Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Mesoscale Convective Systems in DYAMOND Global Convection‐Permitting Simulations

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102603· OSTI ID:1957693
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland WA USA
  2. Climate Science Group Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore CA USA
  3. Frontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System and Physical Oceanography Laboratory Ocean University of China Qingdao China, Laoshan Laboratory Qingdao China
Abstract

This study examines the deep convection populations and mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) simulated in the DYAMOND (DYnamics of the atmospheric general circulation modeled on non‐hydrostatic domains) winter project. A storm tracking algorithm is applied to six DYAMOND simulations and a global high‐resolution satellite cloud and precipitation data set for comparison. The simulated frequencies of tropical deep convection and organized convective systems vary widely among models and regions, although robust MCSs are generally underestimated. The diurnal cycles of MCS initiation and mature stages are well simulated, but the amplitudes are exaggerated over land. Most models capture the observed MCS lifetime, cloud shield area, rainfall volume and movement speed. However, cloud‐top height and convective rainfall intensity are consistently overestimated, and stratiform rainfall area and amount are consistently underestimated. Possible causes for the model differences compared to observations and implications for future model developments are discussed.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
European Union’s Horizon 2020; USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1957693
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2007601
OSTI ID: 1957695
OSTI ID: 1957969
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-855117; PNNL-SA-181747; e2022GL102603
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 50; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (54)

Evaluation of CMIP5 continental precipitation simulations relative to satellite-based gauge-adjusted observations: CMIP5 SIMULATIONS AGAINST SATELLITE DATA journal February 2014
Evaluation of cloud-resolving and limited area model intercomparison simulations using TWP-ICE observations: 1. Deep convective updraft properties: Eval. of TWP-ICE CRMs and LAMs Pt. 1 journal December 2014
Evaluation of cloud-resolving and limited area model intercomparison simulations using TWP-ICE observations: 2. Precipitation microphysics: Eval. of TWP-ICE CRMs and LAMs Pt. 2 journal December 2014
Evaluation of convection-permitting model simulations of cloud populations associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation using data collected during the AMIE/DYNAMO field campaign: Cloud populations journal November 2014
The variable nature of convection in the tropics and subtropics: A legacy of 16 years of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite: CONVECTIVE VARIABILITY SEEN BY TRMM journal September 2015
Cloud‐resolving model intercomparison of an MC3E squall line case: Part I—Convective updrafts journal September 2017
Environments of Long-Lived Mesoscale Convective Systems Over the Central United States in Convection Permitting Climate Simulations: Long-Lived Mesoscale Convective Systems journal December 2017
Organized Convective Systems: Archetypal Dynamical Models, Mass and Momentum Flux Theory, and Parametrization journal July 1992
Simulating North American mesoscale convective systems with a convection-permitting climate model journal October 2017
The first multi-model ensemble of regional climate simulations at kilometer-scale resolution, part I: evaluation of precipitation journal April 2021
Global Cloud-Resolving Models journal May 2019
Mesoscale convective systems journal January 2004
The multiscale organization of moist convection and the intersection of weather and climate book January 2010
Regional variation of morphology of organized convection in the tropics and subtropics: MORPHOLOGY OF CONVECTION journal January 2013
Cloud‐Resolving Model Intercomparison of an MC3E Squall Line Case: Part II. Stratiform Precipitation Properties journal January 2019
Structure and Evolution of Mesoscale Convective Systems: Sensitivity to Cloud Microphysics in Convection‐Permitting Simulations Over the United States journal July 2018
Observed Modulation of the Tropical Radiation Budget by Deep Convective Organization and Lower‐Tropospheric Stability journal August 2020
Updraft and Downdraft Core Size and Intensity as Revealed by Radar Wind Profilers: MCS Observations and Idealized Model Comparisons journal June 2020
The Double‐ITCZ Bias in CMIP3, CMIP5, and CMIP6 Models Based on Annual Mean Precipitation journal April 2020
A Global High‐Resolution Mesoscale Convective System Database Using Satellite‐Derived Cloud Tops, Surface Precipitation, and Tracking journal April 2021
Tropical Cirrus in Global Storm‐Resolving Models: 1. Role of Deep Convection journal February 2022
Tropical Cirrus in Global Storm‐Resolving Models: 2. Cirrus Life Cycle and Top‐of‐Atmosphere Radiative Fluxes journal February 2022
The Fractal Nature of Clouds in Global Storm‐Resolving Models journal December 2021
Convection‐Permitting Simulations With the E3SM Global Atmosphere Model journal November 2021
Increased rainfall volume from future convective storms in the US journal November 2017
Sensitivity of organized convective storms to model grid spacing in current and future climates
  • Prein, A. F.; Rasmussen, R. M.; Wang, D.
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 379, Issue 2195 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0546
journal March 2021
Cold Pools and MCS Propagation: Forecasting the Motion of Downwind-Developing MCSs journal December 2003
Stratiform Rain in the Tropics as Seen by the TRMM Precipitation Radar* journal June 2003
A Theory for Strong, Long-Lived Squall Lines journal February 1988
The Role of Environmental Shear and Thermodynamic Conditions in Determining the Structure and Evolution of Mesoscale Convective Systems during TOGA COARE journal December 1998
The Tropical Dynamical Response to Latent Heating Estimates Derived from the TRMM Precipitation Radar journal June 2004
Interpretation of Doppler Weather Radar Displays of Midlatitude Mesoscale Convective Systems journal June 1989
Diurnal Variations in Precipitation and Thunderstorm Frequency over the Conterminous United States journal May 1975
The Diurnal Cycle in the Tropics journal April 2001
Thermal Chains and Entrainment in Cumulus Updrafts. Part I: Theoretical Description journal November 2020
MJO and Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves Simulated by CMIP5 Climate Models journal September 2013
Robust Observational Quantification of the Contribution of Mesoscale Convective Systems to Rainfall in the Tropics journal July 2014
Latent Heating Contribution from Precipitation Systems with Different Sizes, Depths, and Intensities in the Tropics journal January 2015
Evaluation of Mesoscale Convective Systems in Climate Simulations: Methodological Development and Results from MPAS-CAM over the United States journal April 2021
Global Mesoscale Convective System Latent Heating Characteristics from GPM Retrievals and an MCS Tracking Dataset journal November 2021
Exploratory precipitation metrics: spatiotemporal characteristics, process-oriented, and phenomena-based journal February 2022
Can the GPM IMERG Final Product Accurately Represent MCSs’ Precipitation Characteristics over the Central and Eastern United States? journal January 2020
Effects of Horizontal and Vertical Grid Spacing on Mixing in Simulated Squall Lines and Implications for Convective Strength and Structure journal November 2015
Entrainment and Its Dependency on Environmental Conditions and Convective Organization in Convection-Permitting Simulations journal February 2021
Growth of Mesoscale Convective Systems in Observations and a Seasonal Convection-Permitting Simulation over Argentina journal October 2021
Evaluating Diurnal and Semi-Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation in CMIP6 Models Using Satellite- and Ground-Based Observations journal January 2021
Are Storm Characteristics the Same When Viewed Using Merged Surface Radars or a Merged Satellite Product? journal January 2021
Storm Morphology and Rainfall Characteristics of TRMM Precipitation Features journal October 2006
DYAMOND: the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains journal September 2019
The Added Value of Large-eddy and Storm-resolving Models for Simulating Clouds and Precipitation journal January 2020
Tropical Cyclones in Global Storm-Resolving Models journal January 2021
Intercomparison of Cloud Properties in DYAMOND Simulations over the Atlantic Ocean journal January 2021
Overview of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experimental design and organization journal January 2016
High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP v1.0) for CMIP6 journal January 2016