Tang et al. (2026) Cold Pools, Breezes, and Monsoons: Propagating Convection Over New Guinea

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-04
• Authors: Mingyue Tang, Jimy Dudhia, Changhai Liu, Giuseppe Torri
• DOI: 10.1029/2025jd044429

Research Groups

• Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at M¯anoa
• Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Research Applications Laboratory, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Earth System Physics, International Centre for Theoretical Physics

Short Summary

This study examines the physical mechanisms governing the pronounced offshore propagation of diurnal convection over New Guinea. Two distinct convective propagation modes are identified: a "ridge-to-coast" mode and an "over-ocean" mode.

Objective

• Investigate the interaction between land breezes, cold pools, and monsoonal flows in enhancing diurnal convective offshore propagation.
• Understand the role of multi-scale thermally driven flow in shaping boundary-layer dynamics over warm ocean waters.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: New Guinea island and surrounding equatorial oceanic regions (Mercator projection)
• Temporal Scale: 21 years (2001-2021) for observational data, 3 days for numerical simulations

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model version 4.5.2
• Data sources: GPM satellite observations, ERA5 reanalysis, MODIS land-use data, high-resolution terrain data from GMTED2010

Main Results

• Two distinct convective propagation modes are identified: a "ridge-to-coast" mode and an "over-ocean" mode.
• Cold pools play a crucial role in driving the rapid convective propagation exceeding 8 m s−1 over the island interior.
• The diurnal cycle of convection and its offshore propagation display pronounced seasonal variations.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying the diurnal offshore propagation of convection over New Guinea.
• The findings highlight the importance of multi-scale thermally driven flow in shaping boundary-layer dynamics over warm ocean waters.
• The study suggests that cold pools, generated by precipitation-induced evaporation and descending along sloped terrain, primarily drive the rapid convective propagation.

Funding

• This research was supported by NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) grants.

Citation

@article{Tang2026Cold,
  author = {Tang, Mingyue and Dudhia, Jimy and Liu, Changhai and Torri, Giuseppe},
  title = {Cold Pools, Breezes, and Monsoons: Propagating Convection Over New Guinea},
  journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025jd044429},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd044429}
}