Mesoscale Organization Research Articles

Temporal Oscillations in the Convective Boundary Layer Forced by Mesoscale Surface Heat-Flux Variations

A theoretical approach suggests that the surface heterogeneity on a scale of tens of kilometres can generate mesoscale motions that are not in a quasi-stationary state. The starting point of the theoretical approach is the equations of horizontal velocity and potential temperature that are low-pass filtered with a mesoscale cut-off wavelength. The transition of the generated mesoscale motions from a quasi-stationary state to a non-stationary state occurs when horizontal advection is strong enough to level out the potential temperature gradient on the surface heterogeneity scale. Large-eddy simulations (LES) suggest that the convective boundary layer (CBL) changes to a non-stationary state when forced by a surface heat-flux variation of amplitude of 100W m−2 or higher and a wavelength of the order of 10 km. Spectral analysis of the LES reveals that when the mesoscale motions are in a quasi-stationary state, the energy provided by the surface heat-flux variation remains in organized mesoscale motions on the scale of the surface variation itself. However, in a non-stationary state, the energy cascades to smaller scales, with the cascade extending down into the turbulence scale when the wavelength of the surface heat-flux variation is on a scale smaller than 100 times the CBL height. The energy transfer from the generated mesoscale motions to the CBL turbulence results in the absence of a spectral gap between the two scales. The absence of an obvious spectral gap between the generated mesoscale motions and the turbulence raises questions about the applicability of mesoscale models for studies on the effect of high-amplitude surface heterogeneity on a scale of tens of kilometres.

Block Copolymer Strands with Internal Microphase Separation Structure via Self-Assembly at the Air−Water Interface

Block copolymer microphase separation in the bulk is coupled to amphiphilic block copolymer self-assembly at the air-water interface to yield hierarchical Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) structures combining organization at the meso- and nanoscales. A blend of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) (Mn=141K, 11.4 wt % PEO) and polystyrene-b-poly(butadiene) (PS-b-PB) (Mn=31.9K, 28.5 wt % PB) containing a PS-b-PB weight fraction of f=0.75 was deposited at the air-water interface, resulting in the spontaneous generation of aggregates with multiscale organization, including nanoscale cylinders in mesoscale strands, via evaporation of the spreading solvent. The resulting features were characterized in LB films via AFM and TEM and at the air-water interface via Langmuir compression isotherms. Blends containing lower PS-b-PB contents formed mesoscale aggregate morphologies of continents and strands (f=0.50) or mesoscale continents with holes (f=0.25), but without the internal nanoscale organization found in the f=0.75 blend. The interfacial self-assembly of pure PS-b-PB at the air-water interface (f=1) yielded taller and more irregularly shaped aggregates than blends containing PS-b-PEO, indicating the integral role of the amphiphilic copolymer in regulating the mesoscale organization of the hierarchically structured features.

Precipitation Characteristics of Trade Wind Clouds during RICO Derived from Radar, Satellite, and Aircraft Measurements

Abstract Precipitation characteristics of trade wind clouds over the Atlantic Ocean near Barbuda are derived from radar and aircraft data and are compared with satellite-observed cloud fields collected during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign. S-band reflectivity measurements Z were converted to rainfall rates R using a Z–R relationship derived from aircraft measurements. Daily rainfall rates varied from 0 to 22 mm day−1. The area-averaged rainfall rate for the 62-day period was 2.37 mm day−1. If corrected for evaporation below cloud base, this value is reduced to 2.23 mm day−1, which translates to a latent heat flux to the atmosphere of 63 W m−2. When compared with the wintertime ocean-surface latent heat flux from this region, the average return of water to the ocean through precipitation processes within the trade wind layer during RICO was 31%–39%. A weak diurnal cycle was observed in the area-averaged rainfall rate. The magnitude of the rainfall and the frequency of its occurrence had a maximum in the predawn hours and a minimum in the midmorning to early afternoon on 64% of the days. Radar data were collocated with data from the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) to develop relationships between cloud-top height, cloud fraction, 866-nm bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF), and radar-derived precipitation. The collocation took place at the overpass time of ∼1045 local time. These relationships revealed that between 5.5% and 10.5% of the cloudy area had rainfall rates that were > 0.1 mm h−1, and between 1.5% and 3.5% of the cloudy area had rainfall rates that were >1 mm h−1. Cloud-top heights between ∼3 and 4 km and BRFs between 0.4 and 1.0 contributed ∼50% of the total rainfall. For cloudy pixels having detectable rain, average rainfall rates increased from ∼1 to 4 mm h−1 as cloud-top heights increased from ∼1 to 4 km. Rainfall rates were closely tied to the type of mesoscale organization, with much of the rainfall originating from shallow (<5 km) cumulus clusters shaped as arcs associated with cold-pool outflows.

Investigation of Regional and Seasonal Variations in Marine Boundary Layer Cloud Properties from MODIS Observations

Abstract To aid in understanding the role that marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds play in climate and assist in improving their representations in general circulation models (GCMs), their long-term microphysical and macroscale characteristics are quantified using observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Terra satellite. Six years of MODIS pixel-level cloud products are used from oceanic study regions off the west coasts of California, Peru, the Canary Islands, Angola, and Australia where these cloud types are common. Characterizations are given for their organization (macroscale structure), the associated microphysical properties, and the seasonal dependencies of their variations for scales consistent with the size of a GCM grid box (300 km × 300 km). MBL mesoscale structure is quantified using effective cloud diameter CD, which is introduced here as a simplified measure of bulk cloud organization; it is straightforward to compute and provides descriptive information beyond that offered by cloud fraction. The interrelationships of these characteristics are explored while considering the influences of the MBL state, such as the occurrence of drizzle. Several commonalities emerge for the five study regions. MBL clouds contain the best natural examples of plane-parallel clouds, but overcast clouds occur in only about 25% of the scenes, which emphasizes the importance of representing broken MBL cloud fields in climate models (that are subgrid scale). During the peak months of cloud occurrence, mesoscale organization (larger CD) increases such that the fractions of scenes characterized as “overcast” and “clumped” increase at the expense of the “scattered” scenes. Cloud liquid water path and visible optical depth usually trend strongly with CD, with the largest values occurring for scenes that are drizzling. However, considerable interregional differences exist in these trends, suggesting that different regression functionalities exist for each region. For peak versus off-peak months, the fraction of drizzling scenes (as a function of CD) are similar for California and Angola, which suggests that a single probability distribution function might be used for their drizzle occurrence in climate models. The patterns are strikingly opposite for Peru and Australia; thus, the contrasts among regions may offer a test bed for model simulations of MBL drizzle occurrence.

A multiple scale modeling system for coastal hurricane wind damage mitigation

Hurricane wind damage constitutes the largest percentage of catastrophic insured losses in the US. Yet the complicated wind structures and their changes are not fully understood and, thus, have not been considered in current risk catastrophic models. To obtain realistic landfall hurricane surface winds, a large eddy simulation (LES) framework in a weather forecasting mode has been developed from a multiple nested Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF) model to explicitly simulate a spectrum of scales from large-scale background flow, hurricane vortex, mesoscale organizations, down to fine-scale turbulent eddies in a unified system. The unique WRF-LES enables the high resolution data to be generated in a realistic environment as a hurricane evolves. In this paper, a simulation of the landfalling Hurricane Katrina is presented to demonstrate various features of the WRF-LES. It shows that the localized damaging winds are caused by the large eddy circulations generated in the hurricane boundary layer. With a sufficient computational power, WRF-LES has the potential to be developed into the next generation operational public wind-field model for hurricane wind damage mitigation.

The Structure and Mesoscale Organization of Precipitating Stratocumulus

Abstract Large-eddy simulations are used to explore the structure and mesoscale organization of precipitating stratocumulus. The simulations incorporate a simple, two-moment, bulk representation of microphysical processes, which by varying specified droplet concentrations allows for comparisons of simulations that do and do not develop precipitation. The boundary layer is represented over a large (25.6 km × 25.6 km) horizontal domain using a relatively fine mesh, thereby allowing for the development of mesoscale circulations while retaining an explicit representation of cloud radiative, dynamical and microphysical interactions on scales much smaller than the dominant eddy scale. Initial conditions are based on measurements made as part of the Second Dynamics and Chemistry of the Marine Stratocumulus field study (DYCOMS-II). The simulations show that precipitation is accompanied by sharp reductions in cloudiness and changes in flow topology. Mesoscale features emerge in all of the simulations but are amplified in the presence of drizzle. A cloud albedo of near 75% in the nonprecipitating simulation is reduced to less than 35% in the precipitating case. The circulation transitions from a well-mixed, stationary stratocumulus layer with closed-cellular cloud planforms to a stationary cumulus-coupled layer, with incipient open-cellular cloud planforms and sustained domain-averaged surface precipitation rates near 1 mm day−1. The drizzling simulations embody many other features of observed precipitating stratocumulus, including elevated cloud tops in regions of precipitation and locally higher values of subcloud equivalent potential temperature. The latter is shown to result from the tendency for precipitating simulations to develop greater thermodynamic gradients in the subcloud layer as well as mesoscale circulations that locate regions of upward motion in the vicinity of precipitating cells.

Mesoscale organization of CuO nanoslices: Formation of sphere

The nanocrystalline CuO powders were prepared by precipitation method using Cu(NO3)2 as copper raw material, water and ethanol as dispersants, and NaOH and ammonia solution as precipitates. The structure, particle size and morphology of resulting CuO powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanism of CuO formation was discussed.

Aerosol Effects on Clouds, Precipitation, and the Organization of Shallow Cumulus Convection

Abstract This study investigates the effects of aerosol on clouds, precipitation, and the organization of trade wind cumuli using large eddy simulations (LES). Results show that for this shallow-cumulus-under-stratocumulus case, cloud fraction increases with increasing aerosol as the aerosol number mixing ratio increases from 25 (domain-averaged surface precipitation rate ∼0.65 mm day−1) to 100 mg−1 (negligible surface precipitation). Further increases in aerosol result in a reduction in cloud fraction. It is suggested that opposing influences of aerosol-induced suppression of precipitation and aerosol-induced enhancement of evaporation are responsible for this nonmonotonic behavior. Under clean conditions (25 mg−1), drizzle is shown to initiate and maintain mesoscale organization of cumulus convection. Precipitation induces downdrafts and cold pool outflow as the cumulus cell develops. At the surface, the center of the cell is characterized by a divergence field, while the edges of the cell are zones of convergence. Convergence drives the formation and development of new cloud cells, leading to a mesoscale open cellular structure. These zones of new cloud formation generate new precipitation zones that continue to reinforce the cellular structure. For simulations with an aerosol concentration of 100 mg−1 the cloud fields do not show any cellular organization. On average, no evidence is found for aerosol effects on the lifetime of these clouds, suggesting that cloud fraction response to changes in aerosol is tied to the frequency of convection and/or cloud size.

Application of AFM in understanding biomineral formation in diatoms

We review previous work and present new data on the application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study biomineral formation in diatoms, unicellular algae that make cell walls of silica. Previous studies examined a small subset of mostly larger diatom species, identifying a prevalence of large particulate silica on the nanoscale. We survey different structures including valves, girdle bands, and elongated spines called setae, in a variety of species, and show a diversity of nano- and meso-scale silica morphologies, even on different portions of the same structure. A general trend of highly organized mesoscale silica structure on the proximal face of cell wall components was observed, with less organized structure occurring on the distal face. The highly organized structures have features suggestive of an underlying linear template, which defines the area of initial silica polymerization. Such features have not been imaged with such clarity previously, demonstrating the advantages of AFM to image small differences in surface morphology and providing new insights and confirming evidence for models of diatom silica structure formation. In addition to its imaging capability, more developed application of AFM to map locations of organic template components on the nanoscale will greatly aid in elucidating mechanisms of diatom biosilica synthesis.

Convective Episodes in the East-Central United States

Abstract Nine years of composited radar data are investigated to assess the presence of organized convective episodes in the east-central United States. In the eastern United States, the afternoon maximum in thunderstorms is ubiquitous over land. However, after removing this principal diurnal peak from the radar data, the presence and motion of organized convective systems becomes apparent in both temporally averaged fields and in the statistics of convective episodes identified by an objective algorithm. Convective echoes are diurnally maximized over the Appalachian chain, and are repeatedly observed to move toward the east. Partly as a result of this, the daily maximum in storms is delayed over the Piedmont and coastal plain relative to the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. During the 9 yr studied, the objective algorithm identified 2128 total convective episodes (236 yr−1), with several recurring behaviors. Many systems developed over the elevated terrain during the afternoon and moved eastward, often to the coastline and even offshore. In addition, numerous systems formed to the west of the Appalachian Mountains and moved into and across the eastern U.S. study domain. In particular, many nocturnal convective systems from the central United States entered the western side of the study domain, frequently arriving at the eastern mountains around the next day’s afternoon maximum in storm frequency. A fraction of such well-timed systems succeeded in crossing the Appalachians and continuing across the Piedmont and coastal plain. Convective episodes were most frequent during the high-instability, low-shear months of summer, which dominate the year-round statistics. Even so, an important result is that the episodes still occurred almost exclusively in above-average vertical wind shear. Despite the overall dominance of the diurnal cycle, the data show that adequate shear in the region frequently leads to long-lived convective episodes with mesoscale organization.

A Midlatitude Cirrus Cloud Climatology from the Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing. Part V: Cloud Structural Properties

Abstract In this fifth of a series of papers describing the extended-time high cloud observation program from the University of Utah Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing, the structural properties of cirrus clouds over Salt Lake City, Utah, are examined. Wavelet analysis is applied to a 10-yr record of cirrus cloud ruby (0.694 μm) lidar backscatter data as a function of cloud height in order to study the presence of periodic cloud structures, such as the signatures of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities, cirrus mammata, and uncinus cells (all with length scales of ∼1–10 km), as well as mesoscale cloud organizations generally believed to be induced by gravity waves. About 8.4% of the data display structures after passing a 95% confidence level test, but an 80% confidence level, which seems better able to resolve structures spread over long periods, yields 16.4%. The amount of identified cloud structures does not change significantly with length scale from 0.2 to 200 km, although the frequency of mesoscale cloud structures tends to increase as length scales increase. The middle-to-lower portion of cirrus clouds contains the most identified cloud structures, which seems related to the mesoscale organization of fall streaks from cloud-top-generating cells. The variability of cirrus cloud optical depth τ (defined by the standard deviation over mean τ) derived from a combined lidar and infrared radiometer (LIRAD) analysis is shown to be largely independent of τ. Because visual examination of the lidar displays also indicates that few cirrus layers can be considered horizontally homogeneous over our typical 3-h lidar data collection period, the authors conclude that the clouds in their sample are inherently inhomogeneous even though most cirrus structures are not revealed as periodic by wavelet analysis.

Mesoscale organization of Cu 7S 4 nanowires: Formation of novel sheath-like nanotube array

Highly ordered and uniform array of Cu 7S 4 sheath-like nanotubes has been successfully prepared via a sacrificial template approach. These nanotubes have diameter of 250–600 nm and length of several micrometers with close tips. The wall of the nanotube is actually woven out of many well-distributed Cu 7S 4 nanowires with the diameter of 20–30 nm and the wall thickness of the nanotube is estimated to be about 60–70 nm. This novel hierarchical sheath-like nanotube array may find applications as mesoscale reactors or as other nanodevices.

Comments on “A Proposed Structure for Coupling Tiled Surfaces with the Planetary Boundary Layer”

Best et al. (2004) propose a generic interface between land surface and atmospheric models, suitable for many existing GCMs and present modeling configurations, in order to facilitate modeling studies of the land–atmosphere exchange. As the authors state, a general interface would make model intercomparison (and therefore validation) easier and would allow differences between the simulated climates of different land– atmosphere coupled systems to be identified with specific modeling attributes or parameters. We propose a small modification to the generic interface that makes it more general in terms of the handling of the interaction between the atmosphere and a heterogeneous land surface. Best et al. (2004) state in their introduction that the tiles in a mosaic scheme can be coupled to a single, homogenized boundary layer because “[t]he idea is that the internal boundary layers from subsurfaces have merged at or below the bottom model level.” The authors themselves acknowledge that the assumption that the internal boundary layers have merged below the lowest model level may not be valid. The modification to the generic interface that we propose here would accommodate a model that does not make any specific assumption about the level of the blending height relative to the lowest model level. The importance of the suggested change in the generic interface is related to recent modeling and observational studies, summarized below, which suggest both that the blending height may be elevated in some regions (at 500 m or higher) and that model simulations are improved when the lowest model level is at 250 m (or less) above the ground. In addition, the choice of blending height in a model has been shown by Molod et al. (2004) to affect the simulated climate. Authors of modeling studies have considered the issue of an elevated blending height since the early discussion of mosaic techniques to model the interaction between a heterogeneous land surface and the atmosphere. Koster and Suarez (1992) first raised the issue that their assumption of a blended lowest layer may not be adequate, based on the scaling arguments that link the blending height and the horizontal scale of heterogeneity. Bringfelt (1999) also state that a mosaic assumes that the blending height is at the surface layer and that this might not be an adequate representation of the impact of surface heterogeneity. In addition, Arola (1999) introduced a technique designed to raise the level of the blending height in the model as an attempt to improve this drawback of the standard mosaic approach. The existence of organized mesoscale circulations, suggested by the modeling study of Avissar and Schmidt (1998), also raises the issue of whether the internal boundary layers have blended below some near-surface layer. The observational studies that suggest that the blending height may be elevated include Segal et al. (1989) in which patch-to-patch differences in temperature and moisture over an irrigated and a dry crop area were reported throughout much of the planetary boundary layer. An elevated blending height is also suggested by the lidar study reported in Angevine et al. (2003) and Banta and White (2003), where subCorresponding author address: Dr. Andrea Molod, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139. E-mail: amolod@mit.edu AUGUST 2006 N O T E S A N D C O R R E S P O N D E N C E 833

Counterion-Controlled Transition of a Cationic Gemini from Submicroscopic to Giant Vesicles

While much is known about the self-assembly of lipids on nanoscale, our understanding of their biologically relevant mesoscale organization remains incomplete. Here, we show for a cationic gemini lipid a sharp and reversible transition from small vesicles with an average diameter of approximately 40 nm to giant vesicles (GVs) with an average diameter of approximately 11 microm. This transition is dependent on proper [NaCl] and specific temperature. Below this transition and in the vicinity of the air/water interface, a series of mesoscale morphological transitions was observed, revealing complex structures resembling biological membranes. On the basis of microscopy experiments, a tentative [NaCl] versus temperature shape/size phase diagram was constructed. To explain this unprecedented transition, we propose a novel mechanism whereby a specific interaction of Cl(-) counterion with the cationic gemini surfactant initiates the formation of a commensurate solute counterion lattice with low spontaneous curvature. In keeping with the high bending rigidity of NaCl crystal, this tightly associated ionic lattice enslaves membrane curvature and the mesoscale 3-D organization of this lipid.

A Diagnostic Study of a Retreating Mei-Yu Front and the Accompanying Low-Level Jet Formation and Intensification

Abstract During 7–8 June 1998, an organized mesoscale convective system (MCS) formed within the mei-yu frontal cloud band and moved northeastward to produce heavy rain over the island of Taiwan. During this period, the section of the mei-yu front east of Taiwan moved northward, most significantly for about 300 km over 12 h. Meanwhile, a low-level jet (LLJ) developed within the environmental southwesterly flow to the south of the mei-yu front and the MCS. Observations revealed that the front retreated as low-level meridional wind components over the postfrontal region shifted from northerly to southerly. Using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyses with piecewise potential vorticity (PV) inversion technique and other methods, a diagnostic study was carried out to investigate the northward frontal movement and the formation of the LLJ. Results indicated that diabatic latent heating from the MCS, large enough in scale, generated positive PV and height fall at low levels. The enhanced height gradient induced northwestward-directed ageostrophic winds and the LLJ formed southeast of the MCS through Coriolis torque. The southwesterly flow associated with this diabatic PV perturbation led to rapid retreat of the frontal segment east of Taiwan at a speed of about 25 m s−1, while the movement was dominated by horizontal advection in the present case. During this process of readjustment toward geostrophy, a thermally indirect circulation also appeared over and south of the front, and the LLJ formed within its lower branch at 850 hPa. The enhanced southwesterly winds reached LLJ strength because they were superimposed upon a background monsoon flow at the same direction. To the lee of Taiwan, the topography also played the role in enhancing local wind speed at lower levels and contributed toward the frontal retreat at nearby regions.

Synoptic environment related to rapid cyclogenesis in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract. This paper presents first results on the investigation of the synoptic conditions that led to the rapid development of a low-pressure system over the Aegean Sea. Indeed, during the period 21–22 January 2004, a very deep cyclone was observed over the Aegean Sea with a minimum central pressure of ~972 hPa, a value which is among the lowest observed over the entire Mediterranean Sea during the last 40 years. The rapid development was associated with a two-trough system that, under the influence of a very intense upper-level jet, was merged in one and then acquired a negative tilting. Additional information on the mesoscale organisation of the system is given, based on lightning data and space borne microwave and infrared observations.

Representing Convective Organization in Prediction Models by a Hybrid Strategy

The mesoscale organization of precipitating convection is highly relevant to next-generation global numerical weather prediction models, which will have an intermediate horizontal resolution (grid spacing about 10 km). A primary issue is how to represent dynamical mechanisms that are conspicuously absent from contemporary convective parameterizations. A hybrid parameterization of mesoscale convection is developed, consisting of convective parameterization and explicit convectively driven circulations. This kind of problem is addressed for warm-season convection over the continental United States, although it is argued to have more general application. A hierarchical strategy is adopted: cloud-system-resolving model simulations represent the mesoscale dynamics of convective organization explicitly and intermediate resolution simulations involve the hybrid approach. Numerically simulated systems are physically interpreted by a mechanistic dynamical model of organized propagating convection. This model is a formal basis for approximating mesoscale convective organization (stratiform heating and mesoscale downdraft) by a first-baroclinic heating couplet. The hybrid strategy is implemented using a predictor–corrector strategy. Explicit dynamics is the predictor and the first-baroclinic heating couplet the corrector. The corrector strengthens the systematically weak mesoscale downdrafts that occur at intermediate resolution. When introduced to the Betts–Miller–Janjic convective parameterization, this new hybrid approach represents the propagation and dynamical structure of organized precipitating systems. Therefore, the predictor–corrector hybrid approach is an elementary practical framework for representing organized convection in models of intermediate resolution.

Engineering atomic and molecular nanostructures at surfaces

The fabrication methods of the microelectronics industry have been refined to produce ever smaller devices, but will soon reach their fundamental limits. A promising alternative route to even smaller functional systems with nanometre dimensions is the autonomous ordering and assembly of atoms and molecules on atomically well-defined surfaces. This approach combines ease of fabrication with exquisite control over the shape, composition and mesoscale organization of the surface structures formed. Once the mechanisms controlling the self-ordering phenomena are fully understood, the self-assembly and growth processes can be steered to create a wide range of surface nanostructures from metallic, semiconducting and molecular materials.

Simulations of midlatitude frontal clouds by single‐column and cloud‐resolving models during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement March 2000 cloud intensive operational period

This study quantitatively evaluates the overall performance of nine single‐column models (SCMs) and four cloud‐resolving models (CRMs) in simulating a strong midlatitude frontal cloud system taken from the spring 2000 Cloud Intensive Observational Period at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site. The evaluation data are an analysis product of constrained variational analysis of the ARM observations and the cloud data collected from the ARM ground active remote sensors (i.e., cloud radar, lidar, and laser ceilometers) and satellite retrievals. Both the selected SCMs and CRMs can typically capture the bulk characteristics of the frontal system and the frontal precipitation. However, there are significant differences in detailed structures of the frontal clouds. Both CRMs and SCMs overestimate high thin cirrus clouds before the main frontal passage. During the passage of a front with strong upward motion, CRMs underestimate middle and low clouds while SCMs overestimate clouds at the levels above 765 hPa. All CRMs and some SCMs also underestimated the middle clouds after the frontal passage. There are also large differences in the model simulations of cloud condensates owing to differences in parameterizations; however, the differences among intercompared models are smaller in the CRMs than the SCMs. In general, the CRM‐simulated cloud water and ice are comparable with observations, while most SCMs underestimated cloud water. SCMs show huge biases varying from large overestimates to equally large underestimates of cloud ice. Many of these model biases could be traced to the lack of subgrid‐scale dynamical structure in the applied forcing fields and the lack of organized mesoscale hydrometeor advections. Other potential reasons for these model errors are also discussed in the paper.

Analytic Representation of the Large-Scale Organization of Tropical Convection

The pivotal role of mesoscale organization on the large-scale coherence of tropical convection is represented by a nonlinear dynamical model. The general model consists of two interlocked systems: a mesoscale parameterization of organized convection and a two-layer model of large-scale equatorial dynamics. The lower-layer dynamics is Rossby gyre‐like, whereas outflow from organized convection maintains the upper-layer circulation. The transports of zonal momentum in the vertical and meridional directions are key processes. An archetype of the general model, in spite of being brutally simplified, represents the convective organization, momentum transport, and equatorial superrotation realized by the cloud-resolving convection parameterization or superparameterization explicit approach developed by Grabowski. The mesoscale parameterization is an analytic equivalent of the cloud-system-resolving models used in this computational approach. Finally, issues in parameterizing convective organization are discussed.