A case study of a heat low over central Australia

• Main Authors: Martin Preissler, Michael J. Reeder, Roger K. Smith
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Southern Ocean
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.222.8154; http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/docs/2002/priessler.pdf

A case study of a mobile heat low over central Australia is presented. The event occurred on 8 October during the 1998 Central Australian Fronts Experiment. That evening a sharp change was observed at Alice Springs, which was the focal point of the experiment. The change was marked by a fall in temperature and a rise in the pseudo-equivalent potential temperature. A second stronger change, characterised by a fall in both temperature and pseudo-equivalent potential temperature, followed in the early hours of the morning. Neither change was forecast and neither was connected with a front of Southern Ocean origin. The study is based mainly on analyses from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, augmented by additional surface data collected at Alice Springs.