Rainfall Enhancement over the Hawaiian Islands

Nullet, Dennis; Mcgranaghan, Matthew

doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1988)001<0837:reothi>2.0.co;2

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Precipitation on oceanic islands generally follows a circular pattern with rainfall closely related to elevation, size and morphology of the edifice; rainfall is greater on larger islands with higher topography than on islands with similar areas but lower orography (Nullet and Mcgranaghan, 1988;Yang and Chen, 2008;Sobel et al, 2011). Small and low islands -especially those located in tropical and subtropical regions -do not generate enough diurnal cycling of elevated surface heating and mechanically forced upslope flow (from topographic barrier effects to trade-winds) to significantly enhance rainfall (e.g.…”

Section: The Windward/leeward Asymmetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, on tropical and subtropical high islands (e.g. the Hawaiian Islands), topography intersects the trade-winds enhancing total rainfall by a factor of up to 3-4 times when compared to oceanic rainfall values (Nullet and Mcgranaghan, 1988). The elevation threshold for orographic cloud bands and enhanced rainfall on oceanic islands is generally controlled by the altitude of the lifting condensation level and whether or not this level is below the trade wind inversion (Cao et al, 2007;Smith et al, 2009).…”

Section: The Windward/leeward Asymmetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Coastal evolution on volcanic oceanic islands: A complex interplay between volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sea-level change and biogenic production

Ramalho¹,

Quartau

Trenhaile

et al. 2013

Earth-Science Reviews

153

147

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The growth and decay of oceanic hotspot volcanoes are intrinsically related to a competition between volcanic construction and erosive destruction, and coastlines are at the forefront of such confrontation. In this paper, we review the several mechanisms that interact and contribute to the development of coastlines on oceanic island volcanoes, and how these processes evolve throughout the islands' lifetime. Volcanic constructional processes dominate during the emergent island and subaerial shield-building stages. During the emergent island stage, surtseyan activity prevails and hydroclastic and pyroclastic structures form; these structures are generally ephemeral because they can be rapidly obliterated by marine erosion. With the onset of the subaerial shield-building stage, coastal evolution is essentially characterized by rapid but intermittent lateral growth through the formation of lava deltas, largely expanding the coastlines until they, typically, reach their maximum extension. With the post-shield quiescence in volcanic activity, destructive processes gradually take over and coastlines retreat, adopting a more prominent profile; mass wasting and marine and fluvial erosion reshape the landscape and, if conditions are favorable, biogenic processes assume a prominent role. Posterosional volcanic activity may temporarily reverse the balance by renewing coastline expansion, but islands inexorably enter in a long battle for survival above sea level. Reef growth and/or uplift may also prolong the island's lifetime above the waves. The ultimate fate of most islands, however, is to be drowned through subsidence and/or truncation by marine erosion.Keywords complex, interplay, between, volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sea, level, islands, change, coastal, biogenic, production, oceanic, evolution, volcanic, GeoQuest Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication DetailsRamalho, R. S., Quartau, R., Trenhaile, A. S., Mitchell, N. C., Woodroffe, C. D. & Avila, S. P. (2013). Coastal evolution on volcanic oceanic islands: a complex interplay between volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sealevel change and biogenic production. Earth-Science Reviews, 127 140-170. AbstractThe growth and decay of oceanic hotspot volcanoes are intrinsically related to a competition between volcanic construction and erosive destruction, and coastlines are at the forefront of such confrontation. In this paper, we review the several mechanisms that interact and contribute to the development of coastlines on oceanic island volcanoes, and how these processes evolve throughout the islands' lifetime. Volcanic constructional processes dominate during the emergent island and subaerial shield-building stages. During the emergent island stage, surtseyan activity prevails and hydroclastic and pyroclastic structures form; these structures are generally ephemeral because they can be rapidly obliterated by marine erosion. With the onset of the subaerial shield-building stage, coastal evolution is essentially ch...

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Section: The Windward/leeward Asymmetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Windward/leeward Asymmetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal evolution on volcanic oceanic islands: A complex interplay between volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sea-level change and biogenic production

Ramalho¹,

Quartau

Trenhaile

et al. 2013

Earth-Science Reviews

153

147

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“…And while Pacific island and atoll stations continue to collect rainfall observations (PACRAIN: Greene et al, ), islands and atolls are not equally distributed throughout critical climate zones, with zones east of the dateline nearly devoid of observations. Islands of significant scale also experience daytime land heating and orographic effects, making them less representative of open‐ocean rainfall accumulations (Reed, ; Nullet and McGranaghan, ; Sobel et al, ). The reduction of open‐ocean rainfall observations within the TMA has resulted in a significant loss of data for this ECV over the global oceans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation measurements from the Tropical Moored Array: A review and look ahead

Serra

2018

Quart J Royal Meteoro Soc

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Rainfall is an important component of the global climate system and is one of the essential climate variables (ECVs) highlighted in the implementation plan for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Over 75% of the world's rainfall occurs over open ocean where in situ observations are most sparse. While current satellite algorithms for estimating rainfall have improved considerably over the past few decades, validation of these products using in situ observations remains critical for meeting the requirements of an ECV. This article reviews the current status of continuous, high‐frequency open‐ocean rainfall measurements collected across the tropical Pacific from the Tropical Moored Array (TMA) and outlines upcoming challenges as well as opportunities for these measurements under the Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) 2020 Project now underway. The rainfall observations from the TMA now provide over a 15‐year record at some sites; however, these observations have been drastically reduced in recent years. As the TPOS is reassessed in light of new platforms for observing ocean and atmospheric state variables, this is an opportune time to review the TMA rainfall observations and their important place in the redesign of the TMA as a “full flux” platform, measuring all interfacial fluxes including radiation and rainfall, as well as momentum, latent and sensible heat fluxes.

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“…Nullet and McGranaghan [] used the station network of rain gauge stations in Hawai‘i to show that a rainfall enhancement factor of 3.4 is likely to describe the net effects orographic effects on the rainfall budget. This statewide perspective is integrated over spatial rainfall gradients that range between 250 mm and more than 11,000 mm annual total rainfalls within horizontal length scales of 10–100 km and vertical scales of the order of 1–4 km.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistical downscaling of rainfall changes in Hawai‘i based on the CMIP5 global model projections

2015

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Seasonal mean rainfall projections for Hawai'i are given based on statistical downscaling of the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) global model results for two future representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). The spatial information content of our statistical downscaling method is improved over previous efforts through the inclusion of spatially extensive, high-quality monthly rainfall data set and the use of improved large-scale climate predictor information. Predictor variables include moisture transport in the middle atmosphere (700 hPa), vertical temperature gradients, and geopotential height fields of the 1000 and 500 hPa layers. The results allow for the first time to derive a spatially interpolated map with future rainfall change estimates for the main Hawaiian Islands. The statistical downscaling was applied to project wet (November-April) and dry (May-October) season rainfall anomalies for the middle and late 21st century. Overall, the statistical downscaling gives more reliable results for the wet season than for the dry season. The wet-season results indicate a pronounced dipole structure between windward facing mountain slopes and the leeward side of most of the islands. The climatically wet regions on the windward slopes of the mountain regions are expected to become wetter or remain stable in their seasonal precipitation amounts. On the climatically dry leeward sides of Kaua'i, O'ahu, Maui, and Hawai'i Island, future precipitation exhibits the strongest drying trends. The projected future rainfall anomaly pattern is associated with a circulation anomaly that resembles a shift in the position or strength of the subtropical high and the average location of extratropical troughs. These new results suggest that a negative trend dominates the area-averaged changes in the statistical downscaling over the Hawaiian Islands. However, the islands are expected to experience a greater contrast between the wet and dry regions in the future.

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Rainfall Enhancement over the Hawaiian Islands

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Coastal evolution on volcanic oceanic islands: A complex interplay between volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sea-level change and biogenic production

Coastal evolution on volcanic oceanic islands: A complex interplay between volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, sea-level change and biogenic production

Precipitation measurements from the Tropical Moored Array: A review and look ahead

Statistical downscaling of rainfall changes in Hawai‘i based on the CMIP5 global model projections

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