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The initiation of cyclonic circulation in a vertically unstable stagnant air mass
Author(s) -
Haque S. M. A.
Publication year - 1952
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49707833710
Subject(s) - instability , perturbation (astronomy) , mechanics , tropical cyclone , boundary value problem , cyclone (programming language) , circulation (fluid dynamics) , physics , meteorology , geology , quantum mechanics , field programmable gate array , computer science , computer hardware
Equations of motion are derived in cylindrical co‐ordinates and they are applied to investigate the perturbations in a vertically unstable stagnant air mass having infinite lateral extent and confined between two horizontal planes. A complete solution of the perturbation equation with the boundary conditions is derived. The boundary conditions are then varied by surrounding and surmounting the unstable air mass by stable air. It is shown that the horizontal extent of the unstable air mass has a definite upper limit which depends on the magnitude of instability, height of the disturbance, and the Coriolis parameter. The mathematical analysis is then applied to show that a tropical cyclone may originate from vertical instability. It is shown by a numerical illustration that the distribution and order of magnitude of the different meteorological elements are the same in the mathematical model as observed in the initial stages of a tropical cyclone.