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The energetics of extratropical cyclones
Author(s) -
Smith Phillip J.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg018i002p00378
Subject(s) - extratropical cyclone , energetics , diabatic , energy budget , environmental science , kinetic energy , meteorology , climatology , atmospheric sciences , adiabatic process , geology , physics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
The use of energetics analyses in studies of extratropical cyclones has received increasing attention over the past 15 years. Particularly significant have been analyses of the transport, generation, and dissipation of kinetic energy and the diabatic generation of available potential energy. In examining the energetics of extratropical cyclones this paper (1) reviews and distills the results of kinetic energy and available potential energy budget studies carried out over the past 15 years and (2) uses these results to establish the significance of the extratropical cyclone in the general circulation.