Analysis of an Ensemble of High-Resolution WRF Simulations for the Rapid Intensification of Super Typhoon Rammasun(2014)

Diagnostics are presented from an ensemble of high-resolution forecasts that differed markedly in their predictions of the rapid intensification(RI)of Typhoon Rammasun.We show that the basic difference stems from subtle differences in initializations of(a)500-850-h Pa environmental winds,and(b)midlevel moisture and ventilation.We then describe how these differences impact on the evolving convective organization,storm structure,and the timing of RI.As expected,ascent,diabatic heating and the secondary circulation near the inner-core are much stronger in the member that best forecasts the RI.The evolution of vortex cloudiness from this member is similar to the actual imagery,with the development of an inner cloud band wrapping inwards to form the eyewall.We present evidence that this structure,and hence the enhanced diabatic heating,is related to the tilt and associated dynamics of the developing inner-core in shear.For the most accurate ensemble member:(a)inhibition of ascent and a reduction in convection over the up-shear sector allow moistening of the boundary-layer air,which is transported to the down-shear sector to feed a developing convective asymmetry;(b)with minimal ventilation,undiluted clouds and moisture from the down-shear left quadrant are then wrapped inwards to the up-shear left quadrant to form the eyewall cloud;and(c)this process seems related to a critical down-shear tilt of the vortex from midlevels,and the vertical phase-locking of the circulation over up-shear quadrants.For the member that forecasts a much-delayed RI,these processes are inhibited by stronger vertical wind shear,initially resulting in poor vertical coherence of the circulation,lesser moisture and larger ventilation.Our analysis suggests that ensemble prediction is needed to account for the sensitivity of forecasts to a relatively narrow range of environmental wind shear,moisture and vortex inner-structure.     

台风“巨爵”近海急剧加强的特征及成因分析

源自东风波动的0915号台风"巨爵"在自东向西靠近广东沿海时出现了近海急剧加强的异常现象。利用热带气旋定位资料、NCEP全球同化分析资料、卫星云图以及海上平台自动站探测资料等对"巨爵"近海加强特征和成因进行了诊断分析。结果表明:"巨爵"形成源自于西太副高南侧的东风波动,副高演变及引起的"北高南低"和"东高西低"的形势与"巨爵"环流增强发展密切相关;弱的垂直风切变、高空明显的辐散出流以及台风中心正涡度增大并向对流层中上层拓展有利于"巨爵"强度增强;低层弱冷空气南下,一方面从增加气压梯度和温度梯度来加强台风环流和暖心结构,另一方面通过触发外围对流云团发展并往台风中心输送进而对"巨爵"近海加强产生重要的触发作用;孟加拉湾西南季风气流、105°~110°E附近越赤道气流和西太副高西侧东南气流3支气流汇合为"巨爵"近海加强提供了充沛水汽条件。     

Fallow,labour and livelihood in shifting cultivation: implications for deforestation in northern Lao PDR

Shifting cultivation is often blamed for deforestation in tropical upland areas. Based on a case study of three villages in northern Lao PDR, this paper combines household surveys with a remote sensing based analysis of forest cover, covering the period 1989–1999, in order to analyse changes in shifting cultivation practices and livelihood strategies and the impact of these on deforestation. Due to population pressure and relocation of villages, easily accessed land is increasingly scarce and fallow periods have been shortened during the 1990s. A net annual deforestation of about 1% was found in the area during the study period. This deforestation rate reflects shorter fallow periods in secondary forests rather than encroachment on mature forests, which are not used for cultivation by the farmers in the three villages. Farmers rate scarce labour as a major constraint on shifting cultivation; nonetheless, a tendency towards lower labour input with shorter fallow periods is observed, contradicting conventional intensification theory. Livelihoods are diversifying through the establishment of plantations, cultivation of wet rice and adoption of animal husbandry, but given the socio-economic conditions in the area, shifting cultivation is likely to remain the most suitable farming system in the near future.     

DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF THE RE-INTENSIFICATION OF HIGOS IN SOUTHERN CHINA AFTER LANDFALL

The NCEP Global Data Assimilation System analysis of grid data, satellite products of Naval Research Laboratory, conventional meteorological data and observations of automatic weather stations in Guangdong province were used together with environmental conditions, atmospheric circulation, and physical characteristics to diagnose the cause and mechanism of the intensification of tropical cyclone Higos in Southern China. The results showed that favorable environmental conditions of high temperature, humidity of the underlying surface, strong upper divergence, weak vertical wind shear, and the persistence of a southwest jet stream beside the southern Higos were the necessary ingredients that contributed to the maintenance of intensity and re-intensification of Higos. The sinking intrusion of cold air from the lower troposphere was the critical condition for its intensification over land. The frontal genesis caused by weak cold air increased the lower tropospheric convergence and updraft, and the condensation latent heat released by heavy rains promoted convergence. From this positive feedback process, Higos obtained an increasing of positive vorticity and re-intensified over land. The re-intensification was due not only to the build-up of wind and the reduction of pressure but also to the simultaneous warm-up of its warm core.     

登陆中国热带气旋入海强度变化的统计特征

利用1949—2006年热带气旋资料分析登陆中国又入海的热带气旋(LSTC)的强度变化,重点给出明显加强的LSTC(RLSTC)发生频率、时空分布、路径及强度演变特征。主要结论:(1)LSTC入海有24%加强,主要在我国海域,也有少部分进入朝鲜海峡、日本海和鄂霍次克海加强;登陆大陆入海加强的比率明显高于登陆台湾或登陆海南的比率。(2)RLSTC年平均有0.7个,逐年代减少,8月最多。(3)中心最低气压和最大风速加强最强的月份分别在8月和10月、加强最强的海域分别在南海和东黄海。(4)登陆时强度为强热带风暴的最多;其路径除了移向稳定者外,在南海和北部湾还有迂回盘转式。(5)明显加强主要发生在入海时刻,很少持续明显加强。进入东黄海的RLSTC以最大风速先于中心气压变化或仅有风速加强的情况居多,进入南海、北部湾入海后的风速、气压基本同步加强,迂回路径可在入海后72～132小时还会加强。     

A steady nonlinear and singular vortex Rossby wave within a rapidly rotating vortex. Part II: Application to geophysical vortices

In a previous paper, Caillol [Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 2014, 108] investigated the steady nonlinear vortical structure of a singular vortex Rossby mode that has survived to a strong critical-layer-like interaction with a linearly stable, columnar, axisymmetric and dry vortex. We presented a general theory for this wave/mean flow interaction through the nonlinear critical layer theory and calculated the mean azimuthal and axial winds induced at the critical radius at the end of this interaction in the final stage. We here apply that theory to rapidly rotating geophysical vortices: tropical cyclones, cold-air mesocyclones and tornadoes. We find that the numerous assumptions invoked in that paper agree well with the reality of those intense vortices. We also find that in spite of a lack of moist-convection modelling, this dry vortex is fairly well accelerated at the critical radius by such a shear wave with a magnitude of order the square root of the damped-wave amplitude. The intensification level strongly depends on the aspect ratio, height of the system: rapid vortex and parent vortex, over core radius. The thinner the vortex is, the sharper the intensification is. This result is in sharp contrast to the numerous numerical simulations on VR wave/vortex interactions that yield a much smaller intensification of order the square of the wave amplitude. This weakly nonlinear approach nevertheless fails to model small vertical wavelength VR wave/vortex interactions for their related asymptotic expansions are divergent and for they yield strongly nonlinear VR waves coupled with evolving critical layers whose extent can no longer be considered as thin.     

Analyzing the agricultural transition in Mato Grosso, Brazil, using satellite-derived indices

The Amazonian state of Mato Grosso is the main production area for soybeans in Brazil and contains 31.3% of the national production as of 2009. The rapid evolution of the agricultural systems in this area shows that the region is experiencing a rapid agricultural transition. In this paper, we broke down this transition process into three steps: crop expansion, agricultural intensification and ecological intensification. We used remote sensing products to develop and compute satellite-derived indices describing the main agricultural dynamics during the cropping years from 2000-2001 to 2006-2007. Our results indicated that Mato Grosso is continuing to expand its agricultural sector, with a 43% increase in the net cropped area during the study period. Although this expansion mainly occurred in the cerrado ecoregion until the early 2000s, the forest ecoregion is experiencing expansion at this time. We observed that 65% of the crop expansion in Mato Grosso from 2000 to 2006 occurred in this ecoregion. However, we did not identify this crop expansion as the major driver of deforestation in Mato Grosso because only 12.6% of the cleared areas were directly converted into croplands. Agricultural intensification also evolved rapidly, as the proportion of the net cropped area cultivated with double cropping systems harvesting two successive commercial crops (i.e., soybean and corn or soybean and cotton) increased from 6% to 30% during the study period. Finally, we found that ecological intensification occurred because the region’s farmers planted a non-commercial crop (i.e., millet or sorghum) after the soybean harvest to prevent soil erosion, improve soil quality, break pest cycles, maintain soil moisture and set the conditions for high-quality no-tillage operations. In 2006-2007, 62% of the net cropped area was permanently covered by crops during the entire rainy season. This practice allowed the farmers to diversify their production, as shown by the positive evolution of the Area Diversity Index. Future scholars can use the method proposed in this paper to improve their understanding of the forces driving the agricultural dynamics in Mato Grosso.     

IMPACTS OF UPPER-LEVEL COLD VORTEX ON THE RAPID CHANGE OF INTENSITY AND MOTION OF TYPHOON MERANTI (2010)

Typhoon Meranti originated over the western North Pacific off the south tip of the Taiwan Island in 2010.It moved westward entering the South China Sea,then abruptly turned north into the Taiwan Strait,got intensified on its way northward,and eventually made landfall on Fujian province.In its evolution,there was a northwest-moving cold vortex in upper troposphere to the south of the Subtropical High over the western North Pacific(hereafter referred to as the Subtropical High).In this paper,the possible impacts of this cold vortex on Meranti in terms of its track and intensity variation is investigated using typhoon best track data from China Meteorological Administration,analyses data of 0.5×0.5 degree provided by the global forecasting system of National Centers for Environmental Prediction,GMS satellite imagery and Taiwan radar data.Results show as follows:(1)The upper-level cold vortex was revolving around the typhoon anticlockwise from its east to its north.In the early stage,due to the blocking of the cold vortex,the role of the Subtropical High to steer Meranti was weakened,which results in the looping of the west-moving typhoon.However,when Meranti was coupled with the cold vortex in meridional direction,the northerly wind changed to the southerly at the upper level of the typhoon;at the same time the Subtropical High protruded westward and its southbound steering flow gained strength,and eventually created an environment in which the southerly winds in both upper and lower troposphere suddenly steered Meranti to the north;(2)The change of airflow direction above the typhoon led to a weak vertical wind shear,which in return facilitated the development of Meranti.Meanwhile,to the east of typhoon Meranti,the overlapped southwesterly jets in upper and lower atmosphere accelerated its tangential wind and contributed to its cyclonic development;(3)The cold vortex not only supplied positive vorticity to the typhoon,but also transported cold advection to its outer bands.In conjunction with the warm and moist air masses at the lower levels,the cold vortex increased the vertical instability in the atmosphere,which was favorable for convection development within the typhoon circulation,and its warmer center was enhanced through latent heat release;(4)Vertical vorticity budget averaged over the typhoon area further shows that the intensification of a typhoon vorticity column mainly depends on horizontal advection of its high-level vorticity,low-level convergence,uneven wind field distribution and its convective activities.     

走“集约化”管理模式 成就岩土工程勘察高端品牌

岩土工程勘察企业在国家基本建设工作中扮演着非常重要的角色。由于受市场秩序及专业性质带来的市场地位等因素的影响。岩土工程勘察企业纷纷探索适合于自身的经营模式,以求适应市场,提高企业综合竞争力,保证企业持续稳步健康发展。中冶武勘坚持走集约化管理模式,从人、财、物等方面加强企业资源集约化配置,充分提高企业资源利用率,并完善企业配套机制,提升项目管理水平、科技水平,加强信息化建设、企业文化建设,保证了企业各项经济指标的连年攀升,综合实力不断增强,保持了企业行业领先地位,成长为技术实力居国内领先地位,专业齐全,业务范围广泛,在国内外享有较高声誉的大型综合性岩土工程勘察企业,打造了岩土工程勘察高端品牌。     

台风“利奇马”(1909)快速增强事件的降水演变

利用台风路径资料及GPM多星集合降水反演产品(IMERG),分析了“利奇马”台风快速增强(RI)事件的平均降水率、降水(>0 mm·h^-1)和短时强降水(>20 mm·h^-1)的覆盖率随时间的演变。进一步,将RI事件分为RI启动前0~24 h、RI启动期、RI持续期、RI结束前0~24 h,和RI结束后0~24 h等阶段,分析平均降水率、降水和短时强降水发生频率的空间分布。研究结果表明:(1)在整个RI事件中,平均降水率和短时强降水发生频率较高的区域主要集中在台风中心西北方位,但其面积和位置随阶段转换而变化;(2)在RI启动前0~24 h,降水覆盖率的高值区由台风内核逐渐扩大至台风外围,而平均降水率和短时强降水覆盖率在RI启动后才明显增强;(3)在RI启动前0~12 h到RI结束前0~24 h的4个阶段,平均降水率和短时强降水发生频率的高值区都出现在台风移动方向的正前方。