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An improvement in mass flux convective parameterizations and its impact on seasonal simulations using a coupled model

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Abstract

A new closure and a modified detrainment for the simplified Arakawa–Schubert (SAS) cumulus parameterization scheme are proposed. In the modified convective scheme which is named as King Abdulaziz University (KAU) scheme, the closure depends on both the buoyancy force and the environment mean relative humidity. A lateral entrainment rate varying with environment relative humidity is proposed and tends to suppress convection in a dry atmosphere. The detrainment rate also varies with environment relative humidity. The KAU scheme has been tested in a single column model (SCM) and implemented in a coupled global climate model (CGCM). Increased coupling between environment and clouds in the KAU scheme results in improved sensitivity of the depth and strength of convection to environmental humidity compared to the original SAS scheme. The new scheme improves precipitation simulation with better representations of moisture and temperature especially during suppressed convection periods. The KAU scheme implemented in the Seoul National University (SNU) CGCM shows improved precipitation over the tropics. The simulated precipitation pattern over the Arabian Peninsula and Northeast African region is also improved.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research (CECCR), Department of Meteorology, Deanship of Graduate Studies and Deanship of Scientific Research, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for providing the necessary support to carry out this study. We thank anonymous reviewer for making insightful comments that lead to substantial improvements in the final version of the paper. Computation for the work described in this paper was supported by King Abdulaziz University’s High Performance Computing Center (Aziz Supercomputer: http://hpc.kau.edu.sa).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research/Department of Meteorology, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed Elsayed Yousef, M. Azhar Ehsan, Mansour Almazroui, Mazen E. Assiri & Abdulrahman K. Al-Khalaf

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  1. Ahmed Elsayed Yousef
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  2. M. Azhar Ehsan
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  3. Mansour Almazroui
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  4. Mazen E. Assiri
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  5. Abdulrahman K. Al-Khalaf
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Correspondence to M. Azhar Ehsan.

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Elsayed Yousef, A., Ehsan, M., Almazroui, M. et al. An improvement in mass flux convective parameterizations and its impact on seasonal simulations using a coupled model. Theor Appl Climatol 127, 779–791 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1668-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1668-7

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