Summary
The effects of clouds on the large-scale vorticity budget are parameterized in terms of cloud mass flux and momentum differences between the cloud ensemble and the large-scale environment. The cloud mass flux distribution is calculated using the parameterization scheme of Arakawa and Schubert (1974). For the determination of the momentum effects of a cloud ensemble, three different parameterization concepts are developed: first, constant momentum in the cloud which is injected from the environment in the convergence layer of the lower troposphere; second, a generation of a vortex couplet induced by the tilting of horizontal vorticity components; third, drag effects of clouds which interact with the large-scale flow.
The computed momentum effects from each of the three parameterizations are compared with the residual of the large-scale vorticity budget for B/C-scale observations during GATE 74 Phase III using a composite technique. With moderate convection and wind shear best results are achieved by the description of the vortex couplet; intense convection and small wind shear are best explained by the constant cloud momentum model; the drag of the clouds on the large-scale flow appears to dominate during periods of weak convection.
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König, W., Ruprecht, E. Effects of convective clouds on the large-scale vorticity budget. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 41, 213–229 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01026111
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01026111