Marsham, JH, Dixon, N, Garcia-Carreras, L et al. (4 more authors) (2013) The role of moist convection in the West African monsoon system - insights from continental-scale convection-permitting simulations. Geophysical Research Letters, 40 (9). 1843 - 1849. ISSN 0094-8276
Abstract
Predicting the West African monsoon (WAM) remains a major challenge for weather and climate models. We compare multiday continental-scale simulations of the WAM that explicitly resolve moist convection with simulations which parameterize convection. Simulations with the same grid spacing but differing representations of convection isolate the impact of the representation of convection. The more realistic explicit convection gives greater latent and radiative heating farther north, with latent heating later in the day. This weakens the Sahel-Sahara pressure gradient and the monsoon flow, delaying its diurnal cycle and changing interactions between the monsoon and boundary layer convection. In explicit runs, cold storm outflows provide a significant component of the monsoon flux. In an operational global model, biases resemble those in our parameterized case. Improved parameterizations of convection that better capture storm structures, their diurnal cycle, and rainfall intensities will therefore substantially improve predictions of the WAM and coupled aspects of the Earth system.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2013, Wiley-Backwell. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Cold-pool outflows; Explicit and parameterized convection; Moist convection; West African monsoon |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Oct 2013 10:00 |
Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2014 02:59 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/grl.50347 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley-Backwell |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/grl.50347 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:76579 |