Analysis of the Transition of an Explosive Cyclone to a Mediterranean Tropical-like Cyclone

This study investigates the dynamics of the development phases of a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (medicane) in the southern Ionian Sea, on 28 September 2018 that caused high impact phenomena in the central and eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the transition from explosive cyclone to medicane. The symmetry and the warm core structure of the system have been demonstrated via phase space diagrams determining three phases of the system development that are then supported on a dynamical basis. During the first phase of the system, baroclinic instability triggered the formation of the explosive cyclone, when strong upper-level PV anomalies at the dynamic tropopause level moved towards a pre-existed area of enhanced low-level baroclinicity over the coastal areas of Libya along with positive SST anomalies. The surface frontal structure was enhanced under the influence of the upper-level dynamic processes. During the second phase when the medicane formed, low-level diabatic processes determined the evolution of the surface cyclone, without any significant support from baroclinic processes in the upper troposphere. The distortion of the low-level baroclinicity and the frontal structure began after the initial weakening of the upper-level dynamics. During the third phase, the system remained barotropic, being affected by similar mechanisms as in the second phase but with lower intensity. The transition mechanism is not only the result of the seclusion of warm air in the cyclone core but, mainly, the continuation of an explosive cyclone or an intense cyclone when the occlusion began to form.

Physical Process Contributions to the Development of a Super Explosive Cyclone Over the Gulf Stream

Contributions of different physical processes to the development of a super explosive cyclone (SEC) migrating over the Gulf Stream with the maximum deepening rate of 3.45 Bergeron were investigated using the ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The evolution of the SEC resembled the Shapiro-Keyser model. The moisture transported to the bent-back front by easterlies from Gulf Stream favored precipitation and enhanced the latent heat release. The bent-back front and warm front were dominated by the water vapor convergence in the mid-low troposphere, the cyclonic-vorticity advection in the mid-upper troposphere and the divergence in the upper troposphere. These factors favored the rapid development of the SEC, but their contributions showed significant differences during the explosive-developing stage. The diagnostic results based on the Zwack-Okossi equation suggested that the early explosive development of the SEC was mainly forced by the diabatic heating in the mid-low troposphere. From the early explosive-developing moment to maximum-deepening-rate moment, the diabatic heating, warm-air advection and cyclonic-vorticity advection were all enhanced significantly, their combination forced the most explosive development, and the diabatic heating had the biggest contribution, followed by the warm-air advection and cyclonic-vorticity advection, which is different from the previous studies of ECs over the Northwestern Atlantic. The cross section of these factors suggested that during the rapid development, the cyclonic-vorticity advection was distributed and enhanced significantly in the mid-low troposphere, the warm-air advection was strengthened significantly in the mid-low and upper troposphere, and the diabatic heating was distributed in the middle troposphere.

Estimation of water origins within an explosive cyclone over the Sea of Japan using an isotopic regional spectral model

Moisture sources and their corresponding temperature and humidity are important for explosive extratropical cyclones’ development regarding latent heating. To clarify the water origins and moisture-transport processes within an explosive cyclone, we simulated an explosive cyclone migrating poleward across the Sea of Japan on November 30, 2014, by using an isotopic regional spectral model. In the cyclone’s center area, a replacement of water origins occurred during the cyclone’s development. During the early stage, the warm conveyor belt (WCB) transported large amounts of moisture from the East China Sea and Kuroshio into the cyclone’s inner region. While in the deepening stage, the cold conveyor belt (CCB) and dry intrusion (DI) conveyed more moisture from the Northwest Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, respectively. Compared with the contribution of local moisture, that of remote moisture was dominant in the cyclone’s center area. Regarding the water origins of condensation within the frontal system in the deepening stage, the Northwest Pacific Ocean vapors, principally transported by the CCB, contributed 35.5% of the condensation in the western warm front. The East China Sea and Kuroshio moisture, conveyed by the WCB, accounted for 32.4% of the condensation in the cold and eastern warm fronts. In addition, condensation from the Sea of Japan, which was mainly triggered by the DI and induced by the topography, occurred on the west coast of the mainland of Japan and near the cyclone center. The spatial distribution of the isotopic composition in condensation and water vapor also supports the water-origin results.

Sensitivity of Simulations of Extreme Mediterranean Storms to the Specification of Sea Surface Temperature: Comparison of Cases of a Tropical-Like Cyclone and Explosive Cyclogenesis

Local air-sea interaction over the Mediterranean may amplify the effects of climate change. This study investigates the sensitivity of simulations of two different high impact weather events to changes in the specification of sea surface temperature (SST) using a regional atmospheric model. First we assess the impact of specifying SST from two reanalysis data sets with differing spatial resolution. The simulated tropical-like cyclone (TLC) is slightly stronger in the case of the lower resolution SST which is warmer over the formation region, most notably in the maximum rainfall which is ~7% higher. The differences in the two explosive cyclone simulations are negligible, most likely due to intensification occurring mainly over land. We then test the sensitivity of the storms to a range of SST anomalies. The TLC showed a clear trend of increasing storm intensity as SST rises. These results suggest that SST plays a direct role in determining the intensity of the storm. For the explosive cyclone there is no clear trend in dynamical intensity except for the highest warming anomalies. However, the rainfall increases with the magnitude of the SST anomaly. Our results suggest that extreme weather events over the Mediterranean will become more extreme if SST increases as the climate warms, assuming that upper air conditions do not change.

Development Processes of the Explosive Cyclones over the Northwest Pacific: Potential Vorticity Tendency Inversion

A novel method that quantitatively evaluates the development processes of extratropical cyclones is devised and applied to the explosive cyclones over the Northwest Pacific in the cold season (October–April). By inverting the potential vorticity (PV) tendency equation, the contribution of dynamic and thermodynamic processes at different levels to explosive cyclone development is quantified. In terms of geostrophic vorticity tendency at 850 hPa, which is utilized to quantify cyclone development, the leading factors for the explosive cyclone intensification are upper-level PV advection by the mean zonal flow and the PV production from latent heating. However, explosive cyclones are also subject to hindrances from vertical and meridional PV advections. Quantitatively, the sum of thermodynamic contributions by the latent heating, vertical PV advection, and surface temperature tendency is about 1.6 times more important than the dynamical PV redistribution by horizontal advections on the explosive cyclone intensification. This result confirms the dominant role of thermodynamic processes in explosive cyclone development over the Northwest Pacific. It turns out from further analysis that the interactions of lower-level anomalous flows are important for thermodynamic processes, whereas the advections by the upper-level mean flow are primary for dynamic processes.