Vogel et al. (2025) Do Observations Support Ideas Behind Common Mass Flux Closures?

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Geophysical Research Letters
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-08-05
• Authors: Raphaëla Vogel, Juan Pedro Mellado
• DOI: 10.1029/2025gl115545

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates two common cloud-base mass flux closure models using EUREC4A campaign data, concluding that Turbulence Kinetic Energy (TKE) is the primary driver of mass flux variability.

Objective

• To evaluate whether observations from the EUREC4A campaign support the theoretical assumptions underlying two common cloud-base mass flux closure schemes used in convective parameterizations.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Mesoscale (specifically the sub-cloud layer).
• Temporal Scale: Duration of the EUREC4A campaign.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Two closure models: one based on the surface-based convective velocity scale and another based on a convective inhibition-based area fraction combined with a TKE-based vertical velocity scale.
• Data sources: Dropsonde arrays and turbulence measurements from the EUREC4A campaign.

Main Results

• Both evaluated closures are capable of capturing the magnitude of the reference mass flux.
• The closure utilizing the surface-based convective velocity scale significantly underestimates the variability of the mass flux.
• The closure utilizing convective inhibition (area fraction) and TKE (vertical velocity) significantly overestimates mass flux variability.
• Turbulence Kinetic Energy (TKE) alone explains nearly 80% of the observed mass flux variability.

Contributions

• The research identifies that TKE effectively aggregates information regarding both the area fraction and the vertical velocity of cloud-base updrafts, suggesting a more efficient way to represent mass flux variability in convective parameterizations.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Vogel2025Do,
  author = {Vogel, Raphaëla and Mellado, Juan Pedro},
  title = {Do Observations Support Ideas Behind Common Mass Flux Closures?},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1029/2025gl115545},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl115545}
}