scholarly journals A Comparison of Tropical and Midlatitude Thunderstorm Evolution in Response to Wind Shear

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 2385-2401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Wissmeier ◽  
Robert Goler
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Front Speed ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Negative Buoyancy ◽  
Midlatitude Storms ◽  
Gust Front

Abstract The influence of vertical wind shear on storm development within a tropical environment is studied with the aid of two numerical models and compared with that in simulations of midlatitude storms. The simulations show that larger wind shears are required in a tropical environment than in a midlatitude environment for a storm of given updraft velocity to split. This finding is supported by the experience of forecasters at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Regional Forecasting Centre in Darwin that the operational storm forecasting tools developed for midlatitude storms overforecast supercells within the tropics. That tropical storms require higher shears to split can be attributed either to the larger gust front speed or to the earlier gust front occurrence compared to those in the midlatitudes. A fast gust front cuts off the storm from the warm moist inflow and the updraft has little or no time to split. In the cases where the midtropospheric relative humidity is larger in the tropics or comparable with that in the midlatitudes, the total liquid water and ice content within the deeper tropical storms is larger than in the midlatitude storms, causing a stronger downdraft. In other words, the main contribution to the negative buoyancy of the downdraft is the water loading rather than the evaporative cooling. When a tropical storm is simulated in an environment with smaller midtropospheric relative humidity than in the midlatitudes, the amount of liquid water and ice within the storm is comparable to that within the midlatitude storm. Intense evaporation within the tropical storm then leads to a stronger negative buoyancy than in the midlatitude storm, causing a stronger downdraft and thus an earlier or a faster-spreading gust front. At higher shears in the tropics, entrainment reduces the storm depth and thus water loading, resulting in a delayed gust front initiation and/or reduction of the gust front speed, which then allows storm splitting to occur.

scholarly journals Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2007

2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (12) ◽  
pp. 4061-4088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Brennan ◽  
Richard D. Knabb ◽  
Michelle Mainelli ◽  
Todd B. Kimberlain
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
First Year ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Severe Damage ◽  
Hurricane Andrew ◽  
Atlantic Hurricane ◽  
Hurricane Season ◽  
Tropical Depressions

Abstract The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season had 15 named storms, including 14 tropical storms and 1 subtropical storm. Of these, six became hurricanes, including two major hurricanes, Dean and Felix, which reached category 5 intensity (on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale). In addition, there were two unnamed tropical depressions. While the number of hurricanes in the basin was near the long-term mean, 2007 became the first year on record with two category 5 landfalls, with Hurricanes Dean and Felix inflicting severe damage on Mexico and Nicaragua, respectively. Dean was the first category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin to make landfall in 15 yr, since Hurricane Andrew (1992). In total, eight systems made landfall in the basin during 2007, and the season’s tropical cyclones caused approximately 380 deaths. In the United States, one hurricane, one tropical storm, and three tropical depressions made landfall, resulting in 10 fatalities and about $50 million in damage.

scholarly journals A statistical examination of the effects of stratospheric sulphate geoengineering on tropical storm genesis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Wang ◽  
John C. Moore ◽  
Duoying Ji
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Vertical Wind Shear ◽  
Stratospheric Aerosol ◽  
Vertical Wind ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
The North

Abstract. The thermodynamics of the ocean and atmosphere partly determine variability in tropical cyclone (TC) number and intensity and are readily accessible from climate model output, but a complete description of TC variability requires much more dynamical data than climate models can provide at present. Genesis potential index (GPI) and ventilation index (VI) are combinations of potential intensity, vertical wind shear, relative humidity, midlevel entropy deficit, and absolute vorticity that can quantify both thermodynamic and dynamic forcing of TC activity under different climate states. Here we use six CMIP5 models that have run the RCP4.5 experiment and the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) stratospheric aerosol injection G4 experiment, to calculate the two TC indices over the 2020 to 2069 period across the 6 ocean basins that generate tropical cyclones. Globally, GPI under G4 is lower than under RCP4.5, though both have a slight increasing trend. Spatial patterns in the effectiveness of geoengineering show reductions in TC in the North Atlantic basin, and Northern Indian Ocean in all models except NorESM1-M. In the North Pacific, most models also show relative reductions under G4. Most models project potential intensity and relative humidity to be the dominant variables affecting genesis potential. Changes in vertical wind shear are significant, but both it and vorticity exhibit relatively small changes with large variation across both models and ocean basins. We find that tropopause temperature is not a useful addition to sea surface temperature in projecting TC genesis, despite radiative heating of the stratosphere due to the aerosol injection, and heating of the upper troposphere affecting static stability and potential intensity. Thus, simplified statistical methods that quantify the thermodynamic state of the major genesis basins may reasonably be used to examine stratospheric aerosol geoengineering impacts on TC activity.

scholarly journals A numerical study of cell merger over Cuba – Part II: sensitivity to environmental conditions

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2793-2808 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pozo ◽  
I. Borrajero ◽  
J. C. Marín ◽  
G. B. Raga
Keyword(s):  
Wind Shear ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Shear Component ◽  
Gust Fronts ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Perturbation Pressure ◽  
Resolution Simulation ◽  
Gust Front

Abstract. In the first part of this study, an external 3-D ambient field (3d-field) was used to initiate a simulation (Sim1). In this paper, the influence of the 3-D field in the occurrence of the cloud merger simulated in Sim1 is studied. The surface convergence was very important to supply the lifting necessary for the development of new the convection. The interaction of the gust front from an old cloud with the environmental wind, as well as the interaction between the two gust fronts, were the main factors that enhanced the surface convergence. A favorable perturbation pressure gradient was also found to intensify this mechanism. The formation and development of a new cloud from the cloud bridge was the main feature for the occurrence of the cloud merger. The influence of the wind shear components and the relative humidity (RH) in the occurrence of the cloud merger was also analyzed. The parallel wind shear component and the large RH present in the zone of study had a positive contribution to the occurrence of the cloud merger. However, the perpendicular wind shear component did not provide the main forced lifting which would be capable of generating the new convection along the direction between interacting clouds. A high resolution simulation corroborated that the cloud merger was correctly simulated and it was not obtained by unrealistic effects due to the coarse resolution employed. It evidenced that when the horizontal resolution is improved, the life cycle of each cloud and the different processes related to their interactions are better described.

scholarly journals Applications of an Infrared Doppler Lidar in Detection of Wind Shear

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 637-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Shun ◽  
P. W. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Glide Path ◽  
Alerting System ◽  
Hong Kong International Airport ◽  
Detection Technologies ◽  
Gust Front ◽  
Glide Paths

Abstract In December 2005, operational wind shear alerting at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reached an important milestone with the launch of the automatic Lidar (light detection and ranging) Windshear Alerting System (LIWAS). This signifies that the anemometer-based and radar-based wind shear detection technologies deployed worldwide in the twentieth century have been further advanced by the addition of the lidar—a step closer to all-weather coverage. Unlike the microburst and gust front, which have a well-defined coherent vertical structure in the lowest several hundred meters of the atmosphere, terrain-induced wind shear tends to have high spatial and temporal variability. To detect the highly changeable winds to be encountered by the aircraft under terrain-induced wind shear situations, the Hong Kong Observatory devises an innovative glide path scan (GPScan) strategy for the lidar, pointing the laser beam toward the approach and departure glide paths, with the changes in azimuth and elevation angles concerted. The purpose of the GPScans is to derive the headwind profiles and hence the wind shear along the glide paths. Developed based on these GPScans, LIWAS is able to capture about 76% of the wind shear events reported by pilots over the most-used approach corridor under clear-air conditions. During the past two years, further developments of the lidar took place at HKIA, including the use of runway-specific lidar to further enhance the wind shear detection performance.

Analysis of Pressure Drop and Water Flooding of Two-Phase Flow Along Channels for a PEM Fuel Cell System

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinglin He ◽  
Song-Yul Choe ◽  
Chang-Ouk Hong
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Pem Fuel Cell ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Two Phase

The flow in gas flow channels of an operating polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell has a two-phase characteristic that includes air, water vapor and liquid water and significantly affects the water flooding, pressure distribution along the channels, and subsequently the performance of the cell and system. Presence of liquid water in channels prevents transport of the reactants to the catalysts and increases the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of channels, which leads to high parasitic power of pumps used in air and fuel supply systems. We propose a model that enables prediction of pressure drop and liquid water distribution along channels and analysis of water flooding in an operating fuel cell. The model was developed based on a gas-liquid two-phase separated flow that considers the variations of gas pressure, mass flow rate, relative humidity, viscosity, void fraction, and density along the channels on both sides. Effects of operating parameters that include stoichoimetric ratio, relative humidity, and inlet pressure on the pressure drop and water flooding along the channels were analyzed.

Diffusion of water vapor through human skin in hot environment and with application of atropine

1959 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad J. K. Buettner ◽  
Frederick F. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Human Skin ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Diffusion Resistance ◽  
Vapor Transfer ◽  
Hot Environment ◽  
Human Forearm ◽  
Very High

At room temperatures between 20° and 40°C, vapor transfer through skin of human forearm was tested with four small heated bottles containing air of humidities ranging from 2 to 100% relative humidity. Exposure times ranging from 30 to 120 minutes had no influence on results. Water loss or gain of skin were observed for the different bottles. At very high humidities, liquid water deposit on the skin was measured by weighing a blotter. Skin vapor loss decreases systematically when bottle moisture increases. This increase is enhanced at room temperatures above 24℃, where total loss into a dry bottle increases more than fivefold. This increase seems only partially caused by sweat and partially by a decrease of the skin diffusion resistance. Tourniquet and locally applied atropine did not affect vapor transfer in a cool room. In a hot room, the tourniquet lowered the vapor loss by only 20%, whereas atropine drastically curtailed vapor loss. Submitted on August 25, 1958

Hurricane Shutter-Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mathias B. Forrester
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Upper Extremities ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Injury Surveillance System ◽  
Hurricane Wilma ◽  
Hurricane Irma

ABSTRACT Objectives: Injuries may occur when putting up and taking down hurricane (storm) shutters. This study described hurricane shutter-related injuries managed at emergency departments (EDs). Methods: Hurricane shutter-related injuries were identified through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a database of consumer product-related injuries collected from the EDs of approximately 100 United States hospitals. Results: There were 329 hurricane shutter-related injuries during 2001-2017. Thirty-six injuries were reported during October 2005 (Hurricane Wilma), 30 during August 2008 (Tropical Storm Fay), and 103 during September 2017 (Hurricane Irma). Patients were 20 years or older in 90.6% of the cases; 76.3% of the patients were male. The most frequently reported injuries were laceration (48.9%), sprain or strain (15.2%), and fracture (9.4%). Lower extremities (34.0%) were the most commonly affected body part followed by upper extremities (29.5%) and head or neck (17.0%). The patient was treated or examined at the ED and released in 86.6% of the cases. Conclusions: Over half of the hurricane shutter-related injuries appeared to occur in association with hurricanes and tropical storms. The most frequently reported injuries were laceration followed by sprain or strain and fracture. The majority of patients were treated or examined at the ED and released.

scholarly journals Phenological study of congeneric Myrcia species and Clethra scabra in wetland and drained habitats in a Montane Forest

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinícius Londe ◽  
Jaqueline Alves Pereira ◽  
Hildeberto Caldas de Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
The Other ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Wetland Soil ◽  
Congeneric Species ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Local Factors ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract Although important, phenological studies comparing congeneric species or the same species growing in different habitats are still scarce for the tropics. Herein, we integrate phylogeny, ecology and biometeorology to verify whether the phenophases of congeneric species Myrcia laruotteana and Myrcia amazonica or Clethra scabra differ when their populations inhabit wetland and drained habitats and to determine what abiotic factors affect the vegetative and reproductive phenophases of these species in distinct habitat patches. We collected data on phenological events of 80 trees for 1 year in Itacolomi State Park, Brazil, and related them to abiotic local factors. Contrary to our expectation, the phenophases of the congeneric species did not differ between habitats, but the reproductive phenophases of C. scabra did and was greater in drained soil. Phenophases of C. scabra were affected by the depth of the water table and maximum temperature in the wetland soil. Insolation, precipitation, maximum temperature and relative humidity influenced Myrcia and Clethra in the drained soil. The differences between C. scabra populations suggest that this species is phenotypically plastic and can present distinct phenophases depending on the habitat it inhabits. On the other hand, the congeneric Myrcia species may have similar phenophases in distinct habitats because of their shared similarities during their evolution. This study provides a better understanding of the ecology of these species and their adaptations to different abiotic conditions. Data of this nature are important in a changing world and can inform strategies for adaptive management.

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