Large-scale Cyclonic Vortex Research Articles

Effect of a Low-Frequency Vortex on the Size of Typhoon Lan (2017)

AbstractTyphoon Lan (2017) was one of the largest tropical cyclones (TC) in the western North Pacific Ocean (WNP), and it was developed in a low-frequency (10–90-day filtered) large-scale cyclonic vortex environment. The physical mechanism responsible for the TC’s unusual size was investigated through idealized numerical experiments with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. Sensitivity experiments showed that the low-frequency cyclonic circulation played an important role in modulating the TC size through the following three processes. First, it weakened the background vertical wind shear and provided a favorable condition for a more rapid growth of Lan. Second, it strengthened a vorticity aggregation process through enhanced background vorticity. As a result, a stronger and more organized TC core was quickly set up, which strengthened the TC intensity and expanded its size. Third, it enhanced the total surface wind speed and surface latent heat flux, strengthening convective instability in the outer region through increased moisture. The development of the outer rainband expanded the radial profile of diabatic heating, leading to greater low-level inflow and tangential wind acceleration in the outer region and thus a large TC size.

Rapidly rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection with a tilted axis.

We numerically explore the dynamics of an incompressible fluid heated from below, bounded by free-slip horizontal plates and periodic lateral boundary conditions, subject to rapid rotation about a distant axis that is tilted with respect to the gravity vector. The angle ϕ between the rotation axis and the horizontal plane measures the tilting of the rotation axis; it can be taken as a proxy for latitude if we think of a local Cartesian representation of the convective dynamics in a rotating fluid shell. The results of the simulations indicate the existence of three different convective regimes, depending on the value of ϕ: (1) sheared, intermittent large-scale winds in the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the gravity and rotation vectors, when rotation is "horizontal" (ϕ=0^{∘}); (2) a large-scale cyclonic vortex tilted along the rotation axis, when the angle between the rotation axis and the gravity vector is relatively small (ϕ between about 45^{∘} and 90^{∘}); and (3) a new intermediate regime characterized by vertically sheared large-scale winds perpendicular to both gravity and rotation. In this regime, the winds are organized in bands that are tilted along the rotation axis, with unit horizontal wave number in the plane defined by gravity and rotation at values of ϕ less than about 60^{∘}. This intermediate solution, studied for the first time in this work, is characterized by weaker vertical heat transport than the cases with large-scale vortices. For intermediate values of ϕ (between about 45^{∘} and 60^{∘}), the banded, sheared solution coexists with the large-scale vortex solution, with different initial conditions leading to one or the other dynamical behavior. A discussion of the possible implications of these results for the dynamics of rapidly rotating planetary atmospheres is provided.

Formation of eyes in large-scale cyclonic vortices

We present numerical simulations of steady, laminar, axisymmetric convection of a Boussinesq fluid in a shallow, rotating, cylindrical domain. The flow is driven by an imposed vertical heat flux and shaped by the background rotation of the domain. The geometry is inspired by that of tropical cyclones and the global flow pattern consists of a shallow, swirling vortex combined with a poloidal flow in the r-z plane which is predominantly inward near the bottom boundary and outward along the upper surface. Our numerical experiments confirm that, as suggested by Oruba et al 2017, an eye forms at the centre of the vortex which is reminiscent of that seen in a tropical cyclone and is characterised by a local reversal in the direction of the poloidal flow. We establish scaling laws for the flow and map out the conditions under which an eye will, or will not, form. We show that, to leading order, the velocity scales with V=(\alpha g \beta)^{1/2}H, where g is gravity, \alpha the expansion coefficient, \beta the background temperature gradient, and H is the depth of the domain. We also show that the two most important parameters controlling the flow are Re=VH/\nu and Ro=V/\Omega H, where \Omega is the background rotation rate and \nu the viscosity. The Prandtl number and aspect ratio also play an important, if secondary, role. Finally, and most importantly, we establish the criteria required for eye formation. These consist of a lower bound on Re, upper and lower bounds on Ro, and an upper bound on Ekman number.

A mechanism of formation of polar cyclones and possibility of their prediction using satellite observations

Using numerical simulation, a mechanism of formation of polar cyclones in the region of location of the arctic front in the winter troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere is studied. The simulation was performed with the help of the complete system of gas dynamics equations taking into account the transport of infrared radiation, phase transitions of water vapor into micro-drops of water and ice particles, and with allowance made for sedimentation of these drops and ice particles in the gravity field. In the initial and boundary conditions of the model, observational data on the structure of dominating air flows in the region of the arctic front over Norwegian Sea in January are used. Formation of large-scale cyclonic vortex flows in 15–20 hours at the presence of a bend of the central line of the shear flow in the arctic front 500–600 km long with northward or southward deviations by 100 km and more is obtained numerically. On the basis of the simulation results, a method of short-term forecast of formation and motion of polar cyclones is suggested.