scholarly journals Probing Regional Orographic Controls of Precipitation and Cloudiness in the Central Andes Using Satellite Data

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Giovannettone ◽  
Ana P. Barros
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
One Year

Abstract Data obtained from NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellites were used to investigate the relationships between topography, large-scale circulation, and the climatology of precipitation and cloudiness in the Andes—specifically over Peru and the Altiplano Plateau—at diurnal, seasonal, and interannual time scales. The spatial variability of cloudiness was assessed through empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of GOES brightness temperatures. Results indicate that landform is the principal agent of the space–time variability of moist atmospheric processes in the Andes, with the first mode explaining up to 70% of all observed variability. These results substantiate the differences between “continental” (Andes and Himalayas) and “maritime” (Western Cordillera) orographic precipitation regimes, reflecting the degree to which upwind landmasses modulate moisture transport toward and across mountain barriers. GOES brightness temperatures show that afternoon convective activity during the rainy season is more intense on wet hydrometeorological years such as 2001, whereas the space–time structure of nighttime cloudiness at the foothills and outlets of deep interior valleys does not change during the monsoon and from one year to another independently of large-scale conditions. This suggests that daytime cloud formation and precipitation is strongly dependent on large-scale moisture transport. Interactions between mesoscale and ridge–valley circulations, which are locked to the topography, determine the space–time organization of clouds and precipitation at nighttime. This leads to strong clustering of precipitation features associated with enhanced convection at high elevations along the ridges and near the headwaters of the major river systems in the TRMM data.

scholarly journals Synoptic and Mesoscale atmospheric features associated with an extreme Snowstorm over the Central Andes in August 2013

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Zamuriano ◽  
Paul Froidevaux ◽  
Isabel Moreno ◽  
Mathias Vuille ◽  
Stefan Brönnimann
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Cold Front ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Pressure System ◽  
The Andes

Abstract. We study the synoptic and mesoscale characteristics of a snowfall event over the Bolivian Altiplano in August 2013 that caused severe damage to people, infrastructure and livestock. This event was associated with a cold front episode following the eastern slope of the Andes-Amazon interface and a cut-off low pressure system (COL) over the Pacific Ocean. Large scale analyses suggest a two-stage mechanism: The first phase consisted of a strong cold surge to the east of the Andes inducing low level blocking of southward moisture transport over the SW Amazon basin due to post-frontal high-pressure up to 500 hPa synchronized to a Rossby wave train. The second stage was initiated by the displacement of 500 hPa anticyclone over the Andes due to a Rossby wave passage and a subsequent increase in north-easterly moisture transport, while another cold front along the eastern Andes provided additional lifting. We analyse an analog event (July 2010) to confirm the influence of these large-scale features on snow formation. We conduct a mesoscale analysis using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model. For this purpose, we perform a series of high-resolution numerical experiments that include sensitivity studies where we apply orographic and lake Titicaca temperature modifications. We compare our findings to MODIS snow cover estimates and in-situ measurements. The control simulation is able to capture the snow cover spatial distribution and sheds light over several aspects of the snowfall dynamics. In our WRF simulations, daytime snowfall mainly occurs around complex orography whereas nocturnal snowfall is concentrated over the plateau due to a combination of nocturnal winds and complex orography inside the plateau. The sensitivity experiments indicate the importance of the lake and mountain for thermal wind circulation affecting the spatial distribution of snowfall by shifting the position of the convergence zones. The influence of the lake's thermal effect is not evident around the regions surrounding the lake.

Using a long-term climate simulation to address future changes in Western Europe precipitation regimes due to global warming

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Sousa ◽  
Alexandre M. Ramos ◽  
Ricardo M. Trigo ◽  
Christoph C. Raible ◽  
Martina Messmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Water Vapor Transport ◽  
Climate Simulation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Precipitation Regimes

<p>Moisture transport and Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) over the Northeastern Atlantic are a very relevant process for the inter-annual variability of precipitation over Western Europe. Based on a long-term transient simulation (850-2100CE) from the CESM model, we have showed that moisture transport towards Western Europe (using the vertically integrated horizontal water vapor transport, IVT) has been increasing significantly since pre-industrial period, in a clear association with the global warming trend. Both current and projected changes (using RCP 8.5) significantly exceed the range given by inter-annual to inter-decadal internal/external variability observed during the last millennium.</p><p>We have checked the emergence of the temperature, IVT and precipitation signals in Iberia and the UK, showing that while the first two have now clearly emerged from the pre-warming state, precipitation series are still slightly below that threshold. Nevertheless, projections clearly show an increase in rainfall at higher latitudes (i in phase with a warmer and moister atmosphere); and a decrease at lower latitudes decoupled from the overall increase in moisture availability. Additionally we have explored the role played by large-scale circulation and atmospheric dynamics for these contrasting projections. Overall, results show that a poleward migration of moisture corridors and ARs explain a significant fraction of these projected trends. Based on the Clausius–Clapeyron relation we have separated the thermodynamical from dynamical changes. We also show how that a significant increase in subtropical anticyclonic activity over Iberia is responsible for: i) dynamical circulation changes; ii) a shortening of the wet season; iii) to less efficient precipitation regimes in the region. These results highlight the urge to adapt to a drying trend in Mediterranean-type climates, as a consequence of Global Warming.</p><p> </p><p>The financial support for this work was possible through the following FCT project: HOLMODRIVE - North Atlantic Atmospheric Patterns influence on Western Iberia Climate: From the Lateglacial to the Present [PTDC/CTA-GEO/29029/2017]</p>

scholarly journals Aerial Rivers and Lakes: Looking at Large-Scale Moisture Transport and Its Relation to Amazonia and to Subtropical Rainfall in South America

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefina Moraes Arraut ◽  
Carlos Nobre ◽  
Henrique M. J. Barbosa ◽  
Guillermo Obregon ◽  
José Marengo
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Trade Wind ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
The North ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Southern Amazonia

Abstract This is an observational study of the large-scale moisture transport over South America, with some analyses on its relation to subtropical rainfall. The concept of aerial rivers is proposed as a framework: it is an analogy between the main pathways of moisture flow in the atmosphere and surface rivers. Opposite to surface rivers, aerial rivers gain (lose) water through evaporation (precipitation). The magnitude of the vertically integrated moisture transport is discharge, and precipitable water is like the mass of the liquid column—multiplied by an equivalent speed it gives discharge. Trade wind flow into Amazonia, and the north/northwesterly flow to the subtropics, east of the Andes, are aerial rivers. Aerial lakes are the sections of a moisture pathway where the flow slows down and broadens, because of diffluence, and becomes deeper, with higher precipitable water. This is the case over Amazonia, downstream of the trade wind confluence. In the dry season, moisture from the aerial lake is transported northeastward, but weaker flow over southern Amazonia heads southward toward the subtropics. Southern Amazonia appears as a source of moisture to this flow. Aerial river discharge to the subtropics is comparable to that of the Amazon River. The variations of the amount of moisture coming from Amazonia have an important effect over the variability of discharge. Correlations between the flow from Amazonia and subtropical rainfall are not strong. However, some months within the set of dry seasons observed showed a strong increase (decrease) occurring together with an important increase (decrease) in subtropical rainfall.

scholarly journals Using Deep Learning and Machine Learning Methods to Diagnose Hailstorms in Large-Scale Thermodynamic Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10499
Author(s):  
Farha Pulukool ◽  
Longzhuang Li ◽  
Chuntao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
One Year

Hailstorms have caused damages in billions of dollars to industrial, electronic, and mechanical properties such as automobiles, buildings, roads, and aircrafts, as well as life threats to crop and cattle populations, due to their hazardous nature. Hence, the relevance of predicting hailstorms in the future has significant scientific, economic, and societal benefits. However, climate models do not have adequate resolutions to explicitly resolve these subscale phenomena. One solution is to estimate the probability of these storms by using large-scale atmospheric thermodynamic environment variables from climate model outputs, but the existing methods only carried out experiments on small datasets limited to a region, country, or location and a large number of input features. Using one year of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observations and European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis Interim (ERA-Interim) reanalysis on a global scale, this paper develops two deep-learning-based models (an autoencoder and convolutional neural network (CNN)) as well as a machine learning approach (random forest) for hailstorm prediction by using only four attributes—convective potential energy, convective inhibition, 1–3 km wind shear, and warm cloud depth. In the experiments, the random forest approach produces the best hailstorm prediction performance compared to the other two methods.

scholarly journals Exploiting Over-Land OceanSat-2 Scatterometer Observations to Capture Short-Period Time-Integrated Precipitation

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 2519-2535 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Joseph Turk ◽  
R. Sikhakolli ◽  
P. Kirstetter ◽  
S. L. Durden
Keyword(s):  
Microwave Radiometer ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Dynamic Surface ◽  
Brightness Temperatures ◽  
Previous Time ◽  
Dual Beam ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Retrieval Algorithms ◽  
Rain Events

Abstract Estimation of overland precipitation using observations from the radar and passive microwave radiometer sensors onboard the current Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) and predecessor Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellites is constrained by the underlying surface variability. The factors controlling the multichannel microwave surface emissivity and radar surface backscatter are related to surface properties such as soil type and vegetation properties that vary with location and time. Variability due to slowly varying seasonal changes can be considered when simulating radar reflectivities and radiometer equivalent blackbody brightness temperatures for use with precipitation retrieval algorithms. However, over certain surfaces, a more transient, dynamic surface change is manifested upon the onset of intermittent rain events. In these situations, a timely update of the surface state prior to each satellite overpass, together with knowledge of the associated variability in the emissivity and radar surface backscatter, may be useful to improve the performance of the overland precipitation retrieval algorithms. In this study, the potential for wide-swath surface backscatter observations from the Ku-band, dual-beam OceanSat-2 scatterometer (OSCAT) is examined as a surface reference for tracking previous-time precipitation. Over certain surfaces, it is shown that a time-change detection approach is useful to isolate the change in radar backscatter owing to previous 3-h rainfall accumulations from the more slowly varying background state. A practical use of this method would be the production of an ancillary previous-time precipitation map, which could be consulted by retrieval algorithms to select (or adjust the weighting of) candidate solutions that represent the most current surface conditions.

scholarly journals Equatorial Waves Including the Madden–Julian Oscillation in TRMM Rainfall and OLR Data

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 4387-4406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Kyung Cho ◽  
Kenneth P. Bowman ◽  
Gerald R. North
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
Limited Sampling ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Waves ◽  
Section Analysis ◽  
Equatorial Rossby Waves

Abstract Four years of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and rainfall data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) are investigated to find the dominant large-scale wave modes in the Tropics. By using space– time cross-section analysis and spectral analysis, the longitudinal and latitudinal behaviors of the overall waves and the dominant waves are observed. Despite the noisy nature of precipitation data and the limited sampling by the TRMM satellite, pronounced peaks are found for Kelvin waves, n = 1 equatorial Rossby waves (ER), and mixed Rossby–gravity waves (MRG). Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and tropical depression (TD)-type disturbances are also detected. The seasonal evolution of these waves is investigated. An appendix includes a study of sampling and aliasing errors due to the peculiar space–time sampling pattern of TRMM. It is shown that the waves detected in this study are not artifacts of these sampling features. The results presented here are compared with previous studies. Consistency with their results gives confidence in the TRMM data for wave studies. The results from this study can be utilized for modeling and testing theories. Also, it may be useful for the future users of the TRMM data to understand the nature of the TRMM satellite sampling.

scholarly journals The Andes climate and weather

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Garreaud
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Oscillation Phenomenon ◽  
Instrumental Observations ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Andes Cordillera

Abstract. This paper documents the main features of the weather, climate and climate variability over Andes cordillera in South America on the basis of instrumental observations. We first provide a basic physical understanding of the mean annual cycle of the atmospheric circulation and precipitation and over the Andes and adjacent lowlands. In particular, the diversity of precipitation, temperature and wind patterns is interpreted in terms of the long meridional extent of the Andes and the disruption of the large-scale circulation by this formidable topographic barrier. We also document the impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation phenomenon on the temperature and precipitation regimes along the Andes.

scholarly journals Insectivorous songbirds as early indicators of future defoliation by spruce budworm

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Germain ◽  
Daniel Kneeshaw ◽  
Louis De Grandpré ◽  
Mélanie Desrochers ◽  
Patrick M. A. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Maximum Probability ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Probability Of Presence ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
One Year ◽  
Local Sampling

Abstract Context Although the spatiotemporal dynamics of spruce budworm outbreaks have been intensively studied, forecasting outbreaks remains challenging. During outbreaks, budworm-linked warblers (Tennessee, Cape May, and bay-breasted warbler) show a strong positive response to increases in spruce budworm, but little is known about the relative timing of these responses. Objectives We hypothesized that these warblers could be used as sentinels of future defoliation of budworm host trees. We examined the timing and magnitude of the relationships between defoliation by spruce budworm and changes in the probability of presence of warblers to determine whether they responded to budworm infestation before local defoliation being observed by standard detection methods. Methods We modelled this relationship using large-scale point count surveys of songbirds and maps of cumulative time-lagged defoliation over multiple spatial scales (2–30 km radius around sampling points) in Quebec, Canada. Results All three warbler species responded positively to defoliation at each spatial scale considered, but the timing of their response differed. Maximum probability of presence of Tennessee and Cape May warbler coincided with observations of local defoliation, or provided a one year warning, making them of little use to guide early interventions. In contrast, the probability of presence of bay-breasted warbler consistently increased 3–4 years before defoliation was detectable. Conclusions Early detection is a critical step in the management of spruce budworm outbreaks and rapid increases in the probability of presence of bay-breasted warbler could be used to identify future epicenters and target ground-based local sampling of spruce budworm.

scholarly journals Geospatial Analysis of Extreme Weather Events in Nigeria (1985–2015) Using Self-Organizing Maps

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeoluwa Akande ◽  
Ana Cristina Costa ◽  
Jorge Mateu ◽  
Roberto Henriques
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Precipitation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Self Organizing Map ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Self Organizing Maps ◽  
The North ◽  
Precipitation Regimes ◽  
Self Organizing

The explosion of data in the information age has provided an opportunity to explore the possibility of characterizing the climate patterns using data mining techniques. Nigeria has a unique tropical climate with two precipitation regimes: low precipitation in the north leading to aridity and desertification and high precipitation in parts of the southwest and southeast leading to large scale flooding. In this research, four indices have been used to characterize the intensity, frequency, and amount of rainfall over Nigeria. A type of Artificial Neural Network called the self-organizing map has been used to reduce the multiplicity of dimensions and produce four unique zones characterizing extreme precipitation conditions in Nigeria. This approach allowed for the assessment of spatial and temporal patterns in extreme precipitation in the last three decades. Precipitation properties in each cluster are discussed. The cluster closest to the Atlantic has high values of precipitation intensity, frequency, and duration, whereas the cluster closest to the Sahara Desert has low values. A significant increasing trend has been observed in the frequency of rainy days at the center of the northern region of Nigeria.

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