Monitoring Mesoscale Convective System Using Swin-Unet Network Based on Daytime True Color Composite Images of Fengyun-4B

The monitoring of mesoscale convective systems (MCS) is typically based on satellite infrared data. Currently, there is limited research on the identification of MCS using true color composite cloud imagery. In this study, an MCS dataset was created based on the true color composite cloud imagery from the Fengyun-4B geostationary meteorological satellite. An MCS true color composite cloud imagery identification model was developed based on the Swin-Unet network. The MCS dataset was categorized into continental MCS and oceanic MCS, and the model's performance in identifying these two different types of MCS was examined. Experimental results indicated that the model achieved a recall rate of 83.3% in identifying continental MCS and 86.1% in identifying oceanic MCS, with a better performance in monitoring oceanic MCS. These results suggest that using true color composite cloud imagery for MCS monitoring is feasible, and the Swin-Unet network outperforms traditional convolutional neural networks. Meanwhile, we find that the frequency and distribution range of oceanic MCS is larger than that of continental MCS, and the area is larger and some parts of it are stronger. This study provides a novel approach for satellite remote-sensing-based MCS monitoring.