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Chapman University

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Sahara

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Meteorology

Numerical Simulations Of The Impacts Of The Saharan Air Layer On Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Development, Donglian Sun, K. M. Lau, Menas Kafatos, Z. Boybeyi, G. Leptoukh, C. Yang, Ruixin Yang Jan 2009

Numerical Simulations Of The Impacts Of The Saharan Air Layer On Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Development, Donglian Sun, K. M. Lau, Menas Kafatos, Z. Boybeyi, G. Leptoukh, C. Yang, Ruixin Yang

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, the role of the Saharan air layer (SAL) is investigated in the development and intensification of tropical cyclones (TCs) via modifying environmental stability and moisture, using multisensor satellite data, long-term TC track and intensity records, dust data, and numerical simulations with a state-of-the-art Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). The long-term relationship between dust and Atlantic TC activity shows that dust aerosols are negatively associated with hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin, especially with the major hurricanes in the western Atlantic region. Numerical simulations with the WRF for specific cases during the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses …


Contrasting The 2007 And 2005 Hurricane Seasons: Evidence Of Possible Impacts Of Saharan Dry Air And Dust On Tropical Cyclone Activity In The Atlantic Basin, D. Sun, K. M. Lau, Menas Kafatos Jan 2008

Contrasting The 2007 And 2005 Hurricane Seasons: Evidence Of Possible Impacts Of Saharan Dry Air And Dust On Tropical Cyclone Activity In The Atlantic Basin, D. Sun, K. M. Lau, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this study, we provide preliminary evidence of possible modulation by Saharan dust of hurricane genesis and intensification, by contrasting the 2007 and 2005 hurricane seasons. It is found that dust aerosol loadings over the Atlantic Ocean are much higher in 2007 than in 2005. The temperature difference between 2007 and 2005 shows warming in the low-middle troposphere (900–700 hPa) in the dusty region in the eastern North Atlantic, and cooling in the Main Development Region (MDR). The humidity (wind) differences between 2007 and 2005 indicate significant drying (subsidence) in the Western North Atlantic (WNA) in 2007. The drier air …