RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations
Abstract
A 60-hour case study of continental boundary layer cumulus clouds is examined using two large-eddy simulation (LES) models. The case is based on observations obtained during the RACORO Campaign (Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM] Aerial Facility [AAF] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths [CLOWD] Optical Radiative Observations) at the ARM Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains site. The LES models are driven by continuous large-scale and surface forcings, and are constrained by multi-modal and temporally varying aerosol number size distribution profiles derived from aircraft observations. We compare simulated cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties with ground-based remote sensing and aircraft observations. The LES simulations capture the observed transitions of the evolving cumulus-topped boundary layers during the three daytime periods, and generally reproduce variations of droplet number concentration with liquid water content (LWC), corresponding to the gradient between the cloud centers and cloud edges at given heights. The observed LWC values fall within the range of simulated values; the observed droplet number concentrations are commonly higher than simulated, but differences remain on par with potential estimation errors in the aircraft measurements. Sensitivity studies examine the influences of bin microphysics versus bulk microphysics, aerosol advection, supersaturation treatment, and aerosol hygroscopicity. Simulated macrophysical cloudmore »
- Authors:
-
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies (GISS), New York, NY (United States)
- Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)
- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1201350
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-108008-2015-JA
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X; R&D Project: 2016-BNL-EE631EECA-Budg; KP1703020
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC00112704
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 120; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-897X
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Citation Formats
Endo, Satoshi, Fridlind, Ann M., Lin, Wuyin, Vogelmann, Andrew M., Toto, Tami, Ackerman, Andrew S., McFarquhar, Greg M., Jackson, Robert C., Jonsson, Haflidi H., and Liu, Yangang. RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1002/2014JD022525.
Endo, Satoshi, Fridlind, Ann M., Lin, Wuyin, Vogelmann, Andrew M., Toto, Tami, Ackerman, Andrew S., McFarquhar, Greg M., Jackson, Robert C., Jonsson, Haflidi H., & Liu, Yangang. RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022525
Endo, Satoshi, Fridlind, Ann M., Lin, Wuyin, Vogelmann, Andrew M., Toto, Tami, Ackerman, Andrew S., McFarquhar, Greg M., Jackson, Robert C., Jonsson, Haflidi H., and Liu, Yangang. Fri .
"RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022525. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1201350.
@article{osti_1201350,
title = {RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations. 2. Large-eddy simulations of cumulus clouds and evaluation with in-situ and ground-based observations},
author = {Endo, Satoshi and Fridlind, Ann M. and Lin, Wuyin and Vogelmann, Andrew M. and Toto, Tami and Ackerman, Andrew S. and McFarquhar, Greg M. and Jackson, Robert C. and Jonsson, Haflidi H. and Liu, Yangang},
abstractNote = {A 60-hour case study of continental boundary layer cumulus clouds is examined using two large-eddy simulation (LES) models. The case is based on observations obtained during the RACORO Campaign (Routine Atmospheric Radiation Measurement [ARM] Aerial Facility [AAF] Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths [CLOWD] Optical Radiative Observations) at the ARM Climate Research Facility's Southern Great Plains site. The LES models are driven by continuous large-scale and surface forcings, and are constrained by multi-modal and temporally varying aerosol number size distribution profiles derived from aircraft observations. We compare simulated cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties with ground-based remote sensing and aircraft observations. The LES simulations capture the observed transitions of the evolving cumulus-topped boundary layers during the three daytime periods, and generally reproduce variations of droplet number concentration with liquid water content (LWC), corresponding to the gradient between the cloud centers and cloud edges at given heights. The observed LWC values fall within the range of simulated values; the observed droplet number concentrations are commonly higher than simulated, but differences remain on par with potential estimation errors in the aircraft measurements. Sensitivity studies examine the influences of bin microphysics versus bulk microphysics, aerosol advection, supersaturation treatment, and aerosol hygroscopicity. Simulated macrophysical cloud properties are found to be insensitive in this non-precipitating case, but microphysical properties are especially sensitive to bulk microphysics supersaturation treatment and aerosol hygroscopicity.},
doi = {10.1002/2014JD022525},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
number = 12,
volume = 120,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Cited by: 32 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Web of Science
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program
journal, January 2003
- Ackerman, Thomas P.; Stokes, Gerald M.
- Physics Today, Vol. 56, Issue 1
Revision and clarification of “A general hydrodynamic theory for mixed-phase microphysics”
journal, September 1999
- Böhm, Johannes P.
- Atmospheric Research, Vol. 52, Issue 3
RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations: 1. Case study development and ensemble large-scale forcings: RACORO CASE STUDIES
journal, June 2015
- Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Toto, Tami
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 12
Reduction of Tropical Cloudiness by Soot
journal, May 2000
- Ackerman, A. S.
- Science, Vol. 288, Issue 5468
Droplet nucleation: Physically-based parameterizations and comparative evaluation: DROPLET NUCLEATION
journal, April 2011
- Ghan, Steven J.; Abdul-Razzak, Hayder; Nenes, Athanasios
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 3, Issue 4
Confronting Models with Data: The GEWEX Cloud Systems Study: The GEWEX Cloud Systems Study
journal, April 2003
- Randall, David; Krueger, Steven; Bretherton, Christopher
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 84, Issue 4
Empirical relationship between entrainment rate and microphysics in cumulus clouds: ENTRAINMENT RATE AND MICROPHYSICS
journal, May 2013
- Lu, Chunsong; Niu, Shengjie; Liu, Yangang
- Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 40, Issue 10
Stratocumulus-capped mixed layers derived from a three-dimensional model
journal, June 1980
- Deardorff, James W.
- Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Vol. 18, Issue 4
Breaking the Cloud Parameterization Deadlock
journal, November 2003
- Randall, David; Khairoutdinov, Marat; Arakawa, Akio
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 84, Issue 11
Marine low cloud sensitivity to an idealized climate change: The CGILS LES intercomparison: CGILS LES Intercomparison
journal, May 2013
- Blossey, Peter N.; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Zhang, Minghua
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 5, Issue 2
Multiple-scale simulations of stratocumulus clouds
journal, January 2010
- Zhu, Ping; Albrecht, Bruce A.; Ghate, Virendra P.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, Issue D23
New microphysics sensor for aircraft use
journal, April 1994
- Gerber, H.; Arends, B. G.; Ackerman, A. S.
- Atmospheric Research, Vol. 31, Issue 4
Entrainment and detrainment in cumulus convection: an overview
journal, June 2012
- de Rooy, Wim C.; Bechtold, Peter; Fröhlich, Kristina
- Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 139, Issue 670
Entrainment, Mixing, and Microphysics in Trade-Wind Cumulus
journal, January 2008
- E. Gerber, Hermann; M. Frick, Glendon; B. Jensen, Jorgen
- Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, Vol. 86A
Exploring parameterization for turbulent entrainment-mixing processes in clouds: ENTRAINMENT-MIXING PARAMETERIZATION
journal, January 2013
- Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Niu, Shengjie
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 1
Developing long-term single-column model/cloud system–resolving model forcing data using numerical weather prediction products constrained by surface and top of the atmosphere observations
journal, January 2004
- Xie, Shaocheng
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 109, Issue D1
A general hydrodynamic theory for mixed-phase microphysics. Part I: drag and fall speed of hydrometeors
journal, February 1992
- Böhm, Johannes Peter
- Atmospheric Research, Vol. 27, Issue 4
Ice nucleation processes in upper tropospheric wave-clouds observed during SUCCESS
journal, May 1998
- Jensen, E. J.; Toon, O. B.; Tabazadeh, A.
- Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 25, Issue 9
Rapid calculation of radiative heating rates and photodissociation rates in inhomogeneous multiple scattering atmospheres
journal, January 1989
- Toon, Owen B.; McKay, C. P.; Ackerman, T. P.
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 94, Issue D13
Radiative transfer for inhomogeneous atmospheres: RRTM, a validated correlated-k model for the longwave
journal, July 1997
- Mlawer, Eli J.; Taubman, Steven J.; Brown, Patrick D.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 102, Issue D14
CGILS: Results from the first phase of an international project to understand the physical mechanisms of low cloud feedbacks in single column models: CGILS Results On Low Cloud Feedback
journal, December 2013
- Zhang, Minghua; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Blossey, Peter N.
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 5, Issue 4
A comparison of TWP-ICE observational data with cloud-resolving model results: COMPARING TWP-ICE DATA WITH CRM RESULTS
journal, March 2012
- Fridlind, A. M.; Ackerman, A. S.; Chaboureau, J. -P.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 117, Issue D5
A New Double-Moment Microphysics Parameterization for Application in Cloud and Climate Models. Part I: Description
journal, June 2005
- Morrison, H.; Curry, J. A.; Khvorostyanov, V. I.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 62, Issue 6
Examination of turbulent entrainment-mixing mechanisms using a combined approach
journal, January 2011
- Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Niu, Shengjie
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 116, Issue D20
Large-Eddy Simulations of a Drizzling, Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layer
journal, March 2009
- Ackerman, Andrew S.; vanZanten, Margreet C.; Stevens, Bjorn
- Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 137, Issue 3
A GCSS Boundary-Layer Cloud Model Intercomparison Study Of The First Astex Lagrangian Experiment
journal, December 1999
- Bretherton, Christopher S.; Krueger, Steven K.; Wyant, Matthew C.
- Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Vol. 93, Issue 3
Modeling Supersaturation and Subgrid-Scale Mixing with Two-Moment Bulk Warm Microphysics
journal, March 2008
- Morrison, Hugh; Grabowski, Wojciech W.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 65, Issue 3
Racoro Extended-Term Aircraft Observations of Boundary Layer Clouds
journal, June 2012
- Vogelmann, Andrew M.; McFarquhar, Greg M.; Ogren, John A.
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 93, Issue 6
Homogeneous and Inhomogeneous Mixing in Cumulus Clouds: Dependence on Local Turbulence Structure
journal, December 2009
- Lehmann, Katrin; Siebert, Holger; Shaw, Raymond A.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 12
High-Resolution Simulation of Shallow-to-Deep Convection Transition over Land
journal, December 2006
- Khairoutdinov, Marat; Randall, David
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 63, Issue 12
A single parameter representation of hygroscopic growth and cloud condensation nucleus activity
journal, January 2007
- Petters, M. D.; Kreidenweis, S. M.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 7, Issue 8
Large eddy simulations of continental shallow cumulus convection
journal, January 2003
- Zhu, Ping
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 108, Issue D15
A single parameter representation of hygroscopic growth and cloud condensation nucleus activity
journal, January 2006
- Petters, M. D.; Kreidenweis, S. M.
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, Vol. 6, Issue 5
Large-eddy simulation of the diurnal cycle of shallow cumulus convection over land
journal, April 2002
- Brown, A. R.; Cederwall, R. T.; Chlond, A.
- Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 128, Issue 582
On the Application of the Dynamic Smagorinsky Model to Large-Eddy Simulations of the Cloud-Topped Atmospheric Boundary Layer
journal, February 2006
- Kirkpatrick, M. P.; Ackerman, A. S.; Stevens, D. E.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 63, Issue 2
A comparison of multiscale variations of decade-long cloud fractions from six different platforms over the Southern Great Plains in the United States: observationally based cloud fractions
journal, March 2014
- Wu, Wei; Liu, Yangang; Jensen, Michael P.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 119, Issue 6
A general hydrodynamic theory for mixed-phase microphysics. Part II: collision kernels for coalescence
journal, February 1992
- Böhm, Johannes Peter
- Atmospheric Research, Vol. 27, Issue 4
The Arm Climate Research Facility: A Review of Structure and Capabilities
journal, March 2013
- Mather, James H.; Voyles, Jimmy W.
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 94, Issue 3
Controls on precipitation and cloudiness in simulations of trade-wind cumulus as observed during RICO: CONTROLS ON PRECIPITATION … IN TRADE-WIND CUMULUS
journal, February 2011
- vanZanten, Margreet C.; Stevens, Bjorn; Nuijens, Louise
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 3, Issue 2
A parameterization of aerosol activation: 2. Multiple aerosol types
journal, March 2000
- Abdul-Razzak, Hayder; Ghan, Steven J.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 105, Issue D5
A parameterization of aerosol activation: 1. Single aerosol type
journal, March 1998
- Abdul-Razzak, Hayder; Ghan, Steven J.; Rivera-Carpio, Carlos
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 103, Issue D6
Evaluation of Large-Eddy Simulations via Observations of Nocturnal Marine Stratocumulus
journal, June 2005
- Stevens, Bjorn; Moeng, Chin-Hoh; Ackerman, Andrew S.
- Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 133, Issue 6
Retrieving Liquid Wat0er Path and Precipitable Water Vapor From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Microwave Radiometers
journal, November 2007
- Turner, David D.; Clough, Shepard A.; Liljegren, James C.
- IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 45, Issue 11
RACORO continental boundary layer cloud investigations: 3. Separation of parameterization biases single-column model CAM5 simulations of shallow cumulus: SCAM5 INVESTIGATIONS OF RACORO CLOUDS
journal, June 2015
- Lin, Wuyin; Liu, Yangang; Vogelmann, Andrew M.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 12
Reply to Comment on “Revision and clarification of ‘A general hydrodynamic theory for mixed-phase microphysics’ [Böhm J.P., 1999, Atmos. Res. 52, 167–176]”
journal, January 2004
- Böhm, Johannes P.
- Atmospheric Research, Vol. 69, Issue 3-4
A Model for Particle Microphysics, Turbulent Mixing, and Radiative Transfer in the Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layer and Comparisons with Measurements
journal, April 1995
- Ackerman, Andrew S.; Hobbs, Peter V.; Toon, Owen B.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 52, Issue 8
The GEWEX Cloud System Study (GCSS)
journal, March 1993
- GEWEX Cloud System Science Team,
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 74, Issue 3
Objective Determination of Cloud Heights and Radar Reflectivities Using a Combination of Active Remote Sensors at the ARM CART Sites
journal, May 2000
- Clothiaux, Eugene E.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Mace, Gerald G.
- Journal of Applied Meteorology, Vol. 39, Issue 5
A Large Eddy Simulation Intercomparison Study of Shallow Cumulus Convection
journal, May 2003
- Siebesma, A. Pier; Bretherton, Christopher S.; Brown, Andrew
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 60, Issue 10
Simulations of Trade Wind Cumuli under a Strong Inversion
journal, July 2001
- Stevens, Bjorn; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Albrecht, Bruce A.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 58, Issue 14
Effects of Domain Size and Numerical Resolution on the Simulation of Shallow Cumulus Convection
journal, December 2002
- Stevens, David E.; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Bretherton, Christopher S.
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 59, Issue 23
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program: Programmatic Background and Design of the Cloud and Radiation Test Bed
journal, July 1994
- Stokes, Gerald M.; Schwartz, Stephen E.
- Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol. 75, Issue 7
A Fair-Weather Cumulus Cloud Classification Scheme for Mixed-Layer Studies
journal, January 1985
- Stull, Roland B.
- Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology, Vol. 24, Issue 1
Objective Analysis of ARM IOP Data: Method and Sensitivity
journal, February 2001
- Zhang, M. H.; Lin, J. L.; Cederwall, R. T.
- Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 129, Issue 2
Works referencing / citing this record:
On Which Microphysical Time Scales to Use in Studies of Entrainment‐Mixing Mechanisms in Clouds
journal, April 2018
- Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Zhu, Bin
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 123, Issue 7
Remote Sensing of Droplet Number Concentration in Warm Clouds: A Review of the Current State of Knowledge and Perspectives
journal, June 2018
- Grosvenor, Daniel P.; Sourdeval, Odran; Zuidema, Paquita
- Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 56, Issue 2
Differences in Eddy‐Correlation and Energy‐Balance Surface Turbulent Heat Flux Measurements and Their Impacts on the Large‐Scale Forcing Fields at the ARM SGP Site
journal, March 2019
- Tang, Shuaiqi; Xie, Shaocheng; Zhang, Minghua
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 124, Issue 6
Evaluation of Shallow‐Cumulus Entrainment Rate Retrievals Using Large‐Eddy Simulation
journal, August 2019
- Drueke, S.; Kirshbaum, D. J.; Kollias, P.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 124, Issue 16
Modifications to WRF's dynamical core to improve the treatment of moisture for large-eddy simulations: WRF DY-CORE MOISTURE TREATMENT
journal, October 2015
- Xiao, Heng; Endo, Satoshi; Wong, May
- Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 7, Issue 4