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Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability

Publication ,  Journal Article
Nogueira, M; Barros, AP; Miranda, PMA
Published in: Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics
September 20, 2013

Rain and cloud fields produced by fully nonlinear idealized cloud resolving numerical simulations of orographic convective precipitation display statistical multiscaling behavior, implying that multifractal diagnostics should provide a physically robust basis for the downscaling and sub-grid scale parameterizations of moist processes. Our results show that the horizontal scaling exponent function (and respective multiscaling parameters) of the simulated rainfall and cloud fields varies with atmospheric and terrain properties, particularly small-scale terrain spectra, atmospheric stability, and advective timescale. This implies that multifractal diagnostics of moist processes for these simulations are fundamentally transient, exhibiting complex nonlinear behavior depending on atmospheric conditions and terrain forcing at each location. A particularly robust behavior found here is the transition of the multifractal parameters between stable and unstable cases, which has a clear physical correspondence to the transition from stratiform to organized (banded and cellular) convective regime. This result is reinforced by a similar behavior in the horizontal spectral exponent. Finally, our results indicate that although nonlinearly coupled fields (such as rain and clouds) have different scaling exponent functions, there are robust relationships with physical underpinnings between the scaling parameters that can be explored for hybrid dynamical-statistical downscaling. © 2013 Author(s).

Duke Scholars

Published In

Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics

DOI

EISSN

1607-7946

ISSN

1023-5809

Publication Date

September 20, 2013

Volume

20

Issue

5

Start / End Page

605 / 620

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3706 Geophysics
  • 04 Earth Sciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Nogueira, M., Barros, A. P., & Miranda, P. M. A. (2013). Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 20(5), 605–620. https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-20-605-2013
Nogueira, M., A. P. Barros, and P. M. A. Miranda. “Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability.” Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics 20, no. 5 (September 20, 2013): 605–20. https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-20-605-2013.
Nogueira M, Barros AP, Miranda PMA. Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics. 2013 Sep 20;20(5):605–20.
Nogueira, M., et al. “Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability.” Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, vol. 20, no. 5, Sept. 2013, pp. 605–20. Scopus, doi:10.5194/npg-20-605-2013.
Nogueira M, Barros AP, Miranda PMA. Multifractal properties of embedded convective structures in orographic precipitation: Toward subgrid-scale predictability. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics. 2013 Sep 20;20(5):605–620.

Published In

Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics

DOI

EISSN

1607-7946

ISSN

1023-5809

Publication Date

September 20, 2013

Volume

20

Issue

5

Start / End Page

605 / 620

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3706 Geophysics
  • 04 Earth Sciences