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Vaughan Phillips

Research in the Area of Clouds, Aerosols and Climate

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Modelling tracer transport by a cumulus ensemble: lateral boundary conditions and large-scale ascent

Author

  • M Salzmann
  • MG Lawrence
  • Vaughan Phillips
  • LJ Donner

Summary, in English

The vertical transport of tracers by a cumulus ensemble at the TOGA-COARE site is modelled during a 7 day episode using 2-D and 3-D cloud-resolving setups of the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. Lateral boundary conditions (LBC) for tracers, water vapour, and wind are specified and the horizontal advection of trace gases across the lateral domain boundaries is considered. Furthermore, the vertical advection of trace gases by the large-scale motion (short: vertical large-scale advection of tracers, VLSAT) is considered. It is shown that including VLSAT partially compensates the calculated net downward transport from the middle and upper troposphere (UT) due to the mass balancing mesoscale subsidence induced by deep convection. Depending on whether the VLSAT term is added or not, modelled domain averaged vertical tracer profiles can differ significantly. Differences between a 2-D and a 3-D model run were mainly attributed to an increase in horizontal advection across the lateral domain boundaries due to the meridional wind component not considered in the 2-D setup.

Publishing year

2004

Language

English

Pages

1797-1811

Publication/Series

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Volume

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Topic

  • Physical Geography

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1680-7324