The Vertical Vorticity Structure within a Squall Line Observed during BAMEX: Banded Vorticity Features and the Evolution of a Bowing Segment

Abstract

Abstract A quasi-linear convective line with a trailing stratiform region developed during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX) while being sampled by two airborne Doppler radars. The finescale reflectivity and Doppler velocities recorded by the radars documented the evolution of the convective line. Bands of positive and negative vertical vorticity oriented parallel to the convective line were resolved in the analysis. This type of structure has rarely been reported in the literature and appears to be a result of the tilting and subsequent stretching of ambient horizontal vorticity produced by the low-level wind shear vector with a significant along-line component. The radar analysis also documented the evolution of an embedded bow echo within the convective line. Embedded bow echoes have been documented for a number of years; however, a detailed analysis of their kinematic structure has not been previously reported in the literature. The counterrotating circulation patterns that are characteristic of bow echoes appeared to be a result of tilting and stretching of the horizontal vorticity produced in the cold pool. The analysis suggests that the location along the convective line where embedded bow echoes form depends on the local depth of the cold pool. The rear-inflow jet is largely driven by the combined effects of the counterrotating vortices and the upshear-tilted updraft.