The Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) over East Asia in Warm Seasons

Mesoscale convective system (MCS) cloud clusters, defined using an objective recognition analysis based on hourly geostationary infrared satellite data over East Asia during the warm seasons of 1996-2008 (except 2004), were investigated in this study. The geographical pattern of MCS distribution over East Asia shows several high-frequency centers at low latitudes, including the Indo-China peninsula, the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, the Brahmaputra river delta, the south China coastal region, and the Philippine Islands. There are several middle-frequency centers in the middle latitudes, e.g., the central-east of the Tibet Plateau, the Plateau of west Sichuan, Mount Wuyi, and the Sayan Mountains in Russia; whereas in Lake Baikal, the Tarim Basin, the Taklimakan Desert, the Sea of Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk, rare MCS distributions are observed. MCSs are most intensely active in summer, with the highest monthly frequency in July, which is partly associated with the breaking out and prevailing of the summer monsoon in East Asia. An obvious diurnal cycle feature is also found in MCS activities, which shows that MCSs are triggered in the afternoon, mature in the evening, and dissipate at night. MCS patterns over East Asia can be characterized as small, short-lived, or elongated, which move slowly and usually lead to heavy rains or floods.