Gigantic Jets and the Tropical Paradigm: A Satellite Perspective

While not exclusively oceanic, gigantic jets (GJ) appear to have a preference for the tropical environment. In particular, a number of GJs have been observed in conjunction with tropical disturbances (i.e., weak tropical storms, depressions, and remnant lows). Given the remote aspect of TC convection and general lack of radar coverage, we explore this subset of events via analysis of their infrared and water vapor satellite presentations. The satellite perspective is relevant given that storm top mixing (dilution) of charge associated with storm-scale turbulence in this portion of the storm is thought to be connected to GJs. The thunderstorm overshoot, upper level divergence / outflow are examined in an effort to better understand the tropical paradigm. Specifically, an analysis of cloud top temperature, anvil expansion rates and asymmetries as well as placement of the GJ events with respect to the large (storm) scale circulation will be conducted.