Search Results
Detection and attribution of aerosol-cloud interactions in large-domain large-eddy simulations with the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic model
2020, Costa-Surós, Montserrat, Sourdeval, Odran, Acquistapace, Claudia, Baars, Holger, Carbajal Henken, Cintia, Genz, Christa, Hesemann, Jonas, Jimenez, Cristofer, König, Marcel, Kretzschmar, Jan, Madenach, Nils, Meyer, Catrin I., Schrödner, Roland, Seifert, Patric, Senf, Fabian, Brueck, Matthias, Cioni, Guido, Engels, Jan Frederik, Fieg, Kerstin, Gorges, Ksenia, Heinze, Rieke, Kumar Siligam, Pavan, Burkhardt, Ulrike, Crewell, Susanne, Hoose, Corinna, Seifert, Axel, Tegen, Ina, Quaas, Johannes
Clouds and aerosols contribute the largest uncertainty to current estimates and interpretations of the Earth's changing energy budget. Here we use a new-generation large-domain large-eddy model, ICON-LEM (ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic Large Eddy Model), to simulate the response of clouds to realistic anthropogenic perturbations in aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The novelty compared to previous studies is that (i) the LEM is run in weather prediction mode and with fully interactive land surface over a large domain and (ii) a large range of data from various sources are used for the detection and attribution. The aerosol perturbation was chosen as peak-aerosol conditions over Europe in 1985, with more than fivefold more sulfate than in 2013. Observational data from various satellite and ground-based remote sensing instruments are used, aiming at the detection and attribution of this response. The simulation was run for a selected day (2 May 2013) in which a large variety of cloud regimes was present over the selected domain of central Europe. It is first demonstrated that the aerosol fields used in the model are consistent with corresponding satellite aerosol optical depth retrievals for both 1985 (perturbed) and 2013 (reference) conditions. In comparison to retrievals from groundbased lidar for 2013, CCN profiles for the reference conditions were consistent with the observations, while the ones for the 1985 conditions were not. Similarly, the detection and attribution process was successful for droplet number concentrations: the ones simulated for the 2013 conditions were consistent with satellite as well as new ground-based lidar retrievals, while the ones for the 1985 conditions were outside the observational range. For other cloud quantities, including cloud fraction, liquid water path, cloud base altitude and cloud lifetime, the aerosol response was small compared to their natural vari ability. Also, large uncertainties in satellite and ground-based observations make the detection and attribution difficult for these quantities. An exception to this is the fact that at a large liquid water path value (LWP > 200 g m-2), the control simulation matches the observations, while the perturbed one shows an LWP which is too large. The model simulations allowed for quantifying the radiative forcing due to aerosol-cloud interactions, as well as the adjustments to this forcing. The latter were small compared to the variability and showed overall a small positive radiative effect. The overall effective radiative forcing (ERF) due to aerosol-cloud interactions (ERFaci) in the simulation was dominated thus by the Twomey effect and yielded for this day, region and aerosol perturbation-2:6 W m-2. Using general circulation models to scale this to a global-mean present-day vs. pre-industrial ERFaci yields a global ERFaci of-0:8 W m-2 © 2020 Author(s).
Initial phase of the Hans-Ertel Centre for Weather Research - A virtual centre at the interface of basic and applied weather and climate research
2014, Weissmann, Martin, Göber, Martin, Hohenegger, Cathy, Janjic, Tijana, Keller, Jan, Ohlwein, Christian, Seifert, Axel, Trömel, Silke, Ulbrich, Thorsten, Wapler, Kathrin, Bollmeyer, Christoph, Deneke, Hartwig
The Hans-Ertel Centre for Weather Research is a network of German universities, research institutes and the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD). It has been established to trigger and intensify basic research and education on weather forecasting and climate monitoring. The performed research ranges from nowcasting and short-term weather forecasting to convective-scale data assimilation, the development of parameterizations for numerical weather prediction models, climate monitoring and the communication and use of forecast information. Scientific findings from the network contribute to better understanding of the life-cycle of shallow and deep convection, representation of uncertainty in ensemble systems, effects of unresolved variability, regional climate variability, perception of forecasts and vulnerability of society. Concrete developments within the research network include dual observation-microphysics composites, satellite forward operators, tools to estimate observation impact, cloud and precipitation system tracking algorithms, large-eddy-simulations, a regional reanalysis and a probabilistic forecast test product. Within three years, the network has triggered a number of activities that include the training and education of young scientists besides the centre's core objective of complementing DWD's internal research with relevant basic research at universities and research institutes. The long term goal is to develop a self-sustaining research network that continues the close collaboration with DWD and the national and international research community.
Large-eddy simulations over Germany using ICON: A comprehensive evaluation
2017, Heinze, Rieke, Dipankar, Anurag, Henken, Cintia Carbajal, Moseley, Christopher, Sourdeval, Odran, Trömel, Silke, Xie, Xinxin, Adamidis, Panos, Ament, Felix, Baars, Holger, Barthlott, Christian, Behrendt, Andreas, Blahak, Ulrich, Bley, Sebastian, Brdar, Slavko, Brueck, Matthias, Crewell, Susanne, Deneke, Hartwig, Di Girolamo, Paolo, Evaristo, Raquel, Fischer, Jürgen, Frank, Christopher, Friederichs, Petra, Göcke, Tobias, Gorges, Ksenia, Hande, Luke, Hanke, Moritz, Hansen, Akio, Hege, Hans-Christian, Hoose, Corinna, Jahns, Thomas, Kalthoff, Norbert, Klocke, Daniel, Kneifel, Stefan, Knippertz, Peter, Kuhn, Alexander, van Laar, Thriza, Macke, Andreas, Maurer, Vera, Mayer, Bernhard, Meyer, Catrin I., Muppa, Shravan K., Neggers, Roeland A.J., Orlandi, Emiliano, Pantillon, Florian, Pospichal, Bernhard, Röber, Niklas, Scheck, Leonhard, Seifert, Axel, Seifert, Patric, Senf, Fabian, Siligam, Pavan, Simmer, Clemens, Steinke, Sandra, Stevens, Bjorn, Wapler, Kathrin, Weniger, Michael, Wulfmeyer, Volker, Zängl, Günther, Zhangl, Dan, Quaase, Johannes
Large-eddy simulations (LES) with the new ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic atmosphere model (ICON) covering Germany are evaluated for four days in spring 2013 using observational data from various sources. Reference simulations with the established Consortium for Small-scale Modelling (COSMO) numerical weather prediction model and further standard LES codes are performed and used as a reference. This comprehensive evaluation approach covers multiple parameters and scales, focusing on boundary-layer variables, clouds and precipitation. The evaluation points to the need to work on parametrizations influencing the surface energy balance, and possibly on ice cloud microphysics. The central purpose for the development and application of ICON in the LES configuration is the use of simulation results to improve the understanding of moist processes, as well as their parametrization in climate models. The evaluation thus aims at building confidence in the model's ability to simulate small- to mesoscale variability in turbulence, clouds and precipitation. The results are encouraging: the high-resolution model matches the observed variability much better at small- to mesoscales than the coarser resolved reference model. In its highest grid resolution, the simulated turbulence profiles are realistic and column water vapour matches the observed temporal variability at short time-scales. Despite being somewhat too large and too frequent, small cumulus clouds are well represented in comparison with satellite data, as is the shape of the cloud size spectrum. Variability of cloud water matches the satellite observations much better in ICON than in the reference model. In this sense, it is concluded that the model is fit for the purpose of using its output for parametrization development, despite the potential to improve further some important aspects of processes that are also parametrized in the high-resolution model.