Precipitation–Moisture Coupling Over Tropical Oceans: Sequential Roles of Shallow, Deep, and Mesoscale Convective Systems
Abstract
Abstract Precipitation over tropical oceans rapidly increases when the environmental column saturation fraction (CSF) increases past a critical value of ∼0.7. Past studies suggested that increased stratiform rainfall greatly contributes to the rapid rainfall enhancement. In this study, the sequential roles of non‐deep convection, deep convection, and mesoscale convective system (MCS) in precipitation‐moisture interactions are examined using 19 years of satellite observations. When CSF is below ∼0.5, non‐deep convection dominates total rainfall, and predominantly contributes to moistening of the environment. Between the CSF range of 0.5–0.7, transition to deep convective rainfall begins. Meanwhile, MCS contribution to total rain rapidly increases, and the environment is further moistened. MCS becomes the major rainfall type above the critical CSF value (∼0.7), with the rapid increase of total rain mostly explained by the rapid increase in MCS rain area. Rainfall reduction at high CSF values is jointly contributed by MCS and non‐deep convection.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[2];
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Atmospheric Science and Global Change Div. (ASGC)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1894783
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1859804
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-178872
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830; DE-AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 49; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES
Citation Formats
Chen, Xingchao, Leung, L. Ruby, Feng, Zhe, and Yang, Qiu. Precipitation–Moisture Coupling Over Tropical Oceans: Sequential Roles of Shallow, Deep, and Mesoscale Convective Systems. United States: N. p., 2022.
Web. doi:10.1029/2022gl097836.
Chen, Xingchao, Leung, L. Ruby, Feng, Zhe, & Yang, Qiu. Precipitation–Moisture Coupling Over Tropical Oceans: Sequential Roles of Shallow, Deep, and Mesoscale Convective Systems. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl097836
Chen, Xingchao, Leung, L. Ruby, Feng, Zhe, and Yang, Qiu. Mon .
"Precipitation–Moisture Coupling Over Tropical Oceans: Sequential Roles of Shallow, Deep, and Mesoscale Convective Systems". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl097836. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1894783.
@article{osti_1894783,
title = {Precipitation–Moisture Coupling Over Tropical Oceans: Sequential Roles of Shallow, Deep, and Mesoscale Convective Systems},
author = {Chen, Xingchao and Leung, L. Ruby and Feng, Zhe and Yang, Qiu},
abstractNote = {Abstract Precipitation over tropical oceans rapidly increases when the environmental column saturation fraction (CSF) increases past a critical value of ∼0.7. Past studies suggested that increased stratiform rainfall greatly contributes to the rapid rainfall enhancement. In this study, the sequential roles of non‐deep convection, deep convection, and mesoscale convective system (MCS) in precipitation‐moisture interactions are examined using 19 years of satellite observations. When CSF is below ∼0.5, non‐deep convection dominates total rainfall, and predominantly contributes to moistening of the environment. Between the CSF range of 0.5–0.7, transition to deep convective rainfall begins. Meanwhile, MCS contribution to total rain rapidly increases, and the environment is further moistened. MCS becomes the major rainfall type above the critical CSF value (∼0.7), with the rapid increase of total rain mostly explained by the rapid increase in MCS rain area. Rainfall reduction at high CSF values is jointly contributed by MCS and non‐deep convection.},
doi = {10.1029/2022gl097836},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 7,
volume = 49,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2022},
month = {Mon Mar 21 00:00:00 EDT 2022}
}
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