Is tropical cyclone intensity change related to the strength of its convective precipitation features?
Using 9 years of TRMM data to find an answer Haiyan Jiang, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; and E. Zipser Over 100,000 Tropical Cyclone-Related Precipitation Features (TCPFs) are identified from the 9-yr University of Utah TRMM Precipitation Feature (PF) database. For each PF and TCPF observed by TRMM, a large number of statistics describing that event are saved, including a number of proxies for convective intensity. These TCPFs belong to a total of over 700 storms that reached tropical storm status or above during 1998-2006. Six basins are considered: Atlantic (ATL), east-central Pacific (ECPAC), northwest Pacific (NWPAC), north Indian Ocean (NIND), south Indian Ocean (SIND), and South Pacific (SPAC). TRMM-based convective intensity proxies as measured by TRMM PR, TMI, VIRS, and LIS are used to assess the relationship, if any, between intense convection and the intensity change of the tropical cyclone. Several authors hypothesize that vertical hot towers or convective bursts p
