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Abstract This study investigates the vertical structure and related dynamical and energy conversion processes that aided the development of two east Pacific easterly waves (EWs) during the 2019 OTREC (Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection) campaign period. The initial mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) that seeded both disturbances formed near the Panama Bight and developed into EWs near the Papagayo jet exit region. In the MCS stage, both disturbances were characterized by top‐heavy vertical motions and midlevel vorticity near the maximum vorticity center. The deep convection caused strong latent heating and eddy available potential energy (EAPE) generation and conversion to eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the upper levels. When the disturbances moved to the south of the Papagayo jet, they interacted with the low‐level shear vorticity there, enhancing low‐level stretching and vorticity. Subsequently, the top‐heavy upward motion intensified and led to enhanced stretching and vorticity intensification at midlevels. The enhanced stretching on the southwest side also favored the formation of southwest‐northeast tilted vorticity at midlevels that characterizes EWs. After the EWs formed near the jet exit, the vertical motion weakened and became more bottom‐heavy, with the maximum vorticity shifting to lower levels. This change in the vertical motion profile near the jet exit region is likely modulated by the lower sea surface temperature, reduced moisture, and weaker convective instability. While EAPE‐to‐EKE conversion weakened during this period, the low‐level barotropic conversion of EKE in the jet exit served as the primary energy source for the EWs.
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Easterly Waves in the East Pacific during the OTREC 2019 Field Campaign
Abstract Easterly waves (EWs) are off-equatorial tropical synoptic disturbances with a westward phase speed between 11 and 14 m s−1. Over the east Pacific in boreal summer, the combination of EWs and other synoptic disturbances, plus local mechanisms associated with sea surface temperature (SST) gradients, define the climatological structure of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The east Pacific ITCZ has both deep and shallow convection that is linked to deep and shallow meridional circulations, respectively. The deep convection is located around 9°N over warm SSTs. The shallow convection is located around 6°N and is driven by the meridional SST gradient south of the ITCZ. This study aims to document the interaction between east Pacific EWs and the deep and shallow meridional circulations during the Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign in 2019 using field campaign observations, ERA5, and satellite precipitation. We identified three EWs during the OTREC period using precipitation and dynamical fields. Composite analysis shows that the convectively active part of the EW enhances ITCZ deep convection and is associated with an export of column-integrated moist static energy (MSE) by vertical advection. The subsequent convectively suppressed, anticyclonic part of the EW produces an increase of moisture and column-integrated MSE by horizontal advection that likely enhances shallow convection and the shallow overturning flow at 850 hPa over the southern part of the ITCZ. Therefore, EWs appear to strongly modulate shallow and deep circulations in the east Pacific ITCZ.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1735978
- PAR ID:
- 10303132
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Meteorological Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Volume:
- 78
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 0022-4928
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 4071-4088
- Size(s):
- p. 4071-4088
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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