Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of large integrated water vapour transport in the troposphere. At landfall, they are often associated with extreme winds and precipitation. This project aims to understand how air-sea interactions can modulate the occurrence and characteristics of atmospheric rivers, in terms of both open-water processes in the source areas of the rivers and of coastal processes at landfall.
We will use the standalone atmosphere modelling system WRF and the atmosphere-wave-ocean coupled modelling system UU-CM, which enables a high-quality description of the air-sea interaction processes. We will initially run the atmosphere modelling system for a case study displaying an atmospheric river coupled with extreme conditions in coastal zones.
Within the project, we will then evaluate the impact of the air-sea interaction processes on the occurrence and characteristics of atmospheric rivers, focusing specifically on the moisture source regions, the intervening atmospheric dynamics and the landfall.