Observations of cloud cluster hierarchies over the tropical western Pacific
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
Journal Volume
96
Journal Issue
D Suppl.
Pages
3197-3208
Date Issued
1991
Author(s)
Abstract
Results indicate that tropical convection in this region possesses three fundamental periodicities: 1 day, 2-3 days, and 10-15 days. The 10- to 15-day time scale is closely related to the intraseasonal (or 30-60 day) oscillations that propagate from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific along the equator all year round. Large convective complexes known as supercloud clusters (SCC) are found to organize in the 10- to 15-day time scale, especially over the open, warm water of the western/central Pacific (160°E to 180°). The SCCs generally propagate eastward. The SCC is found to be made up of several well-organized cloud clusters, which are generated at 2- to 3-day intervals and propagate in the opposite direction to the SCC. The diurnal variation is most pronounced over the maritime continent, although significant amplitudes are also found over the open ocean. -from Authors
Subjects
cloud cluster hierarchy; convection; supercloud cluster; tropical ocean; wave oscillation; Pacific
Type
journal article