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An up-to-date summary of our understanding of the dynamics and thermodynamics of moist atmospheric convection, with a strong focus on recent developments in the field. The book also reviews ways in which moist convection may be parameterised in large-scale numerical models - a field in which there is still some controversy - and discusses the implications of convection for large-scale flow.
Audience: The book is aimed at the graduate level and research meteorologists as well as scientists in other disciplines who need to know more about moist convection and its representation in numerical models.
List of contents
(a) Moist Convection.- 1: Overview of atmospheric convection.- 2: Thermodynamics of moist and cloudy air.- 3: The mesocale organization of deep convection.- 4: Trade cumulus: observations and modelling.- 5: Convection in stratocumulus-topped atmospheric boundary layers.- 6: Discrete dry convective entities: I Review.- 7: Discrete dry convective entities: II Thermals and deflected jets.- 8: Entrainment, detrainment and mixing in atmospheric convection.- 9: Momentum transport by organized convection.- (b) Parameterization of Moist Convection.- 10: The Parameterization of deep convection.- 11: The Arakawa-Schubert parameterization.- 12: The mass flux approach to the parameterization of deep convection.- (c) Implications of Convection for the Large-Scale Flow.- 13: Equilibrium vs. activation control of large scale variations of tropical deep convection.- 14: Quasi-equilibrium.- 15: Boundary layer quasi-equilibrium (BLQ).- 16: Mutual adjustment of mass flux and stratification profiles.- 17: Implications of convective quasi-equilibrium for the large scale flow.- 18: The problem of convective moistening.- 19: Sensitivity of General Circulation Model performance to convective parameterization.- (d) Some Observational Considerations.- 20: Critical observations of convection - State of the art and a proposal.
