Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Simulation of Continental Shallow Cumulus Populations Using an Observation-Constrained Cloud-System Resolving Model

Journal Article · · Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Continental shallow cumulus clouds observed on 30 August 2016 during the Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) field campaign are simulated by using an observation-constrained cloud-system resolving model. On this day, shallow cumulus (ShCu) forms over Oklahoma and southern Kansas and some of these clouds transition to deeper, precipitating convection during the afternoon. We apply a four-dimensional ensemble-variational (4DEnVar) hybrid technique in the Community Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) system to assimilate operational datasets and unique boundary layer measurements including a Raman Lidar, radar wind profilers, radiosondes, and surface stations collected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to ascertain how improved environmental conditions can influence forecasts of ShCu populations and the transition to deeper convection. Independent observations from aircraft, satellite as well as ARM’s remote sensors are used to evaluate model performance in different aspects. Several model experiments are conducted to identify the impact of data assimilation (DA) on the prediction of clouds evolution. The analyses indicate ShCu populations are more accurately reproduced after DA in terms of cloud initiation time and cloud-base height, which can be attributed to an improved representation of the ambient meteorological conditions and the convective boundary layer. Extending the assimilation to 18 UTC (local noon) also improved the simulation of shallow-to-deep transitions of convective clouds.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); 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:
1671744
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1682239
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-151559
Journal Information:
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 12, Issue 9; ISSN 1942-2466
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (62)

The Weather Research and Forecasting Model's Community Variational/Ensemble Data Assimilation System: WRFDA journal June 2012
A New Vertical Diffusion Package with an Explicit Treatment of Entrainment Processes journal September 2006
The DOE ARM Aerial Facility journal May 2014
The Use of Surface Observations in Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation Using a Mesoscale Model journal May 1996
Variational Assimilation of Cloud Liquid/Ice Water Path and Its Impact on NWP journal August 2015
WRF-Solar: Description and Clear-Sky Assessment of an Augmented NWP Model for Solar Power Prediction journal July 2016
Sensitivity of Limited-Area Hybrid Variational-Ensemble Analyses and Forecasts to Ensemble Perturbation Resolution journal August 2015
The Impact of Variable Land‐Atmosphere Coupling on Convective Cloud Populations Observed During the 2016 HI‐SCALE Field Campaign journal August 2019
Multiple-Radar Data Assimilation and Short-Range Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting of a Squall Line Observed during IHOP_2002 journal October 2007
Surface summertime radiative forcing by shallow cumuli at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site journal January 2011
Temporal Variability of Fair-Weather Cumulus Statistics at the ACRF SGP Site journal July 2008
First assimilation of temperature lidar data into an NWP model: impact on the simulation of the temperature field, inversion strength and PBL depth: Lidar Temperature Data Assimilation
  • Adam, Stephan; Behrendt, Andreas; Schwitalla, Thomas
  • Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 142, Issue 700 https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2875
journal October 2016
The Step-Mountain Eta Coordinate Model: Further Developments of the Convection, Viscous Sublayer, and Turbulence Closure Schemes journal May 1994
A New Double-Moment Microphysics Parameterization for Application in Cloud and Climate Models. Part I: Description journal June 2005
A Comparison of Multiscale GSI-Based EnKF and 3DVar Data Assimilation Using Radar and Conventional Observations for Midlatitude Convective-Scale Precipitation Forecasts journal August 2015
Four-Dimensional Variational Assimilation of Water Vapor Differential Absorption Lidar Data: The First Case Study within IHOP_2002 journal January 2006
Precipitation Forecasting Using Doppler Radar Data, a Cloud Model with Adjoint, and the Weather Research and Forecasting Model: Real Case Studies during SoWMEX in Taiwan journal December 2011
Explicit Forecasts of Winter Precipitation Using an Improved Bulk Microphysics Scheme. Part II: Implementation of a New Snow Parameterization journal December 2008
Near-real time cloud retrievals from operational and research meteorological satellites conference October 2008
GSI Three-Dimensional Ensemble–Variational Hybrid Data Assimilation Using a Global Ensemble for the Regional Rapid Refresh Model journal October 2017
The GSI capability to assimilate TRMM and GPM hydrometeor retrievals in HWRF: Assimilating TRMM/GPM Retrieved Hydrometeors in HWRF
  • Wu, Ting-Chi; Zupanski, Milija; Grasso, Lewis D.
  • Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 142, Issue 700 https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2867
journal August 2016
A review of operational methods of variational and ensemble-variational data assimilation: Ensemble-variational Data Assimilation journal January 2017
The Aerosol Modeling Testbed: A Community Tool to Objectively Evaluate Aerosol Process Modules journal March 2011
The community Noah land surface model with multiparameterization options (Noah-MP): 1. Model description and evaluation with local-scale measurements journal January 2011
The Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Symbiotic Simulation and Observation (LASSO) Activity for Continental Shallow Convection journal April 2020
Development of an Improved Turbulence Closure Model for the Atmospheric Boundary Layer journal January 2009
A Mass-Flux Scheme View of a High-Resolution Simulation of a Transition from Shallow to Deep Cumulus Convection journal July 2006
A Comprehensive Mass Flux Scheme for Cumulus Parameterization in Large-Scale Models journal August 1989
Statewide Monitoring of the Mesoscale Environment: A Technical Update on the Oklahoma Mesonet journal March 2007
Raman Lidar (RL) Instrument Handbook report December 2022
Factors Controlling the Vertical Extent of Fair-Weather Shallow Cumulus Clouds over Land: Investigation of Diurnal-Cycle Observations Collected at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site journal April 2013
High-Resolution Simulation of Shallow-to-Deep Convection Transition over Land journal December 2006
Radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases: Calculations with the AER radiative transfer models journal January 2008
Assimilating Surface Data to Improve the Accuracy of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Simulations journal November 2001
A generalized approach to parameterizing convection combining ensemble and data assimilation techniques: PARAMETERIZING CONVECTION COMBINING ENSEMBLE AND DATA ASSIMILATION TECHNIQUES journal July 2002
GSI-Based Four-Dimensional Ensemble–Variational (4DEnsVar) Data Assimilation: Formulation and Single-Resolution Experiments with Real Data for NCEP Global Forecast System journal September 2014
Bridging Research to Operations Transitions: Status and Plans of Community GSI journal August 2016
Mechanisms Affecting the Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection over Land: Inferences from Observations of the Diurnal Cycle Collected at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site journal September 2010
On Bridging A Modeling Scale Gap: Mesoscale to Microscale Coupling for Wind Energy journal December 2019
Shallow Cumulus in WRF Parameterizations Evaluated against LASSO Large-Eddy Simulations journal December 2018
Toward a New Cloud Analysis and Prediction System journal February 2011
Impacts of Targeted AERI and Doppler Lidar Wind Retrievals on Short-Term Forecasts of the Initiation and Early Evolution of Thunderstorms journal March 2019
The Data Assimilation Research Testbed: A Community Facility journal September 2009
Observed Diurnal Cycle Climatology of Planetary Boundary Layer Height journal November 2010
Impact of CASA Radar and Oklahoma Mesonet Data Assimilation on the Analysis and Prediction of Tornadic Mesovortices in an MCS journal November 2011
The Implementation of the Ice-Phase Microphysical Process into a Four-Dimensional Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System (VDRAS) and Its Impact on Parameter Retrieval and Quantitative Precipitation Nowcasting journal February 2016
Radar Data Assimilation with WRF 4D-Var. Part II: Comparison with 3D-Var for a Squall Line over the U.S. Great Plains journal July 2013
A Regional GSI-Based Ensemble Kalman Filter Data Assimilation System for the Rapid Refresh Configuration: Testing at Reduced Resolution journal October 2013
Storm-Scale Data Assimilation and Ensemble Forecasting with the NSSL Experimental Warn-on-Forecast System. Part II: Combined Radar and Satellite Data Experiments journal February 2016
Ground-Based Remote Retrievals of Cumulus Entrainment Rates journal July 2013
Coupling an Advanced Land Surface–Hydrology Model with the Penn State–NCAR MM5 Modeling System. Part I: Model Implementation and Sensitivity journal April 2001
Objectively Determined Fair-Weather CBL Depths in the ARW-WRF Model and Their Comparison to CASES-97 Observations journal January 2013
What Controls the Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection? journal June 2009
Introduction to CAUSES: Description of Weather and Climate Models and Their Near‐Surface Temperature Errors in 5 day Hindcasts Near the Southern Great Plains journal March 2018
Tests of an Ensemble Kalman Filter for Mesoscale and Regional-Scale Data Assimilation. Part III: Comparison with 3DVAR in a Real-Data Case Study journal February 2008
CERES Edition-2 Cloud Property Retrievals Using TRMM VIRS and Terra and Aqua MODIS Data—Part I: Algorithms journal November 2011
Predictions of 2010’s Tropical Cyclones Using the GFS and Ensemble-Based Data Assimilation Methods journal October 2011
A North American Hourly Assimilation and Model Forecast Cycle: The Rapid Refresh journal April 2016
Observed Boundary Layer Controls on Shallow Cumulus at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site journal July 2018
Development of fine-resolution analyses and expanded large-scale forcing properties: 1. Methodology and evaluation: Fine-Resolution Analysis and Forcing journal January 2015
The Development of a Terrain-Resolving Scheme for the Forward Model and Its Adjoint in the Four-Dimensional Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System (VDRAS) journal January 2017
The ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) Site journal April 2016

Figures / Tables (19)

Figure 1(p. 3)figure Figure 1
Table 1(p. 5)table Table 1
Figure 2(p. 7)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 8)figure Figure 3
Table 2(p. 8)table Table 2
Figure 4(p. 9)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 10)figure Figure 5
Figure 6(p. 11)figure Figure 6
Figure 7(p. 11)figure Figure 7
Figure 8(p. 12)figure Figure 8
Figure 9(p. 13)figure Figure 9
Figure 10(p. 14)figure Figure 10
Figure 11(p. 15)figure Figure 11
Figure 12(p. 16)figure Figure 12
Figure 13(p. 17)figure Figure 13
Figure 14(p. 18)figure Figure 14
Figure 15(p. 19)figure Figure 15
Figure 16(p. 19)figure Figure 16
Figure 17(p. 20)figure Figure 17

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES