PI: Hugh Coe

Co-investigators:

Manchester: Tom Choularton; Gordon McFiggans; Paul Connolly; Keith Bower; Jonathan Crosier; Martin Gallagher; Geraint Vaughan

Leeds: Alan Blyth; Alan Gadian; James McQuaid

Reading:Julia Slingo; Len Shaffrey; Thomas Toniazzo

Collaborators:

Met Office: Phil Brown; Steve Abel

VOCALS-UKBridging the scales between climate and cloud processes

VOCALS-UK is the UK Contribution to the VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere-Land Study

RATIONALE

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions may have a significant impact on climate on global and regional scales.

HOWEVER: The detailed processes are poorly known and the bases for their representation in global models is at present limited

The South East Pacific in Climate Models

All the stratocumulus regions (including the SEP) are poorly simulated in climate models.

The SEP is important for the global radiative budget and climate variability (especially El Nino).

Top: Interannual variability of SST in HadCM3 Bottom: Fractional change in SST variability when SSTs are relaxed back to model climatology.

VOCALSBridging the scales between climate and cloud processes

VOCALS will act to bridge the gap between climate models and key cloud processes by:

1) Diagnosing and testing important aspects of Climate model performance in Sc cloud regions – nested model resolution is key to this

2) Developing new process knowledge and parameterising it in a way that is effective for climate models

Doing this collaboratively through a Consortium will deliver useable parameterisations that have been developed in conjunction with their end users

It will provide process studies with a climate backdrop to the VOCALS experiment – an important context

Spring season (SON) mean cloud droplet effective radius from MODIS; mean surface winds from Quikscat; Sulphur sources are also shown

Component of SON shortwave cloud forcing [W m-2] due to geographic variations in effective radius, inferred from MODIS

Universities

Arizona State U.U. Concepción, ChCSUDrexel U.U. HawaiiU. Manchester UKU. MiamiNorth Carolina StateOregon State U.U. Reading UKU. ArizonaU. ChileUCLAU. ColoradoUCSDU. Leeds UKU. WashingtonU. Wyoming

Research Labs

Brookhaven Nat. COLACNRS/LMD FranceIMARPEIPRCLEGOSNASA GSFCNCARNOAA/CIRES NOAA/GFDLNRLPacific NorthwestWoods Hole

Operational Centers

BMRC AustraliaCPTEC Brazil ECMWF Int. JMA Japan NCEP US UKMO UKFunding $25M+

Logistic Support: UCAR JOSS

Models in VOCALS

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Alt

itu

de

(m

)

02:00 02:15 02:30 02:45 03:00Time (h:m)

0.30

0.20

0.10

0.00

LW

C (g

/kg

)

RAMS

AGCM

ROMSOGCM

LES

Trajectory Models

VOCALS-Mod UK Contribution

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Alt

itu

de

(m

)

02:00 02:15 02:30 02:45 03:00Time (h:m)

0.30

0.20

0.10

0.00

LW

C (g

/kg

)

RAMS

AGCM

ROMSOGCM

LES

Trajectory Models

WRF

HadGEM

HiGEM

ADDEM

WP7: Integration

WP6: Climate of the SEP: predictability, wider influence

WP5: Regional scale studies

WP3: Cloud studies

WP

4: R

adia

tion

inte

ract

ions

WP

2: A

eros

ol a

nd

CC

N p

rope

rtie

s

WP1:ARSF,FAAM,sondes

HADLEY CENTRE JC

NWP testing

Review of Sc in regional climate models

Legacy

MODELS

AC

PIM

/LE

M

WR

F

WR

F-C

HE

M NuG

AM

HiG

EM

Had

GE

M H

adC

M3 MEASURE-

MENTS

RE

AN

AL

YS

IS

Sh

ips,

bu

oys

sa

telli

tes

Tw

in O

tte

r,G

-1,C

13

0

Outputs VOCALS-UK Activities Analysis Tools Data Inputs Scale

Incr

ea

sin

g s

cale

Clo

ud

Me

so

Re

gio

na

l

Glo

ba

l

UC

LA R

AM

S

WP1: PLANNING (lead Bower; Coe; Brown; Crosier; Gallagher, Blyth)

The Calendar (additional teleconferences will be conducted)

• 11-12 June 2007 VOCALS-REx Preparatory Workshop, Boulder, CO

(HC and Steve Abel, Met Office)

• 1st-11th October 2007 Site Survey by NCAR JOSS team

• Jan 2008 NSF and NOAA funding decisions

• 17-19 March 2008 1st VOCALS Science and Operations Meeting,

Boulder, CO (HC, Thomas Toniazzo, Reading, Abel, MO)

• 5th-11th April 2008 FAAM recce to Chile (Bob Wells, FAAM; DirectFlight; Phil

Brown, MO)

Confirmed Arica will be the 146 base jointly with NSF

• June 2008 ARSF Do-228 recce to Arica jointly with G-1 team

• 17th-20th Oct Test Flying in the UK

• 21st-24th Oct Preparation and transit

• 25th Oct Set up in Chile

• 26th Oct-14th Nov inclusive – scientific operations in Chile

C-130

BAe-146 Do-228

Multi-platform sampling along the 20°S cross section will deliver:

1. a synthesised data set for testing of climate model representations of the SEP boundary layer.

2. A series of important case studies

WP1: PLANNING (lead Bower; Coe; Brown; Crosier; Gallagher, Blyth)

UK-VOCALS – co-ordinated cloud process modelling activities

WP3: Connolly (lead), Gadian, Crosier, Choularton, Gallagher, Brown, Blyth, Coe

WP 5: Blyth (lead), Connolly, Gadian, Crosier, McFiggans, Brown, Toniazzo

WP2.2; WP3.1Aerosols, drizzle formation and turbulence.High resolution process

studies.

ADDEM/ LEM / ACPIM models

l

WP3.3. 3-d dynamical Stratocumulus structure, aerosol properties and validation with WP3.1

LEM / WRF models

WP4.1 3-d cloud propertiesheterogeneity on largerscales: formation and

maintenance of POCS.

WRF / LEM models

Increasingdomain sizeIncreasing

resolution

WP2.3/5.2/5.3 Case studies of aerosol transformation and reactions.Assess predicted pollution

and CDNC on regional scale

WRF- CHEM

WP 5.1 Regional scale cloud processes modelling

WRFImproved Sc model skill

Testing and refinement

Parameterisation development

• Experiment based in Antigua to study warm rain formation in trade wind Cu.

• Study utilised data from 3 aircraft (FAAM, NSF C-130, King Air) to compare in-situ measurements of updraft characteristics with those simulated in the Met Office LEM.

• Model shown to produce significantly better simulations of warm rain when changes to the default parameters made.

•Demonstrates the importance of multi-aircraft compilation datasets

DefaultModified

WP4 UK-VOCALS – Cloud radiation studies

A unique contribution to VOCALS

Lead: Vaughan, Coe, Haywood (Met Office)Cloud properties such as cloud optical depth; cloud droplet concentration and mean cloud droplet size can be retrieved from satellite spectrometers such as MODIS

Imaging spectrometers on the Do-228 and the FAAM 146 will perform similar remote sensing roles but with higher spatial resolution.Overflying other aircraft making in situ measurements will allow us to observe cloud radiative properties and link them to in situ properties

Arica

Andes

Twin Otter

Do-228

G-1

Polluted cloudy column closure studies

The SEP Ocean in Climate Models

IMET Buoy at 85oW 20oS RV Ron Brown

Ocean Eddies in the SEP

Right: The ocean heat budget in HiGEM along 20oS

How does the ocean determine the climate of the SEP?

To investigate this we’ll be using HiGEM – a new coupled climate model where the resolution is high enough to permit ocean eddies.

Data from the IMET buoy suggests eddies are fundamental to the SEP heat budget. HiGEM appears to capture this key process. Ships observations from VOCALS-REX will increase understanding of these processes.

WP6: Slingo (lead); Shaffrey; Toniazzo

Understanding SEP cloud in Climate Models

HadCM3 sensitivity experiment where the Andes are moved a grid point to the east.

This has a dramatic impact on the coastal jet and the SST errors in the SEP

The stratocumulus decks are better represented at higher resolution.

Why? Better coastal jets? Better representation of coastal processes?

Perform an initial tendency analysis of the n216 climate model. Start from observations and understand how model errors “spin-up”.

Sea surface temperature and meridional wind errors in HadCM3

Cloud fraction and vertical profile of

temperature from HiGEM.

WP6: Slingo (lead); Shaffrey; Toniazzo

DELIVERABLESThe VOCALS-UK Consortium will deliver new insights into the influence of marine stratocumulus clouds on global and regional climate and provide much needed improvements in our ability to quantify the processes that influence stratocumulus clouds and man’s influences on them.

Specific deliverables are:• A unique dataset on the SEP that will act as an important future resource for research

• An assessment of the regional distribution of pollution aerosol and its influence on clouds.

• Improvements in the ability to quantify the roles of aerosol in controlling marine Sc cloud compared to other processes

• The identification of key processes necessary to improve the simulation skill of Sc in regional models.

• An evaluation of the HadGEM/HiGEM models in the SEP region.

• Assessment of the processes underpinning the maintenance of the climate in the SEP region and regulating the variability of the Tropical Pacific

• The transfer of VOCALS-UK knowledge to the climate and weather prediction communities

VOCALS WORKING GROUP – Chair: Mechoso

PI: Coe VOCALS-UK ADVISORY

TEAM

Mechoso, Wood, member of

Hadley Centre and MO NWP

Scientific Steering Group

(PI; co-Is; Met Office OBR, coordinators

WP1:

Bower

WP3:

Connolly

WP5:

Blyth

WP4:

Vaughan

WP6:

Slingo

WP2:

Coe

Process studies coordinator

Regional/Climate model coordinator

WP7:

Coe/ Slingo

BADC

VOCALS-Rex

Planning Team

VOCALS-UK OFFICE

Project coordinator,

secretary

NCAS Afiliations:Slingo: NCAS Director Climate ResearchVaughan: NCAS Director of Weather ResearchBlyth: NCAS Head of Ground based Observations and aircraft instrumentsCoe: NCAS Director of Airborne Observation

Project ManagementProject Meetings: 6 monthly to ensure that the main milestones are reached and that the future interaction necessary to achieve the goals is carried out.

Activity reports will be requested from the PIs partner after each of these. These will be collated by the Project Coordinator and copied to the Programme Manager at Swindon

A website will be maintained by the Project Coordinator (Grant Allen).

PI will direct the VOCALS project and chair the Scientific Steering Committee. He will be responsible for the delivery of the scientific programme and its overall management

The Scientific Steering Group comprises: the co-investigators; the project coordinator and the scientific coordinators; and members of the Met Office Observation Research Group team, led by Phil Brown. The function of this group is to scrutinize the science being carried out in the project and also its financial management. It will meet every 6 months.

The VOCALS-UK Advisory Team: will be composed of Roberto Mechoso (UCLA), the chair of the International VOCALS working group; Rob Wood (Washington), the coordinator of the VOCALS-REx; Phil Brown (Met Office Observational Research), a member of the Hadley Centre Climate modeling team and a member of the Met Office Numerical Weather Prediction model group.

Project Management

Two science coordinators will work with the WP leaders in the areas of aerosol and cloud process (Crosier) and at the interface between the HiGEM and WRF modeling activities (Toniazzo) to ensure that the work packages interface seamlessly.

Project OfficeProject Coordinator (Grant Allan): (25%)

-Organisation of the meetings-Collating 6 month reports and reporting them to NERC-Collating and preparing OPM returns-Preparation of the end of contract report-Auditing the milestones of the WPs and reporting to Steering Committee-Overall Data Management – ensuring data is delivered to BADC by partners-Developing project website

Project Secretary (Linda Foxley): (10%)- Provide a central service for the project. - archive project documentation- distribute meetings information, - organize the VOCALS-UK meeting logistics, - disseminate project information- act as a first point of contact for people interested in the project.

VOCALSBridging the scales between climate and cloud processes

WP7: Coe and Slingo

VOCALS will act to bridge the gap between climate models and key cloud processes by

1) Diagnosing and testing important aspects of Climate model performance in Sc cloud regions – nested model resolution is key to this

2) Developing new process knowledge and parameterising it in a way that is effective for climate models

Doing this collaboratively through a consortium will deliver useable parameterisations that have been developed in conjunction with their end users

It will provide process studies with a climate backdrop to the VOCALS experiment – an important context