Summary
An energy balance based statistical parameterization of the soil moisture availability has been developed and implemented in the Florida State University Global Spectral Model to test its performance in long range prediction. Specifically, a soil moisture parameter based on a moisture budget analysis has been introduced to estimate the Bowen ratio. It is expressed as an evolutive function of the model predicted rainfall and surface temperature and takes into account some of the ground characteristics through its dependence on albedo and surface elevation. This scheme is used in conjunction with a prognostic equation for surface temperature to estimate the different energy fluxes at the surface.
A 42 waves triangular truncation global spectral model with 12 vertical levels has been used to perform parallel simulations, one of which includes the new planetary boundary layer parameterization. Seasonal simulations covering the onset and active phase of the West African monsoon have been carried out for the period between May and August 1979. A comprehensive comparison of the components of the surface energy balance between the two experiments has been carried out for different climatic regimes over the North African continent during the northern summer.
The new scheme appears to capture the essence of the surface layer physics in a simple formulation of the processes and has introduced an interesting description of the surface fluxes. Significant modulation of the surface temperature and its diurnal cycle amplitude were obtained. This was particularly evident over arid zones where extremely high surface temperatures were predicted by a simpler scheme.
An important and coherent interaction between the principal physical processes parameterized in the model has resulted from the introduction of the new scheme and has led to a better representation of the surface flux balance.
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Bounoua, L., Krishnamurti, T.N. Influence of soil moisture on the Sahelian climate prediction I. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 52, 183–203 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031877
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031877