid-scale production of rainfall performs more poorly at this resolution.

Saulo Freitas↗
NASA NTRS2019

Ongoing Breakthroughs in Convective Parameterization

While the increase of computer power mobilizes a part of the community towards models with explicit convection or based on machine learning, we review the part of the literature dedicated to convective parameterization development for large-scale forecast and climate models. Recent findings: Many developments are underway to overcome endemic limitations of traditional convective parameterizations, either in unified or multi-object frameworks: scale-aware and stochastic approaches, new prognostic equations or representations of new components such as cold pools. Understanding their impact on the emergent properties of a model remains challenging, due to subsequent tuning of parameters and the limited understanding given by traditional metrics. Summary: Further effort still needs to be dedicated to the representation of the life cycle of convective systems, in particular their mesoscale organization and associated cloud cover. The development of more process-oriented metrics based on new observations is also needed to help quantify model improvement and better understand the mechanisms of climate change.

parameterizations for large-scale models↗
NASA NTRS1987

The role of convective parameterization in the simulation of a Gulf Coast precipitation system

Three simulations were performed with the Limited Area Mesoscale Prediction System (LAMPS) model in order to examine the role of convective parameterization in the simulation of the Gulf Coast precipitation system of March 6-7, 1982. The first simulation neglected moist processes, the second used the representation for moist physics of Orlanksi and Ross (1984) and Rosenthal (1978, 1979), and the third simulation incorporated the LAMPS sequential plume cumulus cloud model as convective parameterization for the model. The effects of various representations of moist physics on the evolution of the model's precipitation, kinematic and diabatic heating, and mass and wind fields are investigated. It is determined that the representation of moist thermodynamics in the meso-alpha-scale model influences the manner in which the model describes the mesoscale structures.

Kalb, Michael W.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluating Shallow Convection Parameterization Assumptions With a q t – w Quadrant Analysis

Abstract Uncertainties associated with the response of shallow clouds to global warming remain a great challenge for climate projection. Due to the small size of these clouds, parameterizations are required to represent them in both current‐ and next‐generation climate models. We present a quantitative evaluation of several important assumptions used in both mass‐flux and Assumed‐PDF Higher‐Order Closure parameterizations of shallow convection. We use large‐eddy simulations (LESs) of four different shallow convection regimes as benchmarks and apply a q t (total moisture)– w (vertical velocity) quadrant analysis technique to identify the “coherent structures” of moist and dry up/down‐drafts. The statistics of these coherent structures and the environment are then used to evaluate commonly used assumptions in mass‐flux parameterizations related to (a) the convective downdrafts and (b) the subplume variability of convective updrafts. For quantitative evaluation of the PDF closure used in AP‐HOCs, we perform offline calculations with the PDF closure used in the Cloud Layers Unified By Bi‐normals and the Simplified Higher‐Order Closure schemes by supplying the closure with statistical quantities directly calculated from the LESs. Then, the impact of parameterization assumptions embedded in the PDF closure in the same two categories is analyzed and understood through comparisons of the output from the closure with the statistics of the moist and dry up/down‐drafts from the LESs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2009

Demonstration of Effects on Tropical Cyclone Forecasts with a High Resolution Global Model from Variation in Cumulus Convection Parameterization

The Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) is a system of models that have been developed at Goddard Space Flight Center to support NASA's earth science research in data analysis, observing system modeling and design, climate and weather prediction, and basic research. The work presented used GEOS-5 with 0.25o horizontal resolution and 72 vertical levels (up to 0.01 hP) resolving both the troposphere and stratosphere, with closer packing of the levels close to the surface. The model includes explicit (grid-scale) moist physics, as well as convective parameterization schemes. Results will be presented that will demonstrate strong dependence in the results of modeling of a strong hurricane on the type of convective parameterization scheme used. The previous standard (default) option in the model was the Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert (RAS) scheme, which uses a quasi-equilibrium closure. In the cases shown, this scheme does not permit the efficient development of a strong storm in comparison with observations. When this scheme is replaced by a modified version of the Kain-Fritsch scheme, which was originally developed for use on grids with intervals of order 25 km such as the present one, the storm is able to develop to a much greater extent, closer to that of reality. Details of the two cases will be shown in order to elucidate the differences in the two modeled storms.

Miller, Timothy L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

An Improved Convection Parameterization with Detailed Aerosol–Cloud Microphysics for a Global Model

Abstract A new microphysical treatment that includes aerosol–cloud interactions and secondary ice production (SIP) mechanisms is implemented in the convection scheme of the Community Atmosphere Model, version 6 (CAM6). The approach is to embed a 1D Lagrangian parcel model in the bulk convective plume of the existing deep convection parameterization. Aerosol activation, growth processes including collision/coalescence, and three processes of SIP mechanisms, two of which are normally overlooked in atmospheric models, are represented in this embedded parcel model. These microphysical processes are treated with a hybrid bin/bulk scheme and a high spatial and temporal resolution for the integration of the embedded parcel in 1D, allowing vertical velocity to determine the microphysical evolution following the in-cloud motion during ascent. Simulations of an observed case (Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment) of a mesoscale convective system in Oklahoma, United States, with a single-column model (SCAM) version of CAM, are compared with aircraft in situ and ground-based observations of microphysical properties from the convection and precipitation. Results from the validation show the new microphysical scheme has a good representation of the ice initiation in the bulk convective plume, including the known and empirically quantified pathways of primary and secondary initiation, with benefits for the accuracy of properties of its supercooled cloud liquid. The sensitivity simulations and use of tagging tracers for the validated simulation confirm that the newly included SIP mechanisms are of paramount importance for convective microphysics and can be successfully treated in the global model.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Parameterizing Convective Organization Effects With a Moisture-PDF Approach in Climate Models: Concept and a Regional Case Simulation

We propose a parameterization scheme of convective organization effects based on a moisture-distribution approach, which can reflect aggregation of convective cells within a model grid as well as the interaction between convection and spatial heterogeneity in free-troposphere moisture. With this concept, convective cells in an aggregated state are surrounded by air that is moister than the grid-mean condition, which provides a “shielding” effect favorable for deeper convective updrafts. Such effects are represented quantitatively via utilizing a schematic diagram about the geometric interpretation of convective cluster, dry area, and their contact area, in which both the convective cluster size and dry area fraction increase during the development of convection. Our sensitivity analyses indicate that the new scheme performs well in capturing the mean precipitation features. Excluding the convective organization effects in the model leads to a considerable reduction in the simulated precipitation magnitude. Notably, there exists an inverse relationship between background mean moisture condition and sub-grid moisture variability for a given rain rate, suggesting that with a high spatial heterogeneity in free-troposphere moisture, convection can still develop and maintain its strength under relatively dry background conditions, consistent with the convection-permitting model simulation. Overall, our new parameterization of convective organization effects can successfully reproduce the relationship between precipitation and sub-grid moisture variability, which is a missing element in traditional convection parameterization schemes but important for the simulations of precipitation variability at various scales in climate models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Grell-Freitas Convection Parameterization: Recent Developments and Applications Within the NASA GEOS Global Model

We implemented and began to evaluate an alternative convection parameterization for the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) global model. The parameterization is based on the mass flux approach with several closures, for equilibrium and non-equilibrium convection, and includes scale and aerosol awareness functionalities. Recently, the scheme has been extended to a tri-modal spectral size approach to simulate the transition from shallow, mid, and deep convection regimes. In addition, the inclusion of a new closure for non-equilibrium convection resulted in a substantial gain of realism in model simulation of the diurnal cycle of convection over the land. Here, we briefly introduce the recent developments, implementation, and preliminary results of this parameterization in the NASA GEOS modeling system.

GEO↗
NASA NTRS2021

The GF Convection Parameterization: Recent Developments, Extensions, and Applications

Recent developments and options in the GF (Grell and Freitas, 2014, Freitas et al.,2018) convection parameterization are presented. The parameterization has been expanded to atrimodal spectral size to simulate three convection modes: shallow, congestus and deep. Incontrast to usual entrainment/detrainment assumptions, we assume that Beta Functions (BFs),commonly applied to represent Probability Density Functions (PDF’s), can be used tocharacterize the vertical mass flux profiles for the three modes, and use the BFs to deriveentrainment and detrainment rates. We also added a new closure for non-equilibrium convectionthat improved the simulation of the diurnal cycle of convection, with a better representation ofthe transition from shallow to deep convection regimes over land. The transport of chemicalconstituents (including wet deposition) can be treated inside the GF scheme. The tracer transportis handled in flux form and is mass conserving. Finally, the cloud microphysics has beenextended to include the ice phase to simulate the conversion from liquid water to ice in updraftswith resulting additional heat release and the melting from snow to rain.

Saulo R De Freitas↗