Off-line algorithm for calculation of vertical tracer transport in the troposphere due to deep convection

• Published in: Atmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 1093 - 1114
• Main Authors: Belikov, D. A, Maksyutov, S, Krol, M, Fraser, A, Rigby, M, Bian, H, Agusti-Panareda, A, Bergmann, D, Bousquet, P, Cameron-Smith, P, Chipperfield, M. P, Fortems-Cheiney, A, Gloor, E, Haynes, K, Hess, P, Houweling, S, Kawa, S. R, Law, R. M, Loh, Z, Meng, L, Palmer, P. I, Patra, P. K, Prinn, R. G, Saito, R, Wilson, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 01.02.2013; European Geosciences Union; Copernicus Publications
• Subjects: Algorithms; atmospheric transport; climate simulations; cloud ensemble; Comparative analysis; Computer simulation; Continental interfaces, environment; Convection; Cumulus convection; Entrainment; Fluxes; general-circulation model; meteorological data; observed radon profiles; Ocean, Atmosphere; parameterization; Precipitation; Precipitation (Meteorology); rn-222; Sciences of the Universe; Tracers; Tracers (Biology); Transport; Troposphere
• ISSN: 1680-7324; 1680-7316; 1680-7324
• DOI: 10.5194/acp-13-1093-2013

A modified cumulus convection parametrisation scheme is presented. This scheme computes the mass of air transported upward in a cumulus cell using conservation of moisture and a detailed distribution of convective precipitation provided by a reanalysis dataset. The representation of vertical transport within the scheme includes entrainment and detrainment processes in convective updrafts and downdrafts. Output from the proposed parametrisation scheme is employed in the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) global chemical transport model driven by JRA-25/JCDAS reanalysis. The simulated convective precipitation rate and mass fluxes are compared with observations and reanalysis data. A simulation of the short-lived tracer 222Rn is used to further evaluate the performance of the cumulus convection scheme. Simulated distributions of 222Rn are evaluated against observations at the surface and in the free troposphere, and compared with output from models that participated in the TransCom-CH4 Transport Model Intercomparison. From this comparison, we demonstrate that the proposed convective scheme in general is consistent with observed and modeled results.