Effects of the Convective Triggering Process in a Cumulus Parameterization Scheme on the Diurnal Variation of Precipitation over East Asia

Abstract

Effects of the convective triggering process in a cumulus parameterization scheme on the diurnal variation of precipitation over East Asia are examined using a regional climate model. Based on a cloud-resolving simulation showing the irrelevance of convective inhibition once convection is initiated and the sensitivity experiments to trigger conditions, the triggering process in the simplified Arakawa-Schubert (SAS) convection scheme is modified to use different convective initiation and termination conditions. The diurnal variation of precipitation frequency with the modified triggering process becomes in phase with the observed one, leading to a delayed afternoon peak in precipitation rate that is in better agreement with the observation. However, the bias in the phase of precipitation intensity is not resolved and the bias of excessive precipitation increases, indicating that adequate representation of not only the triggering process but also other moist convective processes that determine the strength of convection is required for further improvement in the simulation of the diurnal variation of precipitation.