Abstract
This study compares a single-moment microphysics scheme to a double-moment microphysics scheme using four observed cases of a mesoscale cloud system. Previous studies comparing a single-moment microphysics scheme to a doublemoment microphysics scheme have focused on microphysical processes or overall dynamics, precipitation and morphology of cloud systems. However, they have not focused on how the different representation of microphysical processes between a single- and double-moment microphysics scheme affects precipitation. This study shifts its focus from that of previous studies to the effect of the different representation of microphysics on precipitation. In addition, this study examines the effect of the different representation of microphysical processes on different radiation budgets between single- and double-moment microphysics schemes. The temporal evolution of precipitation simulated by a single-moment microphysics scheme is significantly different from that by a double-moment microphysics scheme in this study. This is mostly due to different physical representations of key processes (i.e., autoconversion, saturation, and nucleation). Also, a simulation by a single-moment microphysics scheme results in different radiation budgets compared to a double-moment microphysics scheme. More reflection of incident solar radiation in a simulation with a double-moment microphysics scheme than that with a single-moment microphysics scheme is simulated.
Highlights
In bulk microphysics schemes, the prediction of both the mass and number of droplets and crystals as advected quantities enables the prediction of their sizes, for an assumed form of the particle size distribution
The peak and temporal spread of the precipitation rate in the single-moment run are in better agreement with the observed precipitation rate than those in the control run in the first event (Fig. 3a)
Precipitation differences between the single-moment run and the control run are strongly sensitive to the representation of key processes was simulated
Summary
The prediction of both the mass and number of droplets and crystals as advected quantities enables the prediction of their sizes, for an assumed form of the particle size distribution. Morrison et al (2009) focused on the effect of the different representation of rain evaporation between a double-moment microphysics and a singlemoment microphysics on the structure of a squall line They examined this effect on the dynamics and morphology of convective and stratiform regions in a squall line, which is a mesoscale cloud system driven by deep convection. The comparison of the different schemes with observation reveals how different representations of physical processes affect the agreement between the simulations and observation This identifies weaknesses and strengths of each scheme, which can be useful for the development of microphysics parameterization in terms of a better simulation of precipitation and radiation. Effective sizes of cloud liquid and cloud ice are predicted using assumed size distributions (see section 2.2 for assumed size distributions)
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