Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds on ERA-Interim and ERA5 trajectories

This exploratory study examines Lagrangian large eddy simulations of boundary layer clouds along wind trajectories from the ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalyses. The study is motivated by the need for statistically representative sets of high resolution simulations of cloud field evolution in realistic meteorological conditions. The study will serve as a foundation for the investigation of biomass burning effects on the transition from stratocumulus to shallow cumulus clouds in the South-East Atlantic. Trajectories that pass through a location with radiosonde data (St. Helena) and which exhibit a well-defined cloud structure and evolution were identified in satellite imagery, and sea surface temperature and atmospheric vertical profiles along the trajectories were extracted from the reanalysis data sets. The System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM) simulated boundary layer turbulence and cloud properties along the trajectories. Mean temperature and moisture (in the free troposphere) and mean wind speed (at all levels) were nudged towards the reanalysis data. Atmospheric and cloud properties in the large eddy simulations were compared with those from the reanalysis products, and evaluated with satellite imagery and radiosonde data. Simulations using ERA-Interim data and the higher resolution ERA5 data are contrasted.