Articles | Volume 26, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8529-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
On the mechanisms that control the rainy season transition periods in the equatorial Congo Basin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91109, USA
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 90095, USA
Rong Fu
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 90095, USA
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Siyu Zhao, Rong Fu, Kelly Núñez Ocasio, Robert Nystrom, Cenlin He, Jiaying Zhang, Xianan Jiang, and Joao Teixeira
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 17301–17318, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17301-2025, 2025
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The Congo Basin has frequent organized thunderstorms producing much of the region’s rainfall, yet their development remains unclear due to limited data. Using a high-resolution global model, it shows the long-lasting storm is significantly linked to and supported by vertical wind shear up to 400 km ahead, with the mid-level jet stream playing a role in maintaining the shear. The findings highlight the value of such model in data-sparse regions for examining storms and their impacts.
Gaoyun Wang, Rong Fu, Yizhou Zhuang, Paul A. Dirmeyer, Joseph A. Santanello, Guiling Wang, Kun Yang, and Kaighin McColl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3857–3868, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3857-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3857-2024, 2024
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This study investigates the influence of lower-tropospheric humidity on land–atmosphere coupling (LAC) during warm seasons in the US Southern Great Plains. Using radiosonde data and a buoyancy model, we find that elevated LT humidity is crucial for generating afternoon precipitation events under dry soil conditions not accounted for by conventional LAC indices. This underscores the importance of considering LT humidity in understanding LAC over dry soil during droughts in the SGP.
Yizhou Zhuang and Rong Fu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1641–1657, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1641-2024, 2024
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This study investigated how atmospheric circulation affects precipitation variability and changes in the US Great Plains (GP) and southwest (SW). By developing a new method called self organizing map–analogue, we found that circulation significantly influences short-term precipitation variability, accounting for 54 %–61 % of the total variance. Furthermore, circulation contributes considerably to the multi-decadal changes in precipitation and its extremes, especially for the southern GP and SW.
Sudip Chakraborty, Jonathon H. Jiang, Hui Su, and Rong Fu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12855–12866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12855-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12855-2021, 2021
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Boreal autumn is the main wet season over the Congo basin. Thus, changes in its onset date have a significant impact on the rainforest. This study provides compelling evidence that the cooling effect of aerosols modifies the timing and strength of the southern African easterly jet that is central to the boreal autumn wet season over the Congo rainforest. A higher boreal summer aerosol concentration is positively correlated with the boreal autumn wet season onset timing.
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Short summary
We studied how the rainy seasons begin in the equatorial Congo Basin in Africa. Using satellite observations and climate data, we found they are triggered by shifts in large-scale winds that bring in ocean moisture. Evapotranspiration from forests supplies most atmospheric moisture but does not change during this period. These winds push atmospheric moisture up against the East African Rift mountains to moisten the atmosphere and start the rainy seasons.
We studied how the rainy seasons begin in the equatorial Congo Basin in Africa. Using satellite...
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