Effects of Model Physics Options on Simulated Storm Depth

In March and April of 2011, NASA's WB-57 high-altitude aircraft, outfitted with more than 20 instruments, flew over parts of southern Oklahoma and northern Texas to conduct the Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX). One instrument carried onboard was the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS), which measured total water, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide. One flight, conducted April 20, 2011, flew downstream of vigorous deep convection located in central Texas. This study attempts to pair outputs from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) with the chemical concentrations recorded by ALIAS. For example, the level of maximum detrainment (LMD) will be analyzed from the model's boundary layer passive tracer output and compared to the peak carbon monoxide values sampled by ALIAS in the upper troposphere. Preliminary results show the simulated storms detrain at altitudes approximately 1 km above sampled anvil plumes. The sensitivity of the depth of the simulated storm to various physics options is being investigated further; results will be presented.