Abstract Determination of the scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography is important for the accurate interpolation of rainfall in mountainous areas and also provides insight into the physical processes involved. In this paper, trivariate thin-plate smoothing splines are used to investigate the scale of interaction between monthly precipitation and topography by interpolating monthly rainfall over three subregions of the Australian continent, incorporating different climatic conditions and rainfall types. The interpolations are based upon elevations derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) of various resolutions. All of the DEMs are local averages of version 2.0 of the 9-s-resolution DEM of Australia. The results suggest that the optimal scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography, as it pertains to the elevation-dependent interpolation of monthly precipitation in Australia, is between 5 and 10 km. This is in agreement with results of similar studies that addresse...
{"title":"On the Horizontal Scale of Elevation Dependence of Australian Monthly Precipitation","authors":"J. Sharples, M. Hutchinson, D. R. Jellett","doi":"10.1175/JAM2289.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2289.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Determination of the scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography is important for the accurate interpolation of rainfall in mountainous areas and also provides insight into the physical processes involved. In this paper, trivariate thin-plate smoothing splines are used to investigate the scale of interaction between monthly precipitation and topography by interpolating monthly rainfall over three subregions of the Australian continent, incorporating different climatic conditions and rainfall types. The interpolations are based upon elevations derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) of various resolutions. All of the DEMs are local averages of version 2.0 of the 9-s-resolution DEM of Australia. The results suggest that the optimal scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography, as it pertains to the elevation-dependent interpolation of monthly precipitation in Australia, is between 5 and 10 km. This is in agreement with results of similar studies that addresse...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"34 5 1","pages":"1850-1865"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76010737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Peters, B. Fischer, H. Münster, M. Clemens, A. Wagner
Abstract Data of vertically pointing microrain radars (MRRs), located at various sites around the Baltic Sea, were analyzed for a period of several years. From the Doppler spectra profiles of drop size distributions (DSDs) are obtained. A significant height dependence of the shape of the DSDs—and thus of the Z–R relations—is observed at high rain rates. This implies, for the considered sites, that ground-based Z–R relations lead to underestimation of high rain rates by weather radars.
{"title":"Profiles of Raindrop Size Distributions as Retrieved by Microrain Radars","authors":"G. Peters, B. Fischer, H. Münster, M. Clemens, A. Wagner","doi":"10.1175/JAM2316.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2316.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Data of vertically pointing microrain radars (MRRs), located at various sites around the Baltic Sea, were analyzed for a period of several years. From the Doppler spectra profiles of drop size distributions (DSDs) are obtained. A significant height dependence of the shape of the DSDs—and thus of the Z–R relations—is observed at high rain rates. This implies, for the considered sites, that ground-based Z–R relations lead to underestimation of high rain rates by weather radars.","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"35 1","pages":"1930-1949"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82210302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract One- and two-moment parameterizations are integrated over hydrometeor diameters D(0, ∞) for vapor diffusion and the continuous collection growth processes. For the conditions specified, the total number concentration of collector particles should be conserved. To address the problem, the gamma distribution function is used for the spectral density function. Predicted variables can include total mixing ratio q, total number concentration Nt, and characteristic diameter Dn (inverse of the distribution slope λ). In all of the cases, the slope intercept no is diagnosed or specified. The popular one- and two-moment methods that are explored include the one-moment method in which q is predicted, no is specified, and Nt and Dn are diagnosed; the one-moment method in which q is predicted, Dn is specified, and Nt and no are diagnosed; the two-moment method in which q and Dn are predicted and Nt and no are diagnosed; and the two-moment method in which q and Nt are predicted and no and Dn are diagnosed. It ...
{"title":"A Comparison of the Conservation of Number Concentration for the Continuous Collection and Vapor Diffusion Growth Equations Using One- and Two-Moment Schemes","authors":"J. Straka, M. Gilmore, K. M. Kanak, E. Rasmussen","doi":"10.1175/JAM2314.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2314.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract One- and two-moment parameterizations are integrated over hydrometeor diameters D(0, ∞) for vapor diffusion and the continuous collection growth processes. For the conditions specified, the total number concentration of collector particles should be conserved. To address the problem, the gamma distribution function is used for the spectral density function. Predicted variables can include total mixing ratio q, total number concentration Nt, and characteristic diameter Dn (inverse of the distribution slope λ). In all of the cases, the slope intercept no is diagnosed or specified. The popular one- and two-moment methods that are explored include the one-moment method in which q is predicted, no is specified, and Nt and Dn are diagnosed; the one-moment method in which q is predicted, Dn is specified, and Nt and no are diagnosed; the two-moment method in which q and Dn are predicted and Nt and no are diagnosed; and the two-moment method in which q and Nt are predicted and no and Dn are diagnosed. It ...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"416 1","pages":"1844-1849"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79652654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Shipborne observations obtained with the NOAA high-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL) during the 1999 Nauru (Nauru99) campaign were used to study the structure of the marine boundary layer (MBL) in the tropical Pacific Ocean. During a day with weak mesoscale activity, diurnal variability of the height of the convective MBL was observed using HRDL backscatter data. The observed diurnal variation in the MBL height had an amplitude of about 250 m. Relations between the MBL height and in situ measurements of sea surface temperature as well as latent and sensible heat fluxes were examined. Good correlation was found with the sea surface temperature. The correlation with the latent heat flux was lower, and practically no correlation between the MBL height and the sensible heat and buoyancy fluxes could be detected. Horizontal wind profiles were measured using a velocity–azimuth display scan of HRDL velocity data. Strong wind shear at the top of the MBL was observed in most cases. Comparison of these resul...
{"title":"Twenty-Four-Hour Observations of the Marine Boundary Layer Using Shipborne NOAA High-Resolution Doppler Lidar","authors":"V. Wulfmeyer, T. Janjić","doi":"10.1175/JAM2296.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2296.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Shipborne observations obtained with the NOAA high-resolution Doppler lidar (HRDL) during the 1999 Nauru (Nauru99) campaign were used to study the structure of the marine boundary layer (MBL) in the tropical Pacific Ocean. During a day with weak mesoscale activity, diurnal variability of the height of the convective MBL was observed using HRDL backscatter data. The observed diurnal variation in the MBL height had an amplitude of about 250 m. Relations between the MBL height and in situ measurements of sea surface temperature as well as latent and sensible heat fluxes were examined. Good correlation was found with the sea surface temperature. The correlation with the latent heat flux was lower, and practically no correlation between the MBL height and the sensible heat and buoyancy fluxes could be detected. Horizontal wind profiles were measured using a velocity–azimuth display scan of HRDL velocity data. Strong wind shear at the top of the MBL was observed in most cases. Comparison of these resul...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"94 1","pages":"1723-1744"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81753609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Benedetti, P. Lopez, E. Moreau, P. Bauer, V. Venugopal
Abstract A validation of passive microwave–adjusted rainfall analyses of tropical cyclones using spaceborne radar data is presented. This effort is part of the one-dimensional plus four-dimensional variational (1D+4D-Var) rain assimilation project that is being carried out at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Brightness temperatures or surface rain rates from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite are processed through a 1D-Var retrieval to derive values of total column water vapor that can be ingested into the operational ECMWF 4D-Var. As an indirect validation, the precipitation fields produced at the end of the 1D-Var minimization process are converted into equivalent radar reflectivity at the frequency of the TRMM precipitation radar (13.8 GHz) and are compared with the observations averaged at model resolution. The averaging process is validated using a sophisticated downscaling/upscaling approach that is based on wavelet decomposition. The precipitatio...
{"title":"Verification of TMI-Adjusted Rainfall Analyses of Tropical Cyclones at ECMWF Using TRMM Precipitation Radar","authors":"A. Benedetti, P. Lopez, E. Moreau, P. Bauer, V. Venugopal","doi":"10.1175/JAM2300.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2300.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract A validation of passive microwave–adjusted rainfall analyses of tropical cyclones using spaceborne radar data is presented. This effort is part of the one-dimensional plus four-dimensional variational (1D+4D-Var) rain assimilation project that is being carried out at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Brightness temperatures or surface rain rates from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite are processed through a 1D-Var retrieval to derive values of total column water vapor that can be ingested into the operational ECMWF 4D-Var. As an indirect validation, the precipitation fields produced at the end of the 1D-Var minimization process are converted into equivalent radar reflectivity at the frequency of the TRMM precipitation radar (13.8 GHz) and are compared with the observations averaged at model resolution. The averaging process is validated using a sophisticated downscaling/upscaling approach that is based on wavelet decomposition. The precipitatio...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"33 1","pages":"1677-1690"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80421346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rainfall estimation in semiarid regions remains a challenging issue because it displays great spatial and temporal variability and networks available for monitoring are often of low density. This is especially the case in the Sahel, a region of 3 million km2 where the life of populations is still heavily dependent on rain for agriculture. Whatever the data and sensors available for rainfall estimation—including satellite IR and microwave data and possibly weather radar systems—it is necessary to define objective error functions to be used in comparing various rainfall products. This first of two papers presents a theoretical framework for the development of such an error function and the optimization of its parameters for the Sahel. A range of time scales—from rain event to annual—are considered, using two datasets covering two different spatial scales. The mesoscale [Estimation des Pluies par Satellite (EPSAT)-Niger (E-N)] is documented over a period of 13 yr (1990–2002) on an area of 16 000 km2 covered by 30 recording rain gauges; the regional scale is documented by the Centre Regional Agrometeorologie–Hydrologie–Meteorologie (AGRHYMET) (CRA) dataset, with an annual average of between 600 and 650 rain gauges available over a period of 8 yr. The data analysis showed that the spatial structure of the Sahelian rain fields is markedly anisotropic, nonstationary, and dominated by the nesting of two elementary structures. A cross-validation procedure on point rainfall values leads to the identification of an optimal interpolation algorithm. Using the error variances computed from this algorithm on 1° × 1° and 2.5° × 2.5° cells, an error function is derived, allowing the calculation of standard errors of estimation for the region. Typical standard errors for monthly rainfall estimation are 11% (10%) for a 10-station network on a 2.5° × 2.5° (1° × 1°) grid, and 40% (30%) for a single station on a 2.5° × 2.5° (1° × 1°) grid. In a companion paper, this error function is used to investigate the differences between satellite rainfall products and how they compare with ground-based estimates.
{"title":"Rainfall Estimation in the Sahel. Part I: Error Function","authors":"Abdou Ali, T. Lebel, A. Amani","doi":"10.1175/JAM2304.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2304.1","url":null,"abstract":"Rainfall estimation in semiarid regions remains a challenging issue because it displays great spatial and temporal variability and networks available for monitoring are often of low density. This is especially the case in the Sahel, a region of 3 million km2 where the life of populations is still heavily dependent on rain for agriculture. Whatever the data and sensors available for rainfall estimation—including satellite IR and microwave data and possibly weather radar systems—it is necessary to define objective error functions to be used in comparing various rainfall products. This first of two papers presents a theoretical framework for the development of such an error function and the optimization of its parameters for the Sahel. A range of time scales—from rain event to annual—are considered, using two datasets covering two different spatial scales. The mesoscale [Estimation des Pluies par Satellite (EPSAT)-Niger (E-N)] is documented over a period of 13 yr (1990–2002) on an area of 16 000 km2 covered by 30 recording rain gauges; the regional scale is documented by the Centre Regional Agrometeorologie–Hydrologie–Meteorologie (AGRHYMET) (CRA) dataset, with an annual average of between 600 and 650 rain gauges available over a period of 8 yr. The data analysis showed that the spatial structure of the Sahelian rain fields is markedly anisotropic, nonstationary, and dominated by the nesting of two elementary structures. A cross-validation procedure on point rainfall values leads to the identification of an optimal interpolation algorithm. Using the error variances computed from this algorithm on 1° × 1° and 2.5° × 2.5° cells, an error function is derived, allowing the calculation of standard errors of estimation for the region. Typical standard errors for monthly rainfall estimation are 11% (10%) for a 10-station network on a 2.5° × 2.5° (1° × 1°) grid, and 40% (30%) for a single station on a 2.5° × 2.5° (1° × 1°) grid. In a companion paper, this error function is used to investigate the differences between satellite rainfall products and how they compare with ground-based estimates.","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"abs/2111.04635 1","pages":"1691-1706"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88740425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This study evaluated the suitability of rain estimates based on the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network to estimate yield response to rainfall on a county scale and to provide real-time information related to crop stress resulting from deficient or excessive precipitation throughout the summer. The relationship between normalized corn yield and rainfall was examined for nine states in the central United States for 1997–99 and 2001–02. Monthly rainfall estimates were computed employing multisensor precipitation estimate (MPE) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and quality-controlled (QC_Coop) and real-time (RT_Coop) NWS cooperative gauge data. In-season MPE rain estimates were found to be of comparable quality to the postseason QC_Coop estimates for predicting county corn yields. Both MPE and QC_Coop estimates were better related to corn yield than were RT_Coop estimates, presumably because of the lower density of RT_Coo...
{"title":"Use of Real-Time Multisensor Data to Assess the Relationship of Normalized Corn Yield with Monthly Rainfall and Heat Stress across the Central United States","authors":"N. Westcott, S. Hollinger, K. Kunkel","doi":"10.1175/JAM2303.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2303.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study evaluated the suitability of rain estimates based on the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network to estimate yield response to rainfall on a county scale and to provide real-time information related to crop stress resulting from deficient or excessive precipitation throughout the summer. The relationship between normalized corn yield and rainfall was examined for nine states in the central United States for 1997–99 and 2001–02. Monthly rainfall estimates were computed employing multisensor precipitation estimate (MPE) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and quality-controlled (QC_Coop) and real-time (RT_Coop) NWS cooperative gauge data. In-season MPE rain estimates were found to be of comparable quality to the postseason QC_Coop estimates for predicting county corn yields. Both MPE and QC_Coop estimates were better related to corn yield than were RT_Coop estimates, presumably because of the lower density of RT_Coo...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"10 1","pages":"1667-1676"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77134613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This study demonstrates methods to obtain high-density, satellite-derived atmospheric motion vectors (AMV) that contain both synoptic-scale and mesoscale flow components associated with and induced by cumuliform clouds through adjustments made to the University of Wisconsin—Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS) AMV processing algorithm. Operational AMV processing is geared toward the identification of synoptic-scale motions in geostrophic balance, which are useful in data assimilation applications. AMVs identified in the vicinity of deep convection are often rejected by quality-control checks used in the production of operational AMV datasets. Few users of these data have considered the use of AMVs with ageostrophic flow components, which often fail checks that assure both spatial coherence between neighboring AMVs and a strong correlation to an NWP-model first-guess wind field. The UW-CIMSS algorithm identifies coherent cloud and water vapor features (i.e....
{"title":"Application of Satellite-Derived Atmospheric Motion Vectors for Estimating Mesoscale Flows","authors":"K. Bedka, J. Mecikalski","doi":"10.1175/JAM2264.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2264.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study demonstrates methods to obtain high-density, satellite-derived atmospheric motion vectors (AMV) that contain both synoptic-scale and mesoscale flow components associated with and induced by cumuliform clouds through adjustments made to the University of Wisconsin—Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW-CIMSS) AMV processing algorithm. Operational AMV processing is geared toward the identification of synoptic-scale motions in geostrophic balance, which are useful in data assimilation applications. AMVs identified in the vicinity of deep convection are often rejected by quality-control checks used in the production of operational AMV datasets. Few users of these data have considered the use of AMVs with ageostrophic flow components, which often fail checks that assure both spatial coherence between neighboring AMVs and a strong correlation to an NWP-model first-guess wind field. The UW-CIMSS algorithm identifies coherent cloud and water vapor features (i.e....","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"26 1","pages":"1761-1772"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76602647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Data on atmospheric levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfate were examined to quantify changes since 1989. Changes in sulfur species were adjusted to account for meteorological variability. Adjustments were made using meteorological variables expressed in terms of their principal components that were used as predictors in statistical models. Several models were tested. A generalized additive model (GAM)—based in part on nonparametric, locally smoothed predictor functions—computed the greatest association between sulfate and the meteorological predictors. Sulfate trends estimated after a GAM-based adjustment for weather-related influences were found to be primarily downward across the eastern United States by as much as 6.7% per year (average of 2.6% per year), but large spatial variability was noted. The most conspicuous characteristic in the trends was over portions of the Appalachian Mountains where very small (average 1.6% per year) and often insignificant sulfate changes were found. The Appalachian region also experienced a tendency, after removing meteorological influences, for increases in the ratio RS of sulfate sulfur to total sulfur. Before 1991, this ratio averaged 0.33 across all sites. Appalachian increases in RS were equivalent to 0.07 during 1989–2001 (significant for most sites at the 0.05 level), or nearly 2 times the average change at the other sites. This suggests that conditions over the Appalachians became notably more efficient at oxidizing SO2 into sulfate. Alternatively, subtle changes in local deposition patterns occurred, preferentially in and near mountainous monitoring sites, that changed the SO2–sulfate balance.
{"title":"Ambient Sulfate Trends and the Influence of Meteorology","authors":"S. F. Mueller","doi":"10.1175/JAM2307.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2307.1","url":null,"abstract":"Data on atmospheric levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfate were examined to quantify changes since 1989. Changes in sulfur species were adjusted to account for meteorological variability. Adjustments were made using meteorological variables expressed in terms of their principal components that were used as predictors in statistical models. Several models were tested. A generalized additive model (GAM)—based in part on nonparametric, locally smoothed predictor functions—computed the greatest association between sulfate and the meteorological predictors. Sulfate trends estimated after a GAM-based adjustment for weather-related influences were found to be primarily downward across the eastern United States by as much as 6.7% per year (average of 2.6% per year), but large spatial variability was noted. The most conspicuous characteristic in the trends was over portions of the Appalachian Mountains where very small (average 1.6% per year) and often insignificant sulfate changes were found. The Appalachian region also experienced a tendency, after removing meteorological influences, for increases in the ratio RS of sulfate sulfur to total sulfur. Before 1991, this ratio averaged 0.33 across all sites. Appalachian increases in RS were equivalent to 0.07 during 1989–2001 (significant for most sites at the 0.05 level), or nearly 2 times the average change at the other sites. This suggests that conditions over the Appalachians became notably more efficient at oxidizing SO2 into sulfate. Alternatively, subtle changes in local deposition patterns occurred, preferentially in and near mountainous monitoring sites, that changed the SO2–sulfate balance.","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"32 1","pages":"1745-1760"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82993835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract This study investigates the accuracy of various precipitation products for the Sahel. A first set of products is made of three ground-based precipitation estimates elaborated regionally from the gauge data collected by Centre Regional Agrometeorologie–Hydrologie–Meteorologie (AGRHYMET). The second set is made of four global products elaborated by various international data centers. The comparison between these two sets covers the period of 1986–2000. The evaluation of the entire operational network of the Sahelian countries indicates that on average the monthly estimation error for the July–September period is around 12% at a spatial scale of 2.5° × 2.5°. The estimation error increases from south to north and remains below 10% for the area south of 15°N and west of 11°E (representing 42% of the region studied). In the southern Sahel (south of 15°N), the rain gauge density needs to be at least 10 gauges per 2.5° × 2.5° grid cell for a monthly error of less than 10%. In the northern Sahel, this den...
{"title":"Rainfall Estimation in the Sahel. Part II: Evaluation of Rain Gauge Networks in the CILSS Countries and Objective Intercomparison of Rainfall Products","authors":"Abdou Ali, A. Amani, A. Diedhiou, T. Lebel","doi":"10.1175/JAM2305.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1175/JAM2305.1","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study investigates the accuracy of various precipitation products for the Sahel. A first set of products is made of three ground-based precipitation estimates elaborated regionally from the gauge data collected by Centre Regional Agrometeorologie–Hydrologie–Meteorologie (AGRHYMET). The second set is made of four global products elaborated by various international data centers. The comparison between these two sets covers the period of 1986–2000. The evaluation of the entire operational network of the Sahelian countries indicates that on average the monthly estimation error for the July–September period is around 12% at a spatial scale of 2.5° × 2.5°. The estimation error increases from south to north and remains below 10% for the area south of 15°N and west of 11°E (representing 42% of the region studied). In the southern Sahel (south of 15°N), the rain gauge density needs to be at least 10 gauges per 2.5° × 2.5° grid cell for a monthly error of less than 10%. In the northern Sahel, this den...","PeriodicalId":15026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Meteorology","volume":"35 1","pages":"1707-1722"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86686931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}