High-resolution CRM simulations from IHOP: Land-atmosphere interactions

The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model, a cloud-resolving model (CRM), has been coupled to different land surface models to better simulate continental convection. Originally the GCE model was coupled to PLACE (the Parameterization for Land-Cloud-Exchange) but has recently been coupled to LIS (the Land Information System), which contains a suite of different land models.

The coupled model was used to simulate a convective case day that occurred on 12 June 2002 over the central southern plains during the International H2O Project (IHOP), which took place during the summer of 2002. The objectives of this study are to examine the impact of non-uniform initial conditions, for both the atmosphere and land, and horizontal resolution on convective development and organization. The results are also compared with observations.