Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Clouds are crucial elements in the hydrological cycle and precipitation that are important in
determining the scale of the major atmospheric circulation patterns. Clouds are a product of
complicated interactions of moisture with larger scale circulations, radiation and
microphysical processes. Interactions between heat, moisture and clouds have become the
subject of scientific research because of the importance of clouds in the formation of
precipitation. In this thesis, we estimated the effect of heat and moisture budget on clouds
over UBNB. To this end, we used cloud cover (amount of cloud), IMF, surface heat,
precipitation, evaporation and wind vector data from European Centre for Medium-range
Weather Forecast (ECMW) reanalysis for the period of 1990-2017(28 years) during spring
and summer seasons at selected location of 7.5
0
– 12.5
0
N and 34.5
0
E. In this
investigation Stefan-Boltzmann law, moisture budget equations and Pearson correlation
equation used to analyse the effect of surface heat and moisture budget on clouds. Our result
indicates that surface heat is negatively correlated with clouds. Whereas, moisture is
positively correlates with clouds. During spring season Southeast and north east part of the
UBNB is covered with clouds might be due to convergence of moisture originated from
Indian ocean with local moisture, while in summer season the moisture budget originated
from both Atlantic and Indian oceans and it contributes to form clouds in south-western parts
of the study area. The calculated recycling ratios for two seasons (spring and summer) are
9.14% and 5.8%respectively.It indicates that the UBNB clouds formed related to the
movement of the ITCZ and due to convergence of moisture caring wind coming from Indian
and Atlantic oceans rather than the local moisture budget during spring and summer season's.
The type of clouds, which is responsible for precipitation over the study area, is low-level
clouds. In general, we conclude that the local moisture had lesser contribution on clouds over
the UBNB. Further studies on heat and moisture budget are required to explain this dynamics
in the context of Ethiopia.
Key words: Upper Blue Nile basin, heat budget, moisture budge and recycling ratio and
clouds
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o