Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data

Abstract The Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection project used dropsondes deployed from high altitude and a downward‐pointing W‐band Doppler radar to document the characteristics of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) located over the Pacific coastal waters of Colombia. MCSs dominated by...

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Main Authors: D. J. Raymond, Ž. Stone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114186
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author D. J. Raymond
Ž. Stone
author_facet D. J. Raymond
Ž. Stone
author_sort D. J. Raymond
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection project used dropsondes deployed from high altitude and a downward‐pointing W‐band Doppler radar to document the characteristics of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) located over the Pacific coastal waters of Colombia. MCSs dominated by ice crystal aggregates above the freezing level rather than graupel, as shown by the radar, are generally thought to indicate decaying stratiform rain systems with only light rain. However, dropsonde grids showed a broader range of MCS types in this category, some with shallow convection producing intense rainfall. The radar had difficulty in distinguishing between different types of aggregate‐dominated MCSs.
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spelling doaj-art-986b4a21299d4bfd8f4cecb0f01f379e2025-08-20T03:59:22ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-04-01528n/an/a10.1029/2024GL114186Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde DataD. J. Raymond0Ž. Stone1Physics Department and Climate and Weather Consortium New Mexico Tech Socorro NM USAPhysics Department and Climate and Weather Consortium New Mexico Tech Socorro NM USAAbstract The Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection project used dropsondes deployed from high altitude and a downward‐pointing W‐band Doppler radar to document the characteristics of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) located over the Pacific coastal waters of Colombia. MCSs dominated by ice crystal aggregates above the freezing level rather than graupel, as shown by the radar, are generally thought to indicate decaying stratiform rain systems with only light rain. However, dropsonde grids showed a broader range of MCS types in this category, some with shallow convection producing intense rainfall. The radar had difficulty in distinguishing between different types of aggregate‐dominated MCSs.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114186ColombiaPacificrainfallOTRECradarconvection
spellingShingle D. J. Raymond
Ž. Stone
Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
Geophysical Research Letters
Colombia
Pacific
rainfall
OTREC
radar
convection
title Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
title_full Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
title_fullStr Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
title_full_unstemmed Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
title_short Characterization of Convection and Rainfall Off the Pacific Coast of Colombia Using Airborne Radar and Dropsonde Data
title_sort characterization of convection and rainfall off the pacific coast of colombia using airborne radar and dropsonde data
topic Colombia
Pacific
rainfall
OTREC
radar
convection
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL114186
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AT zstone characterizationofconvectionandrainfalloffthepacificcoastofcolombiausingairborneradaranddropsondedata