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The variability of water vapour and pre‐convective conditions over the mountainous island of Corsica
Author(s) -
Adler Bianca,
Kalthoff Norbert,
Kohler Martin,
Handwerker Jan,
Wieser Andreas,
Corsmeier Ulrich,
Kottmeier Christoph,
Lambert Dominique,
Bock Olivier
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.2545
Subject(s) - radiosonde , environmental science , advection , convection , diurnal cycle , climatology , water vapor , mesoscale meteorology , noon , humidity , atmospheric sciences , mediterranean sea , water cycle , mediterranean climate , meteorology , geology , geography , ecology , physics , archaeology , biology , thermodynamics
Comprehensive measurements were carried out on the mountainous island of Corsica during the Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) field campaign in 2012. Using data from an operational GPS network, radiosondes and microwave radiometers, we studied the spatio‐temporal variability of integrated water vapour (IWV) and convection‐related parameters in the pre‐convective environment over the island. The following spatial differences in the IWV evolution occurred frequently. In the interior of the island the IWV strongly increased around noon, while on the upstream coast only small variations were observed. We showed that a transport of water vapour with thermally driven circulations and the formation of elevated humidity layers due to advective venting caused the diurnal IWV variation over and downstream of the mountains. Spatial inhomogeneities in the pre‐convective atmospheric conditions evolved and the knowledge of these turned out to be crucial to understanding the timing and location of isolated deep convection over the island.