Characterizing uncertainty in deep convection triggering using explainable machine learning

Realistically representing deep atmospheric convection is important for accurate numerical weather and climate simulations. However, parameterizing where and when deep convection occurs (“triggering”) is a well-known source of model uncertainty. Most triggers parameterize convection deterministically, without considering the uncertainty in the convective state as a stochastic process. In this study, we develop a machine learning model, a random forest, that predicts the probability of deep convection, and then apply clustering of Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) values, an explainable machine learning method, to characterize the uncertainty of convective events. The model uses observed large-scale atmospheric variables from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement constrained variational analysis dataset over the Southern Great Plains, United States. The analysis of feature importance shows which mechanisms driving convection are most important, with large-scale vertical velocity providing the highest predictive power for more certain, or easier to predict, convective events, followed by the dynamic generation rate of dilute convective available potential energy. Predictions of uncertain, or harder to predict, convective events instead rely more on other features such as precipitable water or low-level temperature. The model outperforms conventional convective triggers. This suggests that probabilistic machine learning models can be used as stochastic parameterizations to improve the occurrence of convection in weather and climate models in the future.