TWP-ICE/ACTIVE MONSOON CASE STUDY

TOA broadband radiative fluxes from measurements and ECMWF (white symbols) versus sample case study simulations (colored lines):











Comments:

• Mean profiles are calculated for six time ranges. The first three are longer time ranges: (1) all times following an initial 36 hours for model spin-up, (2) six days of monsoon, and (3) six days of suppressed conditions. The second three are sequential monsoon events of varying intensity.
• Forcing data set derived from variational analysis over the TWP-ICE domain bounded by sounding sites, provided by Shaocheng Xie and Minghua Zhang (summary with download link), reported as 3-hr mean values over the area of approximately 25,000 km².
• Tropical Cloud Properties and Heating Rate Profiles (TCPRHP) retrievals at Darwin are supplied by Sally McFarlane and Jim Mather. Values represent instantaneous profiles over the DOE ARM site reported at 5-min and 45-m resolution when surface precipitation is < thresholds. Mean and maximum values are taken here at each level for each time period.
• ECMWF supplies hourly mean data at 0.56x0.56-degree resolution, from which mean values are plotted over the three grid boxes centered nearest to and immediately west of the Darwin ARM site, representing a total area of approximately 11,500 km².
• VISST measurements near the Darwin ARM site are provided at 4-km pixel resolution by Pat Minnis, derived from MTSAT measurements. We plot all retrievals centered within one degree latitude and within one degree longitude of the Darwin ARM site.
• All measurement data have been downloaded from the DOE ARM data archive (www.arm.gov) and use in publications is subject to the policies described there. Any errors in plotting or representation shown here should be blamed on Ann Fridlind.
• Model results are domain-mean values reported at 10-min frequency from 1-km resolution over a domain size of about 37,000 km². Mean values shown at each level for each time period.

Preliminary summary:

• TCPRHP calculations are for non-precipiting conditions whereas model results and all other data include all conditions. Future comparisons will include model results for precipitating and non-precipitating conditions and will include the range of instantaneous values produced by the model at the relevant resolutions (1-km and 4-km).