Analysis of Spatial and Seasonal Differences in the Diurnal Rainfall Cycle over Sumatera Revealed by 17-Year TRMM 3B42 Dataset

摘要

We analyzed 3-hourly Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission multi-satellite analysis (TRMM 3B42) version-7 data for the 17-year period 1998-2014 to investigate seasonal and geographic characteristics of the diurnal rainfall cycle (DRC) over Sumatera, Indonesia. Dividing Sumatera into north, central, and south regions approximately perpendicular to the west coast, we point out for the first time early-afternoon initiation of daily rainfall not only in the Barisan Mountains but also in the east-coastal small islands (ECSIs) such as Bangka and Belitung. Westward and eastward migrations of rainfall areas from the Barisan Mountains are varied with seasons and regions, with the most remarkable being westward during September-October-November (SON) in the central region and the least remarkable occurring during June-July-August (JJA) in the southern region. In the central region, the DRC reaches a distance of ～700 km off the west coast during SON and of only 200 km during March-April-May (MAM). The other westward migrations from the ECSIs in the central and southern regions (except for JJA) have been confirmed by 5-year hourly Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1R (MTSAT-1R) cloud-top data. The results shown in this paper suggest that the rainfall distribution with respect to coastal distance, varying geographically and seasonally.