Zhou Yushu

Contribution of cloud condensate to surface rainfall process

Contribution of cloud condensate to surface rainfall processes is investigated in a life span of tropical convection based on hourly data from a two-dimensional cloud resolving simulation. The model is forced by the large-scale vertical velocity, zonal wind and horizontal advections obtained from tropical ocean global atmosphere coupled ocean-atmosphere response experiment (TOGA COARE). The results show that during the genesis, development, and decay of tropical convection, calculations with water vapor overestimate surface rain rate, and cloud condensate plays an important role in correcting overestimation in surface rain rates. The analysis is carried out in deep convective clouds and anvil clouds during the development of tropical convection. The surface rain rates calculated with water vapor in deep convective clouds and anvil clouds have similar magnitudes, the large surface rain rate appears in deep convective clouds due to the consumption of water hydrometeors whereas the small surface rain rate occurs in anvil clouds because of the gain of ice hydrometeors. Further analysis of the grid data shows that the surface rain rates calculated with water vapor and with cloud condensate are negatively correlated with the correlation coefficient of - 0.85, and the surface rain rate calculated with cloud condensate is mainly contributed to the water hydrometeors in the tropical deep convective regime.

Impacts of Cloud-Induced Mass Forcing on the Development of Moist Potential Vorticity Anomaly During Torrential Rains

The impacts of cloud-induced mass forcing on the development of the moist potential vorticity (MPV) anomaly associated with torrential rains are investigated by using NCEP/NCAR 1° × 1° data. The MPV tendency equation with the cloud-induced mass forcing is derived, and applied to the torrential rain event over the Changjiang River-Huaihe River Valleys during 26–30 June 1999. The result shows that positive anomalies are located mainly between 850 hPa and 500 hPa, while the maximum MPV, maximum positive tendency of the MPV, and maximum surface rainfall are nearly collocated. The cloud-induced mass forcing contributes to the positive tendency of the moist potential vorticity anomaly. The results indicate that the MPV may be used to track the propagation of rain systems for operational applications.

Effects of water and ice clouds on cloud microphysical budget: An equilibrium modeling study

The effects of water and ice clouds on the cloud microphysical budget associated with rainfall are investigated through the analysis of grid-scale data from a series of two-dimensional cloud-resolving model equilibrium sensitivity simulations. The model is imposed without large-scale vertical velocity. In the control experiment, the contribution from rainfall (cM) associated with net evaporation and hydrometeor loss/convergence is about 29% of that from the rainfall (Cm) associated with net condensation and hydrometeor gain/divergence and about 39% of that from the rainfall (CM) associated with net condensation and hydrometeor loss/convergence. The exclusion of ice clouds enhances rainfall contribution of CM, whereas it reduces rainfall contributions of Cm and cM. The removal of radiative effects of water clouds increases rainfall contribution of CM, barely changes rainfall contribution of Cm and reduces the rainfall contribution of cM in the presence of the radiative effects of ice clouds. Elimination of the radiative effects of water clouds reduces the rainfall contributions of CM and Cm, whereas it increases the rainfall contribution of cM in the absence of the radiative effects of ice clouds.

The Thermodynamic and Dynamical Features of Double Front Structures During 21-31 July 1998 in China

The daily 1° × 1° data of the Aviation (AVN) model, the black body temperature (TBB) data of cloud top, and cloud images by geostationary meteorological satellite (GMS) are used to identify a dew-point front near the periphery of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). The results clearly demonstrate the existence of the dew-point front, and its thermodynamic and dynamic structural characteristics are analyzed in detail. The dew-point front is a transitional belt between the moist southwest monsoon flow and the dry adiabatic sinking flow near the WPSH, manifested by a large horizontal moisture gradient in the mid-lower troposphere and conjugated with the mei-yu front to form a predominant double-front structure associated with intense rainfall in the mei-yu period. The mei-yu front is located between 30° and 35°N, vertically extends from the ground level to the upper level and shifts northward. The dew-point front is to the south of the mei-yu front and lies up against the periphery of the WPSH. Generally, it is located between 850 hPa and 500 hPa. On the dew-point front side, the southwesterly prevails at the lower level and the northeasterly at the upper level; this wind distribution is different from that on the mei-yu front side. Vertical ascending motion exists between the two fronts, and there are descending motions on the north side of the mei-yu front and on the south side of the dew-point front, which form a secondary circulation. The dynamics of the double fronts also have some interesting features. At the lower level, positive vertical vorticity and obvious convergence between the two fronts are clearly identified. At the mid-lower level, negative local change of the divergence (corresponding to increasing convergence) is often embedded in the two fronts or against the mei-yu front. Most cloud clusters occur between the two fronts and propagate down stream in a wave-like manner.

Effects of sea surface temperature, cloud radiative and microphysical processes, and diurnal variations on rainfall in equilibrium cloud-resolving model simulations

The effects of sea surface temperature (SST), cloud radiative and microphysical processes, and diurnal variations on rainfall statistics are documented with grid data from the two-dimensional equilibrium cloud-resolving model simulations. For a rain rate of higher than 3 mmh−1, water vapor convergence prevails. The rainfall amount decreases with the decrease of SST from 29 °C to 27 °C, the inclusion of diurnal variation of SST, or the exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds and radiative effects of water clouds, which are primarily associated with the decreases in water vapor convergence. However, the amount of rainfall increases with the increase of SST from 29 °C to 31 °C, the exclusion of diurnal variation of solar zenith angle, and the exclusion of the radiative effects of ice clouds, which are primarily related to increases in water vapor convergence. For a rain rate of less than 3 mmh−1, water vapor divergence prevails. Unlike rainfall statistics for rain rates of higher than 3 mmh−1, the decrease of SST from 29 °C to 27 °C and the exclusion of radiative effects of water clouds in the presence of radiative effects of ice clouds increase the rainfall amount, which corresponds to the suppression in water vapor divergence. The exclusion of microphysical effects of ice clouds decreases the amount of rainfall, which corresponds to the enhancement in water vapor divergence. The amount of rainfall is less sensitive to the increase of SST from 29 °C to 31 °C and to the radiative effects of water clouds in the absence of the radiative effects of ice clouds.

A Brief Report of Graphic Explanations for Generalized Potential Temperature in the Non-Uniformly Saturated Atmosphere

Abstract Compared to potential temperature (θ) in the dry atmosphere and equivalent potential temperature (θe) in the saturated atmosphere, generalized potential temperature (θ*) has already proven a better thermodynamic parameter in describing the non-uniformly saturated real atmosphere. To add otherwise absent graphic explanations, this paper first presents the physical definition of θ* through a tephigram. Then, the utility of the measurement in identifying and forecasting the locations of precipitation maxima and heat wave areas with diagnostic comparison studies and traditionally used thermodynamic parameters is shown.

Precipitation efficiency and its relationship to physical factors

The precipitation efficiency and its relationship to physical factors are examined by analyzing a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation during TOGA COARE in this study. The basic physical factors include convective available potential energy, water—vapor convergence, vertical wind shear, cloud ratio, sea surface temperature, air temperature, and precipitable water. Precipitation efficiencies do not show a close relationship to air temperature nor to sea surface temperature nor to precipitable water. The precipitation efficiency increases as the water—vapor convergence rate increases and vertical wind shear weakens, whereas it decreases as the convective available potential energy dissipates and anvil clouds develop.

Anomaly of the Moist Potential Vorticity Substance with Mass Forcing and Its Application in Diagnosing Mei-Yu Front Rainfall

Abstract The effects of precipitation on the moist potential vorticity substance (MPVS) are investigated by analyzing the MPVS with precipitation mass forcing and its impermeability in daily 1° × 1° data of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) over the Yangtze River Basin from 21 June to 2 July 1999. The results show that the positive MPVS anomalies appear mainly along the Meiyu front, where the maximum MPVS collocates with the maximum surface rainfall. Rain case diagnoses indicate that the MPVS anomaly may be used as a dynamical signal to detect the location and shift of the rain band when its impermeability is considered.