Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11765/7632
Tropicalization process of the 7 November 2014 mediterranean cyclone: numerical sensitivity study
Title: Tropicalization process of the 7 November 2014 mediterranean cyclone: numerical sensitivity study
Authors: Carrió Carrió, Diego SaúlHomar Santaner, VíctorJansà Clar, AgustíAutor AEMETRomero, RomualdoPicornell, María Ángeles ORCID RESEARCHERID Autor AEMET
Keywords: Medicanes; Extra-tropical cyclone; Cyclogenesis; Factor separation; Potential-vorticity inversion; Hart's diagram
Issue Date: 2017
Publisher: Elsevier
Citation: Atmospheric Research. 2017, 197, p. 300-312
Publisher version: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.07.018
Abstract: Tropical-like Mediterranean cyclones (medicanes) have been documented and investigated in the literature, revealing that theirphysical mechanisms are stillpoorly understoodand likely not unique across cases. During late hours of 7 November 2014 a small-scale cyclone was detected over the Sicilian channel, affecting the Islands of Lampedusa, Pantelleria and Malta. Gust wind values exceeding 42.7m s-1and a pressure drop above 20 hPa in 6 hours were registered in Malta. Clear signatures of a well-defined cloud-free eye surroundedwithconvective activity of axisymmetric character were identifiable through IR satellite imagery during the late stages of the cyclone, resembling the properties of a hurricane.Weinvestigate the cyclogenesis and posterior development of this small-scale cyclone as well as its physical nature; to thisaim,a set of high-resolution sensitivity numerical experiments were performed. Hart’s phase diagrams adapted to the Mediterranean region clearly reveal the tropical characteristics of the simulated storm. A numerical sensitivity analysis by means of a factor separation technique is used to gain quantitative insight on the roleslatent heat release, surface heat fluxes and upper-level PV signatures (dynamically isolated through a PV-Inversion technique) have on the unfold of this singular event. Results show the importance of the upper-level dynamics to generate a baroclinic environment prone to surface cyclogenesis and in supporting the posterior tropicalization of the system. On the contrary, latent heat release and surface heat fluxes factors do not seem to contribute, as individual processes, tothe genesis of the cyclone as much as it could be suspected, considering itbehavesas a tropical-like cyclone. However, the asynchronous synergism between latent heat release and PV factors plays a crucial role for the intensification of the cyclone towards reaching the pure diabatic phase.
Sponsorship : This research is framed within the CGL2014-52199-R [Future Regional Impacts of Climate Change Associated to Extreme Weather Phenomena (EXTREMO)] Spanish project which is partially supported with AEI/FEDER funds. The first author was also supported by the FPI-CAIB (FPI/1877/2016) grant from the Conselleria d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme del Govern de les Illes Balears and the Fons Social Europeu. The authors also acknowledge the computer resources at MareNostrum and the technical support provided by Barcelona Supercomputing Center (RES-AECT-2017-1-0014, RES-AECT-2017-2-0014), that allowed us to perform the high-resolution simulations presented in this study.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11765/7632
ISSN: 0169-8095
Appears in Collections:Artículos científicos 2015-2018


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