The diurnal cycle of the West African monsoon circulation

Abstract Using numerical model analyses, it is shown that there is a coherent diurnal cycle of the West African monsoon winds. As has been observed in previous studies of arid and semi‐arid areas, the winds are at their weakest in the afternoon when the convective boundary layer (CBL) is deep, and intensify overnight when the boundary‐layer turbulence is much weaker. This diurnal cycle is maximized in the northern part of the monsoon layer, where the meridional pressure gradient and the diurnal cycle of the CBL are both strong. The diurnal cycle can also be resolved in surface and upper‐air data, which show how the nocturnal meridional circulation acts to stratify the lower part of the monsoon layer. In contrast, mixing in the daytime CBL acts to maintain the baroclinicity, as has been observed in laboratory flows. This pattern has implications for the efficiency of the monsoon circulation in the continental water budget, as well as in mixing of trace gases and aerosols between the surface layer and the free troposphere. Vertical mixing occurs by day, while meridional advection, with isentropic upgliding and downgliding, is most efficient at night. Finally, high‐resolution observations from the JET2000 experiment are used to show that there is mesoscale structure in the diurnally varying monsoon circulation. In the nocturnal flows, local circulations have been observed and appear to represent a response to recent deep convective events. In contrast, the daytime CBL properties at these scales have been shown in a previous study to map closely onto patterns of soil moisture, with horizontal advection playing a weaker role. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society