The present study examines mechanisms by which deep moist convection may be initiated through deepening of a well‐mixed convective boundary layer under large‐scale low‐level convergence. The process is examined using… Click to show full abstract
The present study examines mechanisms by which deep moist convection may be initiated through deepening of a well‐mixed convective boundary layer under large‐scale low‐level convergence. The process is examined using a standard formulation for the well‐mixed boundary layer, in which the depth increases exponentially with time under a constant convergence with height. Consideration is also given to a case with a more realistic mean vertical velocity profile which has a maximum in the middle troposphere and attenuates to zero at the tropopause. In the latter case, the unstable well‐mixed layer under convergence grows to a troposphere‐deep mixed layer. Importantly, under these scenarios, the so‐called convective inhibition (CIN) does not inhibit deepening of a well‐mixed convective boundary layer, nor does deep moist convection need to overcome CIN to initiate.
               
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