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Title: Three‐Moment Representation of Rain in a Bulk Microphysics Model

Journal Article · · Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001512· OSTI ID:1491916
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [4]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland WA USA
  2. National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USA
  3. Meteorological Research Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada Dorval Quebec Canada
  4. Department of Atmospheric Sciences Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
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Abstract A bulk three‐moment representation for rain microphysics is developed and implemented in the Predicted Particle Properties (P3) microphysics scheme. In addition, a new parameterization for rain self‐collection and collisional breakup (RSCB) is presented using a lookup table approach, based on the Spectral‐Bin Model (SBM). To quantify the impacts of sedimentation, evaporation, and RSCB on drop size distributions (DSDs), a rain shaft model is applied to a wide range of atmospheric scenarios (i.e., initial conditions and regimes) and compared against results from the SBM. DSD shapes are mainly determined by both sedimentation and evaporation, except in heavy rain where the impact of RSCB on DSD shape becomes more important than evaporation. The new parameterization for RSCB has a considerable impact on the mean drop size, improving the agreement between P3 and SBM. Only 4% of the original two‐moment rainshaft simulations have mean drop sizes and rain rates within ±20% of the SBM results, but this increases to more than 95% agreement when the three‐moment rain representation is used together with the new parameterization for RSCB. Generally, the improvement is more significant for heavy rain than for light drizzle. Remaining differences between bin and bulk model are attributable to treatments of evaporation, and the restriction to gamma DSDs in P3.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1491916
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1491917; OSTI ID: 1502406
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-138435
Journal Information:
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Journal Name: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems Vol. 11 Journal Issue: 1; 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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Figures / Tables (10)

Table 1(p. 6)table Table 1
Figure 1(p. 7)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 8)figure Figure 2
Table 2(p. 8)table Table 2
Figure 3(p. 9)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 10)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 11)figure Figure 5
Figure 6(p. 12)figure Figure 6
Table 3(p. 13)table Table 3
Figure A1(p. 17)figure Figure A1

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Bulk Microphysics Model
three-moment representation
rain self-collection and collisional breakup (RSCB)
precipitation
three‐moment scheme
size sorting
evaporation
self‐collection
breakup