The role of cloud-top entertainment in coastal stratocumulus topped boundary layers
Several issues associated with vertical grid resolution and the turbulence parameterization in mesoscale models are addressed in this study. Of particular concern is the issue of cloud top entrainment, the entrainment fluxes, and the impact entrainment has on boundary layer development and inversion...
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2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10945/9937 |
| Summary: | Several issues associated with vertical grid resolution and the turbulence parameterization in mesoscale models are addressed in this study. Of particular concern is the issue of cloud top entrainment, the entrainment fluxes, and the impact entrainment has on boundary layer development and inversion strength. These issues are studied through careful analysis of in situ data and mesoscale simulations. In this study, we analyze observations to better understand the evolution of the marine boundary layer in various environmental conditions. We then explore the capability of the U.S. Navy's current Coupled Ocean-atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPSTM) using real case studies of summertime conditions along the California coast. We analyze the model's ability to accurately represent the boundary layer turbulence mixing at vertical resolutions feasible for operational prediction. Based on results from the above analysis, we modify the existing parameterizations towards more realistic representations of the cloud top processes and show these modifications improve COAMPSTM predictions in this regime. |
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