A New Boundary Layer Cloud Scheme in NOGAPS

Abstract

Sub-tropical boundary layer clouds have a fundamental role on the radiative budget of the atmosphere and on the modulation of the tropical circulations. The development of realistic parameterization of these clouds in global atmospheric models is a major challenge. Unfortunately this has been a difficult problem to solve in an acceptable way. In this paper, new and simple parameterization schemes for sub-tropical clouds are implemented in the Navy's Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System's (NOGAPS) forecast model. The parameterizations are partially based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES) results and provide a substantial improvement in the representation of clouds, when compared with observations and with the previous scheme. In the context of data assimilation and medium range forecasts, the new scheme. In the context of data assimilation and medium range forecasts, the new scheme produces a significant improvement in the North Pole boundary layer temperature and reduces the surface wind speed mean error in the tropics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2001
Accession Number
AD1111137

Entities

People

  • J. Teixeira
  • T. F. Hogan

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assimilation
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • California
  • Climate
  • Cloud Cover
  • Clouds
  • Continents
  • Control
  • Diffusion Coefficient
  • Equations
  • Humidity
  • Meteorology
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Steady State
  • Stratus Clouds
  • Surface Temperature
  • Transitions
  • Turbulent Diffusion
  • United States
  • Weather Forecasting

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers