Environmental Controls on MCS Lifetime Rainfall Over Tropical Oceans

Abstract

AbstractMesoscale convective systems (MCSs) contribute a majority of rainfall over tropical oceans. However, our understanding of the environmental controls on tropical oceanic MCS precipitation remains incomplete. Using 20‐year of satellite observations, reanalysis data, and MCS tracking, we found that MCSs initiating in a mesoscale environment with enhanced lower‐free‐tropospheric moisture, warmer middle troposphere, stronger low‐level ascent, and stronger deep‐layer (surface‐400 hPa) wind shear tend to produce more precipitation during their lifetimes. While most of these environmental factors are correlated with one another, the deep‐layer shear is not. A rapid pickup in MCS lifetime rainfall is found when the lower‐free‐tropospheric specific humidity exceeds 10 g kg−1. This nonlinearity is mostly dominated by the nonlinear increase in MCS area. On the other hand, both MCS area and rain rate increase quasi‐linearly with the deep‐layer shear. The increase in rain rate is related to the enhancement of heavy precipitating convective activity with deep‐layer shear.