Open AccessCold frontal structure derived from radar wind profilers
Author(s) -
Browning K A,
Jerrett D,
Nash J,
Oakley T,
Roberts N M
Publication year - 1998
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/s1350482798000784
Subject(s) - inflow , tropopause , cold front , geology , radar , meteorology , wind profiler , jet (fluid) , front (military) , precipitation , environmental science , ultra high frequency , atmospheric sciences , troposphere , mechanics , physics , aerospace engineering , computer science , engineering , telecommunications
Colocated UHF and VHF wind profiler radars have been operated during the passage of a sharp cold front. The results demonstrate the utility of the profilers, in conjunction with a conceptual model, for identifying and quantifying many of the features commonly associated with such fronts: low‐level and upper‐level jets, and rearward‐sloping warm‐conveyor‐belt flow with underlying rear‐inflow. The UHF radar detected much of the transverse circulation and also the vertical distribution of precipitation, including a possible region of evaporation associated with the dry rear‐inflow jet. The VHF radar, in addition to extending the velocity measurements above the level of the precipitation, mapped the tropopause and, in particular, identified a tropopause fold, the position of which corresponded to the origin of the rear‐inflow jet detected by both profilers. Copyright © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society