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Evidence for Tropopause Layer Moistening by Convection During CRYSTAL-FACEMeasurements and analysis of the impact of deep convection on tropopause layer moisture are easily confounded by difficulties making precise observations with sufficient spatial coverage before and after convective events and difficulties distinguishing between changes due to local convection versus large-scale advection. The interactions between cloud microphysics and dynamics in the convective transport of moisture into the tropopause layer also result in a sufficiently complex and poorly characterized system to allow for considerable freedom in theoretical models of stratosphere-troposphere exchange. In this work we perform detailed large-eddy simulations with an explicit cloud microphysics model to study the impact of deep convection on tropopause layer moisture profiles observed over southern Florida during CRYSTALFACE. For four days during the campaign (July 11, 16, 28, and 29) we initialize a 100-km square domain with temperature and moisture profiles measured prior to convection at the PARSL ground site, and initiate convection with a warm bubble that produces an anvil at peak elevations in agreement with lidar and radar observations on that day. Comparing the moisture field after the anvils decay with the initial state, we find that convection predominantly moistens the tropopause layer (as defined by minimum temperature and minimum potential temperature lapse rate), although some drying is also predicted in localized layers. We will also present results of sensitivity tests designed to separate the roles of cloud microphysics and dynamics.
Document ID
20060019225
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ackerman, A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Fridlind, A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Jensen, E.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Miloshevich, L.
(National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO, United States)
Heymsfield, G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
McGill, M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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