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A mass‐flux convection scheme for regional and global models
Author(s) -
Bechtold P.,
Bazile E.,
Guichard F.,
Mascart P.,
Richard E.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49712757309
Subject(s) - parametrization (atmospheric modeling) , convection , mesoscale meteorology , convective available potential energy , context (archaeology) , atmospheric convection , mass flux , closure (psychology) , environmental science , convective instability , meteorology , mechanics , physics , geology , paleontology , quantum mechanics , economics , market economy , radiative transfer
A bulk mass‐flux convection parametrization for deep and shallow convection is presented that includes an efficient and straightforward treatment of numerics, moist thermodynamics and convective downdraughts. The scheme is evaluated in a single‐column model context for a tropical deep‐convective period and a trade‐wind cumulus case. Preliminary applications in a global numerical weather‐prediction model and a mesoscale model are also discussed. The results suggest that the present scheme provides reasonable solutions in terms of predicted rainfall, and tropical temperature and moisture structures. The application of the scheme to various scales is supported by the use of a convective available potential energy convective closure that assures a smooth interaction with the large‐scale environment and efficiently suppresses conditional instability of the second kind‐like spin‐up processes on the grid‐scale. Finally, the theoretical and practical limits of the present approach are discussed together with possible future developments.