Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region
In tropical regions, deep convective systems are associated with extreme rainfall storms that usually detonate flash floods and landslides in the Andean Colombian region. Several studies have used satellite data to address the structure and formation of tropical convective storms. However, there is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Hydrology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/7/119 |
| _version_ | 1797446693965266944 |
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| author | Nicolás Velásquez |
| author_facet | Nicolás Velásquez |
| author_sort | Nicolás Velásquez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In tropical regions, deep convective systems are associated with extreme rainfall storms that usually detonate flash floods and landslides in the Andean Colombian region. Several studies have used satellite data to address the structure and formation of tropical convective storms. However, there is a local gap in the characterization, which is essential for a better understanding of flash floods and preparedness, filling a gap in a region with scarce information regarding extreme events. In this work, we assess the deep convective storms in a mountainous region of Colombia using meteorological radar observations between 2014 and 2017. We start by identifying convective and stratiform formations. We refine the convective identification by classifying convective systems into enveloped (contained in a stratiform system) and unenveloped (not contained). Then, we analyze the systems’ temporal and spatial distributions and contrast them with the watersheds’ features. According to our results, unenveloped convective systems have higher reflectivity and hence higher rainfall intensities. Moreover, they also have a well-defined spatial and temporal distribution and are likely to occur in watersheds with elevation gradients of around 2000 <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and an aspect contrary to the wind direction. Our assessment of the convective storms is of significant value for the hydrologic community working on flash floods. Moreover, the spatiotemporal description is highly relevant for stakeholders and future local analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:45:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-76f77dc473b94b7c9a3304f533e9ebc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5338 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:45:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology |
| spelling | doaj.art-76f77dc473b94b7c9a3304f533e9ebc52023-11-30T21:02:04ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382022-06-019711910.3390/hydrology9070119Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean RegionNicolás Velásquez0IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering, Iowa Flood Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52240, USAIn tropical regions, deep convective systems are associated with extreme rainfall storms that usually detonate flash floods and landslides in the Andean Colombian region. Several studies have used satellite data to address the structure and formation of tropical convective storms. However, there is a local gap in the characterization, which is essential for a better understanding of flash floods and preparedness, filling a gap in a region with scarce information regarding extreme events. In this work, we assess the deep convective storms in a mountainous region of Colombia using meteorological radar observations between 2014 and 2017. We start by identifying convective and stratiform formations. We refine the convective identification by classifying convective systems into enveloped (contained in a stratiform system) and unenveloped (not contained). Then, we analyze the systems’ temporal and spatial distributions and contrast them with the watersheds’ features. According to our results, unenveloped convective systems have higher reflectivity and hence higher rainfall intensities. Moreover, they also have a well-defined spatial and temporal distribution and are likely to occur in watersheds with elevation gradients of around 2000 <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and an aspect contrary to the wind direction. Our assessment of the convective storms is of significant value for the hydrologic community working on flash floods. Moreover, the spatiotemporal description is highly relevant for stakeholders and future local analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/7/119deep convective systemsextreme rainfallflash floods |
| spellingShingle | Nicolás Velásquez Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region Hydrology deep convective systems extreme rainfall flash floods |
| title | Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region |
| title_full | Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region |
| title_short | Assessment of Deep Convective Systems in the Colombian Andean Region |
| title_sort | assessment of deep convective systems in the colombian andean region |
| topic | deep convective systems extreme rainfall flash floods |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/9/7/119 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolasvelasquez assessmentofdeepconvectivesystemsinthecolombianandeanregion |