Understanding and Improving Prediction of the Impacts of Rossby Wave Breaking on Tropopause Polar Vortices and Arctic Cyclones
Abstract
Funds are provided to conduct research to understand the role of Rossby wave breaking in modifying and in some cases controlling the interactions between the Tropopause Polar Vortex, Arctic cyclones, and sea ice loss. This understanding will quantify how the initiation of Rossby wave packets and subsequent wave breaking is a barrier to improving predictions of Arctic cyclones on medium range and extended time-scales. The following scientific questions will be tested through novel analysis, reanalysis, and data collected from field experiments conducted under this DRI:1) Why is the triggering and breaking of Rossby waves sometimes so poorly predicted innumerical models? 2) To what extent does Rossby wave breaking modify the structure and intensity of Arctic cyclones? 3) Is transport of water vapor and sensible heat predicted by numerical models accurate? 4) What is the dynamic mechanism for the modification of the polar vortex by Rossby wave breaking, and how well is this process represented in current numerical modeling systems? 5) Can multi-scale modeling systems be used to more accurately represent the triggering and breaking of Rossby waves?
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812163
Entities
People
- David Parsons
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Oklahoma