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Thickness of the dry convection and large-scale subsidence above deserts

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Abstract

Thickness of dry convection above various deserts of the world is obtained from aerological data, and assimilated data from ECMWF. A mixed layer develops up to a height of about 1 km above the central Sahara, where strong subsidence occurs. However, above many other deserts in Africa and Asia, a deep mixed layer develops up to 4–6 km. These mixed layers develop to a high altitude because the daytime mixed layer links with an existing weakly stratified, near-neutral layer above. Large-scale subsidence does not reach the surface throughout the day, except in the winter season. Mixed-layer height is shallower in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere in the summer season.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Resources and Environment, Tsukuba, 305, Ibaraki, Japan

    M. Gamo

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  1. M. Gamo
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Gamo, M. Thickness of the dry convection and large-scale subsidence above deserts. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 79, 265–278 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00119441

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