A Theory for Buoyancy and Velocity Scales in Deep Moist Convection
Name
Parodi-2009-A Theory for Buoyanc.pdf
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1.48 MB
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Adobe PDF
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Author(s)
Parodi, Antonio
Emanuel, Kerry Andrew
Date Issued
May 2009
Journal
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Publisher
American Meteorological Society
Citation
Parodi, Antonio, and Kerry Emanuel. “A Theory for Buoyancy and Velocity Scales in Deep Moist Convection.” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 66.11 (2009): 3449-3463. © 2009 American Meteorological Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Buoyancy and velocity scales for dry convection in statistical equilibrium were derived in the early twentieth century by Prandtl, but the scaling of convective velocity and buoyancy, as well as the fractional area coverage of convective clouds, is still unresolved for moist convection.
In this paper, high-resolution simulations of an atmosphere in radiative–convective equilibrium are performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, a three-dimensional, nonhydrostatic, convection-resolving, limited-area model. The velocity and buoyancy scales for moist convection in statistical equilibrium are characterized by prescribing different constant cooling rates to the system.
It is shown that the spatiotemporal properties of deep moist convection and buoyancy and velocity scales at equilibrium depend on the terminal velocity of raindrops and a hypothesis is developed to explain this behavior. This hypothesis is evaluated and discussed in the context of the numerical results provided by the WRF model. The influence of domain size on radiative–convective equilibrium statistics is also assessed. The dependence of finescale spatiotemporal properties of convective structures on numerical and physical details is investigated.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2009jas3103.1
