HR: 1400h
AN: H53C-04    [Abstracts]
TI: The Size, Strength, and Rainfall Production of Convective Systems Over Southern Mexico, Central America, and the East Pacific Warm Pool During Active Versus Break Rainfall Periods
AU: * Kerns, B W
EM: bkerns@met.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah, Department of Meteorology 135 S 1460 E, Rm 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
AU: Liu, C
EM: liuct@met.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah, Department of Meteorology 135 S 1460 E, Rm 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
AU: Zipser, E J
EM: ezipser@met.utah.edu
AF: University of Utah, Department of Meteorology 135 S 1460 E, Rm 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
AB: The annual cycle of rainfall over much of southern Mexico, Central America, and parts of the east Pacific warm pool features maxima in June and September-October. The relative break in rainfall, usually during July and August, is known as the Mid Summer Drought. This study focuses on the variations in the properties of the individual convective systems between active and break periods, which may be influencing the rainfall variations. The 3B42 product is used to determine when the active and break periods occur each year for 1998-2006. Then, the University of Utah TRMM Precipitation Feature Database is used to determine the size, intensity, and rainfall production of the individual convective systems during active and break periods. The statistics are compared for the active versus the break periods for each subregion. Preliminary results show that, similar to the Indian and Australian monsoons, active periods are characterized by large but relatively weak convective systems and break periods by smaller but more intense systems.
DE: 3354 Precipitation (1854)
DE: 3360 Remote sensing
DE: 3374 Tropical meteorology
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly