Research Article

Can water vapour process data be used to estimate precipitation efficiency?

  1. Shouting Gao1,*,
  2. Xiaofan Li2,†

Article first published online: 3 MAY 2011

DOI: 10.1002/qj.806

Issue

Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

Volume 137, Issue 657, pages 969–978, April 2011 Part B

Additional Information

How to Cite

Gao, S. and Li, X. (2011), Can water vapour process data be used to estimate precipitation efficiency?. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 137: 969–978. doi: 10.1002/qj.806

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratory of Cloud-Precipitation Physics and Severe Storms, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

  2. 2

    NOAA/NESDIS/Center for Satellite Applications and Research, Camp Springs, Maryland, USA

  1. †

    The contribution of X. Li to this article was prepared as part of his official duties as a US Federal Government employee.

*Institute of Atmospheric Physics, CAS, Beijing 100029, China.

  1. †

    The contribution of X. Li to this article was prepared as part of his official duties as a US Federal Government employee.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 1 JUN 2011
  2. Article first published online: 3 MAY 2011
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 9 FEB 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 1 FEB 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 1 SEP 2010

Funded by

  • National Key Basic Research and Development Project of China. Grant Number: 2009CB421505
  • National Natural Sciences Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 40930950, 41075043

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Keywords:

  • rainfall source;
  • cloud-resolving model

Abstract

The precipitation efficiencies (RMPE, CMPE, and LSPE) can be defined as the ratio of rain rate to rainfall sources in the rain microphysical budget, the cloud microphysical budget, and the surface rainfall budget, respectively. The estimate of RMPE from grid-scale data serves as the true precipitation efficiency since the rain rate is a diagnostic term in the tropical rain microphysical budget. The accuracy of precipitation efficiency estimates with CMPE and LSPE is compared to that of RMPE by analyzing data from a 21-day two-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulation with imposed large-scale vertical velocity, zonal wind, and horizontal advection obtained from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment. The results show CMPE is generally smaller than RMPE. The root-mean-squared difference between RMPE and LSPE is larger than the standard deviation of RMPE. Thus, water vapour process data cannot be used to estimate precipitation efficiency. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society

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