Numerical and Physical Sensitivities in Large Eddy Simulations of Plume Lofting and Spread

Emission of saltwater droplet plumes near the ocean surface has gained attention as a means of enhancing the sea-salt aerosol content of marine clouds and potentially modifying their physical and optical properties. However, considerable uncertainty exists over the efficacy with which such aerosol may be transported, through the atmospheric boundary layer to the cloud base. Large eddy simulations (LES) are a valuable tool for reducing this uncertainty, provided that the numerical and physical sensitivities of the LES are well characterized. In this work, we perform a suite of LES of plume transport through a stratocumulus-topped atmospheric boundary layer using the novel model Predicting Interactions of Aerosol and Clouds in Large Eddy Simulations (PINACLES). To observe the impact of advection scheme choices, we utilize various combinations of advection schemes to assess both direct impacts (i.e., effect of the numerical scheme used to advect a plume tracer) and indirect impacts (i.e., effect of the numerical scheme used to advect momentum, moisture, and thermodynamic variables that influence cloud state and modify turbulence). We particularly focus on the impacts of different implementation choices within the class of weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes.