Abstract
Abstract A 25-year dataset of potential vorticity on the 315-K isentropic surface is built from the National Meteorological Center (NMC) final analysis archive. Potential vorticity is calculated from the nonlinear gradient wind balance using temperature and geopotential fields, since the wind field is not available in the early part of the archive. The validity of this calculation is assessed by comparing the results with potential vorticity obtained directly from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analyzed winds. The error due to the nonlinear balance approximation turns out to be smaller than the difference between ECMWF and NMC analysis. The possibility of studying diabatic forcing as a residual of the equation of potential vorticity conservation is examined. The average potential vorticity forcing found in this way is consistent with the authors knowledge of the mean diabatic heating. The amplitude of the residual decreases through the analysis period, reflecting the improvemen...
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