A DIAGNOSTIC STUDY OF FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE OF BLOCKING SITUATION ON THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE USING E-P FLUX

Abstract

In this paper, the variations of the mean flow, the E-P flux and its divergence of planetary waves in the process of the formation, maintenance and collapse of the blocking situation in the second half of February, 1979 are analysed with the transformed Eulerian mean-motion equations.Analysed results show that because the basic flow changes from the easterly into the westerly in the lower troposphere at high latitudes, the planetary wave for wavenumber 2 strongly propagates upwards, and because of the interaction between the upward propagating planetary wave and the basic flow, the westerty is weakened and approaches to the resonant flow of wavenumber 2 in the middle and upper troposphere (then, in the lower and middle Stratosphere). This may cause the anomalous amplification of planetary wave for wavenumber 2, and moreover make the mean flow change from the westerly into the easterly in the lower and middle stratosphere, following the upper troposphere. Therefore, the blocking situation can be formed and maintained on the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, the upward propagations of quasi-stationary planetary waves and the mutual interaction with the basic flow are also one of the reasons of the formation and maintenance of the blocking situation.