Two Different Pathways toward Convective Self-aggregation in
Radiative-convective Equilibrium Simulations between SCALE and VVM
Abstract
Two cloud-resolving models (SCALE and VVM) take different pathways
toward convective self-aggregation (CSA) in the radiative-convective
equilibrium simulations, although they have similar domain-averaged
properties. Analyses in the moisture space show that radiative cooling
in the dry area mainly drives CSA in SCALE, while subsidence triggered
by the convection in the moist region dominates in VVM. The change in
the convective structures is found on the isentropic diagram in VVM, but
this transition is unclear in SCALE. The object-based analysis provides
that the convective systems with larger sizes are rare in SCALE. In
contrast, large-size convective systems frequently develop in the moist
region as CSA evolves in VVM. The large-size systems can efficiently
drive the circulation between the dry and moist areas. The different
pathways to CSA are associated with the transition of convective
structures, which provides a new insight to understand CSA among
cloud-resolving models based on the perspective of the mechanism.