Near-global distributions of overshooting tops derived from Terra and Aqua MODIS observations

Hong, Yulan; Nesbitt, Stephen W.; Trapp, Robert J.; Di Girolamo, Larry

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1391-2023

Articles | Volume 16, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1391-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1391-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 5

Research article

|

16 Mar 2023

Research article |

| 16 Mar 2023

Near-global distributions of overshooting tops derived from Terra and Aqua MODIS observations

Yulan Hong, Stephen W. Nesbitt, Robert J. Trapp, and Larry Di Girolamo

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1391-2023-supplement

Data sets

GPM DPR Precipitation Profile L2A 1.5 hours 5 km V07, Greenbelt, MD, Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) T. Iguchi and R. Meneghini https://doi.org/10.5067/GPM/DPR/GPM/2A/07

goldsmr4.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov NASA https://goldsmr4.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov/data/MERRA2/M2I1NXASM.5.12.4/

Short summary

Deep convective updrafts form overshooting tops (OTs) when they extend into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. An OT often indicates hazardous weather conditions. The global distribution of OTs is useful for understanding global severe weather conditions. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Aqua and Terra satellites provides 2 decades of records on the Earth–atmosphere system with stable orbits, which are used in this study to derive 20-year OT climatology.