Tropical variability simulated in ICON-A with a spectral cumulus parameterization

We implemented a spectral cumulus parameterization based on a cloud-resolving model (SC scheme) in the icosahedral nonhydrostatic atmospheric model (ICON-A). We compared the resulting simulated climatology and tropical variability with results from the standard version of ICON-A using a variant of the Tiedtke-Nordeng scheme (TK scheme) using observational and reanalysis data. The climatological errors of the SC scheme were similar to those of the TK scheme, but several biases, such as properties of meridional winds and precipitation pattern in the western Pacific, were much improved. For tropical variability, we found that the SC scheme improved the interannual response of the precipitation in the western Pacific and was able to simulate Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) features much better than the TK scheme. We investigated the reason for the better simulation of the MJO using composite analysis and column process analysis for moisture. Our results suggest that the entrainment parameterization of the SC scheme is necessary to reproduce the MJO; however, spectral representation and improved convective closure are also found to contribute for better MJO simulation. These parameterizations improved moisture supply from low-level clouds and cloud mass flux which were needed to sustain the MJO. © 2019. The Authors

Net effect of the QBO in a Chemistry Climate Model

The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of zonal wind is a prominent mode of variability in the tropical stratosphere. It affects not only the meridional circulation and temperature over a wide latitude range but also the transport and chemistry of trace gases such as ozone. Compared to a QBO less circulation, the long-term climatological means of these quantities are also different. These climatological net effects of the QBO can be studied in general circulation models that extend into the middle atmosphere and have a chemistry and transport component, so-called Chemistry Climate Models (CCMs). In this work we show that the CCM MAECHAM4-CHEM can reproduce the observed QBO variations in temperature and ozone mole fractions when nudged towards observed winds. In particular, it is shown that the QBO signal in transport of nitrogen oxides NOx plays an important role in reproducing the observed ozone QBO, which features a phase reversal slightly below the level of maximum of the ozone mole fraction in the tropics. We then compare two 20-year experiments with the MAECHAM4-CHEM model that differ by including or not including the QBO. The mean wind fields differ between the two model runs, especially during summer and fall seasons in both hemispheres. The differences in the wind field lead to differences in the meridional circulation, by the same mechanism that causes the QBO's secondary meridional circulation, and thereby affect mean temperatures and the mean transport of tracers. In the tropics, the net effect on ozone is mostly due to net differences in upwelling and, higher up, the associated temperature change. We show that a net surplus of up to 15% in NOx in the tropics above 10 hPa in the experiment that includes the QBO does not lead to significantly different volume mixing ratios of ozone. We also note a slight increase in the southern vortex strength as well as earlier vortex formation in northern winter. Polar temperatures differ accordingly. Differences in the strength of the Brewer-Dobson circulation and in further trace gas concentrations are analysed. Our findings underline the importance of a representation of the QBO in CCMs

A large-eddy simulation study on the diurnally evolving nonlinear trapped lee waves over a two-dimensional steep mountain

The diurnally evolving trapped lee wave over a small-scale two-dimensional steep mountain is investigated in large eddy simulations based on a fully compressible and non-hydrostatic model (ICON) with triangular grids of 50-m-edge length. An idealized atmospheric profile derived from a realistic case is designed to account for influences from the stagnant layer near the surface, the stability of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and the upper-level jet. Firstly, simulations were done to bridge from the linear regime to the nonlinear regime by increasing the mountain height, which showed that larger amplitude lee waves with longer wavelength can be produced in the nonlinear regime than in the linear regime. Secondly, the effects of the stagnant layer near the surface and the ABL stability were explored, which showed that the stagnant layer or the stable ABL can play a similar wave-absorbing role in the nonlinear regime as in linear theories or simulations. Thirdly, the role of the upper-level jet was explored, indicating that a stronger (weaker) upper-level jet can help to produce longer (shorter) lee waves. The stable ABL with a stagnant layer can more (less) efficiently absorb the longer (shorter) lee waves due to the stronger (weaker) jet, so that the wave response is more sensitive to the wave-absorption layer when an upper-level jet is present. Finally, the momentum budget was analyzed to explore the interaction between the upper and lower levels of the troposphere, which showed that the momentum flux due to the upward-propagating waves and trapped waves varies with the upper-level jet strength and low-level stagnancy and ABL stability

Wave forcing of the quasi-biennial oscillation in the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model

This study investigates the resolved wave forcing of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model truncated at T63 with 95 vertical levels. The model, which parameterizes unresolved gravity waves, internally generates a QBO. The resolved waves contribute up to 50% and 30% to the total wave forcing (resolved plus parameterized) of the QBO westerly and easterly jet, respectively, mostly owing to waves with zonal wavenumbers lower than 20 and frequencies lower than 0.5 cpd. At higher frequencies and wavenumbers, the model underestimates the strength of the tropospheric wave sources when compared to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations and applies strong horizontal diffusion, which explains the shortage of wave momentum at these scales (relative to recent studies based on high-resolution models). The study further relates the vertical structure of equatorial Kelvin waves, which contribute most to the transport and deposition of westerly wave momentum, to their radiative dissipation and compares the role of longwave radiation and horizontal diffusion in the dissipation of the resolved waves in general. The Kelvin waves adjust their vertical wavelength according to their intrinsic phase speed and are efficiently damped by longwave radiation within westerly flow, where the vertical wavelength strongly decreases. Waves with zonal wavenumbers larger than 10, however, are mostly damped by horizontal diffusion. The latitudinal distribution of the resolved wave forcing reflects the latitudinal structure of the waves and is asymmetric with respect to the equator. © 2014 American Meteorological Society

Seasonal aspects of the quasi-biennial oscillation in the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model and ERA-40

This study investigates seasonal modulations of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the tropical stratosphere. For this purpose, the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM), which internally generates a realistic QBO compared to the ERA-40 data set, is employed. The modeled QBO is forced with resolved and parametrized waves. At 5 hPa, the seasonal distribution of the onset of QBO westerly jets clusters in spring and fall due to the coupling of the QBO and the semiannual oscillation. This seasonal clustering of the westerly jets extends throughout the stratosphere, shifting to later months with increasing pressure. QBO westerly jets starting in the upper stratosphere in fall propagate to the middle stratosphere more slowly than westerly jets starting in spring. This is attributed to seasonal modulations of the QBO forcing and enhanced wave filtering by the QBO westerly jet in the lower stratosphere in fall and winter compared to spring and summer. The observed stalling of the QBO easterly jet in the lower stratosphere and the accompanied prolonged persistence of the QBO westerly jet in the vicinity of the tropopause are attributed equally to seasonal variations of the resolved and parameterized wave forcing and the advective forcing

Differences between the QBO in the first and in the second half of the ERA-40 reanalysis

International audienceThe representation of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is investigated in the ERA-40 reanalysis. In the lower stratosphere, where there is a good number of observations, the representation of the QBO is equally well throughout the record. However, strong differences between the first and the second half of the zonal wind data set are found in the upper stratosphere, with a typical offset of ?10 m/s in the equatorial zonal wind in the earlier part versus the later part of the ERA-40 data set. The strength of the QBO is also affected. Possible explanations are discussed. The identified change of the assimilated wind profiles over time in ERA-40 requires a careful use of equatorial upper stratospheric winds from the reanalysis for validation purposes

Forcing of the quasi-biennial oscillation from a broad spectrum of atmospheric waves

[1] The circulation of the stratosphere, and its influence on the trace constituent distribution, is an important component of the climate system, which must be included in simulations of global climate change. However, the ability to simulate a dominant stratospheric phenomenon, the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in equatorial zonal wind, is an outstanding challenge in climate modeling. Although confined to the tropics, the QBO affects the circulation and the interannual variability of the entire stratosphere, parts of the mesosphere and possibly also of the troposphere. Here we show that the QBO is successfully simulated in a general circulation model (GCM) of the newest generation. Key factors are a sufficient spatial resolution, a realistic simulation of tropical convection, and the consideration of the effects of gravity waves. From this simulation it is inferred that a broad spectrum of atmospheric waves is necessary to generate the QBO in the model

The daytime trapped lee wave pattern and evolution induced by two small-scale mountains of different heights

Two large-eddy simulations are carried out to investigate the vertical structure and daytime evolution of trapped lee waves (TLWs) triggered by mountains of two heights (500 and 1500 m, denoted as HM500 and HM1500, respectively) based on a typical subtropical winter troposphere, in which a steady upper-level jet and a clear diurnal evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are present. Multimode TLWs co-exist at three altitudes with dominant wavelengths increasing with altitude in HM500, while a single-mode TLW dominates throughout most of the troposphere in HM1500. The wave amplitudes for both experiments increase from midday, reaching peaks in the afternoon, likely related to the reduction of the wave absorption by the ABL. Whereas the growth of the dominant wavelength of TLWs with time is mainly limited to layers near the ABL top for HM500; the dominant wavelength in HM1500 stays steady with time. The TLW pattern and evolution can be largely explained by linear theory. In HM500, the multimode pattern is due to the perturbation source at a low altitude where high wavenumbers are supported, and the wavelength lengthening near the ABL top can be explained by the decreasing Scorer parameter in the afternoon. In HM1500, the large-amplitude single-mode TLW is due to the enhanced and elevated perturbation source of the higher mountain where the Scorer parameter is smaller and affected less by the ABL. The continual amplification of the dominant TLW in HM1500 may be caused by the instability from the wave-induced momentum deficit at the upper ABL, which further facilitates the wave propagation. Our findings are beneficial for improving our process-scale understanding of the vertical structure and diurnal evolution of TLWs constrained by the upper-level jet and ABL evolution, and have implications for improving orographic gravity-wave parameterization especially when the model resolution approaches around 10 km. © 2022 The Author

How accurate did GCMs compute the insolation at TOA for AMIP-2?

Monthly averages of solar radiation reaching the Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) as simulated by 20 General Circulation Models (GCMs) during the period 1985–1988 are compared. They were part of submissions to AMIP-2 (Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project). Monthly averages of ISCCP-FD (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project – Flux Data) are considered as reference. Considerable discrepancies are found: Most models reproduce the prescribed Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) value within ±0.7 Wm−2. Monthly zonal averages disagree between ±2 to ±7 Wm−2, depending on latitude and season. The largest model diversity occurs near polar regions. Some models display a zonally symmetric insolation, while others and ISCCP show longitudinal deviations of the order of ±1 Wm−2. With such differences in meridional gradients impacts in multi-annual simulations cannot be excluded. Sensitivity studies are recommended