Development of a Monsoon Depression and Its Interaction with the Large-Scale Background: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 149 (11) ◽  
pp. 3627-3646
Author(s):  
S. K. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Baroclinic Instability ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Monsoon Depression ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Barotropic Energy Conversion ◽  
Cold Core

Abstract Structure and time evolution of the large-scale background and an embedded synoptic-scale monsoon depression and their interactions are studied. The depression formation is preceded by a cyclonic circulation around 400 hPa. The Fourier-based scale separation technique is used to isolate large (wavenumbers 0–8) and synoptic-scale (wavenumbers 12–60). The wavelength and depression center is determined objectively. The synoptic-scale depression has an average longitudinal wavelength of around 1900 km and a north–south size of 1100 km; it is most intense with a vorticity of 20.5 × 10 −5 s −1 at 900 hPa. The strongest cold core of −3.0°C below 850 hPa and the above warm core of around 2.0°C are evident. The depression is tilted southwestward in the midtroposphere with no significant vertical tilt in the lower troposphere. The mean maximum intensity and upward motion over the life cycle of depression are in close agreement with the composite values. A strong cyclonic shear zone is developed in the midtroposphere preceding the depression. The necessary condition for barotropic (baroclinic) instability is satisfied in the midtroposphere (boundary layer). Strong northward transport of momentum by the depression against the southward shear is found. The strong growth of the MD in the lower troposphere is due to downward transfer of excess energy gained in the midtroposphere from the barotropic energy conversion and east–west direct thermal circulation as the vertical energy flux. The baroclinic interaction contributes to the maintenance of the cold core in the lower troposphere. The diabatic heating rate is computed and its role in the genesis and growth of MD is investigated.

A Case Study of a Ross Ice Shelf Airstream Event: A New Perspective*

2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (11) ◽  
pp. 4030-4046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Steinhoff ◽  
Saptarshi Chaudhuri ◽  
David H. Bromwich
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Thermal Infrared ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf

Abstract A case study illustrating cloud processes and other features associated with the Ross Ice Shelf airstream (RAS), in Antarctica, is presented. The RAS is a semipermanent low-level wind regime primarily over the western Ross Ice Shelf, linked to the midlatitude circulation and formed from terrain-induced and large-scale forcing effects. An integrated approach utilizes Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery, automatic weather station (AWS) data, and Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) forecast output to study the synoptic-scale and mesoscale phenomena involved in cloud formation over the Ross Ice Shelf during a RAS event. A synoptic-scale cyclone offshore of Marie Byrd Land draws moisture across West Antarctica to the southern base of the Ross Ice Shelf. Vertical lifting associated with flow around the Queen Maud Mountains leads to cloud formation that extends across the Ross Ice Shelf to the north. The low-level cloud has a warm signature in thermal infrared imagery, resembling a surface feature of turbulent katabatic flow typically ascribed to the RAS. Strategically placed AWS sites allow assessment of model performance within and outside of the RAS signature. AMPS provides realistic simulation of conditions aloft but experiences problems at low levels due to issues with the model PBL physics. Key meteorological features of this case study, within the context of previous studies on longer time scales, are inferred to be common occurrences. The assumption that warm thermal infrared signatures are surface features is found to be too restrictive.

scholarly journals Tropical Transition of an Unnamed, High-Latitude, Tropical Cyclone over the Eastern North Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 713-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia M. Bentley ◽  
Nicholas D. Metz
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The West ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Cold Core ◽  
North Pacific Basin

Abstract In early November 2006, an unnamed tropical cyclone (TC) formed via the tropical transition (TT) process at 42°N over the eastern North Pacific. An extratropical cyclone (EC), developing downstream of a thinning upper-tropospheric trough over the eastern North Pacific, served as the precursor disturbance that would ultimately undergo TT. The TT of the unnamed TC was extremely unusual—occurring over ~16°C sea surface temperatures in a portion of the eastern North Pacific basin historically devoid of TC activity. This paper 1) identifies the upper- and lower-tropospheric features linked to the formation of the EC that transitions into the unnamed TC, 2) provides a synoptic overview of the features and processes associated with the unnamed TC’s TT, and 3) discusses the landfall of the weakening cyclone along the west coast of North America. As observed in previous studies of TT, the precursor EC progresses through the life cycle of a marine extratropical frontal cyclone, developing a bent-back warm front on its northern and western sides and undergoing a warm seclusion process. Backward air parcel trajectories suggest that air parcels isolated in the center of the transitioning cyclone were warmed in the lower troposphere via sensible heating from the underlying sea surface. Vertical cross sections taken through the center of the cyclone during its life cycle reveal its transformation from an asymmetric, cold-core, EC into an axisymmetric, warm-core, TC during TT. Ensemble reforecasts initialized after TT highlight the relatively low forecast skill associated with the landfall of the weakening cyclone.

scholarly journals The Role of Multiscale Interaction in Synoptic-Scale Eddy Kinetic Energy over the Western North Pacific in Autumn

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 3750-3766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hua Tsou ◽  
Huang-Hsiung Hsu ◽  
Pang-Chi Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Multiscale Interactions ◽  
Barotropic Energy Conversion ◽  
Mean Circulation

Abstract This study formulates a synoptic-scale eddy (SSE) kinetic energy equation by partitioning the original field into seasonal mean circulation, intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), and SSEs to examine the multiscale interactions over the western North Pacific (WNP) in autumn. In addition, the relative contribution of synoptic-mean and synoptic-ISO interactions to SSE kinetic energy was quantitatively estimated by further separating barotropic energy conversion (CK) into synoptic-mean barotropic energy conversion (CKS−M) and synoptic-ISO barotropic energy conversion (CKS−ISO) components. The development of tropical SSE in the lower troposphere is mainly attributed to CK associated with multiscale interactions. Mean cyclonic circulation in the lower troposphere consistently provides kinetic energy to SSEs (CKS−M > 0) during the ISO westerly and easterly phases. However, CKS−ISO during the ISO westerly and easterly phases differs considerably. During the ISO westerly phase, the enhanced ISO cyclonic flow converts energy to SSEs (CKS−ISO > 0). The magnitude of the downscale energy conversion from mean and ISO to SSEs is related to the strength of the SSEs. During the ISO westerly phase, a stronger SSE extracts more kinetic energy from mean and ISO circulation. This positive feedback between SSE-mean and SSE–ISO interactions causes further strengthening of SSEs during the ISO westerly phase. By contrast, upscale energy conversion from SSEs to ISO anticyclonic flow (CKS−ISO < 0) was observed during the ISO easterly phase. The weaker SSE activity during the ISO easterly phase occurred because the mean circulation provides less energy to SSEs and, at the same time, SSEs lose energy to ISO during the ISO easterly phase. The two-way interaction between the ISO and SSEs has considerable effects on the development of tropical SSEs over the WNP in autumn.

Moisture and Energy Budget Perspectives on Summer Drought in North China

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (23) ◽  
pp. 10149-10167
Author(s):  
Lan Dai ◽  
Jonathon S. Wright ◽  
Rong Fu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Budget ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
North China ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Moisture Advection ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Cold Core

AbstractWe investigate the physical processes behind summer drought in North China by evaluating moisture and energy budget diagnostics and linking them to anomalous large-scale circulation patterns. Moisture budget analysis reveals that summer drought in North China was caused dynamically by reduced vertical moisture advection due to anomalous subsidence and reduced horizontal moisture advection due to anomalous northeasterly winds. Energy budget analysis shows that reduced latent heating was balanced dynamically by decreased dry static energy (DSE) divergence in the middle-to-upper troposphere. Linking these results to previous work, we suggest that summer drought in North China was predicated on co-occurrence of the positive phases of the Eurasian (EU) and Pacific–Japan (PJ) teleconnection patterns, potentially modulated by the circumglobal teleconnection (CGT). In the typical case, the negative phase of the CGT intensified the positive EU-related upper-level cyclone. Resulting upper-level cooling and positive surface feedback imposed a cold-core surface anticyclone that weakened with height. By contrast, when the positive phase of the CGT occurred in tandem with the positive EU and PJ patterns, the anticyclone had a warm core and intensified with height. The two cases were unified by strong subsidence but exhibited opposite meridional advection anomalies. In the cold-core cases, meridional moisture inflow was reduced but meridional DSE export was enhanced, further limiting precipitation while maintaining negative thermal anomalies. In the warm-core case, which only occurred once, enhanced meridional inflow of water vapor supplied moisture for sporadic precipitation while reduced meridional DSE export helped to maintain strong static stability.

scholarly journals Analyzing the Coupling Coordination among Economic, Social, and Environmental Benefits of Urban Infrastructure: Case Study of Four Chinese Autonomous Municipalities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Sun ◽  
Yin Cui
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Social Benefit ◽  
Basic Function ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Coordinated Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Coordination Degree

Urban infrastructure is a necessary condition for urban development. Its use generates three benefits which are economic, social, and environmental benefits of urban infrastructure. They are the positive impacts on urban economy, society, and environment generated by the use of urban infrastructure, respectively. This paper evaluates the coupling coordination among these three benefits taking four Chinese autonomous municipalities as examples. These four cities have large-scale urban infrastructure but its basic function has not been fully fulfilled. Whether three benefits of urban infrastructure have been developed in harmony or not was unclear. We analyzed the coordinated development among three benefits by constructing coupling coordination degree model and studied the impacts of three benefits on their coupling coordination degree using panel regression model. The results showed that the levels of coordinated development among three benefits of urban infrastructure were low in these four cities and the impact of social benefit on their coordinated development was largest. Therefore, urban infrastructure social benefit needs to be improved mainly in these four cities.

scholarly journals Estimated Impacts of Climate Change on Eddy Meridional Moisture Transport in the Atmosphere

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (23) ◽  
pp. 4992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soldatenko
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Baroclinic Instability ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Atmospheric Moisture ◽  
Global Water Cycle

Research findings suggest that water (hydrological) cycle of the earth intensifies in response to climate change, since the amount of water that evaporates from the ocean and land to the atmosphere and the total water content in the air will increase with temperature. In addition, climate change affects the large-scale atmospheric circulation by, for example, altering the characteristics of extratropical transient eddies (cyclones), which play a dominant role in the meridional transport of heat, moisture, and momentum from tropical to polar latitudes. Thus, climate change also affects the planetary hydrological cycle by redistributing atmospheric moisture around the globe. Baroclinic instability, a specific type of dynamical instability of the zonal atmospheric flow, is the principal mechanism by which extratropical cyclones form and evolve. It is expected that, due to global warming, the two most fundamental dynamical quantities that control the development of baroclinic instability and the overall global atmospheric dynamics—the parameter of static stability and the meridional temperature gradient (MTG)—will undergo certain changes. As a result, climate change can affect the formation and evolution of transient extratropical eddies and, therefore, macro-exchange of heat and moisture between low and high latitudes and the global water cycle as a whole. In this paper, we explore the effect of changes in the static stability parameter and MTG caused by climate change on the annual-mean eddy meridional moisture flux (AMEMF), using the two classical atmospheric models: the mid-latitude f-plane model and the two-layer β-plane model. These models are represented in two versions: “dry,” which considers the static stability of dry air alone, and “moist,” in which effective static stability is considered as a combination of stability of dry and moist air together. Sensitivity functions were derived for these models that enable estimating the influence of infinitesimal perturbations in the parameter of static stability and MTG on the AMEMF and on large-scale eddy dynamics characterized by the growth rate of unstable baroclinic waves of various wavelengths. For the base climate change scenario, in which the surface temperature increases by 1 °C and warming of the upper troposphere outpaces warming of the lower troposphere by 2 °C (this scenario corresponds to the observed warming trend), the response of the mass-weighted vertically averaged annual mean MTG is -0.2 ℃ per 1000 km. The dry static stability increases insignificantly relative to the reference climate state, while on the other hand, the effective static stability decreases by more than 5.4%. Assuming that static stability of the atmosphere and the MTG are independent of each other (using One-factor-at-a-time approach), we estimate that the increase in AMEMF caused by change in MTG is about 4%. Change in dry static stability has little effect on AMEMF, while change in effective static stability leads to an increase in AMEMF of about 5%. Thus, neglecting atmospheric moisture in calculations of the atmospheric static stability leads to tangible differences between the results obtained using the dry and moist models. Moist models predict ~9% increase in AMEMF due to global warming. Dry models predict ~4% increase in AMEMF solely because of the change in MTG. For the base climate change scenario, the average temperature of the lower troposphere (up to ~4 km), in which the atmospheric moisture is concentrated, increases by ~1.5 ℃. This leads to an increase in specific humidity of about 10.5%. Thus, since both AMEMF and atmospheric water vapor content increase due to the influence of climate change, a rather noticeable restructuring of the global water cycle is expected.

scholarly journals The Role of Eddies in Buoyancy-Driven Eastern Boundary Currents

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2829-2850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suyash Bire ◽  
Christopher L. P. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Form Drag ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Eastern Boundary ◽  
Eastern Boundary Currents ◽  
Cold Core

AbstractAn eastern boundary current (EBC) system driven by a large-scale meridional buoyancy gradient is simulated using an idealized eddy-resolving model. The EBC system consists of a pair of stacked meridional currents that flow poleward near the surface and equatorward at intermediate depths. Buoyancy advection in the EBC is primarily balanced by the shedding of eddies, with anticyclonic, warm-core eddies dominating near the surface and cyclonic, cold-core eddies found at intermediate depths. These boundary eddies play a significant role in both the eastern boundary circulation—by helping to trap the EBC near the coast—and the large-scale circulation through their effect on the downwelling limb of the overturning circulation. Momentum and thickness budgets analyzed using the thickness-weighted average framework highlight the role of eddy form drag in shaping and maintaining the EBC. The efficiency of the form drag increases dramatically at the offshore flank of the EBC. This zonal variation of the form drag is essential for maintaining a swift, narrow EBC. The essential physics of the EBC are illustrated using a simple, semianalytical model.

scholarly journals Effects of the Cold Core Eddy on Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Structure under Idealized Air–Sea Interaction Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 1285-1303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanhong Ma ◽  
Jianfang Fei ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Xiaogang Huang ◽  
Xiaoping Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Budget Analysis ◽  
Ocean Coupling ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Core Height ◽  
Water Vapor Mixing Ratio ◽  
Cold Core

Abstract The impacts of ocean feedback on tropical cyclones (TCs) are investigated using a coupled atmosphere–ocean model under idealized TC and cold core eddy (CCE) conditions. Results reveal negative impacts of the ocean coupling on TC development. The cold wake induced by a TC not only weakens the TC intensity but also limits the expansion of the storm circulation. The presence of CCE has boosted the TC-induced sea surface temperature cooling, which conversely inhibits the TC development. The TC appears to be weakened as it encounters the CCE edge. The intensity reduction attains a maximum shortly after the TC passes over the CCE center, and simultaneously the CCE-induced asymmetry of the storm structure is most significant as well. The TC undergoes a period of recovery after departure from the CCE, lasting about 36–48 h. During this time the residual asymmetry caused by the CCE is smoothed gradually by storm axisymmetrization. The CCE has induced smaller TC size throughout the simulation even after the TC intensity has completely recovered, an indication of longer recovery time for the TC size. Notably cooler and moister eye air in the lower troposphere, just under the warm-core height, is found in the experiment with CCE. The water vapor mixing ratio budget analysis indicates that it is primarily attributed to changes in vertical advection that occurred in the eye, that is, the undermined eye subsidence associated with the suppressed eyewall convection. The horizontal patterns of vertical motion in the boundary layer are also distinctly changed by the CCE.

scholarly journals Multiscale Interactions in an Idealized Walker Cell: Analysis with Isentropic Streamfunctions

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1187-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Slawinska ◽  
Olivier Pauluis ◽  
Andrew J. Majda ◽  
Wojciech W. Grabowski
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Lower Troposphere ◽  
Walker Circulation ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Walker Cell ◽  
Convective Scale

Abstract A new approach for analyzing multiscale properties of the atmospheric flow is proposed in this study. For that, the recently introduced isentropic streamfunctions are employed here for scale decomposition with Haar wavelets. This method is applied subsequently to a cloud-resolving simulation of a planetary Walker cell characterized by pronounced multiscale flow. The resulting set of isentropic streamfunctions—obtained at the convective, meso-, synoptic, and planetary scales—capture many important features of the across-scale interactions within an idealized Walker circulation. The convective scale is associated with the shallow, congestus, and deep clouds, which jointly dominate the upward mass flux in the lower troposphere. The synoptic and planetary scales play important roles in extending mass transport to the upper troposphere, where the corresponding streamfunctions mainly capture the first baroclinic mode associated with large-scale overturning circulation. The intermediate-scale features of the flow, such as anvil clouds associated with organized convective systems, are extracted with the mesoscale and synoptic-scale isentropic streamfunctions. Multiscale isentropic streamfunctions are also used to extract salient mechanisms that underlie the low-frequency variability of the Walker cell. In particular, the lag of a few days of the planetary scale behind the convective scale indicates the importance of the convective scale in moistening the atmosphere and strengthening the planetary-scale overturning circulation. Furthermore, the mesoscale and synoptic scale lags behind the planetary scale reflect the strong dependence of convective organization on the background shear.

scholarly journals Some structural characteristics of pre-monsoon depression in the Bay of Bengal

MAUSAM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
S. K. ROY BHOWMIK ◽  
P. K. MISHRA
Keyword(s):  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Monsoon Depression ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Significant Fall ◽  
Warm Core ◽  
Cold Core

During the period 6 to 16 May. 1995. three deep depressions formed one after another over west Bay of Bengal and moved from south to north. In this paper, structural characteristics of these systems are investigated from the distribution of thermal and thermodynamical field observed around the depression center utilising daily Rs/Rw and other available coastal observations during the period, Major findings of the study are: (i) The depressions have low level cold core and middle and upper tropospheric warm core. (ii) Thermal and moisture fields tilt north ward with height but vertical tilt of contour height is .not uniform at all levels, (iii) During intensification of the system significant increase in temperature and moisutre occurs above 700 hPa and significant fall of contour height occurs below 300 hPa.

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