Cloud Structure and Distributions over the Tropical Pacific Ocean

Joanne S. Malkus, Herbert Riehl

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780520328983
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Meteorology & Climatology

Cloud Structure and Distributions over the Tropical Pacific Ocean offers a rigorous examination of cloud formations, distributions, and their intricate relationship with large-scale atmospheric dynamics in the tropical Pacific. Using advanced quantitative photography and synoptic analysis, this work addresses the fundamental role of convective clouds in the region's heat engine, where towering cumulonimbus clouds transform and transport latent heat energy, crucially influencing thermodynamics and circulation patterns. For researchers and meteorologists, this study illuminates the significant impact of tropical cloud systems on heat and mass transfer within the equatorial trough zone and hurricane systems, moving beyond simplistic views of random convection to reveal highly structured, event-driven cloud patterns. This volume challenges traditional models of tropical convection by integrating findings from recent expeditions and studies that underscore the controlling effects of environmental factors such as moisture distribution and stability fluctuations. Analyzing variations in cloud behavior across the tropics, it documents the dramatic shifts in atmospheric conditions as one moves equatorward, where cloud-driven disturbances become primary in energy transport and influence weather systems across broader latitudes. Ideal for advanced meteorological study, Cloud Structure and Distributions over the Tropical Pacific Ocean is essential for understanding how organized cloud systems drive tropical climate dynamics and for assessing the critical, yet complex, role of these clouds in global energy distribution and rainfall variability.

This title was originally published in 1964.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents 10
• Introduction, Background, and Motivation of the Study
• REFERENCES
• Methods of Data Collection and Analysis 1. METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF OBSERVATION
• 2. OVER-ALL RESULTS AND METHODS OF ANALYSIS
• 3. QUANTITATIVE CLOUD MEASUREMENT
• 4. CLOUD MAPPING: THE DETERMINATION OF Row ORIENTATION
• REFERENCES
• Results of Flight I
• 1. SYNOPTIC STUDY AND OVER-ALL CLOUD SURVEY
• 2. CLOUD STUDY: CLOUD CROSS SECTIONS
• 3. ORGANIZATION STUDY
• 4. SUMMARY OF FLIGHT I
• Results of Flight II
• 1. SYNOPTIC STUDY AND OVER-ALL CLOUD SURVEY
• 2. CLOUD CROSS SECTIONS
• 3. ORGANIZATION STUDY
• 4. SUMMARY OF FLIGHT II
• REFERENCES
• Results of Flight III
• 1. SYNOPTIC STUDY AND OVER-ALL CLOUD SURVEY
• 2. CLOUD CROSS SECTIONS
• 3. ORGANIZATION STUDY
• 4. SUMMARY OF FLIGHT III
• REFERENCES
• Comparisons, Summary, and Conclusions 1. COMPARISON OF THE THREE PACIFIC FLIGHTS
• 2. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX