Theoretical cumulus dynamics

A comprehensive review of theoretical and numerical models of cumulus clouds and moist convective systems is presented. The problem of modeling cumulus convection encompasses an extremely broad range of physical and dynamic processes. On the microphysical scale a number of critical problems remain to be solved. In the case of deep, supercooled cumuli, for example, the uncertainties of ice particle production and cloud glaciation severely limit one's ability to model quantitatively the physics and dynamics of supercooled cumuli. As a consequence of the speed and space limitations of present generation computers, much of the effort of modeling cumulus convection is concerned with the subject of parameterization. Not only does this include parameterization of the essential microphysics of cumuli but also the parameterization of the energetics and fluxes of the eddies not explicitly resolved by the model. The limitations of present generation computers become most apparent when one acknowledges that the problem of modeling deep, moist convection is fully three‐dimensional and that such systems are often in direct communication with larger‐scale (mesoscale and synoptic‐scale) meteorological systems.