Monday, 21 January 2008
Bombay Plume transport, structure, and microphysical interactions over the Arabian Sea during Indian Winter Monsoon
Exhibit Hall B (Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)
The Nature of the Bombay Plume during the winter monsoon months of December-January-February (DJF) was examined for the period 2003-2007. Particular attention was paid to the spatial extent and temporal persistence of the phenomenon, the plume's vertical structure, and effects by plume aerosols on sea surface temperatures and hydrometeors over the nearby eastern Arabian Sea. The plume was determined to contain high concentration of anthropogenic aerosols, with a persistent source region located in the Western Indian province of Maharashtra near the cities of Mumbai and Pune. During northeasterly flow regimes typical of Indian Winter Monsoon, high aerosol optical depths extend well into the Arabian Sea. Strong plume events over the Arabian Sea typically persist for around 5 days. The plume was found to be very shallow, with aerosols sinking as they are transported over the ocean. In addition, effective cloud drop radii distribution was observed to narrow in the presence of high aerosol concentration. Mean cloud optical depths were observed to increase in the presence of high aerosol concentration.
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