Connecting Tropical Marine Cloud Structures to Boundary Layer Properties and the Effect of Sea State on Whitecap Coverage

Abstract

Large-scale Organized Structures (cloud streets and dendritic formations, LOSs) are common in the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) when wind shear and MBL stability are favorable. We found that the continuous wavelet transform was an effective way to characterize LOSs from in-situ data. Compared to unorganized convection, LOSs enhance exchange with the free troposphere and are more effective at distributing seasalt aerosol throughout the MBL. Since relatively particle-rich updrafts occur under cloud, satellite data are likely to underestimate optical effects of aerosols in the MBL.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 08, 2016
Accession Number
AD1004243

Entities

People

  • Steven G. Howell

Organizations

  • University of HawaiĘ»i System

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Temperature
  • Atmospheric Sciences
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • Christmas Island
  • Clouds
  • Convection
  • Cumulus Clouds
  • Department Of Defense
  • Fourier Analysis
  • Layers
  • Richardson Number
  • Sea Surface Temperature
  • Surface Temperature
  • Wavelet Transforms
  • Wind
  • Wind Shear

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Space