Tropopause‐penetrating convection in the extratropics: A satellite‐based investigation for the year 2018

Abstract

AbstractTropopause‐penetrating convection (or “overshooting convection” [OC]) is defined as a meso‐to‐microscale stratosphere–troposphere exchange process caused by deep convection. OC plays an important role in stratosphere–troposphere exchange and in producing turbulence. Compared with the tropics, the characteristics of OC in the extratropics are poorly understood. To this end, a high‐resolution and objective satellite‐based OC identification and classification algorithm was developed. In the algorithm, a machine learning method was utilized to derive tropopause height directly from satellite observations to ensure a high level of consistency between tropopause and cloud top height variations. By studying the climatology of OCs, including geographic distribution, vertical extent, and seasonal and diurnal variation, as well as their linkage with turbulence in the extratropics in 2018 based on Fengyun‐4A geostationary meteorological satellite data, it was found that most OCs in the extratropics have relatively shallow vertical extents and are more likely to occur over complex topography within the cyclonic curvature side of subtropical jets near the exit region, with a total frequency lower than 0.2%. They showed significant seasonal and diurnal variation. OCs in the Northern Hemisphere occurred most frequently during spring and summer and peak in the afternoon, while those in the Southern Hemisphere were more likely to occur in winter and spring, and with the highest likelihood in the early morning. Typical synoptic conditions for the occurrence of OCs in the mid–high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere in the summer months included low‐level easterly flows, increased moisture symmetric instability, upper cold trough (or cold vortex), and a subtropical westerly jet. Under this large‐scale flow pattern, moderate‐to‐greater turbulence was often found to occur within or about 200 km away from the core convective area. The stronger the penetrating convection, the greater the probability of moderate‐to‐greater turbulence.