Mesoscale surface analysis of the ERICA IOP-5 cyclone.
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Authors
Greer, Susan N.
Subjects
explosive cyclogenesis
surface fluxes
boundry layer
surface fluxes
boundry layer
Advisors
Nuss, Wendell A.
Date of Issue
1991-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
The mesoscale surface structure of an explosively deepening storm that developed during Intensive Observation Period (IOP) 5 (18-20 January 1989) of the Experiment on Rapidly Deepening Cyclones over the Atlantic (ERICA) was examined to determine the influence of surface forcing on explosive cyclogenesis. Aircraft, buoy and ship observations were converted to a 20 km gridded data set in order to generate objective analyses of the surface pressure and temperature fields comparable to the best hand analyses. The Brown-Liu boundary layer model was then used to calculate surface sensible heat fluxes from the gridded data sets. These analyses showed that the most significant feature that distinguished the IOP-5 storm from a typical nonexplosive storm was the region of sustained positive heat fluxes that occurred east of the low center. This feature, combined with substantial warm advection and conditions of moist symmetric neutrality in the baroclinic zone of the warm front, supports destabilization of the boundary layer and enhanced low-level baroclinicity. Thus, the positive heat fluxes fuel the convective transport of heat and moisture to the upper atmosphere and enhance the sensible and condensation heating that contribute to explosive cyclogenesis
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Meteorology
Physical Oceanography
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
65 p.;28 cm.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.