Abstract
Clouds are an important component of Earth’s climate system. In particular, shallow convective clouds contribute to the vertical transport of heat, moisture, and momentum in the troposphere, and they generally have a net cooling effect on the planet’s radiation budget. Previous studies have often been limited by a lack of large observational samples needed to understand these clouds and their characteristics. This dissertation strives to overcome this limitation by analyzing observations of shallow convective clouds in two different coastal regions and using two different measurement paradigms. First, shallow convective clouds generated by cold-air outbreaks on the northern coast of Norway are observed by a research cloud radar, and dynamical and microphysical properties like updrafts and ice crystal concentrations are retrieved. Second, operational precipitation radar and geostationary satellite observations in southeast Texas are used to quantify the spatiotemporal variability of shallow convective cloud properties like cloud fraction, cloud top height, and precipitation occurrence. A tracking algorithm is then applied to the radar observations to provide statistics of individual shallow convective cloud lifecycles. These two approaches, while different, provide a more complete understanding of convective cloud characteristics.
Year
5-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Keywords
clouds, convection, remote sensing, ESCAPE, TRACER, COMBLE
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Earth Science
Advisor
Pavlos Kollias
Recommended Citation
Mages, Zackary, "Characteristics of Shallow Convection in Diverse Coastal Conditions" (2025). Electronic Dissertations and Theses, 2010-current. 108.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/electronic-disserations-theses/108