Evaluation of Microphysics Parameterization for Convective Clouds in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model CAM5

A physically based two-moment microphysics parameterization scheme for convective clouds is implemented in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) to improve the representation of convective clouds and their interaction with large-scale clouds and aerosols. The explicit treatment of mass mixing ratio and number concentration of cloud and precipitation particles enables the scheme to account for the impact of aerosols on convection. The scheme is linked to aerosols through cloud droplet activation and ice nucleation processes and to stratiform cloud parameterization through convective detrainment of cloud liquid/ice water content (LWC/IWC) and droplet/crystal number concentration (DNC/CNC). A 5-yr simulation with the new convective microphysics scheme shows that both cloud LWC/IWC and DNC/CNC are in good agreement with observations, indicating the scheme describes microphysical processes in convection well. Moreover, the microphysics scheme is able to represent the aerosol effects on c...