The contribution of mesoscale motions to the mass and heat fluxes of an intense tropical convective system.

Abstract

Uses three different sets of assumptions about the water budget of an idealized mesoscale convective system to test the sensitivity of diagnostic calculations of vertical transports of mass and heat to the inclusion or exclusion of anvil clouds and their associated mesoscale vertical air motions. The results imply that the effect of mesoscale vertical air motions on cloud mass flux and net heating profiles should be considered when parameterizing the effects of tropical convection on the larger scale environment. -from Authors