[CF-metadata] further cloud variables for cmip5

From: Mark Webb <mark.webb>
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:40:39 +0100

Dear list,

I would like to revise my proposal regarding temperature and humidity
tendencies made on July 2nd.

I proposed that:

tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_large_scale_precipitation

should have an alias

tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_stratiform_cloud_condensation_and_evaporation

since latent heat release occurs through cloud condensation rather than
precipitation.

However, it has been pointed out that precipitation does affect
temperature and humidity through evaporation of precipitating
hydrometeors.

Hence I propose that

1/ tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_stratiform_precipitation

should be a new alias for

tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_large_scale_precipitation

and

2/ tendency_of_specific_humidity_due_to_stratiform_precipitation

should be a new alias for

tendency_of_specific_humidity_due_to_large_scale_precipitation

(see earlier post for justification of large_scale-> stratiform).

Also, some ambiguities and inconsistencies have been
pointed out in the existing names. So I would like
to propose:

3/ A new name tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_model_physics
for consistency with the existing
tendency_of_specific_humidity_due_to_model_physics

This is because the existing

tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_diabatic_processes
 
is difficult to diagnose if taken literally (i.e.
including parametrized adiabatic heating, e.g.
from dry convection or boundary layer mixing in the
absence of clouds.)

For the same reason I propose that

5/ tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_convection
should replace
tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_moist_convection

Finally, due to the nature of their cloud schemes, some models are unable
to separate the tendencies from boundary layer mixing, stratiform cloud
and precipitation. Hence I propose two new combined tendency terms:
 
4/ tendency_of_air_temperature_due_to_stratiform_cloud_and_precipitation_and_boundary_layer

5/ tendency_of_specific_humidity_due_to_stratiform_cloud_and_precipitation_and_boundary_layer

Regards,
Mark
Received on Fri Aug 21 2009 - 04:40:39 BST