A Numerical Model of a Diurnally Varying Tropical Cloud Cluster Disturbance

Fingerhut, William A.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1978)106<0255:anmoad>2.0.co;2

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Examples are the early morning maximum found over the tropical oceans [e.g., Gray and Jacobson, 1977] and the nocturnal maximum found on the Great Plains of the United States [Means, 1944;Wallace, 1975]. Such observations have been used as the basis for speculations concerning the important mechanisms which produce moist convection [e.g., Neumann, 1951;Malkus, 1963;Brier and Simpson, 1969;Gray and Jacobson, 1977] and have inspired at least one numerical model simulation of the diurnal cycle [Fingerhut, 1978]. Recently, it has become apparent that observed diurnal rainfall variations are also of great importance for the study of atmospheric tides.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 79%

A note on the observed diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall variations

Hamilton¹

1981

J. Geophys. Res.

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Earlier investigations of the diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall variations are extended with an analysis of hourly rainfall data at 735 stations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Interesting findings include a confirmation of the remarkable tendency (observed earlier by Lindzen (1978) and Hamilton (1981)) for the semidiurnal component of tropical rainfall to peak at roughly 0330 (and 1530) LT. It also appears that (at least over the United States) this 0330 phase (or one slightly later) is quite typical of the midlatitude region as well. The significance of these findings for the theory of the semidiurnal atmospheric tide is discussed.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 79%

A note on the observed diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall variations

Hamilton¹

1981

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…For example, Gray and Jacobsen (1977), Fingerhut (1978), and McBride and Gray (1980) argue that the diurnal cycle of precipitation is a product of the day-night differences of atmospheric radiative cooling. Mapes (2001) proposes that clear-sky radiative cooling through the subsidence it produces governs the profile of water vapor especially in the upper troposphere.…”

Section: Rce and The Earth's Hydrological Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review

2005

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This paper offers a critical review of the topic of cloud-climate feedbacks and exposes some of the underlying reasons for the inherent lack of understanding of these feedbacks and why progress might be expected on this important climate problem in the coming decade. Although many processes and related parameters come under the influence of clouds, it is argued that atmospheric processes fundamentally govern the cloud feedbacks via the relationship between the atmospheric circulations, cloudiness, and the radiative and latent heating of the atmosphere. It is also shown how perturbations to the atmospheric radiation budget that are induced by cloud changes in response to climate forcing dictate the eventual response of the global-mean hydrological cycle of the climate model to climate forcing. This suggests that cloud feedbacks are likely to control the bulk precipitation efficiency and associated responses of the planet's hydrological cycle to climate radiative forcings.The paper provides a brief overview of the effects of clouds on the radiation budget of the earthatmosphere system and a review of cloud feedbacks as they have been defined in simple systems, one being a system in radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE) and others relating to simple feedback ideas that regulate tropical SSTs. The systems perspective is reviewed as it has served as the basis for most feedback analyses. What emerges is the importance of being clear about the definition of the system. It is shown how different assumptions about the system produce very different conclusions about the magnitude and sign of feedbacks. Much more diligence is called for in terms of defining the system and justifying assumptions. In principle, there is also neither any theoretical basis to justify the system that defines feedbacks in terms of global-time-mean changes in surface temperature nor is there any compelling empirical evidence to do so. The lack of maturity of feedback analysis methods also suggests that progress in understanding climate feedback will require development of alternative methods of analysis.It has been argued that, in view of the complex nature of the climate system, and the cumbersome problems encountered in diagnosing feedbacks, understanding cloud feedback will be gleaned neither from observations nor proved from simple theoretical argument alone. The blueprint for progress must follow a more arduous path that requires a carefully orchestrated and systematic combination of model and observations. Models provide the tool for diagnosing processes and quantifying feedbacks while observations provide the essential test of the model's credibility in representing these processes. While GCM climate and NWP models represent the most complete description of all the interactions between the processes that presumably establish the main cloud feedbacks, the weak link in the use of these models lies in the cloud parameterization imbedded in them. Aspects of these parameterizations remain worrisome, containing levels of empiricism and ...

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“…Recently, however, Gray and his colleagues have suggested that the diurnal variation of convection as well as the weak, but deep, inflow layer may be explained by differential radiative cooling between the cloudy interior regions of the hurricane and the relatively cloud-free environment (Gray and Jacobson, 1977). Numerical simulations by Fingerhut (1978) support the idea that horizontal variations in radiative heating can produce significant largescale divergence patterns. However, it is probable that diurnal variations in the divergent wind component and the associated condensation can occur with only minor changes in the rotational component of the storm, because of the long time scale required for the rotational wind to adjust to small changes in the divergent wind component.…”

Section: Radiationmentioning

confidence: 68%

Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology1

Rodenhuis¹,

Anthes²

1978

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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A few examples of scientific accomplishments in tropical meteorology and hurricane research are presented. Tropical field experiments such as GATE have greatly influenced observational studies of convection and tropical easterly waves. One application of the study of convection is the attempt to estimate precipitation from satellite platforms. Research in tropical cyclones has further improved the definition of large-scale structure and the environment in which the hurricane grows. Radiation, convection, and air-sea interaction studies are directed at the forcing and possible feedback of the hurricane with its environment. With this improved physical understanding, numerical modeling of hurricanes can now produce position forecasts of reasonable accuracy that are becoming competitive with current statistical-dynamical methods. There is a continuing effort to attempt hurricane modification experiments in conjunction with an adequate measurement program.

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A Numerical Model of a Diurnally Varying Tropical Cloud Cluster Disturbance

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

A note on the observed diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall variations

A note on the observed diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall variations

Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review

Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology1

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