Abstract:Based on the 16-year TRMM satellite data, the spatial distributions, convective properties and their regional variations of quasi-circular, line shaped, and elongated Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) were investigated. Results reveal that the elongated MCSs account for a majority of total MCSs, followed by the quasi-circular and line shaped MCSs. Overall, the line shaped MCSs preferentially occur in the subtropics and over the oceans. The ratio of quasi-circular (line shaped) MCSs to the total MCSs shows a zonal decreasing (increasing) from the west to the east over the subregion. Although the MCSs predominantly occur in the warm seasons (May-September), the quasi-circular and elongated MCSs are more concentrated than the line shaped MCSs. Besides, the occurrences of MCSs are mainly concentrated in the late afternoon, but the ratio of line shaped MCSs occurring in the midnight to dawn is higher than the other two types. From the mean states of convective proxies, MCSs in the subtropics possess weaker convective intensities than those in the tropics. However, the intensities of MCSs depend on different morphologies. For example, the quasi-circular MCSs exhibit stronger convective intensities than the line shaped and elongated MCSs over the central East China and western North Pacific, but the line shaped MCSs show stronger convective intensities than the other two types over the oceanic regions in the east of China.