Interactions of Deep Cumulus Convection and the Boundary Layer over the Southern Great Plains

We are using observations and cloud-resolving model simulations to better understand the interaction between deep cumulus convection and the boundary layer over the southern Great Plains of the United States. The observations are from a 29-day DOE ARM (Dept. of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program) Single Column Model Intensive Observation Period that took place at the ARM Southern Great Plains site during June and July 1997. The observations included temperature, humidity, and wind profiles from radiosondes launched at 3-hourly intervals from five sites, surface turbulent and radiative fluxes, rainfall rates based on a combination of radar and rain gauge measurements, top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes, cloud amounts, and cloud fraction profiles obtained from a cloud radar. The ARM Data and Science Integration Team analyzed the observations in order to obtain estimates of the large-scale advective tendencies of temperature and water vapor. These estimates, along with those of the surface turbulent fluxes and the radiative heating rate profile, make it possible to perform diagnostic studies of the the interaction between convection and the boundary layer, as well as simulations of this interaction using cloud-resolving models. We are undertaking both approaches, and will present results at the meeting.