Estimates of the sensible heat of rainfall in the tropics from reanalysis and observations
Ramos, C. G. M., Tan, H., Ray, P., & Dudhia, J. (2022). Estimates of the sensible heat of rainfall in the tropics from reanalysis and observations. International Journal Of Climatology, 42, 2246-2259. doi:10.1002/joc.7363
Precipitation cools the surface because the temperature of raindrops is typically lower than the temperature of the surface. This precipitation-induced sensible heat flux (Q(P)) due to the temperature difference between the surface and raindrops is thought to be small and is typically ignored in ... Show morePrecipitation cools the surface because the temperature of raindrops is typically lower than the temperature of the surface. This precipitation-induced sensible heat flux (Q(P)) due to the temperature difference between the surface and raindrops is thought to be small and is typically ignored in weather and climate models. However, there are many instances in which instantaneous values in Q(P) can be large, especially in extreme rainfall events. In this study, we provide a systematic estimate of Q(P) over the tropics based on in-situ buoy observations, satellite data, and reanalysis. The results show that the highest climatological Q(P) values (similar to 2 to 3 W m(-2)) are found over the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), both associated with higher amount of precipitation. The Q(P) over land, however, is not well correlated with precipitation due to a more complex relationship between the raindrops temperature and surface temperature. Estimation of Q(P) based on in-situ buoy observations shows that Q(P) can be large at shorter time scales, and can be higher than surface sensible heat flux due to air-sea temperature difference (Q(SH)), and even surface latent heat flux (Q(LH)), for heavy precipitating events. Implications of these results and possible future research avenues related to Q(P) are discussed. Show less