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Near-Surface Density Currents Observed in the Southeast Pacific Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layer Public Deposited

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/9880vs674

Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00359.s1.

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  • Density currents (i.e., cold pools or outflows) beneath marine stratocumulus clouds are characterized using 30 days of ship-based observations obtained during the 2008 Variability of American Monsoon Systems (VAMOS) Ocean–Cloud–Atmosphere–Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) in the southeast Pacific. An air density increase criterion applied to the Improved Meteorological (IMET) sensor data identified 71 density current front, core (peak density), and tail (dissipating) zones. The similarity in speeds of the mean density current propagation speed (1.8 m s⁻¹) and the mean cloud-level advection relative to the surface layer wind (1.9 m s⁻¹) allowed drizzle cells to deposit elongated density currents in their wakes. Scanning Doppler lidar captured prefrontal updrafts with a mean intensity of 0.91 m s⁻¹ and an average vertical extent of 800 m. Updrafts were often surmounted by low-lying shelf clouds not connected to the overlying stratocumulus cloud. The observed density currents were 5–10 times thinner and weaker than typical continental thunderstorm cold pools. Nearly 90% of density currents were identified when C-band radar estimated areal average rain rates exceeded 1 mm day⁻¹ over a 30-km diameter. Rather than peaking when rain rates were highest overnight, density current occurrence peaks between 0600 and 0800 local solar time when enhanced local drizzle co-occurred with shallow subcloud dry and stable layers. The dry layers may have contributed to density current formation by enhancing subcloud evaporation of drizzle. Density currents preferentially occurred in a large region of predominantly open cells but also occurred in regions of closed cells.
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  • Wilbanks, M. C., Yuter, S. E., de Szoeke, S. P., Brewer, W. A., Miller, M. A., Hall, A. M., & Burleyson, C. D. (2015). Near-surface density currents observed in the southeast Pacific stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer. Monthly Weather Review, 143(9), 3532-3555. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-14-00359.1
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  • 143
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  • 9
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  • This research was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office (CPO) Climate Prediction Program for the Americas (CPPA) Grants GC09-252b and GC09-507, the Office of Science (Biological and Environmental Research) U.S. Department of Energy Grants DE-SC0006701 and DE-SC0006994, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Grant NNX11AE98G. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated for the Department of Energy by Battelle Memorial Institute under Contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830.
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  • description.provenance : Submitted by Patricia Black (patricia.black@oregonstate.edu) on 2015-09-23T19:24:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 deSzoeke SimonCEOASNearSurfaceDensity.pdf: 3072568 bytes, checksum: 33adb721d6eb8b1077b67c7bf232b0e6 (MD5)
  • description.provenance : Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-23T19:24:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 deSzoeke SimonCEOASNearSurfaceDensity.pdf: 3072568 bytes, checksum: 33adb721d6eb8b1077b67c7bf232b0e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09
  • description.provenance : Approved for entry into archive by Patricia Black(patricia.black@oregonstate.edu) on 2015-09-23T19:24:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 deSzoeke SimonCEOASNearSurfaceDensity.pdf: 3072568 bytes, checksum: 33adb721d6eb8b1077b67c7bf232b0e6 (MD5)

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