On the Duration and Life Cycle of Precipitation Systems in the Tropics

Roca, Rémy; Bouniol, Dominique; Fiolleau, Thomas

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-35798-6_14

Rémy Roca¹¹,
Dominique Bouniol¹² &
Thomas Fiolleau¹¹

Part of the book series: Advances in Global Change Research ((AGLO,volume 69))

1355 Accesses
3 Citations

Abstract

After decades of active research, knowledge of the precipitating mesoscale convective systems has made strong progress based on many regional investigations. Yet a tropical-wide perspective on these systems is only recently emerging thanks to satellite observations. This chapter is dedicated to this tropical view with an emphasis on the duration and the life cycle of precipitating system that are physically sound characteristics of the organization of the system. The more organized systems are dominating the contribution to the precipitation totals despite their low occurrence. It is shown that the systems lasting more than 12 h correspond up to 70% of the precipitation. At the system scale, the recent satellite observations dedicated to precipitation allow for a new appraisal of the conceptual model of mesoscale convective system (MCS) initiation, mature stage and dissipation. A preliminary quantification of the precipitation, latent heating and radiative cooling evolution within the life cycle of the MCS suggests the importance of the latent heating process in the first half of the system lifetime. In the second part, the radiative cooling needs to be accounted for to draw a complete picture of the energy budget of the systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 139.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 179.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 179.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Biasutti, M., Voigt, A., Boos, W. R., Braconnot, P., Hargreaves, J. C., Harrison, S. P., Kang, S. M., Mapes, B. E., Scheff, J., Schumacher, C., Sobel, A. H., & Xie, S.-P. (2018). Global energetics and local physics as drivers of past, present and future monsoons. Nature Geoscience, 11, 392–400. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0137-1.
Article Google Scholar
Boer, E. R., & Ramanathan, V. (1997). Lagrangian approach for deriving cloud characteristics from satellite observations and its implications to cloud parameterization. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 21383–21399. https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD00930.
Article Google Scholar
Bouniol, D., Roca, R., Fiolleau, T., & Poan, D. E. (2016). Macrophysical, microphysical, and radiative properties of tropical mesoscale convective systems over their life cycle. Journal of Climate, 29, 3353–3371. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0551.1.
Article Google Scholar
Chambon, P., Jobard, I., Roca, R., & Viltard, N. (2013). An investigation of the error budget of tropical rainfall accumulation derived from merged passive microwave and infrared satellite measurements. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 139, 879–893. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.1907.
Article Google Scholar
Dias, J., Tulich, S. N., & Kiladis, G. N. (2012). An object-based approach to assessing the organization of tropical convection. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 69, 2488–2504. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-11-0293.1.
Article Google Scholar
Duncan, D. I., Kummerow, C. D., & Elsaesser, G. S. (2014). A Lagrangian analysis of deep convective systems and their local environmental effects. Journal of Climate, 27, 2072–2086. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00285.1.
Article Google Scholar
Fiolleau, T. (2010). Cycle de vie des systèmes convectifs de mousson dans les régions tropicales: Préparation à la mission Megha-Tropiques. Thèse de Doctorat de l’École Polytechnique. Available at https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00576870/. Last accessed 20 Nov. 2018.
Fiolleau, T., & Roca, R. (2013a). An algorithm for the detection and tracking of tropical mesoscale convective systems using infrared images from geostationary satellite. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 51, 4302–4315. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2012.2227762.
Fiolleau, T., & Roca, R. (2013b). Composite life cycle of tropical mesoscale convective systems from geostationary and low earth orbit satellite observations: Method and sampling considerations. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 139, 941–953. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.2174.
Article Google Scholar
Futyan, J. M., & Del Genio, A. D. (2007). Deep convective system evolution over Africa and the tropical Atlantic. Journal of Climate, 20, 5041–5060. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI4297.1.
Article Google Scholar
Hagos, S., & Zhang, C. (2010). Diabatic heating, divergent circulation and moisture transport in the African monsoon system. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 136(S1), 411–425. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.538.
Article Google Scholar
Henderson, D. S., L’Ecuyer, T. S., Stephens, G. L., Partain, P., & Sekiguchi, M. (2013). A multisensor perspective on the radiative impacts of clouds and aerosols. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 52, 853–871. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-12-025.1.
Article Google Scholar
Houze, R. A., Jr. (1982). Cloud clusters and large-scale vertical motions in the tropics. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 60, 396–410. https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj1965.60.1_396.
Article Google Scholar
Houze, R. A., Jr. (2004). Mesoscale convective systems. Reviews of Geophysics, 42, RG4003. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004rg000150.
Article Google Scholar
Houze, R. A., Jr. (2018). 100 years of research on mesoscale convective systems. In G. McFarquhar (Ed.), A century of progress in atmospheric and related sciences: Celebrating the American Meteorological Society centennial (Meteorological monographs). Boston: AMS. https://doi.org/10.1175/AMSMONOGRAPHS-D-18-0001.1.
Chapter Google Scholar
Houze, R. A., Jr., Rasmussen, K. L., Zuluaga, M. D., & Brodzik, S. R. (2015). The variable nature of convection in the tropics and subtropics: A legacy of 16 years of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite. Reviews of Geophysics, 53, 994–1021. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RG000488.
Article Google Scholar
Huang, X., Hu, C., Huang, X., Chu, Y., Tseng, Y., Zhang, G. J., & Lin, Y. (2018). A long-term tropical mesoscale convective systems dataset based on a novel objective automatic tracking algorithm. Climate Dynamics, 51, 3145–3159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4071-0.
Article Google Scholar
Huffman, G. J., Adler, R. F., Morrissey, M. M., Bolvin, D. T., Curtis, S., Joyce, R., McGavock, B., & Susskind, J. (2001). Global precipitation at one-degree daily resolution from multisatellite observations. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2, 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1175/1525-7541(2001)002<0036:GPAODD>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Huffman, G. J., Bolvin, D. T., Nelkin, E. J., Wolff, D. B., Adler, R. F., Gu, G., Hong, Y., Bowman, K. P., & Stocker, E. F. (2007). The TRMM multi-satellite precipitation analysis: Quasi- global, multi-year, combined-sensor precipitation estimates at fine scale. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 8, 38–55. https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM560.1.
Article Google Scholar
Imaoka, K., & Nakamura, K. (2012). Statistical analysis of the life cycle of isolated tropical cold cloud systems using MTSAT-1R and TRMM data. Monthly Weather Review, 140, 3552–3572. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-11-00364.1.
Article Google Scholar
Inoue, T., Vila, D., Rajendran, K., Hamada, A., Wu, X., & Machado, L. A. T. (2009). Life cycle of deep convective systems over the eastern tropical Pacific observed by TRMM and GOES-W. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan, 87A, 381–391. https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.87A.381.
Article Google Scholar
Jakob, C., & Schumacher, C. (2008). Precipitation and latent heating characteristics of the major tropical western Pacific cloud regimes. Journal of Climate, 21, 4348–4364. https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JCLI2122.1.
Article Google Scholar
Jensen, M. P., & Del Genio, A. D. (2003). Radiative and microphysical characteristics of deep convective systems in the tropical Western Pacific. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 42, 1234–1254. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2003)042<1234:RAMCOD>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Jirak, I. L., Cotton, W. R., & McAnelly, R. I. (2003). Satellite and radar survey of mesoscale convective system development. Monthly Weather Review, 131, 2428–2449. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(2003)131<2428:SARSOM>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Kondo, Y., Higuchi, A., & Nakamura, K. (2006). Small-scale cloud activity over the maritime continent and the western Pacific as revealed by satellite data. Monthly Weather Review, 134, 1581–1599. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR3132.1.
Article Google Scholar
Lee, D., Oreopoulos, L., Huffman, G. J., Rossow, W. B., & Kang, I. S. (2013). The precipitation characteristics of ISCCP tropical weather states. Journal of Climate, 26, 772–788. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00718.1.
Article Google Scholar
Li, W., Schumacher, C., & McFarlane, S. A. (2013). Radiative heating of the ISCCP upper level cloud regimes and its impact on the large-scale tropical circulation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 118, 592–604. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd50114.
Article Google Scholar
Liu, C. (2011). Rainfall contributions from precipitation systems with different sizes, convective intensities, and durations over the tropics and subtropics. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 12, 394–412. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JHM1320.1.
Article Google Scholar
Liu, C., & Zipser, E. J. (2015). The global distribution of largest, deepest, and most intense precipitation systems. Geophysical Research Letters, 42, 3591–3595. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063776.
Article Google Scholar
Maddox, R. A. (1980). Mesoscale convective complexes. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 61, 1374–1387. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1980)061<1374:MCC>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Mapes, B., & Neale, R. (2011). Parameterizing convective organization to escape the entrainment dilemma. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 3, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011MS000042.
Article Google Scholar
Mapes, B., Milliff, R., & Morzel, J. (2009). Composite life cycle of maritime tropical mesoscale convective systems in scatterometer and microwave satellite observations. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 66, 199–208. https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAS2746.1.
Article Google Scholar
McAnelly, R. L., & Cotton, W. R. (1989). The precipitation life cycle of mesoscale convective complexes over the Central United States. Monthly Weather Review, 117, 784–808. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1989)117<0784:TPLCOM>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Muller, C., & Bony, S. (2015). What favors convective aggregation and why? Geophysical Research Letters, 42, 5626–5634. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL064260.
Article Google Scholar
Nesbitt, S. W., Cifelli, R., & Rutledge, S. A. (2006). Storm morphology and rainfall characteristics of TRMM precipitation features. Monthly Weather Review, 134, 2702–2721. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR3200.1.
Article Google Scholar
O’Gorman, P. A., Allan, R. P., Byrne, M. P., & Previdi, M. (2012). Energetic constraints on precipitation under climate change. Surveys in Geophysics, 33, 585–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9159-6.
Article Google Scholar
Redelsperger, J. L. (1997). The mesoscale organization of deep convection. In R. K. S. Convection (Ed.), The physics and parameterization of moist atmospheric (pp. 159–160). London: Springer. ISBN: 978-94-015-8828-7.
Google Scholar
Roca, R., Aublanc, J., Chambon, P., Fiolleau, T., & Viltard, N. (2014). Robust observational quantification of the contribution of mesoscale convective systems to rainfall in the tropics. Journal of Climate, 27, 4952–4958. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00628.1.
Article Google Scholar
Roca, R., Fiolleau, T., & Bouniol, D. (2017). A simple model of the life cycle of mesoscale convective systems cloud shield in the tropics. Journal of Climate, 30, 4283–4298. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0556.1.
Article Google Scholar
Rossow, W. B., Mekonnen, A., Pearl, C., & Goncalves, W. (2013). Tropical precipitation extremes. Journal of Climate, 26, 1457–1466. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00725.1.
Article Google Scholar
Schumacher, C., & Houze, R. A., Jr. (2003). Stratiform rain in the tropics as seen by the TRMM precipitation radar. Journal of Climate, 16, 1739–1756. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<1739:SRITTA>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Schumacher, C., & Houze, R. A., Jr. (2006). Stratiform precipitation production over sub-Saharan Africa and the tropical East Atlantic as observed by TRMM. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 132, 2235–2255. https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.05.121.
Article Google Scholar
Schumacher, C., Houze, R. A., Jr., & Kraucunas, I. (2004). The tropical dynamical response to latent heating estimates derived from the TRMM precipitation radar. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 61, 1341–1358. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(2004)061<1341:TTDRTL>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Shige, S., Takayabu, Y. N., Tao, W.-K., & Johnson, D. E. (2004). Spectral retrieval of latent heating profiles from TRMM PR data. Part I: Development of a model-based algorithm. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 43, 1095–1113. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2004)043<1095:SROLHP>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Shige, S., Takayabu, Y. N., Tao, W.-K., & Shie, C.-L. (2007). Spectral retrieval of latent heating profiles from TRMM PR data. Part II: Algorithm improvement and heating estimates over tropical ocean regions. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 46, 1098–1124. https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2510.1.
Article Google Scholar
Stephens, G. L., & Ellis, T. D. (2008). Controls of global-mean precipitation increases in global warming GCM experiments. Journal of Climate, 21, 6141–6155. https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JCLI2144.1.
Article Google Scholar
Tan, J., Jakob, C., Rossow, W. B., & Tselioudis, G. (2015). Increases in tropical rainfall driven by changes in frequency of organized deep convection. Nature, 519, 451–454. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14339.
Article Google Scholar
Tapiador, F. J., Roca, R., Del Genio, A., Dewitte, B., Petersen, W. A., & Zhang, F. (2018). Is precipitation a good metric for model performance? Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 100, 223–233. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0218.1.
Article Google Scholar
Webster, P. J., & Stephens, G. L. (1980). Tropical upper-tropospheric extended clouds: Inferences from winter MONEX. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 37, 1521–1541. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1980)037<1521:TUTECI>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
White, R. H., Battisti, D. S., & Skok, G. (2017). Tracking precipitation events in time and space in gridded observational data. Geophysical Research Letters, 44, 8637–8646. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074011.
Article Google Scholar
Williams, M., & Houze, R. A., Jr. (1987). Satellite-observed characteristics of winter monsoon cloud clusters. Monthly Weather Review, 115, 505–519. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1987)115<0505:SOCOWM>2.0.CO;2.
Article Google Scholar
Yuan, J., & Houze, R. A., Jr. (2010). Global variability of mesoscale convective system anvil structure from A-train satellite data. Journal of Climate, 23, 5864–5888. https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3671.1.
Article Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

CNRS/LEGOS, Toulouse, France
Rémy Roca & Thomas Fiolleau
Météo France, CNRM/GMAP/OBS, Toulouse, France
Dominique Bouniol

Authors

Rémy Roca
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Dominique Bouniol
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Thomas Fiolleau
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rémy Roca .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

CNR-ISAC, Bologna, Italy
Vincenzo Levizzani
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Christopher Kidd
Code 617, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Dalia B. Kirschbaum
Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Christian D. Kummerow
Department of Economics on Sustainability, Dokkyo University, Saitama, Japan
Kenji Nakamura
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
F. Joseph Turk

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Roca, R., Bouniol, D., Fiolleau, T. (2020). On the Duration and Life Cycle of Precipitation Systems in the Tropics. In: Levizzani, V., Kidd, C., Kirschbaum, D., Kummerow, C., Nakamura, K., Turk, F. (eds) Satellite Precipitation Measurement. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 69. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35798-6_14

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35798-6_14
Published: 15 April 2020
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-35797-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-35798-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics