Using the VOCALS and Satellite Data to Improve the Treatment of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds and Turbulence in the NCEP CFS03 and NCAR CCSM3

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

This is project is a contribution to the VOCALS (VAMOS Ocean-Cloud-Atmosphere Study) project; VAMOS is the Variability of the American Monsoon System project. It is widely recognized that the marine atmospheric boundary layer and the stratus and stratocumulus clouds that top it are critically important for the verisimilitude of coupled climate models in the Southeastern Pacific. Most models, however, still have serious deficiencies in representing these features in this region. As part of the overall modeling efforts for VOCALS, in-situ observations from the VOCALS field campaign (VOCALS REx - VOCALS Regional Experiment), will be combined with previous field observations, and satellite data from CloudSat, CALIPSO, ICESat, and MODIS, to address the poor simulation of the marine boundary layer in the Southeast Pacific. In-situ and satellite data will be integrated to document and to understand the temporal and spatial variations of the marine boundary layer height and clouds Broader impacts of this project are in its contributions to the overall VOCALS effort: the combined dataset will be made readily available through the investigators' web page and through CD/DVD dissemination. Results from the research will be presented to students in the lead investigator's gradate course.