Identification

Title

Wind, rain, and the closed to open cell transition in subtropical marine stratocumulus

Abstract

Lagrangian transitions in mesoscale cellular convective (MCC) clouds beginning as closed cell MCC and transitioning to open cells or disorganized but cellular MCC are explored on timescales from 12 to 72 hr. Potential drivers of MCC transitions are shown to act on multiple timescales. Closed-to-open MCC cloud transitions are preceded by strong surface winds and large moisture fluxes at lead times of up to 72 hr; and by high cloud water content, reduced cloud drop concentrations, and intense rain rates at lead times of 12-36 hr. The relationship between intense rain and the formation of open cells is consistent with a cold pool convergence mechanism. A Lagrangian analysis shows that anomalously strong surface winds are associated with higher rain rates as well as subsequent increases in rain rates through modifications to moisture flux and content in the boundary layer. The closed-open MCC transition contrasts with the closed-to-disorganized transition which at long lead times is associated with warm sea surface temperature and at diurnal-scale lead times is associated with variables related to cloud top entrainment drying such as a deepening boundary layer, weakening subsidence and inversion strength, and a drier free troposphere. A conceptual model is proposed where excess boundary layer moisture associated with wind breaks up stratocumulus through the closed-to-open transition, while excess dry-air entrainment at cloud top breaks up stratocumulus through the closed-to-disorganized transition.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d78g8qjb

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2022-10-27T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact