Universität zu Köln

Acquistapace, Claudia ORCID: 0000-0002-1144-4753, Schnitt, Sabrina ORCID: 0000-0002-3949-770X, Krause, Sibylle, Risse, Nils ORCID: 0000-0002-7267-9353, Lange, Diego ORCID: 0000-0002-1185-7152 and Chatterjee, Dwaipayan ORCID: 0000-0001-8757-9884 (2026). Characterizing trade‐wind shallow convection regimes in the open sea with a synergy of ship‐based vertical profiling observations. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 152 (774). pp. 1-30. Wiley. ISSN 0035-9009

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Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: e70038] Precipitation occurs frequently in observed shallow convection across the Northern Atlantic Trades. Despite its central role in shaping the water cycle, it remains challenging to quantify how much and when precipitation occurs, and how precipitation shapes its immediate thermodynamic and dynamic environment. Here we make use of the synergy of active profiling remote sensing aboard the RV Maria S. Merian during the Elucidating the Role of Clouds–Circulation Coupling in Climate (A) field study in 2020. We investigate the thermodynamic and dynamic conditions before, during, and after precipitation using a statistical approach. By distinguishing between shallow and congestus profiles according to observed cloud geometrical thickness, we find that congestus clouds occur more frequently than shallow (21% and 9% of profiles), contain three times more liquid water (60 vs. ), and precipitate more often (71% vs. 7%). Shallow clouds, as a precursor stage to congestus, show little variability during the day, while congestus clouds maximize at night. Convection is initiated in shallow clouds located in patches of humidity moister than the clear‐sky state, sometimes coupled with sea‐surface induced changes in the sub‐cloud layer. At the congestus stage, microphysical and thermodynamic processes trigger further cloud and precipitation growth in the cloud layer. In shallow conditions, virga induce a cooling and moistening anomaly in the sub‐cloud layer that fosters cold‐pool development. In precipitating congestus clouds, dry, cold air is found in sub‐cloud and cloud layers. By analyzing a case study with multiple datasets, we recorded a variation in the vertical velocity field at cloud top associated with the development of precipitation and connected with a change in mesoscale cloud patterns. The statistics presented, as well as the case study, can serve as a benchmark dataset for studying the precipitation life cycle in high‐resolution modeling.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Acquistapace, Claudia UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1144-4753 UNSPECIFIED Schnitt, Sabrina UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3949-770X UNSPECIFIED Krause, Sibylle UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Risse, Nils UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7267-9353 UNSPECIFIED Lange, Diego UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1185-7152 UNSPECIFIED Chatterjee, Dwaipayan UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8757-9884 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-812984
Identification Number:	10.1002/qj.70038
Journal or Publication Title:	Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
Volume:	152
Number:	774
Page Range:	pp. 1-30
Number of Pages:	30
Date:	27 January 2026
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0035-9009
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences > Department of Geosciences > Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology
Subjects:	Earth sciences Geography and travel
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language cloud organization ; cold pools ; deep learning, EUREC4A ; marine boundary layer ; precipitation ; shallow convection ; ship-based profiling remote sensing English
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/81298