• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.58-68
• /
• 2009

Three-dimensional distributions of longwave radiation flux for the April-September 1998 period are generated from radiative transfer calculations using the GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME) reanalysis temperature and humidity profiles and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cloudiness as inputs to understand the effect of cloud radiative forcing in the monsoon season. By subtracting the heating of the clear atmosphere from the cloudy radiative heating, cloud-induced atmospheric radiative heating has been obtained. Emphasis is placed on the impact of horizontal gradients of the cloud-generated radiative heating on the Asian monsoon. Cloud-induced heating exhibits its maximum heating areas within the Indian Ocean and minimum heating over the Tibetan Plateau, which establishes the north-south oriented differential heating gradient. Considering that the differential heating is a ultimate source generating the atmospheric circulation, the cloud-induced heating gradient established between the Indian Ocean and the Plateau can enhance the strength of the north-south Hadley-type monsoon circulation. Cooling at cloud top and warming at cloud bottom, which are the vertical distributions of cloud-induced heating, can exert on the monsoon circulation by altering the atmospheric stability.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.195-205
• /
• 2007

The influences of ice microphysical processes on urban heat island-induced convection and precipitation are numerically investigated using a cloud-resolving model (ARPS). Both warm- and cold-cloud simulations show that the downwind upward motion forced by specified low-level heating, which is regarded as representing an urban heat island, initiates moist convection and results in downwind precipitation. The surface precipitation in the cold-cloud simulation is produced earlier than that in the warm-cloud simulation. The maximum updraft is stronger in the cold-cloud simulation than in the warm-cloud simulation due to the latent heat release by freezing and deposition. The outflow formed in the boundary layer is cooler and propagates faster in the cold-cloud simulation due mainly to the additional cooling by the melting of falling hail particles. The removal of the specified low-level heating after the onset of surface precipitation results in cooler and faster propagating outflow in both the warm- and cold-cloud simulations.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.321-329
• /
• 2013

This study examines the effect of aerosols on the vertical invigoration of continental stratiform clouds, using a dataset of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Intensive Operational Period (IOP, March 2000) at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. To provide further support to our observation-based findings, the weather research and forecasting (WRF) sensitivity simulations with changing cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations have been carried out for the golden episode over SGP. First, cross correlation between observed aerosol scattering coefficient and cloud liquid water path (LWP) with a 160-minutes lag is the highest of r = 0.83 for the selected episode, which may be attributable to cloud vertical invigoration induced by an increase in aerosol loading. Modeled cloud fractions in a control run are well matched with the observation in the perspective of cloud morphology and lasting period. It is also found through a simple sensitivity with a change in CCN that aerosol invigoration (AIV) effect on stratiform cloud organization is attributable to a change in the cloud microphysics as well as dynamics such as the corresponding modification of cloud number concentrations, drop size, and latent heating rate, etc. This study suggests a possible cloud vertical invigoration even in the continental stratiform clouds due to aerosol enhancement in spite of a limited analysis based on a few observed continental cloud cases.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.229-241
• /
• 2011

The continuous urbanizations by a rapid economic growth and a steady increase in population are expected to have a possible impact on meteorology in the downwind region. Long-term (1972~2007) trends of precipitation have been examined in the mid-Korean peninsula for the westerly condition only, along with the sensitivity simulations for a golden day (11 February 2009). During the long-term period, both precipitation amount (PA) and frequency (PF) in the downwind region (Chuncheon, Wonju, Hongcheon) of urban area significantly increased for the westerly and light precipitation ($PA{\leq}1mm\;d^{-1}$) cases, whereas PA and PF in the mountainous region (Daegwallyeong) decreased. The enhancement ratio of PA and PF for the downwind region vs. urban region remarkably increased, which implies a possible urbanization effect on downwind precipitation. In addition, the WRF simulation applied for one golden day demonstrates enhanced updraft and its associated convergence in the downwind area (about 60 km), leading to an increase in the cloud mixing ratio. The sensitivity experiments with the change in surface roughness demonstrates a slight increase in cloud water mixing ratio but a negligible effect on precipitation in the upwind region, whereas those with the change in heat source represents the distinctive convergence and its associated updraft in the downwind region but a decrease in liquid water, which may be attributable to the evaporation of cloud droplet by atmospheric heating induced by an increase in an anthropogenic heat. In spite of limitations in the observation-based analysis and one-day simulation, the current result could provide an evidence of the effect of urbanization on the light precipitation in the downwind region.