A review of the literature on convection in Amazonia, with a focus on it parameterization in numerical models, is presented here. Studies based on observational data obtained during field campaigns are examined. The basic characteristics of deep convection in the Amazon, its temporal and geographical variability are discussed focusing of the difficulties convective parameterizations have in capturing this variability, particularly the diurnal cycle. The role of thermodynamic variables such as CAPE and CIN are argued to be critical in understanding the deficiencies in properly representing the diurnal cycle of convection. Other elements of the model physics relevant to convective parameterization, particularly those related to surface energy fluxes and development of the boundary layer are also considered. The interaction of shallow convection with radiation is presented. Superparameterization, as a tool for explicitly representing convection is reviewed as it is a possible future direction for the simulation of convective effects in numerical models. To conclude, various suggestions are made for future studies in order to better our understanding of convective processes and their parameterizations.
convection; parameterization; modeling Amazonia
