A Climatological Study of Vertical Transports by Cumulus-Scale Convection

Abstract

Cumulus-scale vertical transports of sensible heat and angular momentum are computed by a technique which uses detailed precipitation measurements as basic input. Data from Boston, Mass., New Orleans, La., San Juan, P.R., and Tatoosh, Wash., are included in the study, and calculations are made for January, April, July and October. The seasonal and regional variations of the computed transports are consistent with climatology. The cumulus-scale transports are compared with the mean meridional, the synoptic-scale, and the total required eddy fluxes of heat and momentum, and are found to be of the same order of magnitude as the most important components of larger scale vertical flux during at least one season at each station.