Forecast and tracking the evolution of cloud clusters (ForTraCC) using satellite infrared imagery: Methodology and validation

Weather and Forecasting

Volumn 23, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 233-245

  Vila, Daniel Alejandro ^a   Machado, Luiz Augusto Toledo ^b   Laurent, Henri ^c   Velasco, Inés ^d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND   (United States)

^b Instituto Nacional de Pequisas Espaciais   (Brazil)

^c INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT   (France)

^d UNIVERSIDAD DE BUENOS AIRES   (Argentina)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION; CLOUDS; GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITES; SATELLITE IMAGERY;

CLOUD CLUSTER DETECTION METHOD; GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE THERMAL CHANNEL INFORMATION; MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS (MCSS);

WEATHER FORECASTING;

ALGORITHM; CONVECTIVE CLOUD; CONVECTIVE SYSTEM; GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE; INFRARED IMAGERY; MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY; SATELLITE IMAGERY; STATISTICAL ANALYSIS; TRACKING; WEATHER FORECASTING;

SOUTH AMERICA;

EID: 44849086361     PISSN: 08828156     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2007WAF2006121.1     Document Type: Article

References (22)

1. Carvalho, L., and C. Jones, 2001: A satellite method to identify structural properties of mesoscale convective systems based on the maximum spatial correlation tracking technique (MASCOTTE). J. Appl. Meteor., 40, 1683-1701.
2. Corfidi, S. F., J. H. Meritt, and J. M. Fritsch, 1996: Predicting the movement of mesoscale convective complexes. Wea. Forecasting, 11, 41-46
3. Houze, R. A., 1977: Structure and dynamics of a tropical squall line system. Mon. Wea. Rev., 105, 1540-1567.
4. Laurent, H., L. A. T. Machado, C. Morales, and L. Durieux, 2002: Characteristics of Amazonian mesoscale convective systems observed from satellite and radar during the WETAMC/LBA experiment. J. Geophys. Res., 107, 8054, doi:10.1029/2001JD000337.
5. Le Barbé, L., T. Label, and D. Tapsoba, 2002: Rainfall variability in West Africa during the years 1950-90. J. Climate, 15, 187-202.
6. Machado, L. A. T., and H. Laurent, 2004: The convective system area expansion over Amazonia and its relationships with convective system life duration and high-level wind divergence. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 714-725.
7. Machado, L. A. T., J.-Ph. Duvel, and M. Desbois. 1993: Diurnal variations and modulation by easterly waves of the size distribution of convective cloud clusters over West Africa and Atlantic Ocean. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 37-49.
8. Machado, L. A. T., W. B. Rossow, R. L. Guedes, and A. W. Walker, 1998: Life cycle variations of mesoscale convective systems over the Americas. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 1630-1654.
9. Maddox, R. A., 1980: Mesoscale convective complex. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 61, 1374-1387.
10. Mapes, B. E., and R. A. Houze Jr., 1992: An integrated view of 1987 Australian monsoon and its mesoscale convective systems. Part I: Horizontal structure. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 118, 927-963.
11. Mathon, V., and H. Laurent, 2001: Life cycle of the Sahelian mesoscale convective cloud systems. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 127, 377-406.
12. Morel, C., and S. Senesi, 2002: A climatology of mesoscale convective systems over Europe using satellite infrared imagery. I: Methodology. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 1953-1971.
13. Scofield, R., R. Kuligowski, and C. Davenport, 2004: The use of the Hydro-Nowcaster for mesoscale convective systems and the Tropical Rainfall Nowcaster (TRaN) for landfalling tropical systems. Preprints, Symp. on Planning, Nowcasting, and Forecasting in the Urban Zone, Seattle, WA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 1.4.
14. Silva Dias, M. A. F., and Coauthors, 2002: Cloud and rain processes in a biosphere-atmosphere interaction context in the Amazon region. J. Geophys. Res., 107, 8072, doi:10.1029/2001JD000335.
15. Torres, J. C., 2003: Heavy rainfall mesoscale convective systems in northern and middle Argentina (in Spanish). Ph.D. thesis, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 213 pp.
16. Velasco, I., and G. Necco, 1980: Valores medios, extremos y desviaciones estandar de datos aerológicos de la república Argentina (Mean, extreme and standard deviations values of rawinsonde data over Argentina). Departamento de Meteorología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
17. Velasco, I., and J. M. Fritsch, 1987: Mesoscale convective complexes in the Americas. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 9591-9613.
18. Vila, D. A., 2005: Sistemas convectivos precipitantes de mesoescala sobre Sudamerica: Ciclos de vida y circulación en gran escala asociada (Rainy mesoscale convective systems over South America: Life cycle and the associated large scale environment). Ph.D. thesis, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 132 pp.
19. Vila, D. A., and L. A. T. Machado, 2004: Shape and radiative properties of convective systems observed from infrared satellite images. Int. J. Remote Sens., 25, 4441-4456.
20. Wilks, D. S., 1995: Statistical Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences: An Introduction. Academic Press, 467 pp.
21. Williams, M., and R. A. Houze Jr., 1987: Satellite-observed characteristics of winter monsoon cloud clusters. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 505-519.
22. Woodley, W. L., C. G. Griffith, J. S. Griffin, and S. C. Stromatt, 1980: The inference of GATE convective rainfall from SMS-1 imagery. J. Appl. Meteor., 19, 388-408.