We propose to merge and leverage the strengths of aqua, suomi NPP and other satellite retrievals (e.g. a-train satellite products, GPM, trmm) to study the environment coincident with the transition…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a $183,469.47 grant for research to The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (Columbia University). The research aims to study the transition from shallow to deep convection over tropical oceans using satellite data from Aqua, Suomi NPP, and other sources. The objectives are to demonstrate the feasibility of computing a multi-sensor radiative heating-induced moistening term, and to map twice-daily satellite snapshots onto continuous hourly sequences to analyze the sub-daily evolution of convection. This grant does not have a set-aside designation and is to be completed by November 1, 2022. Columbia University is a private university that conducts scientific research and provides specialized services to government agencies through federal contracts and grants.

We propose to merge and leverage the strengths of aqua, suomi NPP and other satellite retrievals (e.g. a-train satellite products, GPM, trmm) to study the environment coincident with the transition from shallow to deep convection on sub-daily to intraseasonal timescales over the tropical oceans. For our first objective, we demonstrate the feasibility of computing a multi-sensor radiative heating-induced moistening term from space-based platforms for use in analyses of moistening processes. In our proposal, we perform a preliminary case-study analysis of the evolution of moisture during three MJO-onset events in the western indian ocean. We find a close coupling between positive water vapor anomalies in the lower troposphere (from aqua airs/amsu) and multi-sensor computed radiative moistening anomalies during MJO onset. These results may suggest that radiative moistening is important for keeping the atmosphere moist enough to sustain deep convection on sufficient timescales, and may be relevant for MJO onset timescales. Our second objective centers on using novel compositing strategies to map twice-a-day satellite snapshots (e.g. aqua airs/amsu L2 retrievals) onto continuous hourly sequences to analyze the sub-daily timescale evolution of convection. Early results indicate when the large-scale state is moist enough, the transition from shallow to deep convective clouds (as identified from high-resolution IR products) does not occur everywhere. Using our novel compositing strategy, results suggest that the mesoscale environment adjacent to deep convective initiation is characterized by increased moisture (and localized cooling) up to several hours prior to the appearance of deep convective clouds (relative to non-deep-convective-initiation areas