8C.2
A Cloud-Resolving Regional Simulation of Tropical Cyclone Formation
Jordan G. Powers, NCAR, Boulder, CO; and C. A. Davis
The development of Tropical Cyclone Diana (1984) is simulated with a mesoscale model using a 1.2-km grid spacing over a regional-scale domain. From only synoptic-scale initial conditions, a warm core storm forms from a trough along a remnant frontal zone. The high-resolution simulation mirrors the three observed phases of development-- initial MCS eruption, convective quiescence, and convective redevelopment and tropical vortex emergence-- with individual convective cells organizing into bands and a tropical vortex forming. Parallel simlations using 3- and 9-km grid sizes are also performed to elucidate the sensitivity of storm formation and evolution with meshes implicating both quasi-resolved and parameterized convection. While all of the experiments reproduce the three phases of development, the structures of the 3- and 1.2-km runs exhibit greater realism and are quite similar. The presentation will focus on the highest-resolution results, but will also address the cyclone's evolution from the perspective of averages of various storm development criteria.
Session 8C, Tropical Cyclogenesis (Parallel with Sessions 8A, 8B, and 8D)
Wednesday, 1 May 2002, 8:30 AM-10:30 AM
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