Diagnosing cloud physical and dynamical processes atop thunderstorms using satellite observational data

Thunderstorms play a central role in the vertical transport of mass, momentum and energy between the troposphere and stratosphere that have important impact on the global climate in addition to causing hazardous weather. To assess the impacts of thunderstorms in both weather and climate regimes, we need to understand the thunderstorm physics in detail and that requires high quality observational data. Satellite data are the only kind of data that can potentially provide global coverage and temporally continuous thunderstorm data for the studies of thunderstorm physics, but they use remote sensing techniques that require correct interpretation to render them useful.

In this study, we utilize a 3-D nonhydrostatic time-dependent cloud resolving model for the purpose of interpreting the cloud physical and dynamical processes atop thunderstorms as observed by meteorological satellites. First, some important satellite-observed features such as the enhanced-V, warm wakes, cold rings, anvil-top plumes and storm-top ship waves will be summarized. Next, simulations of thunderstorm cases selected from actual observations will be presented to show that these features are successfully reproduced. Then the physics implemented in the cloud model will be used to explain the mechanisms that cause the respective visible and infrared features as observed. Both still images and videos will be used to demonstrate these mechanisms. The study results show that all these features are caused by the interaction between the ambient flow and storm internal circulations along with the cloud microphysical processes at the top of the storm.

Implications of these processes to the storm nowcasting, forecasting and the global atmospheric chemical and climate processes will also be addressed.