Identification

Title

Water vapor and surface observations in northwestern Mexico during the 2004 NAME Enhanced Observing Period

Abstract

We report on precipitable water vapor (PWV) from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and surface meteorological network during the 2004 North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) in northwestern Mexico. The monsoon onset is evident as a large PWV increase over several days beginning July 1. Data in the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) foothills reveal a dynamical transition in mid-August from smaller, sub-synoptic scale to larger, synoptic scale moisture structure. During the Sub-synoptic phase in the SMO foothills, a positive feedback operates where near-daily precipitation supplied moisture maintains 15% higher surface mixing ratios that lower the lifting condensation level facilitating initiation of moist convection. Along the western edge of the SMO, precipitation typically occurs hours after the local temperature maximum, triggered by westward propagating convective disturbances. Precipitation is typically preceded by a rapid rise in PWV and sharp decrease in surface temperature, implying models must include moist convective downdrafts in the NAM area.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7wm1fp4

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

2008-02-14T00:00:00Z

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