Isentropic Mixing vs. Convection in CLaMS-3.0/MESSy: Evaluation Using Satellite Climatologies and In Situ Carbon Monoxide Observations

Abstract. Lagrangian modeling of transport, as implemented in the Chemical Lagrangian Model of the Stratosphere (CLaMS), connects the advective (reversible) component of transport along 3D trajectories with mixing, the irreversible component. Here, we investigate the interplay between strongly localized convective uplifts and large-scale flow dynamics in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). We revisit the Lagrangian formulation of convection in CLaMS-3.0/MESSy, driven by ECMWF’s ERA5 reanalysis, and further develop the model. These developments include refining spatial resolution in the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and decoupling the frequency of the adaptive grid procedure—which captures isentropic mixing and redefines Lagrangian air parcels—from the parameterization of convection.

To improve the model’s UTLS transport representation, particularly from the PBL over days to weeks, we derive zonally and seasonally resolved climatologies of CO partial columns (XCO, spanning 147 to 68 hPa) and compare them with Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) observations, as well as in situ data. Incorporating a parameterization for unresolved convection significantly improves CO anomaly representation in the UTLS, particularly in capturing seasonal and spatial patterns. While the simulated absolute XCO values align better with ACE-FTS, the model reproduces MLS anomalies more accurately, suggesting MLS better represents CO variability. In situ observations in the boreal polar region generally support lower ACE-FTS CO values, while MLS better represents CO enhancements in air affected by the Asian summer monsoon above 10 km.