Understanding convective extreme precipitation scaling using observations and an entraining plume model

Abstract

Previously observed twice-Clausius-Clapeyron (2CC) scaling for extreme precipitation at hourly time scales has led to discussions about its origin. The robustness of this scaling is assessed by analyzing a subhourly dataset of 10-min resolution over the Netherlands. The results confirm the validity of the previously found 2CC scaling for extreme convective precipitation. Using a simple entraining plume model, an idealized deep convective environmental temperature profile is perturbed to analyze extreme precipitation scaling from a frequently used relation based on the column condensation rate. The plume model simulates a steady precipitation increase that is greater than Clausius-Clapeyron scaling (super-CC scaling). Precipitation intensity increase is shown to be controlled by a flux of moisture through the cloud base and in-cloud lateral moisture convergence. Decomposition of this scaling relation into a dominant thermodynamic and additional dynamic component allows for better understanding of the scaling and demonstrates the importance of vertical velocity in both dynamic and thermodynamic scaling. Furthermore, systematically increasing the environmental stability by adjusting the temperature perturbations from constant to moist adiabatic increase reveals a dependence of the scaling on the change in environmental stability. As the perturbations become increasingly close to moist adiabatic, the scaling found by the entraining plume model decreases to CC scaling. Thus, atmospheric stability changes, which are expected to be dependent on the latitude, may well play a key role in the behavior of precipitation extremes in the future climate. © 2013 American Meteorological Society.