| Session Details | |
| Section | AS - Atmospheric Sciences |
| Session Title | Application of Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations for Studying Cloud-Related Processes in Numerical Weather Prediction and Climate Models |
| Main Convener | Prof. Masaki Satoh (The University of Tokyo, Japan) |
| Co-convener(s) | Prof. Chung-Hsiung Sui (National Taiwan University, Taiwan) Dr. Wei-Kuo Tao (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, United States) Prof. Pay-Liam Lin (National Central University, Taiwan) Dr. Qing Bao (IAP, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China) |
| Session Description | Cloud-system-related problems are at the heart of global and regional climate simulations and the understanding of climate change. Convective clouds not only release latent heat from condensation and vertically redistribute heat and moisture, but also play important role in the global and regional hydrological cycle through the precipitation and the modification of shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes at the ocean and land surface. The development of cloud-resolving models (CRMs) provides a unique opportunity to evaluate and improve the existing convection, cloud and radiation schemes. While general circulation models (GCMs) require convection and cloud parameterizations, CRMs explicitly resolve convection and mesoscale organization, where cloud microphysical processes and cloud-radiation interactions directly respond to the cloud-scale dynamics. In particular, the representation of cloud microphysical processes is a key component of these models, and during the past decade both research and operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models have started using more complex microphysical schemes originally developed from high-resolution CRMs. It is not clear, however, whether such a strategy alone will resolve the difficult and outstanding challenges that face mesoscale numerical weather prediction. In addition, many GCMs and climate models are predicting cloud processes using diagnostic and prognostic methods. The coarser resolution of these models makes the representation of partial cloud fraction more important, particularly with respect to the large sensitivities and complexities involved with cloud-radiation interactions. Increasing studies have been focused on the application of CRM simulations to improve parameterizations of subgrid-scale physical processes in GCMs; to understand the interaction of cloud systems with large-scale circulations; and to replace the cloud-related parameterizations in GCMs. The goal of this session is to showcase the current efforts on this challenging task and encourage the collaboration between the CRM, GCM and NWP modelers. |