Conserved variable and observational analysis over the West Coast of India during ARMEX-2002

Abstract

The Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX) addresses monsoon and associated convective activity, laying emphasis on the monsoon onset processes and intense rainfall events over the west coast of India. The prime objective of this paper is to study the variation observed in the surface and upper air parameters obtained over the west-coast of India during ARMEX. Conserved Variable Analyses (CVA) of viz., potential temperature, virtual potential temperature, saturation equivalent potential temperature and specific humidity etc. were also carried out at every point up to 3 km from the surface to cover the boundary layer over convectively active and suppressed regimes along the west-coast of India during this period. Analyses of the surface parameters such as sea-surface temperature (SST), air temperature, wind speed and moisture along the ORV Sagar Kanya (ORVSK) cruise track were carried out. Similar analysis was also carried along a few of the west-coast land stations viz. Vijaydurg, Karvar, Honavar and Goa. The structure of the boundary layer was found to be varying depending on the various factors that influence lower atmosphere and the general trend being a pronounced increase in the boundary layer height during an active convection process just before the heavy rainfall event.