scholarly journals Understanding Instabilities of Tropical Cyclones and Their Evolution with a Moist Convective Rotating Shallow-Water Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 505-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noé Lahaye ◽  
Vladimir Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
Maximum Wind ◽  
Maximal Growth Rate ◽  
Wave Emission ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Instabilities of hurricane-like vortices are studied with the help of a rotating shallow-water model, including the effects of moist convection. Linear stability analysis demonstrates that dominant unstable modes are mixed Rossby–inertia–gravity waves. It is shown that, depending on fine details of the vorticity profile, a wavenumber selection of the instability may operate or not, leading in some cases to an unstable mode with a distinctively maximal growth rate and in other cases to an ensemble of unstable modes with close growth rates. Numerical simulations are performed in order to investigate nonlinear saturation of the instability and to understand the dynamical role of moisture. In agreement with previous studies, the authors confirm axisymmetrization of vorticity in the course of the development of the instability, which induces changes of intensity of the hurricane. In “dry” simulations, winds are intensified only inside the radius of maximum wind, while the maximum value of the wind decreases. “Moist precipitating” simulations (with and without evaporation) exhibit a net increase of winds, also at the radius of maximum wind, as compared to the dry simulations. Dynamical effects of moisture on the reorganization of the vortex and on the efficiency of inertia–gravity wave emission are quantified and shown to be considerable. Periodic bursts in the emission of waves related to the development of the unstable modes inside the vortex are evidenced, as well as the appearance of convectively coupled waves in the moist precipitating simulations with evaporation.

scholarly journals Improved moist-convective rotating shallow water model and its application to instabilities of hurricane-like vortices

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
LMD
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Water Vapour ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
Atmospheric Motions ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water

We show how the two-layer moist-convective rotating shallow water model (mcRSW), which proved to be a simple and robust tool for studying effects of moist convection on large-scale atmospheric motions, can be improved by including, in addition to the water vapour, precipitable water, and the effects of vaporisation, entrainment, and precipitation. Thus improved mcRSW becomes cloud-resolving. It is applied, as an illustration, to model the development of instabilities of tropical cyclone-like vortices.

scholarly journals Moist versus Dry Barotropic Instability in a Shallow-Water Model of the Atmosphere with Moist Convection

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1234-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Lambaerts ◽  
Guillaume Lapeyre ◽  
Vladimir Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Convective Instability ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Finite Volume Scheme ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Barotropic Instability ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
Geostrophic Adjustment ◽  
Convective Instabilities ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water

Abstract Dynamical influence of moist convection upon development of the barotropic instability is studied in the rotating shallow-water model. First, an exhaustive linear “dry” stability analysis of the Bickley jet is performed, and the most unstable mode identified in this way is used to initialize simulations to compare the development and the saturation of the instability in dry and moist configurations. High-resolution numerical simulations with a well-balanced finite-volume scheme reveal substantial qualitative and quantitative differences in the evolution of dry and moist-convective instabilities. The moist effects affect both balanced and unbalanced components of the flow. The most important differences between dry and moist evolution are 1) the enhanced efficiency of the moist-convective instability, which manifests itself by the increase of the growth rate at the onset of precipitation, and by a stronger deviation of the end state from the initial one, measured with a number of different norms; 2) a pronounced cyclone–anticyclone asymmetry during the nonlinear evolution of the moist-convective instability, which leads to an additional, with respect to the dry case, geostrophic adjustment, and the modification of the end state; and 3) an enhanced ageostrophic activity in the precipitation zones but also in the nonprecipitating areas because of the secondary geostrophic adjustment.

Instabilities of coupled density fronts and their nonlinear evolution in the two-layer rotating shallow-water model: influence of the lower layer and of the topography

2013 ◽  
Vol 716 ◽  
pp. 528-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Ribstein ◽  
Vladimir Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Nonlinear Evolution ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
Wave Instability ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water Equations

AbstractWe undertake a detailed analysis of linear stability of geostrophically balanced double density fronts in the framework of the two-layer rotating shallow-water model on the $f$-plane with topography, the latter being represented by an escarpment beneath the fronts. We use the pseudospectral collocation method to identify and quantify different kinds of instabilities resulting from phase locking and resonances of frontal, Rossby, Poincaré and topographic waves. A swap in the leading long-wave instability from the classical barotropic form, resulting from the resonance of two frontal waves, to a baroclinic form, resulting from the resonance of Rossby and frontal waves, takes place with decreasing depth of the lower layer. Nonlinear development and saturation of these instabilities, and of an instability of topographic origin, resulting from the resonance of frontal and topographic waves, are studied and compared with the help of a new-generation well-balanced finite-volume code for multilayer rotating shallow-water equations. The results of the saturation for different instabilities are shown to produce very different secondary coherent structures. The influence of the topography on these processes is highlighted.

scholarly journals Influence of condensation and latent heat release upon barotropic and baroclinic instabilities of vortices in rotating shallow water f -plane model

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
LMD
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Moist Convection ◽  
Latent Heat Release ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water

Analysis of the influence of condensation and related latent heat release upon developing barotropic and baroclinic instabilities of large-scale low Rossby-number shielded vortices on the f - plane is performed within the moist-convective rotating shallow water model, in its barotropic (one-layer) and baroclinic (two-layer) versions. Numerical simulations with a high-resolution well-balanced finite-volume code, using a relaxation parameterisation for condensation, are made. Evolution of the instability in four different environments, with humidity (i) behaving as passive scalar, (ii) subject to condensation beyond a saturation threshold, (iii) sub-ject to condensation and evaporation, with two different parameterisations of the latter, are inter-ompared.The simulations are initialised with unstable modes determined from the detailed linear stability analysis in the “dry” version of the model. In a configuration corresponding to low-level mid-latitude atmospheric vortices, it is shown that the known scenario of evolution of barotropically unstable vortices, consisting information of a pair of dipoles (“dipolar breakdown”) is substantially modified by condensation and related moist convection, especially in the presence of surface evaporation. No enhancement of the instability due to precipitation was detected in this case. Cyclone-anticyclone asymmetry with respect to sensitivity tothe moist effects is evidenced. It is shown that inertia-gravity wave emission during the vortex evolution is enhanced by the moist effects. In the baroclinic configuration corresponding to idealised cut-off lows in the atmosphere, it is shown that the azimuthal structure of the leading unstable mode is sensitive to the details of stratification. Scenarios of evolution are completely different for different azimuthal structures, one leading to dipolar breaking, and another to tripole formation. The effects of moisture considerably enhance the perturbations in the lower layer, especially in the tripole formation scenario.

Rotating Shallow-Water model with Horizontal Density and/or Temperature Gradients

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Wave Spectrum ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Strong Mixing ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
New Class ◽  
Centrifugal Instability ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water ◽  
Specific Equation

The derivation of rotating shallow-water equations by vertical averaging and columnar motion hypothesis is repeated without supposing horizontal homogeneity of density/potential temperature. The so-called thermal rotating shallow-water model arises as the result. The model turns to be equivalent to gas dynamics with a specific equation of state. It is shown that it possesses Hamiltonian structure and can be derived from a variational principle. Its solution at low Rossby numbers should obey the thermo-geostrophic equilibrium, replacing the standard geostrophic equilibrium. The wave spectrum of the model is analysed, and the appearance of a whole new class of vortex instabilities of convective type, resembling asymmetric centrifugal instability and leading to a strong mixing at nonlinear stage, is demonstrated.

Simplifying Primitive Equations: Rotating Shallow-Water Models and their Properties

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Zeitlin
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Laws ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Variational Principles ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Tangent Plane ◽  
Primitive Equations ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Shallow Water Model ◽  
Shallow Water Models ◽  
Rotating Shallow Water

In this chapter, one- and two-layer versions of the rotating shallow-water model on the tangent plane to the rotating, and on the whole rotating sphere, are derived from primitive equations by vertical averaging and columnar motion (mean-field) hypothesis. Main properties of the models including conservation laws and wave-vortex dichotomy are established. Potential vorticity conservation is derived, and the properties of inertia–gravity waves are exhibited. The model is then reformulated in Lagrangian coordinates, variational principles for its one- and two-layer version are established, and conservation laws are reinterpreted in these terms.

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