Author(s): Dié WANG, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (First Author, Presenting Author) Simon Lee, Stony Brook University Tao Zhang, Brookhaven National Laboratory Christian Lackner, University of Wyoming Daniel Kirshbaum, McGill University Michael Jensen, Brookhaven National Laboratory
This study examines how the environment affects where thunderstorms release most of their air, known as the level of maximum detrainment (LMD). Using a method called LiNGAM, we identify cause-and-effect relationships between environmental factors and LMD. Observations from six tropical sites run by the ARM user facility show clear links between key variables like the LCL, LFC, and CIN. We also find that relative humidity directly influences LMD, but this effect is complex and harder to detect when differences between ocean and land environments are not considered.
