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Phenomenology, Simulation and Parameterization of Atmospheric Convection. Pier Siebesma. Today: “ Dry” Atmospheric Convection Tomorrow: “Moist” Convection and Clouds. 1. Phenomenology. The Place of the Convective Boundary Layer. Evolution of the Convective Boundary Layer. Cabauw
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Phenomenology, Simulation and Parameterization of Atmospheric Convection Pier Siebesma Today: “Dry” Atmospheric Convection Tomorrow: “Moist” Convection and Clouds
Evolution of the Convective Boundary Layer Cabauw Atmospheric Profiling Station (KNMI)
A View of the Convective Boundary Layer Courtesy: Adriaan Schuitemaker
Large Eddy Simulation (LES) Model (Dx<100m) • High Resolution non-hydrostatic Model (Boussinesq or Anelastic) 10~50m • Large eddies explicitly resolved by NS-equations • inertial range partially resolved • Therefore: subgrid eddies can be realistically parametrised by using Kolmogorov theory • Used for parameterization development of turbulence, convection, clouds Inertial Range Resolution LES 5 3 ln(Energy) DissipationRange ln(wave number)
:average over the horizontal domain Remark: Richardson law!!
LES example: Classic Dry Convection PBL Case • Nx=Ny=128, Nz=150 • Lx=Ly=6.4km, Lz=3km • Dx=Dy=50m, Dz=20m • Lapse Rate: G= 2 10-3 K m-1 • Prescribed Surface Heat Flux :Qs = 6 10-2 K ms-1 Siebesma et al JAS 2007
Potential Temperature:q Vertical velocity: w Courtesy: Chiel van Heerwaarden
Quasi-Stationarity <-> Linear Fluxes Non-dimensionalise:
Internal Structure of PBL Rescale profiles
Growth of the PBL PBL height : Height where potential temperature has the largest gradient
Mixed Layer Model of PBL growth Assume well-mixed profiles of q. Use simple top-entrainment assumption. q Boundary layer height grows as: Encroachment:
Energy Spectra in the atmosphere (1) Classic Picture (Frisch 86) Horizontal Kinetic Energy 1km 2d-turbulence 3d-turbulence E E Notation: 10000 km 10km 1 mm
k-3 Spectral Gap? 5000 km cyclones 500 km k-5/3 2 km GASP aircraft data near tropopause Nastrom and Gage (1985)
Large scale advection Large scale subsidence turbulent transport Net Condensation Rate Grid Averaged Equations of thermodynamic variables DX=DY~100km , DZ~100m
Mixed Layer Models? • Mixed Layer models useful for understanding, but….. • Not easily implementable in large scale models • No information on the internal structure • Only applicable under convective conditions • No transition possibe to other regimes (neutral, sheardriven, stable)
Classic Parameterization of Turbulent Transport in de CBL Eddy-diffusivity models, i.e. • Natural Extension of Surface Layer Similarity theory • Diffusion tends to make profiles well mixed • Extension of mixing-length theory for shear-driven turbulence (Prandtl 1932)
1 z/zinv 0 0.1 K w* /zinv K-profile: The simplest Practical Eddy Diffusivity Approach (1) The eddy diffusivity K should forfill three constraints: • K-profile should match surface layer similarity near zero • K-profile should go to zero near the inversion • Maximum value of K should be around: Optional: Prescribe K at the top of the boundary layer as to get the right entrainment rate. (Operational in ECMWF model)
A critique on the K-profile method (or an any eddy diffusivity method) (1) Diagnose the K that we would need from LES: K>0 Forbidden area “flux against the gradient” K<0 K>0 Down-gradient diffusion cannot account for upward transport in the upper part of the PBL
Physical Reason! • In the convective BL undiluted parcels can rise from the surface layer all the way to the inversion. • Convection is an inherent non-local process. • The local gradientof the profile in the upper half of the convective BL is irrelevant to this process. • Theories based on the local gradient (K-diffusion) fail for the Convective BL.
zinv “Standard “ remedy Add the socalled countergradient term: Long History: Ertel 1942 Priestley 1959 Deardorff 1966,1972 Holtslag and Moeng 1991 Holtslag and Boville 1993 B. Stevens 2003 And many more…………….
Single Column Model tests for convective BL Only Diffusion: ED Diffusion + Counter-Gradient: ED-CG and solve (Analytical quasi-stationary solutions: B. Stevens MWR 2003) • Lapse Rate: G= 2 10-3 K m-1 • Prescribed Surface Heat Flux :Qs = 6 10-2 K ms-1 • Dz =20m Siebesma et al JAS 2007
ED-CG ED LES ED Mean profile after 10 hrs
Breakdown of the flux into an eddy diffusivity and a countergradient contribution No entrainment flux since the countergradient (CG) term is balancing the ED-term. LES ED-CG CG ED • Countergradient approach • Correct internal structure but….. • Underestimation of ventilation to free atmosphere • Cannot be extended to cloudy boundary layer total