A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass
Northwestern Canada is a genesis region of arctic air masses often considered to be formed primarily through radiative processes. However, the details of their life cycle are poorly understood. This paper examines the formation, maintenance, and dissipation of an intense and long-lived arctic air ma...
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Online Access: | https://commons.erau.edu/publication/912 https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 https://commons.erau.edu/context/publication/article/2007/viewcontent/therm_an_inten_no_am_mwr_d_12_00176.1.pdf |
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ftembryriddleaun:oai:commons.erau.edu:publication-2007 2023-10-01T03:53:29+02:00 A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass Turner, Jessica K. Gyakum, John Milrad, Shawn M. 2319283 2013-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://commons.erau.edu/publication/912 https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 https://commons.erau.edu/context/publication/article/2007/viewcontent/therm_an_inten_no_am_mwr_d_12_00176.1.pdf unknown Scholarly Commons https://commons.erau.edu/publication/912 doi:10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 https://commons.erau.edu/context/publication/article/2007/viewcontent/therm_an_inten_no_am_mwr_d_12_00176.1.pdf Publications Arctic North America anticyclones cold air surges winter/cool season Meteorology text 2013 ftembryriddleaun https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 2023-09-02T19:00:23Z Northwestern Canada is a genesis region of arctic air masses often considered to be formed primarily through radiative processes. However, the details of their life cycle are poorly understood. This paper examines the formation, maintenance, and dissipation of an intense and long-lived arctic air mass, using a thermodynamic budget analysis. The airmass formation is characterized by a deep-layer, multistage process that begins with snow falling into a nascent air mass. Radiative cooling from cloud tops begins the process. After the snow abates and clear skies are observed, the surface temperature drops rapidly, aided by the high emissivity of fresh snow cover, falling 178C in two days, creating an intense but shallow temperature inversion. Once the surface temperature falls below the frost point, ice crystals form. Afterward, although the surface temperature remains constant, the height of the inversion rises, as radiative cooling at the top of the ice fog layer decreases temperatures. During the maintenance phase, a cold-air damming structure is present with an anticyclone in the lee of the Canadian Rockies, low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska, and an intense baroclinic zone parallel to the mountains, separating warmer maritime air from colder continental air. The air mass persists for 12 days, undergoing several cycles of deep-layer weakening and intensification. Text Arctic Alaska Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: ERAU Scholarly Commons Arctic Gulf of Alaska Canada Monthly Weather Review 141 1 166 181 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: ERAU Scholarly Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftembryriddleaun |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Arctic North America anticyclones cold air surges winter/cool season Meteorology |
spellingShingle |
Arctic North America anticyclones cold air surges winter/cool season Meteorology Turner, Jessica K. Gyakum, John Milrad, Shawn M. A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
topic_facet |
Arctic North America anticyclones cold air surges winter/cool season Meteorology |
description |
Northwestern Canada is a genesis region of arctic air masses often considered to be formed primarily through radiative processes. However, the details of their life cycle are poorly understood. This paper examines the formation, maintenance, and dissipation of an intense and long-lived arctic air mass, using a thermodynamic budget analysis. The airmass formation is characterized by a deep-layer, multistage process that begins with snow falling into a nascent air mass. Radiative cooling from cloud tops begins the process. After the snow abates and clear skies are observed, the surface temperature drops rapidly, aided by the high emissivity of fresh snow cover, falling 178C in two days, creating an intense but shallow temperature inversion. Once the surface temperature falls below the frost point, ice crystals form. Afterward, although the surface temperature remains constant, the height of the inversion rises, as radiative cooling at the top of the ice fog layer decreases temperatures. During the maintenance phase, a cold-air damming structure is present with an anticyclone in the lee of the Canadian Rockies, low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska, and an intense baroclinic zone parallel to the mountains, separating warmer maritime air from colder continental air. The air mass persists for 12 days, undergoing several cycles of deep-layer weakening and intensification. |
author2 |
2319283 |
format |
Text |
author |
Turner, Jessica K. Gyakum, John Milrad, Shawn M. |
author_facet |
Turner, Jessica K. Gyakum, John Milrad, Shawn M. |
author_sort |
Turner, Jessica K. |
title |
A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
title_short |
A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
title_full |
A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
title_fullStr |
A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Thermodynamic Analysis of an Intense North American Arctic Air Mass |
title_sort |
thermodynamic analysis of an intense north american arctic air mass |
publisher |
Scholarly Commons |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://commons.erau.edu/publication/912 https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 https://commons.erau.edu/context/publication/article/2007/viewcontent/therm_an_inten_no_am_mwr_d_12_00176.1.pdf |
geographic |
Arctic Gulf of Alaska Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Gulf of Alaska Canada |
genre |
Arctic Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Alaska |
op_source |
Publications |
op_relation |
https://commons.erau.edu/publication/912 doi:10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 https://commons.erau.edu/context/publication/article/2007/viewcontent/therm_an_inten_no_am_mwr_d_12_00176.1.pdf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00176.1 |
container_title |
Monthly Weather Review |
container_volume |
141 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
166 |
op_container_end_page |
181 |
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1778520104140537856 |