An outstanding problem in numerical modeling of atmospheric circulation is representation of cloudiness associated with vigorous convection. An associated problem is the interaction between cloud and radiation processes which often dictate the ambient environment at a place. The PI, Dr. Betts, has developed a novel formalism called the saturation point method which allows accurate representation of vigorous convection in numerical models. Dr. Betts now proposes to apply this method in observational and theoretical studies of atmospheric convection. He plans to actively participate in application of the method to data collected during the 1987 field phase of the "FIRE Project" (a U.S. regional experiment to study cloud.radiation interaction). His work could potentially lead to accurate development of numerical schemes to represent vigorous convection in global forecast models.
