Morphological and microphysical characteristics associated with the lifecycle of a stationary cloud cluster during the Indian Summer Monsoon: A comparative study with numerical simulations and radar observation

Abstract

The simulated morphological, dynamical, and microphysical characteristics, by the three microphysics schemes with increasing complexities, during the lifecycle of a tropical continental mesoscale cloud cluster observed during the monsoon over the peninsular Indian region are illustrated in this study. Observations from a polarimetric C-Band radar have set the benchmark for the evaluation of the performances of the three microphysics schemes. Results show that all the simulations have a tendency to produce intense convection in comparison to observations, where the least complex scheme projected the maximum value. The contrasting dynamical characteristics by each microphysics scheme resulted in different cloud structure. The simulated aggregation/clustering properties of convection by the microphysics schemes were different, where the most sophisticated scheme produced the convective aggregation/clustering closer to radar-derived products. Significant differences in upper-level cloud fractions are noted among the simulations, which are manifested by the variations in the upper-level relative humidity and distribution of ice-phase hydrometeors. Intercomparison of radar-derived and simulated hydrometeor fractions suggests that all the simulations have a tendency to produce lesser snow fraction, higher graupel fraction, and higher ice fraction. Overall analyses suggest that the most sophisticated microphysics scheme produced a more realistic simulation of the cloud system.