Satellites and Weather Models Study West African Storms
By Leonard Druyan and Matthew Fulakeza
Weather forecasts made by computer-based models must be started with information from weather observations. The required observational datasets interpolate (fill in) the sometimes wide areas between weather observations, and they are made routinely several times a day on a relatively coarse grid (275 km spacing) over Earth's entire surface.
One computer model at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research produces weather analyses and forecasts over West Africa on a grid with only 50 km spacing over a limited area, confined to 70° of longitude by 55° of latitude. The relatively small dimensions of this regional model's (RM) grid elements make it a very appropriate tool for studying weather phenomena with small spatial features, such as summer storms over West Africa.
Because the RM covers a limited area, its simulations require a constant stream of weather information at the geographic edges of the domain. In the experiments described below, these "lateral boundary data" were supplied from the same type of global analyses of interpolated observational weather data that were used to begin the RM simulations. In effect, the RM interprets coarser resolution global analyses by giving more detailed structure to the spatial distributions of weather variables, such as the circulation and rainfall patterns associate with storms.
Six June-September RM rainfall simulations were compared to estimates of actual daily rainfall at each 1° square of latitude-longitude over a rainy area of West Africa. These estimates were based on meteorological satellite measurements available from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM). Since the TRMM satellite does not fly over and observe West Africa more than once per day, daily rainfall totals are based on a theoretical blend of TRMM data with readings from a second, geostationary satellite that is continuously poised over one equatorial location. Accordingly, TRMM daily rainfall rates are only approximations of what actually occurs.
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Click on the picture on the right to see an animation of one simulation of the 700mb level of circulation and daily precipitation rates over 16 layers from June to September 2002.
The day to day changes in meteorological fields over West Africa can be viewed in the animation of the RM simulation on the first page for June-September 2003, which feature streamlines of wind patterns as approximately 3 km altitude and near the Earth's surface, each superimposed on daily precipitation rates. Notice how some of the precipitation maxima move westward (to the left) and note also occasional wave-like crests in the 700 mb streamlines that invariably also advance westward.
Counter-clockwise (cyclonic) circulations at the lower (925 mb) level move westward in tandem with the 700 mb waves. These features represent storms that moves across West Africa on their way to the Atlantic Ocean.
These results strongly suggest that both TRMM estimates and RM simulations successfully depict actual westward moving summer storms over West Africa. TRMM daily observations show promise for monitoring rainfall over data-sparse areas, and the RM shows promise for making daily predictions of summer storm tracks over West Africa.
References
- Druyan, L., and M. Fulakeza 2005. Mesoscale climate analysis over West Africa. CLIVAR Exchanges 10, 20, 34-35.
- Druyan, L., M. Fulakeza, and P. Lonergan 2006. Mesoscale analyses of West African summer climate: focus on wave disturbances. Climate Dyn. 27, 459-481, doi:10.1007/s00382-006-0141-9.
Animations
Warning: The following animation files are very large.
Regional Model data at 700mb 2002 (92mb)
Regional Model data at 700mb in 2003 (18.7mb)
Regional Model data at 925mb in 2002 (20mb)
Regional Model data at 925mb in 2003 (20mb)
The Difference Between Precipitation in Regional Model and the TRMM in 2002 (68.9mb)
