Research Summaries

Back Aircraft Observations for Improved Physical Parameterization for Seasonal Prediction

Fiscal Year 2014
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Meteorology
Investigator(s) Wang, Qing
Sponsor Office of Naval Research (Navy)
Summary The objectives of the proposed research are
1. Make extensive measurements specially aimed at quantifying various statistical quantities needed to examine and develop PDF-based cloud and turbulence parameterizations.
2. Understand the characteristics of empirical PDF of various dynamic and thermodynamic variables and their relevant turbulent statistics.
3. Understand the interplay amo11g various physical processes in the cloudy boundary layer including surface forcing, long-wave radiative cooling and shortwave warming, turbulence transport, cloud microphysics, and entrainment and related these processes to the PDF analyses.
4. Evaluate various PDF cloud parameterization schemes proposed or used or proposed to be used in meso- and large- scale forecast models and develop new parameterizations based on the measurements and analyses.
5. Evaluate the fidelity of LES to examine the PDF approach. for cloud parameterization and once validated, use LES as a tool to help understand and develop PDF cloud parameterizations.
To achieve these objectives, we plan to conduct aircraft measurements in the cloudy boundary layer under various cloud fraction conditions, perform detailed analyses on the PDFs and joint PDFs of all turbulence and thermodynamic variables, analyze the connection between the PDF function form and how it is related to the cloudy boundary layer forcing, and make LES simulations and analyze the model results in comparison with the aircraft observations.
Keywords
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal