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A Lagrangian View of Moisture Dynamics During DYNAMO
Walter M Hannah1, Brian E Mapes2, Gregory S Elsaesser3
1Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
|August 21, 2020
Summary
Column water vapor (CWV) exhibits a distinct moist mode. Phase changes and vertical advection create positive feedback on CWV, while evaporation also increases it, influencing tropical weather patterns.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Tropical Meteorology
- Climate Dynamics
Background:
- Column water vapor (CWV) probability distributions show a distinct moist mode during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) experiment.
- Understanding CWV evolution is crucial for tropical weather prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the factors governing column water vapor (CWV) evolution.
- Analyze the relationship between CWV, diabatic heating, and atmospheric dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the DYNAMO field experiment.
- Calculated Lagrangian CWV tendency (LCT) by combining phase change and vertical advection.
- Analyzed diabatic heating profiles using ECMWF, S-POL, and TRMM radar data.
- Examined lower-tropospheric wind convergence.
Main Results:
- The combined effects of phase changes and vertical advection act as a positive feedback on CWV.
- Evaporation contributes a positive tendency to CWV.
- Diabatic heating profiles deepen and strengthen with increasing CWV.
- Bottom-heavy heating is associated with moistening and high rain rates, while stratiform precipitation is linked to drying.
Conclusions:
- Phase changes and vertical advection are key drivers of CWV variability.
- Heating profiles and convective processes are closely linked to CWV transitions.
- Accurate LCT budgets require satellite data to constrain horizontal gradients.
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