The macroscopic entrainment processes of simulated cumulus ensemble. Part II: Testing the entraining-plume model

• Published in: Journal of the atmospheric sciences 1997-04, Vol.54 (8), p.1044-1053
• Main Authors: LIN, C, ARAKAWA, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Clouds; Earth, ocean, space; Entrainment; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Meteorology; Water in the atmosphere (humidity, clouds, evaporation, precipitation)
• ISSN: 0022-4928; 1520-0469
• DOI: 10.1175/1520-0469(1997)054<1044:tmepos>2.0.co;2

According to Part I of this paper, it seems that ignoring the contribution from descendent cloud air in a cloud model for cumulus parameterization (CMCP), such as the spectral cumulus ensemble model in the Arakawa-Schubert parameterization, is an acceptable simplification for tropical deep convection. Since each subensemble in the spectral cumulus ensemble model is formally analogous to an entraining plume, the latter is examined using the simulated data from a cloud-resolving model (CRM). The authors first follow the analysis procedure of Warner. With the data from a nonprecipitating experiment, the authors show that the entraining-plume model cannot simultaneously predict the mean liquid water profile and cloud top height of the clouds simulated by the CRM. However, the mean properties of active elements of clouds, which are characterized by strong updrafts, can be described by an entraining plume of similar top height. With the data from a precipitating experiment, the authors examine the spectral cumulus ensemble model using the Paluch diagram. It is found that the spectral cumulus ensemble model appears adequate if different types of clouds in the spectrum are interpreted as subcloud elements with different entrainment characteristics. The resolved internal structure of clouds can thus be viewed as a manifestation of a cloud spectrum. To further investigate whether the fractional rate of entrainment is an appropriate parameter for characterizing cloud types in the spectral cumulus ensemble model, the authors stratify the simulated saturated updrafts (subcloud elements) into different types according to their eventual heights and calculate the cloud mass flux and mean moist static energy for each type. Entrainment characteristics are then inferred through the cloud mass flux and in-cloud moist static energy. It is found that different types of subcloud elements have distinguishable thermodynamic properties and entrainment characteristics. However, for each cloud type, the fractional rate of entrainment is not a constant in height but tends to be larger at lower levels and near cloud top. In addition, the in-cloud moist static energy at cloud base considerably deviates from the mean in the subcloud layer, indicating that the effects due to inhomogeneity of the planetary boundary layer should be taken into account in a CMCP as well.