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Final Flashcards

1
Q

Is a pre-existing warm sector necessary to form an occlusion?

A

No no.

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2
Q

What is known as the Norwegian Cyclone Model accretion?

A

When an occluded front is drawn from the peak of the warm sector to the low center without evidence that the process of occlusion has occurred.

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3
Q

Where is the largest temperature gradient across an occluded front in most cases?

A

Aloft, not at the surface

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4
Q

In what way did the Norwegian Cyclone Model depict the process of occlusion?
How common is this?

A

A cold front overtaking a warm front

Very uncommon

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5
Q

How do occluded fronts often appear to form?

A

When the low center separates from the peak of the warm sector and deepens back into the cold air

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6
Q

What is an “instant occlusion”?

A

Occurs when a comma cloud/PVA aloft approaches and merges with a frontal wave
No “catch-up”

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7
Q

Do cyclones ever occlude in a classical manner in which the cold front catches up to the warm front?

A

Yes

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8
Q

Can occluded structures from from non-classical mechanism?

A

Yes

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9
Q

Describe the evolution of an “ideal occlusion”.

A

Pre-existing warm and cold fronts
Warm sector narrows as cold front overtakes warm front
Occlusion lengthens as warm and cold fronts “zipper”

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10
Q

Describe the evolution of the vertical structure of an “ideal occlusion”.

A

Surface-based cold front catches warm front in classical manner
Cold front does not “ride up” over warm front
Upper-level frontal zone provides elevated cold front of the occlusion

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11
Q

Where do surface trajectories show confluence in an occluding cyclone?

A

Across the occlusion

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12
Q

Where does air within the warm tongue aloft originate?

A

The warm sector

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13
Q

Where is the warm sector in an occluded cyclone?

A

Removed from the surface

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14
Q

In what kind of cyclones do non-classical occlusions form?

A

Deeply occluded system with a warm-core seclusion.

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15
Q

Describe the processes associated with a non-classical occlusion.

A

Front forms from “occludogenesis” rather than by catch up

Wind fields generate the warm tongue and seclusion.

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16
Q

How does a warm-core seclusion happen?

A

Forms from the “wrapping” of cold air originating in warm/occluded frontal zone.

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17
Q

Is the catch-up process an explanation of the occlusion formation or a consequence of the underlying physical processes?

A

Lengthening and narrowing or warm tongue, and catch-up of the cold and warm fronts are better explained by deformation and rotation around a low center

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18
Q

What is the advantage of the “Deformation and Rotation” method of diagnosing occlusions?

A

Explains “occludogenesis”, strengthening of instant occlusion, lengthening of occlusion as low deepens into cold air, catch-up process, etc.

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19
Q

Why doesn’t the temperature rule work for occlusion formation?

A

Fronts are not zero-order discontinuities in temperature

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20
Q

What is a better discriminator for occlusion type?

A

Static stability

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21
Q

What does the static stability method of determining occlusion type explain?

A
  • why the warm type is more common (more buoyant)

- why cold-type occlusions are more common in areas with weak warm fronts

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22
Q

What does the Norwegian model suggest about occlusions and cyclone deepening?

A

Occlusion indicates end of deepening phase because cyclone will no longer have access to potential energy stored in the warm sector.

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23
Q

Do cyclones REALLY deepen further after being occluded?

A

YESSSSSSS

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24
Q

What does the Norwegian Cyclone model suggest about weather associated with occluded fronts?

A

Occlusions are associated with widespread clouds/precip followed by clearing after surface frontal passage.

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25
What is the real deal actual weather associated with occluded fronts?
Occlusions are associated with a variety of cloud/precip patterns, including dry slots and banded precipitation
26
What should you never ever ever ever used to locate a surface front in an occluded cyclone?
The back edge of the cirrostratus deck
27
What does the Shapiro-Keyser model integrate into their cyclone model?
Observational analysis and numerical simulations of cyclones based on idealized and real-world data
28
Describe the Shapiro-Keyser process of ideal cyclone development.
Loss of cold-frontal baroclinicity near low center during early stages of cyclogenesis Westward migration of warm-frontal baroclinity into polar airstream behind low center Formation of a warm-core seclusion in the post-cold-frontal air.
29
Where is the strongest baroclinity in the Shapiro-Keyser model?
Within the bent-back warm front to rear of low center
30
What storm was used to gather real-data simulations from the Shapiro-Keyser model?
QEII Storm
31
What are the four components of the Shapiro-Keyser model?
- Incipient frontal cyclone - Frontal fracture - Frontal T-bone and bent-back front - Warm-core seclusion
32
Describe the incipient frontal cyclone as described in SK Model.
Continuous and broad frontal zone representing birthplace of frontal cyclone
33
Describe the frontal fracture stage of the SK Model
Fracture of the frontal zone near the low center | Contraction of warm and cold frontal gradients
34
Where does the warm core seclusion form in the SK Model?
Forms in polar air, not from the warm sector.
35
Does the Shapiro-Keyser model account for the occlusion process?
Heck no, techno.
36
What does the frontal fracture stage of the Shapiro Keyser model overstate?
A weakening of the cold front near the low center
37
What conceptualization is "just as good" as SK?
Godske et al. 1957
38
Does Jim like that SK model?
NO way, Jose.
39
What is the axis of dilatation?
A collector of isotherms and the focus for frontogenesis.
40
What does downstream diffluence cause in a cyclone?
- strong meridionally oriented dilatation axes oriented along isotherms and warm tongue - stretching and narrowing of warm tongue and warm sector - consistent with Norwegian occlusion process
41
What does downstream confluence cause in a cyclone?
- weak meridionally oriented dilatation along cold front - strong zonally oriented dilatation along warm front - frontal fracture near juncture of the cold and warm fronts where dilatation has more zonal component
42
Simply, downstream confluence favors a ________ and downstream diffluence favors a _________.
strong warm front | narrowing warm sector and warm tongue
43
What is the definition of Numerical Weather Prediction?
the use of mathematical models of the atmosphere, oceans, land-surface, and other Earth-system components to predict the weather
44
What are the components of an NWP system?
- governing system of equations - parametrizations of processes that cannot be directly simulated - data assimilation - lateral boundary conditions - initial state variables
45
What is included in the governing system of equations?
conservation of mass, momentum, energy, water, and the equation of state
46
How are the equations in the governing system solved?
Reynolds averaging, numerical approximation, and discretization
47
What processes must be parametrized in order to run in a time efficient manner in numerical models?
- cloud microphysics - convection - turbulence/boundary layer dynamics - radiation - land surface
48
What are the four numerical frameworks used in NWP?
- finite spacing (rectangular, triangular, soccer ball) - spectral - finite elements - finite volume
49
What are the five types of vertical coordinate systems used in NWP?
- isentropic - sigma-p (terrain following) - hybrid (isentropic sigma and sigma-p at low levels) - step mountain (eta) - immersed boundary method
50
What is the issue with sigma coordinates?
PGF errors in sloping terrain
51
What is the issue with eta coordinates?
PBL structure over elevated terrain, mountain wind systems
52
What is the issue with isentropic coordinates?
Dealing with the CBL
53
What is the issue with the hybrid and IBM methods?
Coding challenges
54
A flat land surface is irradiated by which two processes?
- direct irradiance from the sun (shortwave) | - diffuse irradiance from the sky (longwave)
55
In sloped terrain, direct irradiation from the sun is affected by what?
slope angle, slope aspect, and topographic shading
56
In sloped terrain, diffuse irradiation from the sky is restricted by what?
Sky-view factor and slope angle
57
What is a unique irradiation process in sloped terrain?
Land surface also irradiated by nearby terrain
58
Can bulk microphysical models accurately represent these effects of sloped terrain? Can any model?
No | Yes, the WRF and other research models running at ~1km grid spacing or less
59
What do cumulus parametizations concentration on?
Deep, precipitating convection
60
Is shallow convection modeled well? Describe.
Usually not parametrized | Usually assumed to be non-precipitating
61
What kind of convection is usually orographically driven?
Shallow and precipitating
62
True or False. | Orographic convection is poorly resolved, even at 1 km grid spacing.
True.
63
True or False. | Parameterizations do not account for mixing generated by horizontal shear.
True.
64
Forecast skill follows the models, but humans add an increment that represents _______ years of NWP model advancement.
10
65
What does forecasting in complex terrain rely on? (3 points)
- an evaluation of the synoptic setting and flow interaction with terrain - knowledge of the governing physical processes - pattern recognition/climatology
66
Describe the forecast funnel.
- begin at planetary scale - focus attention on progressively smaller scales - build in orographic effects
67
What does GFS stand for? What kind of area does it span? How often does it run?
Global Forecast System Global spectral Every 6 hours
68
What kind of area does the EMCWF span? How often is it run? What is the official name of this model?
Global spectral Every 12 hours Integrated Forecast System
69
What does the NAM stand for? What kind of area does it span? How often is it run?
North American Mesoscale Limited-area gridpoint Every 6 hours
70
What does the RAP stand for? What kind of area does it span? How often is it run?
Rapid Refresh Limited-area gridpoint Every hour
71
What does the HRRR stand for? What kind of area does it span? How often is it run?
High Resolution Rapid Refresh Limited-area gridpoint Every hour
72
Name three benefits of higher resolution models.
- Intensity and distribution of precipitation strongly controlled by topography - High resolution is needed to resolve local orographic effects - Fixed surface forcing of topography should enhance predictability
73
Name four limitation of higher resolution models.
- Error growth due to initial and boundary condition uncertainty - Imperfect initial conditions and model physics - False alarms when topography exacerbates large-scale forecast errors - Precipitation is inherently less predictable than large scales
74
High resolution forecasts are usually _________, but not necessarily __________.
Physically realistic | Skillful
75
How can one use high resolution models with confidence? (2 points.)
- take advantage of ensembles with a high-res member | - use the forecast funnel and compare solution with large-scale and forecast accordingly

ATMOS 6110 (2 decks)

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