Identification

Title

Possible linkages between Saharan dust and tropical cyclone rain band invigoration in the eastern Atlantic during NAMMA-06

Abstract

The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is a dominant feature that influences the large-scale environment from West Africa to the western tropical North Atlantic. While the SAL can create hostile thermodynamic and kinematic environmental conditions for tropical cyclogenesis, it also provides an infusion of cloud condensation and ice nuclei which can potentially invigorate convection. Here we show that these mechanisms may have been involved with the development of Tropical Storm (TS) Debby and Tropical Depression (TD) 8 (later Hurricane Helene) in 2006. Satellite imagery and rawinsondes indicate SAL outbreaks just prior to the emergence of these disturbances over the extreme Eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. Here we examine the invigoration of convective bands associated with TS Debby and TD-8 based on satellite and direct aircraft measurement. In-situ aircraft measurements show enhanced cloud water content, cloud and precipitation sized particles, lightning and a 26 ms-1 updraft just south of the SAL with TD-8.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7f76cr8

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2008-04-30T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

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Conformity

Data format

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version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2008 American Geophysical Union.

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2025-07-17T15:58:31.451197

Metadata language

eng; USA