THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HORIZONTAL VORTICITY INDUCED BY VERTICAL SHEAR AND VERTICAL MOTION DURING A SQUALL LINE PROCESS

The horizontal vorticity equation used in this study was obtained using the equations of motion in the pressure coordinate system without considering friction, to reveal its relationship with vertical shear. By diagnostically analyzing each term in the horizontal vorticity equation during a squall line process that occurred on 19 June 2010, we found that the non-thermal wind term had a negative contribution to the local change of upward movement in the low-level atmosphere, and that its impact changed gradually from negative to positive with altitude, which could influence upward movement in the mid-and upper-level atmosphere greatly. The contribution of upward vertical transport to vertical movement was the largest in the low-level atmosphere, but had negative contribution to the upper-level atmosphere. These features were most evident in the development stage of the squall line. Based on analysis of convection cells along a squall line, we found that in the process of cell development diabatic heating caused the subsidence of constant potential temperature surface and non-geostrophic motion, which then triggered strong convergence of horizontal acceleration in the mid-level atmosphere and divergence of horizontal acceleration in the upper-level atmosphere. These changes of horizontal wind field could cause a counterclockwise increment of the horizontal vorticity around the warm cell, which then generated an increase of upward movement. This was the main reason why the non-thermal wind term had the largest contribution to the strengthening of upward movement in the mid-and upper-level atmosphere. The vertical transport of large value of horizontal vorticity was the key to trigger convection in this squall line process.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VARIATION IN HORIZONTAL VORTICITY AND HEAVY RAIN DURING THE PROCESS OF MCC TURNING INTO BANDED MCSS

Using real-time data and the WRF mesoscale model,a heavy rain event in the process of Mesoscale Convective Complex(MCC) turning into banded Mesoscale Convective Systems(MCSs) during 18-19 June 2010 is simulated and analyzed in this paper.The results indicated that the formation and maintenance of a southwest vortex and shear line at 850 h Pa was the mesoscale system that affected the production of this heavy rain.The low-vortex heavy rain mainly happened in the development stage of MCC,and the circular MCC turned into banded MCSs in the late stage with mainly shear line precipitation.In the vicinity of rainfall area,the intense horizontal vorticity due to the vertical shear of u and v caused the rotation,and in correspondence,the ascending branch of the vertical circulation triggered the formation of heavy rain.The different distributions of u and v in the vertical direction produced varying vertical circulations.The horizontal vorticity near the low-vortex and shear line had obvious differences which led to varying reasons for heavy rain formation.The low-vortex heavy rain was mainly caused by the vertical shear of v,and the shear line rainfall formed owing to the vertical shear of both u and v.In this process,the vertical shear of v constituted the EW-trending rain band along the shear line,and the latitudinal non-uniformity of the vertical shear in u caused the vertical motion,which was closely related to the generation and development of MCSs at the shear line and the formation of multiple rain clusters.There was also a similar difference in the positively-tilting term(conversion from horizontal vorticity to vertical positive vorticity) near the rainfall center between the low-vortex and the shear line.The conversion in the low vortex was mainly determined by бv/бp<0,while that of the shear line by бu/бp<0.The scale of the conversion from the horizontal vorticity to vertical vorticity was relatively small,and it was easily ignored in the averaged state.The twisting term was mainly conducive to the reinforcement of precipitation,whereas its contribution to the development of southwest vortex and shear line was relatively small.

A NOVEL METHOD FOR CALCULATING VERTICAL VELOCITY:A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HORIZONTAL VORTICITY AND VERTICAL MOVEMENT

The present work provides a novel method for calculating vertical velocity based on continuity equations in a pressure coordinate system.The method overcomes the disadvantage of accumulation of calculating errors of horizontal divergence in current kinematics methods during the integration for calculating vertical velocity,and consequently avoids its subsequent correction.In addition,through modifications of the continuity equations,it shows that the vorticity of the vertical shear vector(VVSV) is proportional to-ω,the vertical velocity in p coordinates.Furthermore,if the change of ω in the horizontal direction is neglected,the vorticity of the horizontal vorticity vector is proportional to-ω.When ω is under a fluctuating state in the vertical direction,the updraft occurs when the vector of horizontal vorticity rotates counterclockwise;the downdraft occurs when rotating clockwise.The validation result indicates that the present method is generally better than the vertical velocity calculated by the ω equation using the wet Q-vector divergence as a forcing term,and the vertical velocity calculated by utilizing the kinematics method is followed by the O'Brien method for correction.The plus-minus sign of the vertical velocity obtained with this method is not correlated with the intensity of d BZ,but the absolute error increases when d BZ is >=40.This method demonstrates that it is a good reflection of the direction of the vertical velocity.

INTERACTIONS OF MULTIPLE TYPHOONS AND RELATIONSHIPS OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL VORTICITY

Three typhoons, Goni, Morakot and Etau which were generated in Western Pacific in 2009, are successfully simulated by the WRF model. The horizontal and vertical vorticity and their interaction are analyzed and diagnosed by using the simulation results. It is shown that their resultant vectors had a fixed pattern in the evolution process of the three typhoons: The horizontal vorticity converged to the tropical cyclone(TC) center below 900 h Pa level, flowed out from it at around 900 to 800 h Pa, and flowed in between 800 h Pa and 700 h Pa. If multiple maximum wind speed centers showed up, the horizontal vorticity converged to the center of the typhoon below the maximum wind speed center and diverged from the TC center above the maximum wind speed center. At low levels, the three typhoons interacted with each other through vertical circulation generated by the vortex tube. This circulation was mainly generated by the eastward or westward horizontal vorticity vectors. Clouds and precipitation were generated on the ascending branch of the vertical circulation. The vortex tubes often flowed toward the southwest of the right TC from the northeast of the left TC. According to the full vorticity equation, the horizontal vorticity converted into the vertical vorticity near the maximum wind speed center below 850 h Pa level, and the period of most intense conversion was consistent with the intensification period of TC, while the vorticity advection was against the intensification. The vertical vorticity converted into the horizontal vorticity from 800 h Pa to 600 h Pa, and the wind speed decreased above the maximum wind speed region at low levels.

STRUCTURE FEATURES AND COMPOSITE ANALYSIS OF CONVECTIVE CELLS IN A WARM SECTOR HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTHERN CHINA

This paper uses the ARW-WRF model to carry out a numerical simulation of a warm-sector heavy rainfall event over southern China on the 22-23 May, 2014. A composite analysis method was used to analyze the evolution process and structural features of the convective cells on a convection line during this rainfall event. This analysis identified three stages:(1) Stage of activation: the equivalent potential temperature surfaces as lower layers start to bulge and form warm cells and weak vertical convective cloud towers which are subject to the impact of low-level warm moist updrafts in the rainfall sector;(2) Stage of development: the warm cells continue to bulge and form warm air columns and the convective cloud towers develop upwards becoming stronger as they rise;(3) Stage of maturity: the warm air columns start to connect with the stable layer in the upper air; the convective cloud tower will bend and tilt westward with each increasing in height, and the convection cell is characterized by a "crescent-shaped echo" above the 700 h Pa plane. During this stage the internal temperature of the cell is higher than the ambient temperature and the dynamic structural field is manifested as intensive vertical upward movement. The large-value centers of the northerly and westerly winds in the middle layer correspond to the warm moist center in the cells and the relatively cold center south of the warm air column. Further analysis shows that the formation of the "crescent-shaped" convective cell is associated with horizontal vorticity. Horizontal vorticity in the center and west of the warm cell experiences stronger cyclonic and anticyclonic shear transformation over time; this not only causes the original suborbicular cell echo shape to develop into a crescent-like shape, but also makes a convection line consisting of cells that develop to the northwest.