Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Role of Radiative–Convective Feedbacks in Spontaneous Tropical Cyclogenesis in Idealized Numerical Simulations

Allison A. Wing Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York

Search for other papers by Allison A. Wing in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Suzana J. Camargo Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York

Search for other papers by Suzana J. Camargo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Adam H. Sobel Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York

Search for other papers by Adam H. Sobel in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Jul 2016
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-15-0380.1
Page(s):
2633–2642
Restricted access

Abstract

The authors perform 3D cloud-resolving simulations of radiative–convective equilibrium (RCE) in a rotating framework, with interactive radiation and surface fluxes and fixed sea surface temperature. A tropical cyclone is allowed to develop spontaneously from a homogeneous environment, rather than initializing the circulation with a weak vortex or moist bubble (as is often done in numerical simulations of tropical cyclones). The resulting tropical cyclogenesis is compared to the self-aggregation of convection that occurs in nonrotating RCE simulations. The feedbacks leading to cyclogenesis are quantified using a variance budget equation for the column-integrated frozen moist static energy. In the initial development of a broad circulation, feedbacks involving longwave radiation and surface enthalpy fluxes dominate, which is similar to the initial phase of nonrotating self-aggregation. Mechanism denial experiments are also performed to determine the extent to which the radiative feedbacks that are essential to nonrotating self-aggregation are important for tropical cyclogenesis. Results show that radiative feedbacks aid cyclogenesis but are not strictly necessary.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-15-0380.s1.

Corresponding author address: Allison A. Wing, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964. E-mail: awing@ldeo.columbia.edu

Abstract

The authors perform 3D cloud-resolving simulations of radiative–convective equilibrium (RCE) in a rotating framework, with interactive radiation and surface fluxes and fixed sea surface temperature. A tropical cyclone is allowed to develop spontaneously from a homogeneous environment, rather than initializing the circulation with a weak vortex or moist bubble (as is often done in numerical simulations of tropical cyclones). The resulting tropical cyclogenesis is compared to the self-aggregation of convection that occurs in nonrotating RCE simulations. The feedbacks leading to cyclogenesis are quantified using a variance budget equation for the column-integrated frozen moist static energy. In the initial development of a broad circulation, feedbacks involving longwave radiation and surface enthalpy fluxes dominate, which is similar to the initial phase of nonrotating self-aggregation. Mechanism denial experiments are also performed to determine the extent to which the radiative feedbacks that are essential to nonrotating self-aggregation are important for tropical cyclogenesis. Results show that radiative feedbacks aid cyclogenesis but are not strictly necessary.

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-15-0380.s1.

Corresponding author address: Allison A. Wing, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964. E-mail: awing@ldeo.columbia.edu

Supplementary Materials

    • Supplemental Materials (ZIP 78.80 MB)
Save
Cover Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

  • Andersen, J. A., and Z. Kuang, 2012: Moist static energy budget of MJO-like disturbances in the atmosphere of a zonally symmetric aquaplanet. J. Climate, 25, 2782–2804, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00168.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Arnold, N. P., and D. A. Randall, 2015: Global-scale convective aggregation: Implications for the Madden-Julian Oscillation. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 7, 1499–1518, doi:10.1002/2015MS000498.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Boos, W. R., A. V. Fedorov, and L. Muir, 2016: Convective self-aggregation and tropical cyclogenesis under the hypohydrostatic rescaling. J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 525–544, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-15-0049.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bretherton, C. S., and M. F. Khairoutdinov, 2015: Convective self-aggregation feedbacks in near-global cloud-resolving simulations of an aquaplanet. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 7, 1765–1787, doi:10.1002/2015MS000499.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bretherton, C. S., P. N. Blossey, and M. Khairoutdinov, 2005: An energy-balance analysis of deep convective self-aggregation above uniform SST. J. Atmos. Sci., 62, 4273–4292, doi:10.1175/JAS3614.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bu, Y., R. Fovell, and K. Corbosiero, 2014: Influence of cloud radiative forcing on tropical cyclone structure. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1644–1662, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-13-0265.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Clough, S. A., M. W. Shephard, E. J. Mlawer, J. S. Delamere, M. J. Iacono, K. Cady-Pereira, S. Boukabara, and P. D. Brown, 2005: Atmospheric radiative transfer modeling: A summary of the AER codes. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 91, 233–244, doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2004.05.058.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Computational Information Systems Laboratory, 2012: Yellowstone: IBM iDataPlex System (University Community Computing). National Center for Atmospheric Research, http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7wd3xhc.

  • Davis, C. A., 2015: The formation of moist vortices and tropical cyclones in idealized simulations. J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 3499–3516, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-15-0027.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Dunkerton, T. J., M. T. Montgomery, and Z. Wang, 2009: Tropical cyclogenesis in a tropical wave critical layer: Easterly waves. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 5587–5646, doi:10.5194/acp-9-5587-2009.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hakim, G., 2011: The mean state of axisymmetric hurricanes in statistical equilibrium. J. Atmos. Sci., 68, 1364–1376, doi:10.1175/2010JAS3644.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Held, I. M., and M. Zhao, 2008: Horizontally homogeneous rotating radiative–convective equilibria at GCM resolution. J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 2003–2013, doi:10.1175/2007JAS2604.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Iacono, M. J., J. S. Delamere, E. J. Mlawer, M. W. Shephard, S. A. Clough, and W. D. Collins, 2008: Radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases: Calculations with the AER radiative transfer models. J. Geophys. Res., 113, D13103, doi:10.1029/2008JD009944.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Jeevanjee, N., and D. M. Romps, 2013: Convective self-aggregation, cold pools, and domain size. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 994–998, doi:10.1002/grl.50204.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Khairoutdinov, M. F., and D. A. Randall, 2003: Cloud resolving modeling of the ARM summer 1997 IOP: Model formulation, results, uncertainties, and sensitivities. J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 607–625, doi:10.1175/1520-0469(2003)060<0607:CRMOTA>2.0.CO;2.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Khairoutdinov, M. F., and K. Emanuel, 2013: Rotating radiative-convective equilibrium simulated by a cloud-resolving model. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 5, 816–825, doi:10.1002/2013MS000253.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Melhauser, C., and F. Zhang, 2014: Diurnal radiation cycle impact on the pregenesis environment of Hurricane Karl (2010). J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1241–1259, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-13-0116.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Mlawer, E. J., S. J. Taubman, P. D. Brown, M. J. Iacono, and S. A. Clough, 1997: Radiative transfer for inhomogeneous atmospheres: RRTM, a validated correlated-k model for the longwave. J. Geophys. Res., 102, 16 663–16 682, doi:10.1029/97JD00237.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Muller, C. J., and I. M. Held, 2012: Detailed investigation of the self-aggregation of convection in cloud-resolving simulations. J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 2551–2565, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-11-0257.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Muller, C. J., and S. Bony, 2015: What favors convective aggregation and why? Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 5626–5643, doi:10.1002/2015GL064260.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Nolan, D. S., E. D. Rappin, and K. A. Emanuel, 2007: Tropical cyclonegenesis sensitivity to environmental parameters in radiative–convective equilibrium. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 133, 2085–2107, doi:10.1002/qj.170.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Raymond, D. J., S. L. Sessions, and Ž. Fuchs, 2007: A theory for the spinup of tropical depressions. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 133, 1743–1754, doi:10.1002/qj.125.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Reed, K. A., and D. R. Chavas, 2015: Uniformly rotating global radiative-convective equilibrium in the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 7, 1938–1955, doi:10.1002/2015MS000519.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schecter, D. A., 2011: Evaluation of a reduced model for investigating hurricane formation from turbulence. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 155–178, doi:10.1002/qj.729.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Schecter, D. A., 2013: Relationships between convective asymmetry, imbalance and intensity in numerically simulated tropical cyclones. Tellus, 65A, 20168, doi:10.3402/tellusa.v65i0.20168.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sessions, S. L., S. Sugaya, D. J. Raymond, and A. H. Sobel, 2010: Multiple equilibria in a cloud-resolving model using the weak temperature gradient approximation. J. Geophys. Res., 115, D12110, doi:10.1029/2009JD013376.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sobel, A., and E. Maloney, 2012: An idealized semi-empirical framework for modeling the Madden–Julian oscillation. J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 1691–1705, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-11-0118.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sobel, A., G. Bellon, and J. Bacmeister, 2007: Multiple equilibria in a single-column model of the tropical atmosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22804, doi:10.1029/2007GL031320.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sobel, A., S. Wang, and D. Kim, 2014: Moist static energy budget of the MJO during DYNAMO. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 4276–4291, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-14-0052.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Stephens, G. L., S. van den Heever, and L. Pakula, 2008: Radiative–convective feedbacks in idealized states of radiative–convective equilibrium. J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 3899–3916, doi:10.1175/2008JAS2524.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Tompkins, A. M., 2001: Organization of tropical convection in low vertical wind shears: The role of water vapor. J. Atmos. Sci., 58, 529–545, doi:10.1175/1520-0469(2001)058<0529:OOTCIL>2.0.CO;2.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wing, A. A., 2014: Physical mechanisms controlling self-aggregation of convection in idealized numerical modeling simulations. Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 146 pp. [Available online at http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/90606.]

  • Wing, A. A., and K. A. Emanuel, 2014: Physical mechanisms controlling self-aggregation of convection in idealized numerical modeling simulations. J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 6, 59–74, doi:10.1002/2013MS000269.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wing, A. A., and T. W. Cronin, 2016: Self-aggregation of convection in long channel geometry. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 142, 1–15, doi:10.1002/qj.2628.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Yokoi, S., and A. H. Sobel, 2015: Seasonal march and intraseasonal variability of the moist static energy budget over the eastern Maritime Continent during CINDY2001/DYNAMO. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 93A, 81–100, doi:10.2151/jmsj.2015-041.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Zhou, W., I. M. Held, and S. T. Garner, 2014: Parameter study of tropical cyclones in rotating radiative–convective equilibrium with column physics and resolution of a 25-km GCM. J. Atmos. Sci., 71, 1058–1068, doi:10.1175/JAS-D-13-0190.1.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1255 263 12
PDF Downloads 1075 199 9