Response of Humidity and Clouds to Tropical Deep Convection

Mark D. Zelinka; Dennis L. Hartmann

doi:10.1175/2008jcli2452.1

journal article May 01, 2009

Response of Humidity and Clouds to Tropical Deep Convection

Mark D. Zelinka Dennis L. Hartmann

Journal of Climate Vol. 22 No. 9 pp. 2389-2404 · American Meteorological Society

View at Publisher Save 10.1175/2008jcli2452.1

Abstract

Abstract
Currently available satellite data can be used to track the response of clouds and humidity to intense precipitation events. A compositing technique centered in space and time on locations experiencing high rain rates is used to detail the characteristic evolution of several quantities measured from a suite of satellite instruments. Intense precipitation events in the convective tropics are preceded by an increase in low-level humidity. Optically thick cold clouds accompany the precipitation burst, which is followed by the development of spreading upper-level anvil clouds and an increase in upper-tropospheric humidity over a broader region than that occupied by the precipitation anomalies. The temporal separation between the convective event and the development of anvil clouds is about 3 h. The humidity increase at upper levels and the associated decrease in clear-sky longwave emission persist for many hours after the convective event. Large-scale vertical motions from reanalysis show a coherent evolution associated with precipitation events identified in an independent dataset: precipitation events begin with stronger upward motion anomalies in the lower troposphere, which then evolve toward stronger upward motion anomalies in the upper troposphere, in conjunction with the development of anvil clouds. Greater upper-tropospheric moistening and cloudiness are associated with larger-scale and better-organized convective systems, but even weaker, more isolated systems produce sustained upper-level humidity and clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation anomalies.

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Details

Published: May 01, 2009
Vol/Issue: 22(9)
Pages: 2389-2404

Authors

M

Mark D. Zelinka

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

D

Dennis L. Hartmann

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Cite This Article

Mark D. Zelinka, Dennis L. Hartmann (2009). Response of Humidity and Clouds to Tropical Deep Convection. Journal of Climate, 22(9), 2389-2404. https://doi.org/10.1175/2008jcli2452.1

Response of Humidity and Clouds to Tropical Deep Convection

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