Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics
Abstract In the atmosphere, microphysics refers to the microscale processes that affect cloud and precipitation particles and is a key linkage among the various components of Earth's atmospheric water and energy cycles. The representation of microphysical processes in models continues to pose a...
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2020
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oai:doaj.org-article:f58e7df4bf594fe9a7b3592090e1c3322021-11-15T14:20:26ZConfronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics1942-246610.1029/2019MS001689https://doaj.org/article/f58e7df4bf594fe9a7b3592090e1c3322020-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001689https://doaj.org/toc/1942-2466Abstract In the atmosphere, microphysics refers to the microscale processes that affect cloud and precipitation particles and is a key linkage among the various components of Earth's atmospheric water and energy cycles. The representation of microphysical processes in models continues to pose a major challenge leading to uncertainty in numerical weather forecasts and climate simulations. In this paper, the problem of treating microphysics in models is divided into two parts: (i) how to represent the population of cloud and precipitation particles, given the impossibility of simulating all particles individually within a cloud, and (ii) uncertainties in the microphysical process rates owing to fundamental gaps in knowledge of cloud physics. The recently developed Lagrangian particle‐based method is advocated as a way to address several conceptual and practical challenges of representing particle populations using traditional bulk and bin microphysics parameterization schemes. For addressing critical gaps in cloud physics knowledge, sustained investment for observational advances from laboratory experiments, new probe development, and next‐generation instruments in space is needed. Greater emphasis on laboratory work, which has apparently declined over the past several decades relative to other areas of cloud physics research, is argued to be an essential ingredient for improving process‐level understanding. More systematic use of natural cloud and precipitation observations to constrain microphysics schemes is also advocated. Because it is generally difficult to quantify individual microphysical process rates from these observations directly, this presents an inverse problem that can be viewed from the standpoint of Bayesian statistics. Following this idea, a probabilistic framework is proposed that combines elements from statistical and physical modeling. Besides providing rigorous constraint of schemes, there is an added benefit of quantifying uncertainty systematically. Finally, a broader hierarchical approach is proposed to accelerate improvements in microphysics schemes, leveraging the advances described in this paper related to process modeling (using Lagrangian particle‐based schemes), laboratory experimentation, cloud and precipitation observations, and statistical methods.Hugh MorrisonMarcus vanLier‐WalquiAnn M. FridlindWojciech W. GrabowskiJerry Y. HarringtonCorinna HooseAlexei KorolevMatthew R. KumjianJason A. MilbrandtHanna PawlowskaDerek J. PosseltOlivier P. PratKarly J. ReimelShin‐Ichiro ShimaBastiaan vanDiedenhovenLulin XueAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)articlemicrophysicscloudsmodelingPhysical geographyGB3-5030OceanographyGC1-1581ENJournal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol 12, Iss 8, Pp n/a-n/a (2020) |
| institution |
DOAJ |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
EN |
| topic |
microphysics clouds modeling Physical geography GB3-5030 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
| spellingShingle |
microphysics clouds modeling Physical geography GB3-5030 Oceanography GC1-1581 Hugh Morrison Marcus vanLier‐Walqui Ann M. Fridlind Wojciech W. Grabowski Jerry Y. Harrington Corinna Hoose Alexei Korolev Matthew R. Kumjian Jason A. Milbrandt Hanna Pawlowska Derek J. Posselt Olivier P. Prat Karly J. Reimel Shin‐Ichiro Shima Bastiaan vanDiedenhoven Lulin Xue Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| description |
Abstract In the atmosphere, microphysics refers to the microscale processes that affect cloud and precipitation particles and is a key linkage among the various components of Earth's atmospheric water and energy cycles. The representation of microphysical processes in models continues to pose a major challenge leading to uncertainty in numerical weather forecasts and climate simulations. In this paper, the problem of treating microphysics in models is divided into two parts: (i) how to represent the population of cloud and precipitation particles, given the impossibility of simulating all particles individually within a cloud, and (ii) uncertainties in the microphysical process rates owing to fundamental gaps in knowledge of cloud physics. The recently developed Lagrangian particle‐based method is advocated as a way to address several conceptual and practical challenges of representing particle populations using traditional bulk and bin microphysics parameterization schemes. For addressing critical gaps in cloud physics knowledge, sustained investment for observational advances from laboratory experiments, new probe development, and next‐generation instruments in space is needed. Greater emphasis on laboratory work, which has apparently declined over the past several decades relative to other areas of cloud physics research, is argued to be an essential ingredient for improving process‐level understanding. More systematic use of natural cloud and precipitation observations to constrain microphysics schemes is also advocated. Because it is generally difficult to quantify individual microphysical process rates from these observations directly, this presents an inverse problem that can be viewed from the standpoint of Bayesian statistics. Following this idea, a probabilistic framework is proposed that combines elements from statistical and physical modeling. Besides providing rigorous constraint of schemes, there is an added benefit of quantifying uncertainty systematically. Finally, a broader hierarchical approach is proposed to accelerate improvements in microphysics schemes, leveraging the advances described in this paper related to process modeling (using Lagrangian particle‐based schemes), laboratory experimentation, cloud and precipitation observations, and statistical methods. |
| format |
article |
| author |
Hugh Morrison Marcus vanLier‐Walqui Ann M. Fridlind Wojciech W. Grabowski Jerry Y. Harrington Corinna Hoose Alexei Korolev Matthew R. Kumjian Jason A. Milbrandt Hanna Pawlowska Derek J. Posselt Olivier P. Prat Karly J. Reimel Shin‐Ichiro Shima Bastiaan vanDiedenhoven Lulin Xue |
| author_facet |
Hugh Morrison Marcus vanLier‐Walqui Ann M. Fridlind Wojciech W. Grabowski Jerry Y. Harrington Corinna Hoose Alexei Korolev Matthew R. Kumjian Jason A. Milbrandt Hanna Pawlowska Derek J. Posselt Olivier P. Prat Karly J. Reimel Shin‐Ichiro Shima Bastiaan vanDiedenhoven Lulin Xue |
| author_sort |
Hugh Morrison |
| title |
Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| title_short |
Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| title_full |
Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| title_fullStr |
Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Confronting the Challenge of Modeling Cloud and Precipitation Microphysics |
| title_sort |
confronting the challenge of modeling cloud and precipitation microphysics |
| publisher |
American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://doaj.org/article/f58e7df4bf594fe9a7b3592090e1c332 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
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| _version_ |
1718428411640152064 |