Observed effects of landscape variability on convective clouds

R. M. Rabin, S. Stadler, P. J. Wetzel, D. J. Stensrud, M. Gregory

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

208 Scopus citations

Abstract

A case is presented in which clouds are observed to form first over a mesoscale-size area (100 × 300 km) of harvested wheat in Oklahoma, where the ground temperature is warmer than adjoining areas dominated by growing vegetation. In addition, clouds are suppressed over relatively long bands downwind of small man-made lakes and areas characterized by heavy tree cover. The observed variability of cloud relative to landscape type is compared with that simulated with a one-dimensional boundary-layer model. Clouds form earliest over regions characterized by high, sensible heat flux, and are suppressed over regions characterized by high, latent heat flux during relatively dry atmospheric conditions. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)272-280
Number of pages9
JournalBulletin - American Meteorological Society
Volume71
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1990

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Atmospheric Science

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