Evaluation and Comparison of Two Deep Convection Parameterization Schemes at Convection-Permitting Resolution

Abstract

AbstractCoarse-grained results from a large-eddy simulation (LES) using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model were compared in this study with the WRF simulations at a typical convection-permitting horizontal grid spacing of 3 km for an idealized case of deep moist convection. The purpose of this comparison is to identify major differences at the subgrid process level between two widely used deep convection parameterization schemes in the WRF Model. It is shown that there are considerable differences in subgrid process representations between the two schemes due to different parameterization formulations and underlying assumptions. The two schemes not only differ in trigger function, subgrid cloud model, and closure assumptions but also disagree with the coarse-grained LES results in terms of vertical mass flux profiles. Thus, it is difficult to discern which scheme is more advantageous over the other at the subgrid process level. The conclusions from this study highlight the importance of establishing benchmarks using observations and LES to develop and evaluate convection parameterization schemes suitable for models at convection-permitting resolution.