Artificial neural network-based storm surge forecast model: Practical application to Sakai Minato,Japan

The present study describes a novel way of a systematic and objective selection procedure for the development of an Artificial Neural Network-based storm Surge Forecast Model (ANN-SFM) with the 5, 12 and 24 h-lead times and its application to Sakai Minato area on the Tottori coast, Japan. The selection procedure guides how to determine the superiority of the best performing model in terms of the appropriate combination of unit number in the hidden layer and parameter in the input layer. In the application of ANN-SFM to Sakai Minato, it is found that the best 5 and 12 h-forecast ANN-SFMs are established with the most suitable set of 70 units (the number of hidden neurons) and the input components of surge level, sea level pressure, the depression rate of sea level pressure, longitude, latitude, central atmospheric pressure and highest wind speed. The best 24 h-forecast ANN-SFM is determined with 160 units and the input parameters of surge level, sea level pressure, the depression rate of sea level pressure, longitude and latitude. The proposed method of the selection procedure is able to be adaptable to other coastal locations for the development of the artificial neural network-based storm surge forecast model as establishing the superiority of the most relevant set combining unit numbers and input parameters.     

Simulation of storm-induced barrier island morphodynamics and flooding

Prediction of coupled storm hydrodynamics and morphodynamics is essential for accurately designing coastal flood protection measures. A numerical simulation methodology was developed and implemented to evaluate and assess engineering design solutions for storm damage reduction along the south shore of Long Island, New York, USA. This simulation methodology was applied to compute bay water levels for two major coastal storms taking into account contributions from storm surge, waves, wind, and barrier island overwash and breaching. Simulation results for breaching and bay flooding compare well to historically documented barrier island morphological change and bay high water marks.     

Storm surge simulation using wind-wave-surge coupling model

Simulation of a storm surge caused by Typhoon 9918 in the Yatsushiro Sea, Kyushu, Japan was hindcasted by the synchronous coupled wind-wave-surge model composed of a Meso-scale meteorological model (MM5) for the wind and sea surface pressure, a spectral third-generation wind-wave model (Wavewatch III) for waves, and the coastal ocean model (Princeton Ocean Model). Inclusion of the whitecap wave breaking stresses (whitecap dissipation stress) in the coastal ocean model made it possible to reproduce the extreme surge height in the extremely shallow bay.     

Wave set-up in the storm surge along open coasts during Typhoon Anita

Wave set-up in storm surges is studied using a numerical model for coasts in Tosa Bay, Japan, open to the Pacific Ocean. Simulation models employing only atmospheric pressures and winds as external forces are unable to properly simulate open coast storm surge heights, such as those due to Typhoon Anita (1970). However, the present study shows that a numerical model incorporating wave-induced radiation stresses, as well as wind stresses and pressure gradients, is able to account for the open coast surge heights. There is a maximum contribution of 40% by the radiation stresses to the peak sea level rises. This study also evaluates the effects of the tides; including the tides improves the agreement between the predicted water surface elevations and the observations. The difference in predictions between one-way coupling from wave to surge models and two-way coupling of the surge and wave models is found to be small.     

两类不同风灾个例超级单体特征对比分析

采用分钟级加密自动气象站观测资料,盐城、淮安和岳阳、荆州雷达探测数据,以及欧洲中期天气预报中心（ECMWF）高分辨率的ERA-Interim全球再分析数据,对比分析了2016年6月23日江苏阜宁龙卷灾害和2015年6月1日湖北监利下击暴流大风灾害的环境特征与超级单体的结构特征。结果表明:（1）两次强对流大风灾害发生在相似的低空环流背景下:风灾发生在低空急流出口区左侧的暖区内、850 hPa低涡中心东侧6—7个经距的位置;环境大气的对流有效位能大于2000 J/kg。但是风灾的类型不同,江苏阜宁大风灾害主要由超级单体龙卷造成,监利“东方之星”沉船事故主要是超级单体触发的下击暴流造成。短时强降水中心与风灾中心的相对位置不同:阜宁龙卷移动方向的左侧伴随着最强短时降水;湖北监利沉船事件发生期间,风灾中心与短时强降水中心基本重合。鉴于不同性质的对流大风位置与超级单体母体的中心位置对应关系上存在差异,通过比较地面观测的瞬时大风与瞬时强降水中心的相对位置将有助于区分强对流大风的性质。（2）环境风垂直切变强度对对流风暴结构、发展、维持有重要影响:阜宁龙卷发生时,其上空0—6 km风垂直切变达4×10-3 s-1,超级单体有明显的向前倾斜结构,形成有界弱回波区;而监利强对流沉船位置0—6 km风垂直切变只有2.3×10-3 s-1左右,风暴单体中的上升气流近乎于垂直。阜宁超级单体中气旋,首先出现在0—1.5 km风垂直切变和0—3 km风暴相对螺旋度带状大值区,在向抬升凝结高度更低的环境移动过程中,其底部不断下降,形成龙卷;而在监利沉船区,中低层风切变和风暴相对螺旋度相对要弱得多,对应风暴单体中的中气旋强度、持续性较弱,中气旋底部高度维持在1.6 km左右。（3）环境湿度垂直结构特征不同可能是风暴单体形成不同类型灾害大风的重要环境因子。监利下击暴流造成的风灾发生时,在地面气温迅速下降过程中,气压变化呈现快速跳升又快速下降的“尖锥”形,气压峰值比降水峰值提前4 min出现。它与对流层中高层环境大气中较为深厚的干空气卷入对流风暴中造成水物质强烈蒸发、冷却过程有关。而阜宁风灾过程中,环境大气中层仅存在非常浅薄的干层,加之低层较为深厚的饱和大气环境,对应的地面冷池效应相对较弱。      

超级单体引发的一次大风风速估算及其机理探讨

基于地面、高空、雷达探测资料和GFS再分析资料,对一次超级单体引发的大风风速进行估测,并探讨大风的形成机理。研究表明:①伴随着大风天气的发生,地面气温快速下降、比湿减少;大风的发生与风暴单体的发展程度和中气旋强弱在时间上具有一致性,风向分布与中气旋的旋转方向相同;大风地点发生在大尺度背景下垂直速度下沉区域。②风速具有随着不同等级径向速度面积增加而增加的现象,用其可以大致估算风力等级。③多单体的合并使得风暴单体变强,成为超级单体风暴;通过动量下传,促使空中大风快速下沉至近地层辐散,使之成为地面大风的形成机制之一。④由于中等雨量的拖曳作用,将中层大气拖曳至近地层;地面气温显著降低,表示环境负浮力的增大,加强了中层大气的下沉运动。⑤风暴合并、动量下传、降水拖曳和环境负浮力增加以及风暴后部下沉气流等共同作用引起了地面大风。     

Storm-related sea level variations along the North Sea coast as simulated by a high-resolution model 1958–2002

Storm-related sea level variations 1958–2002 along the North Sea coast from a high-resolution numerical hindcast are investigated and compared to the results of earlier studies. Considerable variations were found from year to year and over the entire period. The large-scale pattern of these variations is consistent with that derived from previous studies, while the magnitudes of the long-term trends differ. The latter is attributed to different analysis periods, improvements in the atmospheric forcing, and the enhanced spatial resolution of the numerical simulation. It is shown that the different analysis periods, in particular, represent an issue as the increase in storm-related sea levels was found to be weaker over the last few years that have not been included in earlier studies. These changes are consistent with observed changes of the storm climate over the North Sea. It is also shown that observed and hindcast trends may differ significantly. While the latter are in agreement with observed changes in the storm climate, it may be concluded that observed sea level changes along the North Sea coast comprise a considerable fraction that cannot be attributed to changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation.

A comparison of the midlevel kinematic characteristics of a pair of supercell thunderstorms observed by airborne Doppler radar

The midlevel kinematic characteristics of two supercell thunderstorms observed during the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX), one tornadic and the other nontornadic, are compared using airborne pseudo-dual-Doppler wind retrievals. The most significant difference between the two cases was that a midlevel rear-inflow jet was observed in the nontornadic supercell (12 May 1995), whereas such rear-to-front, storm-relative flow was absent at midlevels in the tornadic supercell (16 May 1995). The midlevel jet in the nontornadic supercell was located on the north flank of a prominent region of anticyclonic vertical vorticity. Some speculations are provided pertaining to the possible importance of the midlevel kinematic differences between the two storms.     

大气Rossby波动力学的研究进展

Rossby波是旋转大气和海洋中的一类重要波动,在天气和气候演变中起有重要的作用。该文介绍了北半球中纬度地区的两类重要Rossby波——斜压不稳定波和准定常行星波,在最近20余年来取得的一些重要研究进展。文中涉及的主要研究领域有:斜压不稳定波包动力学、湿斜压过程对斜压不稳定波的作用、北半球风暴轴动力学、斜压波包与高影响天气的预报、准定常行星波的形成机理、准定常行星波的水平传播与能量频散、准定常行星波的垂直传播与能量频散、三维准定常行星波的传播与能量频散。