Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5
This study presents a systematic investigation of the characteristics and meteorological impacts of warm conveyor belts (WCBs). For this purpose, we compile a new WCB climatology (1980-2022) of trajectories calculated with the most recent reanalysis dataset ERA5 from the European Centre for Medium-R...
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/670470 2024-05-19T07:44:57+00:00 Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 Heitmann, Katharina Sprenger, Michael Binder, Hanin Wernli, Heini id_orcid:0 000-0001-9674-4837 Joos, Hanna id_orcid:0 000-0001-8090-4218 2024-04-19 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/670470 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000670470 en eng Copernicus info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/wcd-5-537-2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001205091200001 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SNF/Projekte MINT/185049 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/670470 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000670470 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Weather and Climate Dynamics, 5 (2) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2024 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/67047010.3929/ethz-b-00067047010.5194/wcd-5-537-2024 2024-04-30T23:34:11Z This study presents a systematic investigation of the characteristics and meteorological impacts of warm conveyor belts (WCBs). For this purpose, we compile a new WCB climatology (1980-2022) of trajectories calculated with the most recent reanalysis dataset ERA5 from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Based on this new climatology, two-dimensional masks are defined that represent the inflow, ascent, and outflow locations of WCBs. These masks are then used to objectively quantify the key characteristics (intensity, ascent rate, and ascent curvature) and meteorological impacts (precipitation and potential vorticity (PV) anomalies) of WCBs in order to (i) attribute them to different stages in the life cycle of the associated cyclones and to (ii) evaluate differences in the outflow of the cyclonic and anticyclonic branches. The approach was applied globally, but this study focuses on the North Atlantic, one of the regions where WCBs ascend most frequently.The method is first tested and illustrated through three case studies of well-documented cyclones, revealing both the similarities and the case-to-case variability in the evolution of the WCB characteristics and impacts. We then extend the analysis to about 5000 cyclones that occurred in winter between 1980-2022 in the North Atlantic. The case studies and the climatological analysis both show that WCBs are typically most intense (in terms of air mass transported, ascent rate, precipitation rate, and volume) during the intensification period of the associated cyclone. The northward displacement along the storm track and diabatic PV production lead to an increase in low-level PV in the region of WCB ascent during the cyclone life cycle. The negative PV anomaly at upper levels, associated with the WCB outflow, remains relatively constant. The investigation of the WCB branches reveals an increasing intensity of the cyclonic WCB branch with time, linked to the increasing strength of the cyclonic wind field around the cyclone. Due to a lower ... Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic ETH Zürich Research Collection |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
description |
This study presents a systematic investigation of the characteristics and meteorological impacts of warm conveyor belts (WCBs). For this purpose, we compile a new WCB climatology (1980-2022) of trajectories calculated with the most recent reanalysis dataset ERA5 from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Based on this new climatology, two-dimensional masks are defined that represent the inflow, ascent, and outflow locations of WCBs. These masks are then used to objectively quantify the key characteristics (intensity, ascent rate, and ascent curvature) and meteorological impacts (precipitation and potential vorticity (PV) anomalies) of WCBs in order to (i) attribute them to different stages in the life cycle of the associated cyclones and to (ii) evaluate differences in the outflow of the cyclonic and anticyclonic branches. The approach was applied globally, but this study focuses on the North Atlantic, one of the regions where WCBs ascend most frequently.The method is first tested and illustrated through three case studies of well-documented cyclones, revealing both the similarities and the case-to-case variability in the evolution of the WCB characteristics and impacts. We then extend the analysis to about 5000 cyclones that occurred in winter between 1980-2022 in the North Atlantic. The case studies and the climatological analysis both show that WCBs are typically most intense (in terms of air mass transported, ascent rate, precipitation rate, and volume) during the intensification period of the associated cyclone. The northward displacement along the storm track and diabatic PV production lead to an increase in low-level PV in the region of WCB ascent during the cyclone life cycle. The negative PV anomaly at upper levels, associated with the WCB outflow, remains relatively constant. The investigation of the WCB branches reveals an increasing intensity of the cyclonic WCB branch with time, linked to the increasing strength of the cyclonic wind field around the cyclone. Due to a lower ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Heitmann, Katharina Sprenger, Michael Binder, Hanin Wernli, Heini id_orcid:0 000-0001-9674-4837 Joos, Hanna id_orcid:0 000-0001-8090-4218 |
spellingShingle |
Heitmann, Katharina Sprenger, Michael Binder, Hanin Wernli, Heini id_orcid:0 000-0001-9674-4837 Joos, Hanna id_orcid:0 000-0001-8090-4218 Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
author_facet |
Heitmann, Katharina Sprenger, Michael Binder, Hanin Wernli, Heini id_orcid:0 000-0001-9674-4837 Joos, Hanna id_orcid:0 000-0001-8090-4218 |
author_sort |
Heitmann, Katharina |
title |
Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
title_short |
Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
title_full |
Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
title_fullStr |
Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on ERA5 |
title_sort |
warm conveyor belt characteristics and impacts along the life cycle of extratropical cyclones: case studies and climatological analysis based on era5 |
publisher |
Copernicus |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/670470 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000670470 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
Weather and Climate Dynamics, 5 (2) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/wcd-5-537-2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001205091200001 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SNF/Projekte MINT/185049 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/670470 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000670470 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/67047010.3929/ethz-b-00067047010.5194/wcd-5-537-2024 |
_version_ |
1799484862968627200 |