5a.6
On the Parameterization of Convective Precipitation Generated by Land Cover Change/Land Use in Large-Scale Atmospheric Models
Christopher P. Weaver, Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ; and R. Avissar and Y. Liu
To develop a parameterization of shallow convective clouds and precipitation induced by land-surface processes in GCMs, a set of simulations was performed with a high-resolution 3D atmospheric model. Similarity theory together with Buckingham Pi Theory, was used to derive a set of dimensionless groups, which describes the large-scale atmospheric background conditions, the spatial variability of surface sensible heat flux, and the characteristic structure of the landscape. These dimensionless groups were used to calculate the coefficients of a Chebyshev polynomial, which represents the self similar vertical profiles of dimensionless mesoscale heat fluxes obtained for a broad range of large-scale atmospheric conditions and different landscapes. Observations collected during GCIP and the LBA Experiment in Amazonia suggest that the parameterization provides reasonable results.
Session 5a, Terrestrial Biosphere Feedback to the Atmosphere at the Regional and Global Scales (Parallel with Session 5B)
Thursday, 13 January 2000, 8:30 AM-2:30 PM
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