Transcript Slide 1
Simulation and Observation of LandPrecipitation Interactions (SOLPIN)
Bart Geerts, Jeff Snider, Zhien Wang, Jeff
French, Perry Wechsler, Al Rodi, Bob Kelly …
Dept. of Atmospheric Science
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN - Motivation
• Cloudiness and precipitation in the Western USA are
strongly modulated by the land surface
– … at the same time clouds and precip exert much control on the
surface energy balance and vegetation types
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
Koster et al. (Science, 2004) shows that summertime landatmosphere coupling is strong in the interior West
Koster et al., Science 305, 1138 -1140 (2004)
Shown is the {Omega} difference, a dimensionless diagnostic that describes the impact of soil
moisture on precipitation, averaged across the 12 climate models participating in GLACE
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
Wintertime precipitation trend over the next 100 years
remains highly uncertain
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN motivation:
biosphere-precip coupling examples
• In summer certain ecosystems may release primary organic aerosols
that can nucleate ice at unusually warm temperatures, and this can
affect the dynamics and the precipitation efficiency of cumulus
convection.
• Winter orographic precip appears to be strongly coupled with PBL
turbulence, and possibly with surface vegetation. Also, the timing of
the springtime snow melt-off and soil moisture spike relative to the
onset of summertime quiescent conditions aloft may affect monsoon
strength .
• The mean precip intensity may increase in a changing climate
current
climate
future
climate
scale dependency of
water cycle in
climate models
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN Motivation
• A better understanding of these processes is
essential to
– their incorporation in climate models
– to the prediction of water resources in the West in a warmer
global climate
• Complexity of land surface – atmosphere interactions
exceeds the capacity of a single discipline.
• Both focused observations and coupled numerical
simulations are needed to move forward.
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN focus
• cloud and precipitation interactions, over timescales
ranging from hours to decades.
• dual approach:
– new measurement techniques
– the improvement of cloud-resolving, coupled land-atmosphere
weather and climate models
• Geographic focus: Western USA
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN building blocks
1. UW King Air
– 95 GHz cloud radar (WCR)
– cloud lidar (WCL)
– PMS probes, PCASP, CCN/CN …
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN building blocks
1. UWKA: proposed new capabilities
– water vapor / temperature Raman lidar (Zhien Wang)
ARM Raman lidar,
22 December 2005
- temperature and water vapor @ (Dx~1 km, Dz~100 m)
- cloud / aerosol backscatter coefficient, extinction, and depolarization ratio
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN building blocks
1. UWKA: proposed new capabilities
– in situ measurements : temperature, water vapor,
cloud and precipitation particles (Jeff French)
–
• ice water content
• riming intensity
• in-cloud temperature and humidity
• larger sample sizes for large particles
better probe characterization and siting requires airframe
flow modelling (Rodi, Mavriplis)
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN building blocks
2. Aerosol measurements
New aerosol probes needed for super-m particles (primary biogenics
and dust particles). For an existing technique (PCASP), the sample
volume rate is orders of magnitude too small for useful super-m
measurement.
New Aerosol Instruments:
Super-m aerosol lidar
(infrared)
Bio-APS (Aerodynamic
Particle Sizer)
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN building blocks
3. Two new decade-long initiatives at NCAR:
Colorado Headwaters Research Program
(Gochis & Rasmussen)
BEACHON (Guenther)
4. NCAR Supercomputing Center
5. The new Earth System Science (ESS) undergraduate
degree program at UW
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN human infrastructure
• faculty position in cloud and precipitation modelling
– work closely with UW observationalists and with NCAR
– assimilate/ compare field campaign data
• SOLPIN links with other proposed faculty positions
– Boundary-layer meteorologist
– Dynamic-vegetation modeler
• SOLPIN links with the new WY Excellence Chair in
Atmosphere-Biosphere Interaction
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions
SOLPIN observational efforts: field campaigns
wintertime campaign
– focused on orographic precipitation processes
• BEACHON campaign
– during the growing season ?
• Colorado Headwaters campaign
– early summer?
• continuous monitoring (with FoSTER)
NSF EPSCoR - Simulation and Observation of Land-Precipitation INteractions