A CASE OF MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX EVOLVING INTO A VORTEX*

A case of mesoscale convective complex(MCC) which evolved into a vortex is documented in this paper.As the MCC entered into the dissipating phase,a well-defined spirally banded structure became visible in the satellite image.The blackbody temperature(TBB) of the residual cold-cloud-shield indicates the vortex existed in the layer from 400 to 250 hPa.According to the upper air analysis,the upper level vortex was an anticyclone.The MCC-generated vortex was visualized in the satellite images because it was located in the subtropical high where the wind field was very weak.     

Hydrogen recombination lines near 327 MHz−II: A Galactic plane survey with a 2°×6′ beam

In a previous paper we presented a low-resolution (2°×2°) survey of radio recombination lines (RRLs) at 327 MHz in the longitude rangel=330° to 0° to 89°. In this paper, we present the results of a higher resolution (2°×6′) survey of RRLs from seven 2°-wide fields and two 6°-wide fields in the same longitude range. Observations were made using the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT). A total of 252 spectra that were obtained are presented. RRLs were detected in almost all the individual positions within the fields withl<35° and at several individual positions within the fields in the longitude rangel=35° to 85°. Detailed analysis of the data towards the field centered at G45.5+0.0, shows that the line emission consists of discrete zones of ionized gas. The angular extent of these zones are likely to be one degree or more corresponding to a linear size of >110 pc at the kinematic distance.     

Impact of Doppler Radar Wind in Simulating the Intensity and Propagation of Rainbands Associated with Mesoscale Convective Complexes Using MM5-3DVAR System

Pre-monsoon rainfall around Kolkata (northeastern part of India) is mostly of convective origin as 80% of the seasonal rainfall is produced by Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). Accurate prediction of the intensity and structure of these convective cloud clusters becomes challenging, mostly because the convective clouds within these clusters are short lived and the inaccuracy in the models initial state to represent the mesoscale details of the true atmospheric state. Besides the role in observing the internal structure of the precipitating systems, Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) provides an important data source for mesoscale and microscale weather analysis and forecasting. An attempt has been made to initialize the storm-scale numerical model using retrieved wind fields from single Doppler radar. In the present study, Doppler wind velocities from the Kolkata Doppler weather radar are assimilated into a mesoscale model, MM5 model using the three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system for the prediction of intense convective events that occurred during 0600 UTC on 5 May and 0000 UTC on 7 May, 2005. In order to evaluate the impact of the DWR wind data in simulating these severe storms, three experiments were carried out. The results show that assimilation of Doppler radar wind data has a positive impact on the prediction of intensity, organization and propagation of rain bands associated with these mesoscale convective systems. The assimilation system has to be modified further to incorporate the radar reflectivity data so that simulation of the microphysical and thermodynamic structure of these convective storms can be improved.     

Modelling Regional Scale Surface Energy Exchanges And Cbl Growth In A Heterogeneous, Urban-Rural Landscape

Over the last decade, simple models of theconvective boundary layer (CBL) have beensuggested as an approach to inferring regionallyaveraged land-air exchanges of heat, water and tracegases, because the properties of the CBL respond toan average of the underlying small-scaleheterogeneity. This paper explores the use of anintegral CBL method to infer regionally averagedfluxes in a landscape that has at least three majorsources of heterogeneity – irrigated andnon-irrigated rural land use and a large urban area(Sacramento region, California).The first part of the paper assesses the validity ofthe simple slab model of the CBL – this isintegrated forwards in time using local-scalemeasured heat and water vapour fluxes, to predictmixed-layer depth, temperature and humidity. Of thefour different CBL growth schemes used, the Tennekesand Driedonks model is found to give the bestperformance. Evaluation of the model performancewith different weightings of heat and water vapourfluxes based on the land use characteristics in theregion suggest that the source area for theboundary-layer sonde measurements is larger thanphysically-based estimates would suggest.Finally, measured time series of potentialtemperature are used to infer regionally averagedsensible heat fluxes using an integral CBL (ICBL)method. These ICBL fluxes are compared with thosemeasured at the local scale over the three land usetypes that comprise the region of interest. They arefound to be closest to the heat fluxes calculated byappropriately weighting the measured heat fluxes inthe source area calculated for the ICBL. We concludethat the integral CBL budget method providesadequate estimates of regionally-averaged surfaceheat fluxes in a landscape that is characterised bysurface types with distinctly different surfaceenergy budgets.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MOVEMENT OF THE MEIYU/BAIU RAIN BELT AND THE PERIODIC NORTHWESTWARD PROPAGATION OF THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY FROM TROPICAL WEST PACIFIC

In order to investigate the effect of the factors in tower latitudes on Meiyu/Baiu front,adiagnostic analysis for the two cases during June to July of 1985 and 1986 was examined.We foundthat (1)when the tropical convective activity moves westward to 10.5-15.5′N/140°E from eastside of 10.5-15.5°N/160°E,the northward shifts of the Meiyu/Baiu rain belt occurs;(2)themain factor which results in the northward and southward shifts of Meiyu/Baiu rain belt is thoughtas the 8,18 and 30 day oscillations of the tropical convective activity around West Pacific.Meanwhile,the wave train propagating from Lake Baikal via Okhotsk Sea to the tropics couldsometimes shift Baiu rain belt southward;(3)the onsets of Meiyu in China of both cases tend totake place just when the convective activity around lower latitudes moves westward through about140°E with the 8,18 and 30 day oscillation periods firstly coming to June.     

THE MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAIT AND NEIGHBORING AREAS DURING IOP608 OF HUAMEX

The paper gives the distributions of the daily mean temperature of black body of satellite infrared images from June 7 to 10, 1998 during HUAMEX and examines 14 meso-α-scale convective systems and a number of meso-b-scale convective systems using the satellite infrared images at 1-h intervals. The mesoscale convective systems on June 7 and 9, which resulted in severe rainstorm over the middle of Taiwan and the estuary region of the Pearl River (Zhujiang R.), are emphatically analyzed. The serial development of mesoscale convective systems is revealed by the distributions of the black body temperature of satellite infrared images. The environmental conditions in which many mesoscale convective systems continuously occurred are diagnosed. The visualizing tool, LiveView, displays the link between the upper and lower horizontal wind fields and the vertical circulations and 3-dimensional trajectories of moist air motions, based on the data of objective analyses.     

Behaviour of H2O2, NH3, and black carbon in mixed-phase clouds during CIME

We investigated the partitioning of trace substances during the phase transition from supercooled to mixed-phase cloud induced by artificial seeding. Simultaneous determination of the concentrations of H₂O₂, NH₃ and black carbon (BC) in both condensed and interstitial phases with high time resolution showed that the three species undergo different behaviour in the presence of a mixture of ice crystals and supercooled droplets. Both H₂O₂ and NH₃ are efficiently scavenged by growing ice crystals, whereas BC stayed predominantly in the interstitial phase. In addition, the scavenging of H₂O₂ is driven by co-condensation with water vapour onto ice crystals while NH₃ uptake into the ice phase is more efficient than co-condensation alone. The high solubility of NH₄⁺ in the ice could explain this result. Finally, it appears that the H₂O₂–SO₂ reaction is very slow in the ice phase with respect to the liquid phase. Our results are directly applicable for clouds undergoing limited riming.     

平凉“95．7．19”强对流风暴分析

分析具有代表性的平凉局地强对流风暴过程，揭示了平凉发生强对流天气独特的地形因素。     

Processing of oxidised nitrogen compounds by passage through winter-time orographic cloud

Four case studies are described, from a three-site field experiment in October/November 1991 using the Great Dun Fell flow-through reactor hill cap cloud in rural Northern England. Measurements of total odd-nitrogen nitrogen oxides (NO _y ) made on either side of the hill, before and after the air flowed through the cloud, showed that 10 to 50% of the NO _y , called NO _z , was neither NO nor NO₂. This NO _z failed to exhibit a diurnal variation and was often higher after passage through cloud than before. No evidence of conversion of NO _z to NO₃ ^- in cloud was found. A simple box model of gas-phase chemistry in air before it reached the cloud, including scavenging of NO₃ and N₂O₅ by aerosol of surface area proportional to the NO₂ mixing ratio, shows that NO₃ and N₂O₅ may build up in the boundary layer by night only if stable stratification insulates the air from emissions of NO. This may explain the lack of evidence for N₂O₅ forming NO₃ ^- in cloud under well-mixed conditions in 1991, in contrast with observations under stably stratified conditions during previous experiments when evidence of N₂O₅ was found. Inside the cloud, some variations in the calculated total atmospheric loading of HNO₂ and the cloud liquid water content were related to each other. Also, indications of conversion of NO _x to NO _z were found. To explain these observations, scavenging of NO _x and HNO₂ by cloud droplets and/or aqueous-phase oxidation of NO₂ ^- by nitrate radicals are considered. When cloud acidity was being produced by aqueous-phase oxidation of NO _x or SO₂, NO₃ ^- which had entered the cloud as aerosol particles was liberated as HNO₃ vapour. When no aqueous-phase production of acidity was occurring, the reverse, conversion of scavenged HNO₃ to particulate NO₃ ^-, was observed.