Publication Date:
2015-03-05
Description:
Comprehensive measurements were carried out on the mountainous island of Corsica during the HYdrological cycle in Mediterranean EXperiment (HyMeX) field campaign in 2012. Using data from an operational GPS network, radiosondes and microwave radiometers, we studied the spatio-temporal variability of integrated water vapour (IWV) and convection-related parameters in the pre-convective environment over the island. The following spatial differences in the IWV evolution occurred frequently: the IWV in the interior of the island strongly increased around noon, while only small variations were observed on the upstream coast. We showed that a transport of water vapour with thermally driven circulations and the formation of elevated humidity layers due to advective venting caused the diurnal IWV variation over and downstream of the mountains. Spatial inhomogeneities in the pre-convective atmospheric conditions evolved and the knowledge of these turned out to be crucial to understanding the timing and location of isolated deep convection over the island.
Print ISSN:
0035-9009
Electronic ISSN:
1477-870X
Topics:
Geography
,
Physics
Permalink