Dynamical study of three African Easterly Waves in September 2021

• Published in: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Main Authors: Jonville, Tanguy, Flamant, Cyrille, Lavaysse, Christophe
• Other Authors: TROPO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), École nationale des ponts et chaussées (ENPC), European Commission - Joint Research Centre Ispra (JRC), Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (Fédération OSUG)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Ministère de la Transition écologique et Solidaire; Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales; European Space Agency, Grant/Award Number: RFP/3-16595/20/NL/FF/ab; Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace; Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU) of Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: CCSD 2024
• Subjects: African easterly waves deep convection dust monsoon trough zone tropical cyclones; tropical storms; [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-04539891; https://insu.hal.science/insu-04539891v2/document; https://insu.hal.science/insu-04539891v2/file/Quart%20J%20Royal%20Meteoro%20Soc%20-%202024%20-%20Jonville%20-%20Dynamical%20study%20of%20three%20African%20Easterly%20Waves%20in%20September%202021-2.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.4720

International audience Three convectively active African easterly waves (AEWs) that propagated south of the African easterly jet were observed over the northeast Atlantic Ocean in September 2021. Their evolution is studied using a suite of theoretical frameworks, as well as the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecast reanalyses and satellite‐derived brightness temperature observations. The environment of these AEWs was sampled during the Cloud–Atmospheric Dynamics–Dust Interactions in West Africa campaign near Cape Verde with the goal to assess their potential for developing into tropical cyclones. We highlight the processes that inhibited the development of the first AEW (which evolved into tropical disturbance Pierre‐Henri) and that played a role in the development of the later two into tropical storms Rose and Peter on September 19, 2021. The three AEWs developed a so‐called “marsupial protective” pouch. For Peter and Rose, the pouch was associated with a vertically aligned vortex at low levels and efficiently protected the convective systems inside from dry and dusty air intrusion. The development of this low‐level vortex is associated with an interaction with the monsoon trough for Rose and with a vorticity center associated with a wave propagating north of the African easterly jet (AEJ) in the case of Peter. The presence of a dust flux toward the convective core near the surface is highlighted for Rose and Peter in spite of the presence of the protective marsupial pouch. On the other hand, Pierre‐Henri interacted positively with both the monsoon trough and an AEW north of the AEJ but failed to develop into a tropical cyclone. The wave north of the AEJ brought Saharan air layer air masses inside the pouch that led to a drying of the circulation that may explain the decrease in convective activity.