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.
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.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Mar 2023
Research article |
| 16 Mar 2023
| 16 Mar 2023
Near-global distributions of overshooting tops derived from Terra and Aqua MODIS observations
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Stephen W. Nesbitt
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Robert J. Trapp
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Larry Di Girolamo
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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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.
Deep convective updrafts form overshooting tops (OTs) when they extend into the upper...
