Swann, A, A. H. Sobel, S. E. Yuter, and G. N. Kiladis, 2006: Observed radar reflectivity in convectively coupled Kelvin and mixed Rossby-gravity waves. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L10804, doi:10.1029/2006GL025979.

Abstract

Propagating disturbances in the tropical atmosphere exhibiting characteristics of linear equatorial waves have been shown to be "coupled" to convection. In some cases, a rain event at a specific location can be associated with a particular wave of sufficiently large amplitude. Rain events spanning three years at Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 8.72°N 167.73°E, are classified by associated wave type (i.e. Kelvin or mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG)) using space-time spectral-filtered outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). Contoured frequency by altitude diagrams (CFADs) of radar for the classified dates were compared between the two groups. The Kelvin wave accumulated CFAD has a distribution shifted to lower reflectivities compared to MRG suggesting that Kelvin storms likely contain a larger fraction of stratiform to convective area compared to MRG storms.