Abstract
Numerical simulations of tropical cyclones in an axisymmetric model with the Betts convective adjustment scheme and the 1974 Kuo cumulus parameterization are compared. It is shown that the storm with the Betts scheme has a slightly more intense mature stage than the storm with the Kuo scheme. For both schemes, the parameterized heating is dominant initially, while the grid-scale heating is dominant at the mature stage. The storms begin to intensify rapidly when the grid-scale heating extends through a deep layer. The Betts scheme is more effective at removing water vapor and delays the onset of grid-scale heating. This results in later development of the storm with the Betts scheme. The storm evolution with both the Betts and Kuo schemes is sensitive to the treatment of the evaporation of liquid water in the grid-scale condensation scheme. This suggests that a prognostic equation for liquid water should be used when simulating tropical cyclones with a model resolution fine enough for grid-scale heating to be important.
