Diurnal variability of the cloud field over the VOCALS domain from GOES imagery

As part of ongoing studies of mesoscale variability over the South American altiplano we have produced averages of the cloudiness using GOES imagery. These composites are made at full resolution of the imagery, to help identify the relationship between the underlying topography and the cloud field. The upcoming VOCALS activity, focused on the stratocumulus region of the southeastern Pacific, has as one objective the description of the diurnal cycle of this cloudiness and its relationship to the South American continent. With this in mind, we have produced GOES imagery composites for the SE Pacific with 30 min temporal resolution. These composites show the diurnal variation of the cloudiness and its apparent propagation offshore. The composites are stratified by time of year. Comparison is made with the simulated diurnal cycles reported in the literature.