Abstract
A cloud-resolving model (CRM) allows performing numerical simulations of convective clouds, such as shallow cumulus and stratocumulus, or storms and squall-lines with a resolution on the order of a few tens of metres to a few kilometres over a limited-area 4D (time and space) domain. The development of such models over the past decades is reviewed and their specific features are presented. The latter include a non-hydrostatic dynamic and parameterizations of sub-grid turbulence, microphysical and radiative processes. The capabilities of such models are discussed based on comparisons with observations and model-intercomparison studies. CRMs are used in a variety of ways, from the exploration of cloud phenomenology and process-understanding studies to the development of algorithms for satellite products, as well as to address climate issues and to develop convective and cloud parametrizations for large-scale weather and climate models. A few results illustrating this wide utilization are presented. The continuous increase of computer power induces rapid changes in modelling perspectives and therefore, influences the developments and applications of CRMs. This is discussed together with emerging scientific questions which will further benefit from CRM simulations.
Highlights
Most people have, more than once in their life, observed the shallow cumulus clouds frequently arising from a clear sky on fair weather days, experienced heavily precipitating storms or complained about stratocumulus decks dimming sunshine
The strength of such simulations is to provide an explicit representation of the clouds and associated motions arising at scales larger than the smallest resolved motions
LES and cloud-resolving model (CRM) are fine-scale limited-area numerical models whose major characteristic is to provide explicit simulations of the mesoscale dynamics associated with convective clouds
Summary
More than once in their life, observed the shallow cumulus clouds frequently arising from a clear sky on fair weather days, experienced heavily precipitating storms or complained about stratocumulus decks dimming sunshine These are all common meteorological phenomena and they are associated with the development of atmospheric circulations whose space and time scales typically range from a few tens of metres to a few hundreds of kilometres and from a few minutes to several hours; these scales are traditionally referred to as micro- and mesoscale. In the late 60s and later, it seems that fully parametrized models of cumulus clouds were considered by several researchers as a more fruitful avenue than the first attempts to simulate them numerically in a more explicit way
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