Comparison of the Dynamics of a Land versus Oceanic Explosive Cyclone
Abstract
Two explosively developing cyclones are analyzed and compared using a similar diagnostic approach. A continental cyclone developed over the U.S. Mid- west during 14-17 November 1988 and was analyzed using NMC (Nested Grid model) analysis fields and GOES IR imagery. A maritime cyclone rapidly developed over the western North Atlantic Ocean during 03-05 January 1989. The NMC Spectral Model and GOES imagery are employed to describe the development of this storm. Upper-level vorticity, divergence and jet streak placement are examined along with low-level thermal advection, boundary layer heating and static stability for each storm. Results indicate that the land and ocean storms have similar magnitude upper-level divergence associated with 300 mb jet streaks, however, they evolve differently. At low-levels, there are equal contributions in the land case. The initial static stability was low for both cyclones, however, the ocean case maintained low static stability and this appears to be a major factor in determining the depth and speed of rapid cyclone developement. Keywords: Meteorology, Latitude, Explosive development, Thesis, Comparison, Tropical cyclones, Dynamics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA225529
Entities
People
- Michael E. Kreyenhagen
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School