Open AccessThe use of potential vorticity and water vapour imagery to validate numerical models
Author(s) -
Mansfield D A
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
meteorological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1469-8080
pISSN - 1350-4827
DOI - 10.1017/s1350482797000704
Subject(s) - potential vorticity , meteorology , front (military) , polar , vorticity , environmental science , humidity , climatology , polar front , water vapor , satellite imagery , computer science , geology , vortex , geography , physics , astronomy
A comparison between potential vorticity (PV) fields and water vapour imagery shows a close relationship in the region of the polar front. Examples are given showing the nature of this relationship and how a mis‐match between the PV and the imagery can be used to detect errors in model analyses and forecasts. The nature of the relationship varies according to the synoptic situation and some of the possible pitfalls encountered by not applying additional checks using model humidity or ‘pseudo imagery’ fields are illustrated. Copyright © 1997 Royal Meteorological Society