DOI number:10.1002/2015JD023528
Journal:Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Abstract:We estimate the extent of upper tropospheric aerosol layers (UT ALs) surrounding mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and explore the relationships between UT AL extent and the morphology, location, and developmental stage of collocated MCSs in the tropics. Our analysis is based on satellite data collected over equatorial Africa, South Asia, and the Amazon basin between June 2006 and June 2008. We identify substantial variations in the relationships between convective properties and aerosol transport by region and stage of convective development. The most extensive UT ALs over equatorial Africa are associated with mature MCSs, while the most extensive UT ALs over South Asia and the Amazon are associated with growing MCSs. Convective aerosol transport over the Amazon is weaker than that observed over the other two regions despite similar transport frequencies, likely due to the smaller sizes and shorter mean lifetimes of MCSs over the Amazon. Variations in UT ALs in the vicinity of tropical MCSs are primarily explained by variations in the horizontal sizes of the associated MCSs and are largely unrelated to aerosol loading in the lower troposphere. We also identify potentially important relationships with the number of convective cores, vertical wind shear, and convective fraction during the growing and mature stages of MCS development. Relationships between convective properties and aerosol transport are relatively weak during the decaying stage of convective development. Our results provide an interpretive framework for devising and evaluating numerical model experiments that examine relationships between convective properties and ALs in the upper troposphere.
Note:Chakraborty, S., R. Fu, J. S. Wright and S. Massie
Indexed by:Journal paper
Discipline:Natural Science
First-Level Discipline:Atmospheric Sciences
Volume:120
Issue:13
Page Number:6515-6536
Translation or Not:no
Included Journals:SCI
Links to published journals:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023528