Sensitivity study of cloud/radiation interaction using a second order turbulence radiative-convective model
A high resolution one-dimensional version of a second order turbulence convective/radiative model, developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, was used to conduct a sensitivity study of a stratocumulus cloud deck, based on data taken at San Nicolas Island during the intensive field observation marine stratocumulus phase of the First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program (ISCCP) Regional Experiment (FIRE IFO), conducted during July, 1987. Initial profiles for liquid water potential temperature, and total water mixing ratio were abstracted from the FIRE data. The dependence of the diurnal behavior in liquid water content, cloud top height, and cloud base height were examined for variations in subsidence rate, sea surface temperature, and initial inversion strength. The modelled diurnal variation in the column integrated liquid water agrees quite well with the observed data, for the case of low subsidence. The modelled diurnal behavior for the height of the cloud top and base show qualitative agreement with the FIRE data, although the overall height of the cloud layer is about 200 meters too high.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6618694
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-93-315; CONF-930140-2; ON: DE93007365
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International specialty conference: the role of meteorology in managing the environment in the 1990s, Scottsdale, AZ (United States), 26-28 Jan 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
58 GEOSCIENCES
CLOUDS
INTERACTIONS
RADIOACTIVITY
CLIMATE MODELS
CONVECTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
TURBULENCE
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER
MASS TRANSFER
540130* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences