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Structure of the Potential Vorticity of an Explosive Cyclone over the Eastern Asian Region in Late November 2013

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Abstract

An explosive extratropical cyclone (EC) over the Eastern Asian region that caused two shipwrecks is analyzed using ERA-Interim reanalysis data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Analyses of the evolution of the EC reveal that the positive potential vorticity (PV) at the upper-tropospheric level displays a hook-shaped structure during the mature period of the cyclone. The PV distribution forms a vertically coherent PV structure called a PV tower. The vertical distribution of the PV can induce and strengthen cyclonic circulation from the lower- to upper-levels of troposphere, which is an important deepening mechanism of explosive cyclone. The PV tower occurs approximately ten hours prior to the development of surface occlusion in the cyclone. The evolution of surface fronts closely follows the development of the horizontal upper-tropospheric PV. This tandem development is largely attributed to the ability of the positive upper-tropospheric PV and the PV tower to induce cyclonic circulation simultaneously. The kinematic wrap-up process of cyclonic circulation also accelerates the formation of warm occlusion. A conceptual model of the distributions of positive PV and potential temperature combining the perspectives of dynamic tropopause folding, PV tower, and atmospheric stability, including westward tilting and baroclinicity, is proposed. This model can illustrate the explosive deepening mechanism of ECs. The regions of convective instability and rainfall determined by this model are consistent with those identified from the actual observation.

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Acknowledgements

This paper was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41775042) and the China Bohai Rim Meteorological Science and Technology Collaborative Innovation Fund (No. QYXM201906). Dr. Chungu Lu was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Independent Research and Development Fund. The authors are grateful to the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts for providing the global reanalysis data and the TRMM for providing the precipitation data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qingdao Engineering Technology Research Center for Meteorological Disaster Prevention, Qingdao Meteorological Bureau, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Huaji Pang

  2. Department of Marine Meteorology, Laboratories of Physical Oceanography, Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction and Climate, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Gang Fu

  3. National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, 22230, USA

    Chungu Lu

Authors
  1. Huaji Pang
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  2. Gang Fu
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  3. Chungu Lu
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Correspondence to Gang Fu.

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Pang, H., Fu, G. & Lu, C. Structure of the Potential Vorticity of an Explosive Cyclone over the Eastern Asian Region in Late November 2013. J. Ocean Univ. China 21, 253–263 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-022-4787-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-022-4787-7

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