Härter, Jan O. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8617-3847 and Muller, Caroline (2023) Mechanisms for the Self‐Organization of Tropical Deep Convection. In: Clouds and Their Climatic Impacts - Radiation, Circulation, and Precipitation. , ed. by Sullivan, Sylvia C. and Hoose, Corinna. Geophysical Monograph Series, 281 . John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Jersey, pp. 179-193. ISBN 9781119700319 DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119700357.ch8.

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Abstract

Organization – or departure from a random pattern – in tropical deep convection is heavily studied due to its immediate relevance to climate sensitivity and extremes. Low-latitude convection has motivated numerical model idealizations, where the Coriolis force is removed and boundary conditions are simplified spatially and temporally. One of the most stunning aspects of such idealized simulated cloud organization is the spontaneous clumping of convection that can occur without any predetermining external perturbation, such as inhomogeneous surface boundary conditions or large-scale waves. Whereas individual convective rain cells measure only few kilometers in horizontal diameter, the clusters they form can often span hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. Hence, organization may emerge from the very small scales but can show effects at the synoptic scale. We refer to such emergent organization as convective self-organization. Convective self-organization thus features characteristics of emergence, such as non-trivial system-scale pattern formation or hysteresis. We summarize observational evidence for large-scale organization and briefly recap classical idealized modeling studies that yield convective self-aggregation – emergent organization under strongly idealized boundary conditions. We then focus on developing research, where temporal variation, such as the diurnal cycle, or two-way interactive surface properties yield distinct organizational modes. Convectively generated cold pools and mesoscale convective systems, both ubiquitous in nature, are thereby found to potentially play key roles in promoting – rather than suppressing – sustained system-scale organization.

Document Type:	Book chapter
Programme Area:	PA2
Research affiliation:	Integrated Modelling > Complexity and Climate
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119700357.ch8
ISSN:	2328-8779
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2026 10:09
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2026 10:09
URI:	https://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/6052

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