Tropical Cyclone Initiation by the Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
Abstract
Improved satellite observations and an increased quantity of aircraft wind observations are meshed for case studies to modify the earlier synoptic model of tropical cyclone initiation by the Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough (TUTT). The major modification is in the vertical linkage between the upper and lower cyclonic systems. In the previous model (Sadler, 1967) it was proposed that the surface system resulted from a sloping downward penetration of the strong TUTT cell and, due to the slope, the surface disturbance was properly positioned under the upper divergence for intensification. These current studies show that the TUTT cell does not penetrate into the near surface layer but that the surface disturbance is induced by the upper divergence to the east of the TUTT cell and the two systems are initially separated by some 300 to 500 km. The better observations also permit a more detailed description of the upper circulation patterns to show how the convection associated with the intensifying surface system 'kills' the parent TUTT cell.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA025456
Entities
People
- James C. Sadler
Organizations
- University of Hawaiʻi System