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Bulk cloud microphysical properties as seen from numerical simulation and remote sensing products : Case study of a hailstorm event over the la Plata Basin

Vara-Vela, Angel Liduvino ; Machado Crespo, Natália ; Vendrasco, Éder Paulo ; Rojas Benavente, Noelia ; Morais, Marcos Vinicius Bueno De ; Martins, Jorge Alberto ; Phillips, Vaughan Trevor James LU orcid ; Gonçalves, Fabio Luiz Teixeira and Silva Dias, Maria Assunção Faus Da (2024) In Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science 74(2).
Abstract

Hailstorms develop over the La Plata Basin, in south-eastern South America, more often during later winter and early austral spring, between September and October. These systems have significant socioeconomic impacts over the region. Thus, a better understanding of how atmospheric drivers modulate the formation of hailstorms is important to improve the forecast of such phenomena. In this study, we selected a hailstorm event observed over the eastern La Plata Basin during 14-15 July 2016 to evaluate the performance of the Brazilian developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (BRAMS) model. The ability of the model in simulating cloud microphysical properties was evaluated by comparing simulations driven by different global... (More)

Hailstorms develop over the La Plata Basin, in south-eastern South America, more often during later winter and early austral spring, between September and October. These systems have significant socioeconomic impacts over the region. Thus, a better understanding of how atmospheric drivers modulate the formation of hailstorms is important to improve the forecast of such phenomena. In this study, we selected a hailstorm event observed over the eastern La Plata Basin during 14-15 July 2016 to evaluate the performance of the Brazilian developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (BRAMS) model. The ability of the model in simulating cloud microphysical properties was evaluated by comparing simulations driven by different global forcings against in situ and remote sensing observations. The model results showed good skill in capturing the basic characteristics of the thunderstorm, particularly in terms of the spatial distribution of hydrometeors. The simulated spatial distribution of hail covers locations where hail fall was reported. The BRAMS simulations suggest that, despite relatively low values of the convective available potential energy (CAPE) (700-1000 J kg-1), environments with strong 0-8-km bulk shear (60-70 kt, 30.9-36.0 m s-1) can promote the formation of ice clouds and hail fall over the eastern La Plata Basin. To be more conclusive, however, further research is needed to understand how different combinations of CAPE and shear affect hail formation over the region.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
BRAMS model, cloud microphysics, hailstorms, La Plata Basin, numerical simulation, precipitation, remote sensing, SALLJ event
in
Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science
volume
74
issue
2
article number
ES23006
publisher
CSIRO Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85193638923
ISSN
2206-5865
DOI
10.1071/ES23006
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e1a809e9-0477-4f75-9a2a-f1bc38454852
date added to LUP
2024-06-13 14:56:06
date last changed
2024-06-14 02:15:47
@article{e1a809e9-0477-4f75-9a2a-f1bc38454852,
  abstract     = {{<p>Hailstorms develop over the La Plata Basin, in south-eastern South America, more often during later winter and early austral spring, between September and October. These systems have significant socioeconomic impacts over the region. Thus, a better understanding of how atmospheric drivers modulate the formation of hailstorms is important to improve the forecast of such phenomena. In this study, we selected a hailstorm event observed over the eastern La Plata Basin during 14-15 July 2016 to evaluate the performance of the Brazilian developments on the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (BRAMS) model. The ability of the model in simulating cloud microphysical properties was evaluated by comparing simulations driven by different global forcings against in situ and remote sensing observations. The model results showed good skill in capturing the basic characteristics of the thunderstorm, particularly in terms of the spatial distribution of hydrometeors. The simulated spatial distribution of hail covers locations where hail fall was reported. The BRAMS simulations suggest that, despite relatively low values of the convective available potential energy (CAPE) (700-1000 J kg-1), environments with strong 0-8-km bulk shear (60-70 kt, 30.9-36.0 m s-1) can promote the formation of ice clouds and hail fall over the eastern La Plata Basin. To be more conclusive, however, further research is needed to understand how different combinations of CAPE and shear affect hail formation over the region.</p>}},
  author       = {{Vara-Vela, Angel Liduvino and Machado Crespo, Natália and Vendrasco, Éder Paulo and Rojas Benavente, Noelia and Morais, Marcos Vinicius Bueno De and Martins, Jorge Alberto and Phillips, Vaughan Trevor James and Gonçalves, Fabio Luiz Teixeira and Silva Dias, Maria Assunção Faus Da}},
  issn         = {{2206-5865}},
  keywords     = {{BRAMS model; cloud microphysics; hailstorms; La Plata Basin; numerical simulation; precipitation; remote sensing; SALLJ event}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{2}},
  publisher    = {{CSIRO Publishing}},
  series       = {{Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science}},
  title        = {{Bulk cloud microphysical properties as seen from numerical simulation and remote sensing products : Case study of a hailstorm event over the la Plata Basin}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ES23006}},
  doi          = {{10.1071/ES23006}},
  volume       = {{74}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}