9627179 Pickering In this project, a variety of modeling techniques will be applied to the question of trace gas redistribution through deep convection. This work will be conducted in conjunction with the field project STERAO-A (Stratosphere-Troposphere Experiments: Radiation, Aerosols, and Ozone: Deep Convection and the Composition of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere). Prior to the field project, improvements to the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble Model will be made, such as increased vertical resolution. During the field experiment, the model will be run in forecast mode. The output will be used to provide guidance for flight planning. Post-mission simulations will be used to compare calculations, initialized with experimental observations, with measurements obtained by the measurements on board the aircraft participating in STERAO-A. Tracer transport in convective events will be modeled, and the production of nitrogen oxides through lightning will be estimated using a parameterization scheme and compared to the airborne measurements of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. The photochemical ozone production rates in cloud outflow will be modeled. The parameterizations of convective clouds and convective transport of trace gases in regional and global models will be evaluated based on the results obtained during the STERAO campaign.
