CHARACTERISTICS OF A CLOUD BAND OFF THE WEST-COAST OF HOKKAIDO ISLANDAS DETERMINED FROM AVHRR NOAA, SSM/I AND RADAR DATA/

Using a combination of data from various remote sensing devices, the i nvestigation reveals the characteristics of one case of a Cloud Band. Data from AVHRR/NOAA and VISSR/GMS are used for the cloud top structur e, while data from SSM/I 85 GHz channels and Keifu-maru radar are used for the internal signature of the Cloud Band. The analyses of two sce nes reveal the asymmetric structure of the Cloud Band in the east-west direction: the western part includes a large amount of cloud water an d the precipitation area is in the central part. The eastern part comp rises less cloud water and precipitation. These suggest that the updra ft region is located in the western part of the Cloud Band. While thes e internal signatures in the east-west direction are common to both sc enes, the appearance of the cloud top structure differs between the tw o. In addition, the internal signatures differ quantitatively in the n orth-south direction. The variation in the structure seems to reflect the effect of a meso-alpha cyclone. This implies that the Cloud Band i s a front-like feature in a meso-alpha cyclone, which develops from a simple discontinuous line between a northwesterly monsoon and a northe asterly wind in the lower troposphere.