A Radar-Based Climatology of Mesoscale Convective Systems in the United States

This research applies an automated mesoscale convective system (MCS) segmentation, classification, and tracking approach to composite radar reflectivity mosaic images that cover the contiguous United States (CONUS) and span a relatively long study period of 22 years (1996–2017). These data afford a...

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Vydáno v:Journal of climate Ročník 32; číslo 5; s. 1591 - 1606
Hlavní autoři: Haberlie, Alex M., Ashley, Walker S.
Médium: Journal Article
Jazyk:angličtina
Vydáno: Boston American Meteorological Society 01.03.2019
Témata:
Agricultural land
Annual rainfall
Aquifer recharge
Aquifers
Automation
Climate
Climatology
Corn
Corn belt
Datasets
Floods
Groundwater recharge
High plains
Hydroclimate
Hydrologic data
Image classification
Image segmentation
Interannual variability
Land use
Mesoscale convective complexes
Mesoscale convective systems
Precipitation
Precipitation data
Radar
Radar imaging
Radar reflectivity
Radar tracking
Rain
Rainfall
Reflectance
Regions
Seasonal rainfall
Seasonal variability
Seasonal variation
Seasons
Studies
Warm seasons
Continental Divide
United States > US
ISSN:0894-8755, 1520-0442
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Popis
Shrnutí:This research applies an automated mesoscale convective system (MCS) segmentation, classification, and tracking approach to composite radar reflectivity mosaic images that cover the contiguous United States (CONUS) and span a relatively long study period of 22 years (1996–2017). These data afford a novel assessment of the seasonal and interannual variability of MCSs. Additionally, hourly precipitation data from 16 of those years (2002–17) are used to systematically examine rainfall associated with radar-derived MCS events. The attributes and occurrence of MCSs that pass over portions of the CONUS east of the Continental Divide (ECONUS), as well as five author-defined subregions—North Plains, High Plains, Corn Belt, Northeast, and Mid-South—are also examined. The results illustrate two preferred regions for MCS activity in the ECONUS: 1) the Mid-South and Gulf Coast and 2) the Central Plains and Midwest. MCS occurrence and MCS rainfall display a marked seasonal cycle, with most of the regions experiencing these events primarily during the warm season (May–August). Additionally, MCS rainfall was responsible for over 50% of annual and seasonal rainfall for many locations in the ECONUS. Of particular importance, the majority of warm-season rainfall for regions with high agricultural land use (Corn Belt) and important aquifer recharge properties (High Plains) is attributable to MCSs. These results reaffirm that MCSs are a significant aspect of the ECONUS hydroclimate.
Bibliografie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0894-8755
1520-0442
DOI:10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0559.1