Physical Characterization of Tropical Oceanic Convection Observed in KWAJEX

Abstract

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX) was designed to obtain an empirical physical characterization of precipitating convective clouds over the tropical ocean. Coordinated datasets were collected by three aircraft, one ship, five upper-air sounding sites, and a variety of continuously recording remote and in situ surface-based sensors, including scanning Doppler radars, profilers, disdrometers, and rain gauges. This paper describes the physical characterization of the Kwajalein cloud population that has emerged from analyses of datasets that were obtained during KWAJEX and combined with long-term TRMM ground validation site observations encompassing three rainy seasons. The spatial and temporal dimensions of the precipitation entities exhibit a lognormal probability distribution, as has been observed over other parts of the tropical ocean. The diurnal cycle of the convection is also generally similar to that seen over other tropical oceans. The largest precipitating cloud elements-those with rain areas exceeding 14 000 km 2 -have the most pronounced diurnal cycle, with a maximum frequency of occurrence before dawn; the smallest rain areas are most frequent in the afternoon. The large systems exhibited stratiform rain areas juxtaposed with convective regions. Frequency distributions of dual-Doppler radar data showed narrow versus broad spectra of divergence in the stratiform and convective regions, respectively, as expected because strong up-and downdrafts are absent in the stratiform regions. The dual-Doppler profiles consistently showed low-level convergence and upper-level divergence in convective regions and midlevel convergence sandwiched between lower-and upper-level divergence in stratiform regions. However, the magnitudes of divergence are sensitive to assumptions made in classifying the radar echoes as convective or stratiform. This sensitivity implies that heating profiles derived from satellite radar data will be sensitive to the details of the scheme used to separate convective and stratiform rain areas. Comparison of airborne passive microwave data with ground-based radar data indicates that the pattern of scattering of 85-GHz radiance by ice particles in the upper portions of KWAJEX precipitating clouds is poorly correlated with the precipitation pattern at lower levels while the emission channels (10 and 19 GHz) have brightness temperature patterns that closely correspond to the lower-level precipitation structure. In situ ice particle imagery obtained by aircraft at upper levels (ϳ11 km) shows that the concentrations of ice particles of all densities are greater in the upper portions of active convective rain regions and lower in the upper portions of stratiform regions, probably because the active updrafts convey the particles to upper levels, whereas in the stratiform regions sedimentation removes the larger ice particles over time. Low-level aircraft flying in the rain layer show similar total drop concentrations in and out of convective cells, but...

Cloud Resolving Modeling

“…The SCSMEX simulation produces an intense tropical squall line without significant stratiform cover, whereas the KWA-JEX simulation produces a random distribution of convective cells with extensive stratiform debris. The simulated organization for both cases is in very good agreement with observations (Johnson and Ciesielski 2002;Yuter et al 2005). Although both of these tropical ocean cases describe distinct dominant modes of rainfall behavior within their domains, most of the surface precipitation in either regime originates as graupel.…”

How do changes in warm-phase microphysics affect deep convective clouds?

“…The KWAJEX radar data used for validation of the model results can be downloaded from the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC): https://disc2.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa. gov/data/TRMM_GV_L2/TRMM_2A55UW.7/1999/231/ (Yuter et al, 2005).…”

“…1a) with a 10.71 cm wavelength and a coverage radius of 150 km. A detailed description of the radar measurements in KWAJEX can be found in Yuter et al (2005). Figure 2a and b show a comparison of the contoured frequency by altitude diagrams (CFADs) of the reflectivity measured by the radar vs. that simulated by the clean run (for a 10 cm wavelength).…”

Microstructures and precipitation development in cumulus and small cumulonimbus clouds over the warm pool of the tropical Pacific Ocean

“…1), from 25 July to 30 August 1999. Measurements obtained in KWAJEX aboard a higher-flying aircraft have been described by Stith et al (2002Stith et al ( , 2004, selected microphysical datasets from KWAJEX have been documented by Kingsmill et al (2004) primarily for the purpose of comparisons with TRMM satellite measurements, and Yuter et al (2005) have described some characteristics of the convection observed in KWAJEX.…”