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Title: A multiscale modeling framework model (superparameterized CAM5) with a higher‐order turbulence closure: Model description and low‐cloud simulations

Journal Article · · Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2014MS000375· OSTI ID:1295973
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [3];  [5]
  1. Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland Washington USA, Now at Institute for Climate and Global Change Research &, School of Atmospheric Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing China
  2. University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
  3. Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland Washington USA
  4. Department of Atmospheric Science University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming USA
  5. Atmospheric Science and Global Change Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland Washington USA, Institute of Atmospheric Physics Beijing China, Climate Change Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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In this study, a higher-order turbulence closure scheme, called Cloud Layers Unified by Binormals (CLUBB), is implemented into a Multi-scale Modeling Framework (MMF) model to improve low cloud simulations. The performance of CLUBB in MMF simulations with two different microphysics configurations (one-moment cloud microphysics without aerosol treatment and two-moment cloud microphysics coupled with aerosol treatment) is evaluated against observations and further compared with results from the Community Atmosphere Model, Version 5 (CAM5) with conventional cloud parameterizations. CLUBB is found to improve low cloud simulations in the MMF, and the improvement is particularly evident in the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition regions. Compared to the single-moment cloud microphysics, CLUBB with two-moment microphysics produces clouds that are closer to the coast, and agrees better with observations. In the stratocumulus-to cumulus transition regions, CLUBB with two-moment cloud microphysics produces shortwave cloud forcing in better agreement with observations, while CLUBB with single moment cloud microphysics overestimates shortwave cloud forcing. CLUBB is further found to produce quantitatively similar improvements in the MMF and CAM5, with slightly better performance in the MMF simulations (e.g., MMF with CLUBB generally produces low clouds that are closer to the coast than CAM5 with CLUBB). As a result, improved low cloud simulations in MMF make it an even more attractive tool for studying aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1295973
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1208771; OSTI ID: 1295974
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-104723
Journal Information:
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Journal Name: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems Vol. 7 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 1942-2466
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 29 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
cloud layers unified by binormals
CLUBB
higher-order turbulence
low cloud simulations