Systematic Validation of Ensemble Cloud-Process Simulations using Polarimetric Radar Observations and Simulator over the NASA Wallops Flight Facility

Journal Article · 18 August 2023 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jd038134 · OSTI ID:1995750

Matsui, Toshi  ^[1]; Wolff, David B. ^[2]; Lang, Stephen ^[3]; Mohr, Karen ^[4]; Zhang, Minghua  ^[5]; Xie, Shaocheng ^[6]; Tang, Shuaiqi  ^[7]; Saleeby, Stephen M.  ^[8]; Posselt, Derek J. ^[9]; Braun, Scott A. ^[4]; Chern, Jiun‐Dar  ^[1]; Dolan, Brenda A.  ^[8]; Pippitt, Jason L. ^[10]; Loftus, Adrian M.  ^[4]

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1. University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA (United States)
3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA (United States)
4. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)
5. Stony Brook University, NY (United States)
6. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
7. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
8. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States)
9. California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
10. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA (United States); Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, MD (United States)

The BiLateral Operational Storm-Scale Observation and Modeling (BLOSSOM) project was initiated to establish a long-term supersite to improve understanding of cloud physical states and processes as well as to support satellite and climate model programs over the WFF site via a bilateral approach of storm-scale observations and process modeling. This study highlights a noble systematic validation framework of the BLOSSOM ensemble cloud-process simulations through mixed-phase, light-rain, and deep-convective precipitation cases. The framework consists of creating a domain-shifted ensemble of large-scale forcing datasets, and configuring and performing cloud-process simulations with three different bulk microphysics schemes. Validation uses NASA S-band dual-POLarimetric radar (NPOL) observations in the form of statistical composites and skill scores via a polarimetric radar simulator and newly developed CfRad Data tool (CfRAD). While the simulations capture the overall structures of the reflectivity composites, polarimetric signals are still poorly simulated, mainly due to a lack of representation of ice microphysics diversity in shapes, orientation distributions, and their complex mixtures. Despite the limitation, this new ensemble-based validation framework demonstrates that 1) no particular forcing or microphysics scheme outperforms the rest and 2) the skill scores of coarse- and fine-resolution ensemble simulations with different domain-shifted forcing and microphysics schemes are highly correlated with each other with no clear improvement. On the other hand, this suggests that coarse-resolution ensemble simulations are relevant for selecting the best meteorological forcing and microphysics scheme before conducting computationally demanding large eddy simulations (LESs) in support of aircraft and satellite instrument development as well as cloud-precipitation-convection parameterizations.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Contributing Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0021247; AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344
• OSTI ID: 1995750
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA--179667; LLNL--JRNL-842199
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 128; ISSN 2169-897X
• Publisher: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English