Potential vorticity diagnosis of tropical cyclone Usagi (2001) genesis induced by a mid-level vortex over the South China Sea

In this study, we first show that tropical cyclone (TC) Usagi evolved from a mid-level vortex over the South China Sea (SCS) in August 2001. The initial disturbance of TC Usagi had a maximum potential vorticity (PV) near 500 hPa, and an anticyclonic circulation with a cold core near the surface. The cyclonic circulation and its warm core of the mid-level vortex developed gradually downward toward the surface when environmental easterly and dry air intruded from the upper troposphere; finally, the mid-level vortex evolved into TC Usagi under favorable environment conditions such as weak vertical wind shear, deep moist layer, etc. To investigate the dynamic and thermodynamic processes during TC Usagi genesis, the technique of piecewise PV inversion is employed. The results show that the actions of upper-layer PV and potential temperature anomalies were not important in TC Usagi genesis. Surface-layer thermal anomalies mainly produced negative disturbances of temperature at the vortex center below 800 hPa, which was unfavorable to the genesis of a cyclonic circulation near the surface. Middle-to-lower-layer latent heat played a key role in TC Usagi genesis and downward development of dynamic and thermodynamic processes. The actions of dry air intrusion from the upper troposphere, environmental westerly changing into easterly in the middle and lower troposphere, and baroclinic structure of the vortex were also important. The cyclonic circulation of the mid-level vortex could develop downward quickly from the middle troposphere toward the surface. However, whether the warm core of the vortex developed near the surface depended on the combined actions of surface-layer thermal anomaly and middle-to-lower-layer latent heat. Finally, we present a conceptual model of TC Usagi genesis induced by a mid-level vortex over the SCS.