Analysis of the Shallow-to-Deep Convection Transition in GoAmazon Observations

This research aims at understanding the physical processes associated with the transition from shallow cumulus clouds to deep convection in the Amazon region. Through using a combination of observational datasets, we will investigate the diurnal timing of shallow to deep convection transition, the most important environmental factors that determine the diurnal peak time of precipitation, the time of growth into mature stage, the duration of heavy precipitation and the maintenance time for cold pools. It was found that there exists double peak in the daytime precipitation record for local transition cases, which can be related to surface heterogeneity or convective self-aggregation. We will also compare the transition mechanisms over various climate regimes, e.g. Southern Great Plain versus Amazon, where the surface fluxes and large-scale environment differ substantially.