Numerical study of convection observed during the Winter Monsoon Experiment using a mesoscale two-dimensional model

The major conclusions are: i) Ice phase processes are important in determining the level of maximum large-scale heating and vertical motion because there is a strong anvil component. ii) Melting and evaporation contribute to a localized mesoscale subsidence in a 50 km region to the rear of the moving convective area. iii) Radiative heating was found to be the main ascent-forcing influence at high levels occupied by the widespread cirrus outflow. Additionally, radiative clear-air cooling helped the convection by continuously destabilizing the troposphere and countering the warming effect of convective updrafts. iv) The overall structure and development of the system were well simulated, but the rainfall may have been underestimated because of the two-dimensional assumptions of the model. -from Author