Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions
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10.5194/acpd-9-11005-2009
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/11005/2009/
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/11005/2009/acpd-9-11005-2009.html
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/11005/2009/acpd-9-11005-2009.pdf
11005
11050
2009-05-05
Uncertainties in atmospheric chemistry modelling due to convection and scavenging parameterisations – Part 1: Implications for global modelling
H. Tost
tost@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
M. G. Lawrence
P. Jöckel
Atmospheric Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, P.O. Box 3060, 55020 Mainz, Germany
EEWRC, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
Moist convection in global modelling contributes significantly to the
transport of energy, momentum, water and trace gases within the troposphere.
Since convective clouds are on a scale too small to be resolved
in a global model their effects have to be parameterised.
However, the whole process of moist convection and especially its
parameterisation are associated with uncertainties.
In contrast to previous studies we address the impact of
convection on trace species by examining simulations with five different convection
schemes, rather than neglecting the convective transport for
some or all compounds.
This permits an uncertainty analysis due to the process formulation,
without the inconsistencies inherent in entirely
neglecting deep convection or convective tracer transport for one
or more tracers.
<br><br>
Both the simulated mass fluxes and tracer distributions are analysed.
Investigating the distributions of compounds with different characteristics,
e.g., lifetime, chemical reactivity, solubility and source
distributions, some differences can be attributed directly to the
transport of these compounds, whereas others are more related to
indirect effects, such as the transport of precursors, chemical reactivity in
certain regions, and sink processes.
The shorter-lived a compound is, the larger the differences and
consequently the uncertainty due to the convection parameterisation,
i.e., reaching up to ±100% for short-lived compounds, whereas for
long-lived compounds like CO or O<sub>3</sub> the mean differences
between the simulations are less than 25%.
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