The Diurnal Path to Persistent Convective Self-Aggregation.

ABSTRACT: Clustering of tropical thunderstorms constitutes an important climate feedback because it influences the radiative balance. Convective self-aggregation (CSA) is a profound modeling paradigm for explaining the clustering of tropical oceanic thunderstorms. However, CSA is hampered in the realistic limit of fine model resolution when cold pools-dense air masses beneath thunderstorm clouds-are well-resolved. Studies on CSA usually assume the surface temperature to be constant, despite realistic surface temperatures varying significantly between night and day. Here we mimic the diurnal cycle in cloud-resolving numerical experiments by prescribing a surface temperature oscillation. Our simulations show that the diurnal cycle enables CSA at fine resolutions, and that the process is even accelerat

SUBMITTER: Jensen GG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9286477 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature