scholarly journals Budgets of rotational and divergent kinetic energy in the warm-sector torrential rains over South China: a case study

Author(s):  
Shui-Xin Zhong ◽  
Wei-Guang Meng ◽  
Fu-You Tian

AbstractThe contributions of divergent and rotational wind components to the kinetic energy budget during a record-breaking rainstorm on 7 May 2017 over South China are examined. This warm-sector extreme precipitation caused historical maximum of 382.6 mm accumulated rainfall in 3 h over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) regions in South China. Results show that there was a high low-level southerly wind-speed tongue stretching into the PRD regions from the northeast of the South China Sea (SCS) during this extreme precipitation. The velocity potential exhibited a low-value center as well as a low-level divergence-center over the SCS. The rotational components of the kinetic energy (KR)-related terms were the main contribution-terms of the kinetic energy budget. The main contribution-terms of KR and the divergent component of kinetic energy (KD) were the barotropical and baroclinic processes-related terms due to cross-contour flow and the vertical flux divergence.

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 914
Author(s):  
Tao Chen ◽  
Da-Lin Zhang

In view of the limited predictability of heavy rainfall (HR) events and the limited understanding of the physical mechanisms governing the initiation and organization of the associated mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), a composite analysis of 58 HR events over the warm sector (i.e., far ahead of the surface cold front), referred to as WSHR events, over South China during the months of April to June 2008~2014 is performed in terms of precipitation, large-scale circulations, pre-storm environmental conditions, and MCS types. Results show that the large-scale circulations of the WSHR events can be categorized into pre-frontal, southwesterly warm and moist ascending airflow, and low-level vortex types, with higher frequency occurrences of the former two types. Their pre-storm environments are characterized by a deep moist layer with >50 mm column-integrated precipitable water, high convective available potential energy with the equivalent potential temperature of ≥340 K at 850 hPa, weak vertical wind shear below 400 hPa, and a low-level jet near 925 hPa with weak warm advection, based on atmospheric parameter composite. Three classes of the corresponding MCSs, exhibiting peak convective activity in the afternoon and the early morning hours, can be identified as linear-shaped, a leading convective line adjoined with trailing stratiform rainfall, and comma-shaped, respectively. It is found that many linear-shaped MCSs in coastal regions are triggered by local topography, enhanced by sea breezes, whereas the latter two classes of MCSs experience isentropic lifting in the southwesterly warm and moist flows. They all develop in large-scale environments with favorable quasi-geostrophic forcing, albeit weak. Conceptual models are finally developed to facilitate our understanding and prediction of the WSHR events over South China.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 085113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Blackman ◽  
Laurent Perret ◽  
Isabelle Calmet ◽  
Cédric Rivet

Author(s):  
Y. Kagawa ◽  
B. Yu ◽  
Y. Kawaguchi

For the purpose of elucidating the mechanism of drag reduction by additives and finding a way to judge optimum drag-reducing additives through a simple rheological test, we performed DNS analysis of viscoelastic fluid turbulent flow in a two-dimensional channel. In this calculation, we employed the Giesekus constitutive equation to model the interaction between water-soluble polymer, or the elastic micellar network structure, and solvent. We calculated the fluid flow by varying the rheological parameters of the model. We examined the turbulent kinetic energy budget and studied the “viscoelastic contribution” term in the budget equation for turbulent intensity, which is not apparent in normal Newtonian fluid turbulence. Viscoelastic contribution has a characteristic effect on viscoelastic fluid turbulence. We concluded that the viscoelastic contribution plays a major role in turbulent frictional drag reduction. Dissipation and viscoelastic contribution serve as a key factor of turbulent kinetic energy loss in most areas of the channel. From the visualization of local and instantaneous eddy behavior, we discussed the relationship between viscoelastic contribution, elastic energy and turbulent production. We found that viscoelastic contribution serves as a direct local source of turbulent production, and that energy is stored in the elasticity.


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