Teo, C., Koh, T., Cheung, K. K. W., Legras, B., Huynh, H., Chew, L., Norford, L. (2021). Scaling characteristics of modelled tropical oceanic rain clusters. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 147(735), 1055–1069. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3959
Abstract:
The scaling exponents of the distributions of cluster rain amount, R, and cluster size, A, for oceanic rain clusters over the Indian and Pacific warm pools, and the intertropical convergence zones over the eastern Pacific and the tropical Atlantic, were obtained from a set of regional climate model downscaling products. The main aim of the investigation is to compare the model cluster's scaling characteristics with those obtained from observations that have been reported previously. The scaling exponents for the model were found to be different across the ocean basins indicating the lack of universality in the modelled rain cluster distributions. The scaling exponent for the conditional mean of R given A = a, E(R|a), was found to be the same across the different ocean basins, and the estimated value of the exponent agrees with that obtained from satellite-observed rain clusters. However, no crossover in the scaling of E(R|a) in the model for cluster size larger than mesoscale was seen, unlike those reported elsewhere based on observations. The implication is that in the model the intensification of rain with cluster size continues up to synoptic scale. Through simple scaling arguments it is believed that before the break in scaling that has been identified from an observational study elsewhere, the model simulates the fundamental mesoscale dynamics well and thus estimated the E(R|a) in agreement with observations. Whether such a difference in transition of scaling between the modelled and observed rain cluster scaling behaviour depends on the model details, for example the convection parametrization, needs further clarification.
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Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore - Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)
Grant Reference no. : N.A
Description:
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Teo, C., Koh, T., Cheung, K. K. W., Legras, B., Huynh, H., Chew, L., & Norford, L. (2021). Scaling characteristics of modelled tropical oceanic rain clusters. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 147(735), 1055–1069. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3959, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3959. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.