References

ACP

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ACP

1680-7324

Copernicus GmbH

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/acp-7-4553-2007

Lightning and convection parameterisations – uncertainties in global modelling

Tost

¹ Jöckel

¹ Lelieveld

Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, P.O. Box 3060, 55020 Mainz, Germany

05 09 2007

7 17 4553 4568

This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/4553/2007/acp-7-4553-2007.html

The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/7/4553/2007/acp-7-4553-2007.pdf

The simulation of convection, lightning and consequent NOx emissions with global atmospheric chemistry models is associated with large uncertainties since these processes are heavily parameterised. Each parameterisation by itself has deficiencies and the combination of these substantially increases the uncertainties compared to the individual parameterisations. In this study several combinations of state-of-the-art convection and lightning parameterisations are used in simulations with the global atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy, and are evaluated against lightning observations. A wide range in the spatial and temporal variability of the simulated flash densities is found, attributed to both types of parameterisations. Some combinations perform well, whereas others are hardly applicable. In addition to resolution dependent rescaling parameters, each combination of lightning and convection schemes requires individual scaling to reproduce the observed flash frequencies. The resulting NOx profiles are inter-compared, however definite conclusions about the most realistic profiles can currently not be drawn.

References 1

Allen, D J. and Pickering, K E.: Evaluation of lightning flash rate parameterizations for use in a global chemical transport model, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 4711, \doi10.1029/2002JD002066, 2002.

Barthe, C., Molinié, G., and Pinty, J.-P.: Description and first results of an explicit electrical scheme in a 3D cloud resolving model, Atmos. Res., 76, 95–113, 2005.

Bechtold, P., Bazile, E., Guichard, F., Mascart, P., and Richard, E.: A mass-flux convection scheme for regional and global models, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 127, 869–886, 2001.

Bechtold, P., Chaboureau, J.-P., Beljaars, A., Betts, A K., Köhler, M., Miller, M., and Redelsperger, J.-L.: The simulation of the diurnal cycle of convective precipitation over land in a global model, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 130, 3119–3137, 2004.

Christian, H J., Blakeslee, R J., Goodman, S J., Mach, D A., Stewart, M F., Buechler, D E., Koshak, W J., Hall, J M., Boek, W L., Driscoll, K T., and Boccippio, D J.: The Lightning Imaging Sensor, in: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Atmospheric Electricity, Guntersville, Alabama, 7–11 June , 746–749, 1999.

Christian, H J., Blakeslee, R J., Boccippio, D J., Boeck, W L., Buechler, D E., Driscoll, K T., Goodman, S J., Hall, J M., Koshak, W J., Mach, D M., and Stewart, M F.: Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4005, \doi10.1029/2002JD002347, 2003.

Grewe, V., Brunner, D., Dameris, M., Grenfell, J L., Hein, R., Shindell, D., and Staehelin, J.: Origin and variability of upper tropospheric nitrogen oxides and ozone at northern mid-latitudes, Atmos. Environ., 35, 3421–3433, 2001.

Hack, J J.: Parameterization of moist convection in the National Center for Atmospheric Research community climate model (CCM2), J. Geophys. Res., 99, 5551–5568, 1994.

Jacobson, M Z.: Atmopsheric Pollution, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Jeuken, A. B M., Siegmund, P C., Heijboer, L C., Feichter, J., and Bengtsson, L.: On the potential of assimilating meteorological analyses in a global climate model for the purpose of model validation, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 16 939–16 950, 1996.

Jöckel, P., Sander, R., Kerkweg, A., Tost, H., and Lelieveld, J.: Technical Note: The Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) – a new approach towards Earth System Modeling, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 433–444, 2005.

Jöckel, P., Tost, H., Pozzer, A., Brühl, C., Buchholz, J., Ganzeveld, L., Hoor, P., Kerkweg, A., Lawrence, M G., Sander, R., Steil, B., Stiller, G., Tanarhte, M., Taraborrelli, D., van Aardenne, J., and Lelieveld, J.: The atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy1: consistent simulation of ozone from the surface to the mesosphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 5067–5104, 2006.

Kummerow, C., Simpson, J., Thiele, O., Barnes, W., Chang, A. T C., Stocker, E., Adler, R F., Hou, A., Kakar, R., Wentz, F., Ashcroft, P., Kozu, T., Hong, Y., Okamoto, K., Iguchi, T., Kuroiwa, H., Im, E., Haddad, Z., Huffman, G., Ferrier, B., Olson, W S., Zipser, E., Smith, E A., Wilheit, T T., North, G., Krishnamurti, T., and Nakamura, K.: The Status of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) after two years in orbit, J. Appl. Meteorol., 39, 1965–1982, 2000.

Kurz, C. and Grewe, V.: Lightning and thunderstorms, Part I: Observational data and model results, Met. Zeitschr., 11, 379–393, \doi10.1127/0941-2498/2002/0011-0379, 2002.

Labrador, L J., v. Kuhlmann, R., and Lawrence, M G.: The effects of lightning-produced NOx and its vertical distribution on atmospheric chemistry: sensitivity simulations with MATCH-MPIC, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 5, 1815–1834, 2005.

Lawrence, M G., Crutzen, P J., Rasch, P J., Eaton, B E., and Mahowald, N M.: A model for studies of tropospheric chemistry: Description, global distributions and evaluation, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 26 245–26 277, 1999.

Nickolaenko, A P., Hayakawa, M., and Sekiguchi, M.: Variations in global thunderstorm activity inferred from the OTD records, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L06823, \doi10.1029/2005GL024884, 2006.

Nordeng, T E.: Extended versions of the convective parametrization scheme at ECMWF and their impact on the mean and transient activity of the model in the tropics, Tech. Rep. 206, ECWMF, 1994.

Petersen, W A. and Rutledge, S A.: On the relationship between cloud-to-ground lightning and convective rainfall, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 14 025–14 040, 1998.

Petersen, W A., Christian, H J., and Rutledge, S A.: TRMM observations of the global relationship between ice water content and lightning, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L14819, \doi10.1029/2005GL023236, 2005.

Pickering, K E., Wang, Y., Tao, W.-K., Price, C., and Müller, J.-F.: Vertical distribution of lightning NOx for use in regional and chemical transport models, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31 203–31 216, 1998.

Price, C. and Rind, D.: A simple Lightning Parametrization for Calculating Global Lightning Distributions, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 9919–9933, 1992.

Price, C. and Rind, D.: What determines the Cloud-to-Ground Lightning fraction in Thunderstorms, Geophys. Res. Lett., 20, 463–466, 1993.

Price, C. and Rind, D.: Modeling Global Lightning Distributions in a General Circulation Model, Mon. Weather Rev., 122, 1930–1939, 1994.

Price, C., Penner, J., and Prather, M.: NOx from lightning, 1. Global distribution based on lightning physics, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 5929–5941, 1997a.

Price, C., Penner, J., and Prather, M.: NOx from lightning, 2. Constraints from the global atmospheric electric circuit, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 5943–5951, 1997b.

Rasch, P J., Mahowald, N M., and Eaton, B E.: Representations of transport, convection and the hydrologic cycle in chemical transport models: Implications for the modeling of short-lived and soluble species, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 28 127–28 138, 1997.

Roeckner, E., Bäuml, G., Bonaventura, L., Brokopf, R., Esch, M., Giorgetta, M., Hagemann, S., Kirchner, I., Kornblue, L., Manzini, E., Rhodin, A., Schleese, U., Schulzweida, U., and Tompkins, A.: The atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM5: Part 1, Tech. Rep. 349, Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie, 2003.

Roeckner, E., Brokopf, R., Esch, M., Giorgetta, M., Hagemann, S., Kornblue, L., Manzini, E., Schleese, U., and Schulzweida, U.: The atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM5: Part 2, Tech. Rep. 354, Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie, 2004.

Roeckner, E., Brokopf, R., Esch, M., Giogetta, M., Hagemann, S., Kornblueh, L., Manzini, E., Schleese, U., and Schulzweida, U.: Sensitivity of simulated climate to horizontal and vertical resolution in the ECHAM5 atmosphere model, J. Climate, 19, 3771–3791, 2006.

Schumann, U. and Huntrieser, H.: The global lightning-induced nitrogen oxides source, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 3823–3907, 2007.

Taylor, K E.: Summarizing multiple aspects of model preformance in a single diagram, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 7183–7192, 2001.

Thomas, R J., Krehbiel, P R., Rison, W., Hamlin, T., Boccippio, D J., Goodman, S J., and Christian, H J.: Comparison of ground-based 3-dimensional lightning mapping observations with satellite-based LIS observations in Oklahoma, Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 1703–1706, 2000.

Tiedtke, M.: A Comprehensive Mass Flux Scheme for Cumulus Parametrization in Large-Scale Models, Mon. Weather Rev., 117, 1779–1800, 1989.

Tost, H.: Global Modelling of Cloud, Convection and Precipitation Influences on Trace Gases and Aerosols, Ph.D. thesis, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany, available at: http://hss.ulb.uni-bonn.de/diss_online/math_nat_fak/2006/tost_holger, 2006.

Tost, H., Jöckel, P., and Lelieveld, J.: Influence of different convection parameterisations in a GCM, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 5475–5493, 2006.

van Aalst, M K., van den Broek, M. M P., Bregman, A., Brühl, C., Steil, B., Toon, G C., Garcelon, S., Hansford, G M., Jones, R L., Gardiner, T D., Roelofs, G.-J., Lelieveld, J., and Crutzen, P.: Trace gas transport in the 1999/2000 Arctic winter: comparison of nudged GCM runs with observations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 4, 81–93, 2004.

Wilcox, E M.: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Precipitation Tropical Cloud Systems in Satellite Imagery and the NCAR CCM3, J. Climate, 16, 3545–3559, 2003.

Zhang, G J. and McFarlane, N A.: Sensitivity of Climate Simulations to the Parameterization of Cumulus Convection in the Canadian Climate Centre General Circulation Model, Atmosphere-Ocean, 33, 407–446, 1995.