Evaluation of atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics during heavy-rainfall and no-rainfall events in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics during convective, stratiform and nonprecipitating clouds over the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

“…To explore the local vertical profiles over different atmospheric scenarios in Rio de Janeiro a set of radiosondes RS92-SGP was used as a part of infrastructure provided by the Water Resources and Environmental Studies Laboratory (LABH2O/COPPE) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro ("UFRJ"). The atmospheric profiling data were collected outside of standard hours at 00:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC, between 11-November-2016 and 03-March-2018, corresponding to the warm and rainy season over the region (Dereczynski et al, 2009;Silva et al, 2017).…”

“…According to the methodology proposed in Silva et al (2017), whenever a rainfall forecast was issued for the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, additional Vaisala radiosondes (http://www.vaisala.com) were launched over the region, with a total of thirty days and seventy radiosonde launched outside of standard hours (00:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC). The Figure 2S shows the site from which the radiosondes were launched, i.e., from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro ("UFRJ").…”

“…Dynamic variables characterize atmospheric motions (both wind speed and direction) and are generally dependent on large-scale and local circulation patterns (Rudolph and Friedrich, 2014). In brief, in the concomitant presence of these thermodynamic and dynamic parameters at a given time of day, cloud formation is expected to take place within the expected horizon (Wetzel and Matin, 2000;Nascimento, 2005;Silva et al, 2017).…”

“…The atmospheric dynamic movements required to lift air and trigger cloud development are found at various scales, such as tropical cyclones, midlatitude fronts and cyclones, mesoscale systems, breezes and local surface wind convergence (Collier, 2006). Complementarily, the physical mechanisms related to cloud development are quite complex and also depend on the local thermodynamic environment (Silva et al, 2017;Silva et al, 2018). Clouds assume different characteristics based on their shape and height in the atmosphere.…”

“…Many authors have explored the dynamic and thermodynamic variables related to convective clouds, such as Silva et al (2016) and Silva et al (2017). However, few publications address these variables in order to characterize the atmospheric environment of stratiform clouds (Alfieri et al, 2007;Silva et al, 2018).…”