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Self-Aggregation of Convective Clouds With Interactive Sea Surface Temperature.
S Shamekh1, C Muller1, J-P Duvel1
1Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique IPSL, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, CNRS Paris France.
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
|December 7, 2020
Summary
Interactive sea surface temperature (SST) slows deep convective cloud self-aggregation. However, negative SST anomalies in driest regions surprisingly accelerate aggregation by strengthening diverging circulation, a key factor in cloud clustering.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Science
- Oceanography
Background:
- Deep convective clouds exhibit self-aggregation, a process influencing Earth's climate.
- Sea surface temperature (SST) is a key factor in cloud dynamics and climate feedbacks.
- Understanding cloud-SST interactions is crucial for accurate climate modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feedback mechanisms between interactive sea surface temperature (SST) and deep convective cloud self-aggregation.
- To determine how ocean slab depth influences the SST-cloud aggregation relationship.
- To elucidate the role of surface pressure anomalies and boundary layer processes in modulating cloud aggregation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cloud-resolving model in nonrotating radiative-convective equilibrium.
- Modeled the ocean as a one-layer slab with spatially varying temperature.
- Conducted sensitivity experiments to confirm key physical processes.
Main Results:
- Interactive SST was found to decelerate cloud self-aggregation, with shallower slabs showing greater deceleration.
- Initially, positive SST anomalies in dry regions opposed aggregation, but negative anomalies in the driest columns surprisingly favored it.
- Diverging circulation out of dry regions, linked to positive surface pressure anomalies (PSFC), correlated strongly with aggregation speed.
Conclusions:
- Boundary layer radiative cooling plays a critical role in generating surface pressure anomalies in dry regions.
- These pressure anomalies drive shallow diverging circulation, thereby modulating deep convective cloud aggregation speed.
- The complex interplay between SST, boundary layer processes, and circulation dynamics significantly impacts cloud self-aggregation.
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