Numerical Studies of the Interaction of Mesoscale Convective Systems With the Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere Environment

该项目是一个基于模型的科学调查，有几个任务直接支持TOGA/COARE目标。中尺度模式的开发和测试将集中在两个方面。首先，在TOGA COARE IOP的赤道海洋区域对Penn State/NCAR中尺度模式的对流参数化进行测试，并对其进行适当修改，使其能够准确模拟热带对流。其次，对现有的四维资料同化方案进行修改，使其适用于热带地区，以便利用特殊的野外项目资料更有效地初始化中尺度模式。此外，该数据同化程序将作为生成基于TOGA COARE观测的网格化模式同化中尺度数据集的工具进行评估。然后将利用中尺度模式进行敏感性研究，并对模式同化的数据集进行分析，以确定热带深层对流如何与其大尺度海洋和大气环境相互作用。这项研究是TOGA/COARE的重要研究之一，它将对流尺度物理过程与影响世界上一个特别气候敏感地区——西太平洋的气候变率的更大尺度联系起来，西太平洋是TOGA COARE的实地站点。

This project is a model-based scientific investigation with several tasks that directly support TOGA/COARE objectives. Mesoscale model development and testing will be focussed in two areas. First, the convective parameterization in the Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model will be tested for the equatorial maritime region of the TOGA COARE IOP, and modified appropriately to allow it to accurately simulate tropical convection. Secondly, an existing four-dimensional data assimilation scheme will be modified for use in the tropics so that the special field program data can be used to more effectively initialize the mesoscale model. In addition, this data-assimilation program will be evaluated as a tool for generation of gridded model- assimilated mesoscale data sets based on the TOGA COARE observations. Sensitivity studies with the mesoscale model, and analysis of the model-assimilated data sets, will then be performed to determine how tropical deep convection interacts with its large scale oceanic and atmospheric environment. This research is important because it serves as one of the studies of TOGA/COARE that links convective scale physical processes to the larger scales that impact climate variability in an especially climate sensitive region of the world, the western Pacific Ocean, the field site of TOGA COARE.