ENSEMBLE PREDICTION EXPERIMENTS OF TRACKS OF TROPICAL CYCLONES BY USING MULTIPLE CUMULUS PARAMETERIZATION SCHEMES

Ensemble prediction experiments of the tracks of eight tropical cyclones occurring between 2004-2006 over the western Pacific have been performed by using MM5 with five cumulus parameterization schemes. The results show that the predictions of the tracks of the tropical cyclones are sensitive to the selection of cumulus parameterization schemes. Each scheme has its own advantage and disadvantage, and the predications without cumulus parameterization schemes are not the worst, sometimes even better than the others. And all of the three ensemble methods improve the predictions of the tracks significantly, among which the ensemble method without parameterization schemes, the Grell, Betts-Miller and Kain-Fritsch schemes are the best.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE TRACK OF TROPICAL CYCLONES AFTER LANDFALL IN EASTERN CHINA

The correlation and composite analysis are carried out in this paper to study major factors affecting the track of tropical cyclones (TCs) after their landfall in the east of China. The mid-tropospheric environmental steering flow is found to dominate the movement of a TC even after landfall, with the inertia and Coriolis force two other subordinates. A key region is discovered covering the east of China and Yellow Sea, in which the environmental flow significantly affects the movement of TCs making landfall in this part of China. When the subtropical high in this region strengthens and extends westward, accompanied by northward shrink of the westerly trough, the TC tends to move westward after landfall and disappear inland. However, when the subtropical high in this region weakens and shrinks eastward, accompanied by southward push of the westerly trough, the TC tends to recurve after landfall and re-enter the sea at a location to the north of the site of landfall. The environment before the landfall of a TC has little impact on its post-landfall track, which is sensitive to the environmental change 12 – 24 hours after landfall. A 6-hour lag is found between the environmental change and the movement of a TC after landfall.

A Diagnostic Analysis of the Simulated Structure of a Meiyu Front System in 1999

A numerical simulation of a torrential rain event occurring in the Jiang-Huai Valley of China from 22-24 June 1999 is performed and analyzed by using the PSU/NCAR MM5 mesoscale non-hydrostatic model. The high-resolution model output data are utilized to diagnose the double front structure, and the distributions of potential temperature, equivalent potential temperature, and specific humidity in the vicinity of the Meiyu Front System （MYFS） in the Jiang-Huai Valley. The results show that both the potential temperature gradient and the specific humidity gradient have important impacts on the two strong equivalent potential temperature gradient zones associated with the double front structure of the MYFS, but the latter （moisture gradient） is more important. In addition, the tendency equation of specific humidity gradient is theoretically derived. It shows that variations of the specific humidity gradient are related to the advection, convergence/divergence, horizontal and vertical vorticities （secondary circulation） effects and the gradient of water vapor source/sink. As an example, the budget of the meridional component of the tendency equation is selected and diagnosed by using the above model simulation data of the torrential rain event. It is shown that the variation of the specific humidity gradient averaged throughout the simulation is mainly controlled by the convergence/divergence effect, the secondary circulation effect associated with the horizontal vorticities, and the water vapor source/sink effect. Since the water vapor source/sink is often formed from the phase change processes of water vapor in the air and thus directly associated with cloud and precipitation microphysics processes, the variation of the specific humidity gradient is closely related with cloud and precipitation microphysics and the distribution, development and evolution of cloud and rainfall systems. The double front structure of the MYFS provides an advantageous environmental condition for the development and movement of the mesoscale torrential rain system nearby. In turn, the development of the torrential rain exerts a signifiant impact on the MYFS through changing the thermal and moisture distributions.