Record Details
Statistical relationships between the mesoscale organization of convection, precipitation and the large-scale wind fields during the GATE
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Statistical relationships between the mesoscale organization of convection, precipitation and the large-scale wind fields during the GATE |
| Names |
De Silva, Sirilath J.
(creator) Esbensen, Steven K. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1990-12-06 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1991 |
| Abstract | Data from the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) was analysed in an exploratory manner to discover the characteristics of mesoscale organization of convection and it's relationship to large-scale wind profiles. Automated methods were developed to identify the convective cells and their linear organization. These automated methods use a median high-pass filter to identify enhanced cells and a simple pattern recognition technique to ascertain the linear organization between them. Due to the simplified nature of the algorithm, the whole data set of the 21 day period from the phase 3 of GATE was processed in an economical manner obtaining a large data base which was used in the investigation of clusters and other associated phenomena. The mesoscale organization of convective cells and the widespread areas of lighter precipitation associated with them showed expected characteristics and compared satisfactorily with previous results. A large fraction of the rainfall (64%) fell from the widespread area. The total precipitation had a correlation of 0.94 with the fractional area of the widespread and a correlation of 0.89 with the fractional area of the clusters. The widespread precipitation had a correlation index of 0.97 with it's fractional area and the cluster precipitation had a strong linear relationship to it's area with a correlation of 0.99. These factors argue well for the parameterization of rainfall rate in tropical regions to a high accuracy by the area covered by organized convective cells and widespread areas. It was also seen that there was a good correlation with the number of clusters and number of cores with the total precipitation rate in a given area. These factors create a strong argument for identifying mesoscale systems consisting of convective cells and widespread precipitation as basic units of precipitation in tropical regions, having a characteristic life cycle of their own. The widespread and total precipitation showed very good correlation with upper-level vertical motion. Clusters tended to align parallel with the horizontal low-level wind shear and the degree of alignment appears to depend on the strength of the wind shear. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Convection (Meteorology) -- Tropics |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/28794 |
