40 The ARPS 3DVAR system is enhanced to include the analysis of radar-derived 41 refractivity measurements. These refractivity data are most sensitive to atmospheric moisture 42 content and provide high-resolution information on near-surface moisture that is important to 43 convective initiation (CI) and precipitation forecasting. Observing system simulation 44 experiments (OSSEs) are performed...

Abstract

Conditions leading to convective outbreak in the Tropics are investigated by multivariate analysis of sounding and satellite data from the tropical western Pacific area. Circumstances which make the prediction problem difficult are discussed, and addressed by applying linear “error-in-variables” and nonlinear statistical simulation techniques to a large dataset. Lowto mid-tropospheric moisture ...

Utilizing a previously developed CloudSat cloud object database, the sensitivity of oceanic, mature, deep convective cloud morphology to cloud-scale environmental characteristics is examined. Convective available potential energy (CAPE), aerosol optical depth, midlevel vertical velocity, and tropospheric deep shear are all used to characterize the environment. The sensitivity of various aspects...

This study reports the findings of TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data analyses undertaken to investigate differences in intensity and depth of precipitating systems in the transition region from continental to maritime environments in West Africa during the rainy season of June to September in 1998–2004. The results of this study are interpreted in the context of regional...

Recent observational analysis reveals the central role of three multicloud types, congestus, stratiform, and deep convective cumulus clouds, in the dynamics of large-scale convectively coupled Kelvin waves, westward-propagating two-day waves, and the Madden–Julian oscillation. A systematic model convective parameterization highlighting the dynamic role of the three cloud types is developed here...