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Abstract

The meso-scale variability in cloudiness of the marine trade-wind layer is explored with large-eddy simulations of regional extent and validated against observations of the EUREC4A field campaign. 41 days of realistically forced simulations present a representative, sta- tistical view on shallow convection in the winter North Atlantic trades that includes a wide range of meso-scale variability including the four recently identified patterns of spa- tial organization: Sugar , Gravel , Flowers and Fish . The results show that cloud cover is on average captured well but with discrepancies in its vertical and spatial distribution. Cloudiness at the lifting condensation level depends on the model resolution with the finer one producing on average a more realistic cloud profile. Independent of the reso- lution, the variability in cloudiness below the trade inversion is not captured, leading to a lack of stratiform cloudiness with implications on the detectability of meso-scale pat- terns whose cloud patches are characterized by stratiform clouds. The simulations tend to precipitate more frequently than observed, with a narrower distribution of echo in- tensities. The observed co-variability between cloudiness and environmental conditions is well captured.