Tropical Cyclones and Polar Lows: Velocity, Size, and Energy Scales, and Relation to the 26℃ Cyclone Origin Criteria

The goal of this paper is to quantitatively formulate some necessary conditions for the development of intense atmospheric vortices. Specifically, these criteria are discussed for tropical cyclones （TC） and polar lows （PL） by using bulk formulas for fluxes of momentum, sensible heating, and latent heating between the ocean and the atmosphere. The velocity scale is used in two forms： （1） as expressed through the buoyancy flux b and the Coriolis parameter Ic for rotating fluids convection, and （2） as expressed with the cube of velocity times the drag coefficient through the formula for total kinetic energy dissipation in the atmospheric boundary layer. In the quasistationary case the dissipation equals the generation of the energy. In both cases the velocity scale can be expressed through temperature and humidity differences between the ocean and the atmosphere in terms of the reduced gravity, and both forms produce quite comparable velocity scales. Using parameters b and Ic, we can form scales of the area and, by adding the mass of a unit air column, a scale of the total kinetic energy as well. These scales nicely explain the much smaller size of a PL, as compared to a TC, and the total kinetic energy of a TC is of the order 1018 - 1019 J. It will be shown that wind of 33 m s^-1 is produced when the total enthalpy fluxes between the ocean and the atmosphere are about 700 W m-2 for a TC and 1700 W m-2 for a PL, in association with the much larger role of the latent heat in the first case and the stricter geostrophic constraints and larger static stability in the second case. This replaces the mystical role of 26℃ as a criterion for TC origin. The buoyancy flux, a product of the reduced gravity and the wind speed, together with the atmospheric static stability, determines the rate of the penetrating convection. It is known from the observations that the formation time for a PL reaching an altitude of 5-6 km can be only a few hours, and a day, or even half a day, for a TC reaching 15-18 km. These two facts allow us to construct curves on the plane of Ts and ΔT = Ts - Ta to determine possibilities for forming an intense vortex. Here, Ta is the atmospheric temperature at the height z = 10 m. A PL should have AT 〉 20℃ in accordance with the observations and nmnerical simulations. The conditions for a TC are not so straightforward but our diagram shows that the temperature difference of a few degrees, or possibly even a fraction of a degree, might be sufficient for TC development for a range of static stabilities and development times.

High-Resolution Simulation and Analysis of the Mature Structure of a Polar Low over the Sea of Japan on 21 January 1997

This paper presents a high-resolution simulation of a remarkable polar low observed over the Sea of Japan on 21 January 1997 by using a 5-km mesh non-hydrostatic model MRI-NHM (Meteorological Research Institute Non-Hydrostatic Model). A 24-hour simulation starting from 0000 UTC 21 January 1997 successfully reproduced the observed features of the polar low such as the wrapping of western part of an initial E-W orientation vortex, the spiral-shaped bands, the cloud-free 'eye', and the warm core structure at its mature stage. The 'eye' of the simulated polar low was relatively dry, and was associated with a strong downdraft. A thermodynamic budget analysis indicates that the 'warm core' in the 'eye' region was mainly caused by the adiabatic warming associated with the downdraft. The relationship among the condensational diabatic heating, the vertical velocity, the convergence of the moisture flux, and the circulation averaged within a 50 km×50 km square area around the polar low center shows that they form a positive feedback loop, and this loop is not inconsistent with the CISK (Conditional Instability of the Second Kind) mechanism during the developing stage of the polar low.

Topographic effects on polar low and tropical cyclone development in simple theoretical model

The polar low and tropical cyclone type vortices over topography are assumed to be the axisymmetrical and thermal-wind balanced systems, which are solved as an initial value problem of a linearized vortex equation set in cylindrical coordinates. The roles of the sensible and latent heating, friction, and topography in the structure and intensification of the polar low and tropical cyclone type vortices are analyzed. The radial velocity, vertical velocity, azimuthal velocity, and the unstable growth rate including the topography effects are obtained. It is shown that the interaction between the flow and the topography plays a significant role in the structure and intensification of the polar low and tropical cyclone system. The analysis of the topography term indicates that, in the up-slope side of the mountain, the radial inflow and the vertical ascent forced by the mountain can intensify the polar low and tropical cyclone type vortex and increase the unstable growth rate. However, in the lee side of the mountain, the radial inflow and the vertical descent forced by the mountain can weaken the polar low and tropical cyclone type vortex and decrease the unstable growth rate of the polar low and tropical cyclone system. In addition, the evolutionary process and the spatial structure of the polar low observed over the Japan Sea on 19 December 2003 are investigated with the observational data to verify this theoretical result.

Impact of polar lows on synoptic scale variability of Atlantic inflow in the Fram Strait

The Atlantic inflow in the Fram Strait（78°50′N） has synoptic scale variability based on an array of moorings over the period of 1998–2010. The synoptic scale variability of Atlantic inflow, whose significant cycle is 3–16 d, occurs mainly in winter and spring（from January to April） and is related with polar lows in the Barents Sea. On the synoptic scale, the enhancement（weakening） of Atlantic inflow in the Fram Strait is accompanied by less（more）polar lows in the Barents Sea. Wind stress curl induced by polar lows in the Barents Sea causes Ekman-transport,leads to decrease of sea surface height in the Barents Sea, due to geostrophic adjustment, further induces a cyclonic circulation anomaly around the Barents Sea, and causes the weakening of the Atlantic inflow in the Fram Strait. Our results highlight the importance of polar lows in forcing the Atlantic inflow in the Fram Strait and can help us to further understand the effect of Atlantic warm water on the change of the Arctic Ocean.

Corrosion behavior of low alloy steels in a wet–dry acid humid environment

The corrosion behavior of corrosion resistant steel（CRS） in a simulated wet–dry acid humid environment was investigated and compared with carbon steel（CS） using corrosion loss, polarization curves, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, electron probe micro-analysis（EPMA）, N2 adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）. The results show that the corrosion kinetics of both steels were closely related to the composition and compactness of the rust, and the electrochemical properties of rusted steel. Small amounts of Cu, Cr, and Ni in CRS increased the amount of amorphous phases and decreased the content of γ-Fe OOH in the rust, resulting in higher compactness and electrochemical stability of the CRS rust. The elements Cu, Cr, and Ni were uniformly distributed in the CRS rust and formed CuFeO2, Cu2O, CrOOH, NiFe2O4, and Ni2O3, which enhanced the corrosion resistance of CRS in the wet–dry acid humid environment.

Low Loss Polarization Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber

A low loss polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber has been fabricated. The fiber loss was 1.3 dB/km at 1550 nm. The polarization crosstalk for a 100-m fiber was -35 dB at 1550 nm.

Corrosion Evolution of Low Alloy Steel in Deaerated Bicarbonate Solutions

Corrosion evolution during immersion tests （up to 43 days） of NiCu steel in deaerated 0.1 mol/L bicarbonate solutions was investigated by electrochemical measurements, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Results show that NiCu steel transformed from the anodic dissolution in the early stage of immersion to a metastable passive state in the final stage as the open-circuit potential value shifted positively, which was aroused by the precipitation of corrosion products. This process was mainly promoted by the trace amount of oxygen. Simultaneously, dominant cathodic reaction transformed from the hydrogen evolution in early stage to reduction processes of corrosion products in later stages. Possible corrosion processes were discussed with the assistance of a corresponding Pourbaix diagram.

NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERIC POLAR LOWS——A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Northern Hemispheric“polar lows”,i.e.maritime,small,but fairly intense cyclonic systems have been studied for more than two decades.Recently researchers have turned their attention towards the occurrence of polar lows and other small-scale cyclonic disturbances on the Southern Hemisphere.In this paper a short account of our present knowledge of Northern Hemispheric polar lows will be given,followed by some preliminary results of an investigation of the nature and occurrence of polar lows on the Southern Hemisphere.

INSTABILITY PROPERTIES OF ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES

There are some basic problems in previous theoretical studies of baroclinic instability.The derived critical baroclinity was considerably lower than the time averaged mean meridional temperature gradient,especially in the lower troposphere.Also,the linear mechanism of baroclinic disturbance development which is noted restricted by the critical baroclinity was not studied sufficiently.The realistic critical baroclinity and disturbance development are discussed in this study.It will be shown that the critical condition of instability and typical time and space scales of disturbances de- pend on three-dimensional structures of atmosphere and sphericity of the earth,other than the horizontal temperature gradient alone.The variant behaviour of atmospheric disturbances depends highly on their specific scales that may be described by the same theoretical model.Thus,there would be no substantial differences in the basic instability mecha- nism of many disturbances including the polar lows and explosive cyclones.

Design of broadband dual-polarized antenna with integrated Marchand balun

A design of broadband dual-polarized antenna with low cross polarization and high isolation was presented. The antenna is composed of a cross dipole, a folded ground, two feeding networks, and a reflector. The impedance bandwidth was enhanced by utilizing the mutual coupling between the two dipoles. A kind of meandering folded Marchand balun was skillfully integrated on the support column of the antenna to excite the dipole differentially, which can deliver both balanced （within 0.5 dB） power splitting and consistent （±5°） phase shifting from 1.71 GHz to 2.17 GHz. The standing wave ratios （SWRs） of each port are less than 1.5. By using this feeding network, the antenna has good performance in isolation （〉 45 dB） and cross polarization （〉 30 dB） over the entire operating frequency band. Moreover, the gain （-8.6 dB） of the proposed antenna is stable with frequency and the antenna structure is very firm due to the support column. The proposed antenna can be easily formed an array for digital cellular system （DCS）, personal communications service （PCS） and 3rd generation （3G） applications.