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Observations of the Diurnal Cycle of Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Precipitation

Observations of the Diurnal Cycle of Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Precipitation. Casey Burleyson 1 , Sandra Yuter 1 , a nd Simon de Szoeke 2 1 North Carolina State University 2 Oregon State University. Goals.

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Observations of the Diurnal Cycle of Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Precipitation

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  1. Observations of the Diurnal Cycle of Marine Stratocumulus Clouds and Precipitation Casey Burleyson1, Sandra Yuter1, and Simon de Szoeke2 1 North Carolina State University 2 Oregon State University

  2. Goals • Document the diurnal variation of important features of the cloud deck to aid in validation of model output. • Examine to what degree drizzle varies in time and space. • Begin to understand the controlling factors that cause drizzle to start and stop. Slide 2/16

  3. Data from the R.H. Brown EAST WEST Data were divided into two regions, east and west of 80°W, to account for longitudinal changes to boundary layer characteristics. Slide 3/16

  4. C-Band Radar Sampling Slide 4/16

  5. Surface Observations Slide 5/16

  6. Cloud Observations Slide 6/16

  7. Boundary Layer Coupling Slide 7/16

  8. Boundary Layer Mixing Slide 8/16

  9. C-Band Radar Observed Drizzle Slide 9/16

  10. Slide 10/16

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  15. Slide 15/16

  16. Conclusions • The diurnal cycle is clearly evident in every variable examined. Diurnal fluctuations in cloud depth, precipitation, and boundary layer mixing should be key features in simulations of STBLs. • Overnight the cloud depth is similar over all longitudes. The cloud deck thins rapidly after sunrise. • Heavy drizzle that occurs in the west is self-limiting, maximizing near 3 am. Lighter drizzle in the east only diminishes after the sun comes up.

  17. Drizzle Intensity Distributions R=aZb Slide 11/18

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