Joint distributions of waves and rain

Quartly, GD, Shutler, J and Woolf, DK 2013 Joint distributions of waves and rain. In: ESA Living Planet Symposium 2013, Edinburgh, UK, 9–13 September 2013. Proc. ESA Living Planet Symposium 2013, (Edinburgh, UK 9–13 September 2013, ESA.

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Abstract/Summary

The transfer of gases between the atmosphere and ocean is affected by a number of processes, of which wave action and rainfall are two of potential significance. Efforts have been made to quantify separately their contributions; however such assessments neglect the interaction of these phenomena. Here we look at the correlation statistics of waves and rain to note which regions display a strong association between rainfall and the local sea state. The conditional probability of rain varies from ~0.5% to ~15%, with most of the equatorial belt (which contains the ITCZ) showing a greater likelihood of rain at the lowest sea states. In contrast the occurrence of rain is independent of wave height in the Southern Ocean. The 1997/98 El Niño enhances the frequency of rain in some Pacific regions, with this change showing some association with wave conditions.

Item Type: Publication - Conference Item (Paper)
Additional Keywords: Significant wave height, Rainfall, Dual-frequency altimetry, TOPEX, Air-sea gas transfer velocity, Seasonal, Interannual
Subjects: Earth Observation - Remote Sensing
Meteorology and Climatology
Divisions: Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Sea from Space (expired)
Depositing User: Graham Quartly
Date made live: 26 Mar 2014 10:19
Last Modified: 06 Jun 2017 16:10
URI: https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/5596

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