Tropical Lows

Contribution from Each Product

Question

Which satellite products were most useful for identifying the system and why?

The correct answers are B, C, F, and H.

Water vapour images show the upper tropospheric flow and moisture, making it easy to identify the tropical low anticyclonic rotation in the upper levels. But they do not provide information about whether the moisture is of tropical or mid-latitude origin.

The airmass RGB provides information about various levels of cloudiness, which let us identify rotation at various levels. It can also be used to distinguish tropical air masses from polar air masses (but polar air masses are not involved in tropical cyclone development).

Infrared images are good for showing cloud shapes and development through both day and night. But they are not the best choice for monitoring low clouds at night.

Visible images are good for showing various cloud types during daytime. The clouds and their reflections and shadows help to distinguish the cloud types. In addition, you can determine the rotation of the system by the convective cloud circulation around the area of low pressure.

Please make a selection.