Precipitation Efficiency in the Tropical Deep Convective Regime: A 2-D Cloud Resolving Modeling Study.

Li, Xiaofan; Sui, Chung‐Hsiung; Lau, K.-M.

doi:10.2151/jmsj.80.205

Cited by 70 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…As defined, α is dependent on the cloud properties and types, entrainment rate, and relative humidity of the environment (Li et al 2002;Sui et al 2007). Differentiating Eq.…”

Section: Changing Rainfall Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing circulation structure and precipitation characteristics in Asian monsoon regions: greenhouse warming vs. aerosol effects

2017

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Using model outputs from CMIP5 historical integrations, we have investigated the relative roles of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and aerosols in changing the characteristics of the large-scale circulation and rainfall in Asian summer monsoon (ASM) regions. Under GHG warming, a strong positive trend in low-level moist static energy (MSE) is found over ASM regions, associated with increasing large-scale land-sea thermal contrast from 1870s to present. During the same period, a mid-tropospheric convective barrier (MCB) due to widespread reduction in relative humidity in the mid-and lower troposphere is strengthening over the ASM regions, in conjunction with expanding areas of anomalous subsidence associated with the Deep Tropical Squeeze (Lau and Kim in Proc Natl Acad Sci 12: [3630][3631][3632][3633][3634][3635] 2015). The opposing effects of MSE and MCB lead to enhanced total ASM rainfall, but only a partial strengthening of the southern portion of the monsoon meridional circulation, coupled to anomalous multi-cellular overturning motions over ASM land. Including anthropogenic aerosol emissions strongly masks MSE but enhances MCB via increased stability in the lower troposphere, resulting in an overall weakened ASM circulation with suppressed rainfall. Analyses of rainfall characteristics indicate that under GHG, overall precipitation efficiency over the ASM region is reduced, manifesting in less moderate but more extreme heavy rain events. Under combined effects of GHG and aerosols, precipitation efficiency is unchanged, with more moderate, but less extreme rainfall.© The Author(s) 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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“…As defined, α is dependent on the cloud properties and types, entrainment rate, and relative humidity of the environment (Li et al 2002;Sui et al 2007). Differentiating Eq.…”

Section: Changing Rainfall Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing circulation structure and precipitation characteristics in Asian monsoon regions: greenhouse warming vs. aerosol effects

2017

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“…The 2D model setup has been used to successfully simulate tropical rainfall (Li et al 1999), severe tropical storm and typhoon (Wang et al 2009;Yue et al 2009), and pre-summer heavy rainfall . Similar experiment data of TOGA COARE have been analyzed to study surface rainfall processes (Gao et al 2005a), precipitation efficiency (Li et al 2002a, Sui et al 2005, cloud merging (Ping et al 2008), diurnal variation of rainfall (Gao and Li 2010a), and effects of ice cloud on rainfall (Gao et al 2006). …”

Section: Model Experiment and Rain Microphysical Budgetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rain Microphysical Budget in the Tropical Deep Convective Regime: A 2-D Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

Shen

2013

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan

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The rain microphysical budget associated with precipitation in the tropical deep convective regime is investigated through the analysis of grid-scale data from a 1.5-km-mesh two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation forced by large-scale forcing from tropical ocean global atmosphere coupled-ocean atmosphere response experiment. The rain grids are partitioned into several types based on the rain microphysical budget, and relationships between rainfall types and vertical profiles of vertical momentum, water vapor, and cloud hydrometeors are examined. Over 67% of the total rainfall is associated with the net rain source, in which the collection of cloud water by rain is greater than the melting of precipitation ice to rain in the presence of upward motions throughout the troposphere. Over 26% of the total rainfall is related to downward motions in the lower troposphere, leading to the melting of precipitation ice as a major term in the production of precipitation. About 15% of the total rainfall corresponds to dynamic hydrometeor advection only.Keywords rain microphysical budget; rainfall source and sink; rain hydrometeor change/convergence; collection of cloud water by rain; melting of precipitation ice

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“…Previous studies have shown that the large scale precipitation efficiency could exceed 100% in midlatitude mesoscale convection complexes, due to vigorous microphysical processes in the ice-phase processes in deep clouds. (Gamache and Houze 1983;Ferrier et al 1996;Li et al 2002).…”

Section: Regional Water Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Large Scale Circulation, Cloud Structure and Regional Water Cycle Associated with the South China Sea Monsoon during May-June, 1998.

Lau

2002

Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan

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This paper studies the evolution of the South China Sea (SCS) monsoon during May-June 1998, to elucidate relationships among the large scale circulation, organization of convection, cloud structures, and fluctuations of the regional water cycle of the SCS. Primary data used include field observations from the South China Sea Monsoon Experiment (SCSMEX), and the satellite rain products from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Prior to the onset of the SCS monsoon, enhanced convective activities associated with the Madden and Julian Oscillation were detected over the equatorial Indian Ocean in early May while the SCS was under the influence of the West Pacific Anticyclone with prevailing low level easterlies and suppressed convection. Subsquently, a bifurcation of the MJO convection near 90 E led to the development of strong convection over the Bay of Bengal, which spawned low-level westerlies across Indo-China and contributed to the initial build-up of moisture and convective available potential energy over the northern SCS. The onset of the SCS monsoon occurred around May 18-20, and appeared to be triggered by the equatorward penetration of extratropical frontal disturbances, originating from the continental regions of East Asia.Analysis of TRMM microwave and precipitation radar data revealed that during the onset phase, convection over the northern SCS consisted of squall-type rain cells embedded in meso-scale complexes similar to extratropical systems. The radar Z-factor intensity indicated that SCS clouds possessed a bimodal distribution, with a pronounced signal (>30 dBz) at a height of 2-3 km, and another one (>25 dBz) at the 8-10 km level, separated by a well-defined melting level signaled by a bright band at around 5-km level. The most convectively active phase of the SCS monsoon, as measured by the abundance of convective and stratiform hydrometeor types, inferred from the radar vertical profile, was found to occur when the large scale vertical wind shear was weakest. The fluctuation of the water cycle over the northern SCS was found to be closely linked to the largescale dynamical and SST forcings. Before onset and during the break, the northern SCS was relatively warm and served as a moisture source (E À P > 0) to the overlying atmosphere. During the active phase, the northern SCS was cooled, providing a strong sink (E À P f 0) for atmospheric moisture, with the primary source of moisture coming from regions further west over Indo-China and the eastern Indian Ocean. Vigorous water recycling by convective systems in the northern SCS occurred during the mature phase of the SCS monsoon, with precipitation efficiency (defined as the ratio of the surface precipitation to the sum of large scale moisture convergence and surface evaporation from the ocean) approaching 96%. Westward transport of moisture from Indo-China into, and northward transport out of, the northern SCS provided the main source of moisture for the torrential rain over the YRV in mid-June 1998. The present results suggest...

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Precipitation Efficiency in the Tropical Deep Convective Regime: A 2-D Cloud Resolving Modeling Study.

Cited by 70 publications

References 27 publications

Changing circulation structure and precipitation characteristics in Asian monsoon regions: greenhouse warming vs. aerosol effects

Changing circulation structure and precipitation characteristics in Asian monsoon regions: greenhouse warming vs. aerosol effects

Rain Microphysical Budget in the Tropical Deep Convective Regime: A 2-D Cloud-Resolving Modeling Study

Evolution of the Large Scale Circulation, Cloud Structure and Regional Water Cycle Associated with the South China Sea Monsoon during May-June, 1998.

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