Publication Date:
2024-05-30
Description:
〈title xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"〉Abstract〈/title〉〈p xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xml:lang="en"〉The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a central component of the atmospheric general circulation, but remarkably little is known about the dynamical and thermodynamical structure of the convergence zone itself. This is true even for the structure of the low‐level convergence that gives the ITCZ its name. Following on from the major international field campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s, we performed extensive atmospheric profiling of the Atlantic ITCZ during a ship‐based measurement campaign aboard the research vessel 〈italic toggle="no"〉SONNE〈/italic〉 in summer 2021. Combining data collected during our north–south crossing of the ITCZ with reanalysis data shows the ITCZ to be a meridionally extended region of intense precipitation, with enhanced surface convergence at its edges rather than in the center. Based on the location of these edges, we construct a composite view of the structure of the Atlantic ITCZ. The ITCZ, far from being simply a region of enhanced deep convection, has a rich inner life, that is, a rich dynamical and thermodynamic structure that changes throughout the course of the year, and has a northern edge that differs systematically from the southern edge.〈/p〉
Description:
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347
Description:
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme CONSTRAIN
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010661
Description:
https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7051674
Description:
https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47
Keywords:
ddc:551.5
;
ITCZ
;
Atlantic
;
convergence
;
observations
;
reanalysis
Language:
English
Type:
doc-type:article
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