Title: Relationships Between Precipitation Properties and Large-Scale Conditions During Subsidence at the Eastern North Atlantic Observatory

Abstract

Three years of reanalysis and ground-based observations collected at the Eastern North Atlantic (ENA) observatory are analyzed to document the properties of rain and boundary layer clouds, and their relationship with the large-scale environment during general subsidence conditions and following cold front passages. Clouds in the wake of cold fronts exhibit on average a 10% higher propensity to precipitate and higher rain-to-cloud fraction than cloud found in general subsidence conditions. Similarities in the seasonal cycle of rain and of large-scale properties suggest that the large-scale conditions created by the cold front passage are responsible for the unique properties of the rain forming in its wake. The identification of monotonic relationships between rain-to-cloud fraction and rain rate with surface forcing and boundary layer stability parameters as well as between virga base height with stability and humidity measures further supports that large-scale conditions impact precipitation variability. Likewise, these relationships between the large-scale and rain properties are less clear than those established between cloud and rain properties suggesting that cloud macrophysics have a more direct impact on the properties of rain than the large-scale environment. The applicability of previously documented relationships between rain properties and cloud thickness is tested and the relationships adjustedmore » to accommodate the complex shallow clouds and melting precipitation observed to occur in the ENA region. Furthermore, establishing these relationships opens up opportunities for parametrization development and suggest that a realistic representation of precipitation properties in models relies on the accurate representation of both clouds and the large-scale environment.« less

Authors:

Lamer, Katia  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Lamer, Katia"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-8328-5704"

Naud, Catherine M.  ^[2];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Naud, Catherine M."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-3914-1498"

Booth, James F.  ^[3]

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Booth, James F."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-8191-4936"

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. City Univ. of New York (CUNY), NY (United States); Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
2. Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States). Dept. of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics
3. City Univ. of New York (CUNY), NY (United States)

Publication Date:

Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Research Org.:

Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

OSTI Identifier:

1606373

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1607704; OSTI ID: 1608508

Report Number(s):

BNL-213763-2020-JAAM
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X

Grant/Contract Number:  

SC0016344; SC0012704

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 125; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X

Publisher:

American Geophysical Union

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

58 GEOSCIENCES; Cold air outbreak; post cold frontal; observations; rain rate; rain‐to‐cloud fraction; melting layer; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES