Satellite Observations of Katabatic-Wind Propagation for Great Distances across the Ross Ice Shelf

Bromwich, David H.; Carrasco, Jorge; Stearns, Charles R.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1992)120<1940:sookwp>2.0.co;2

Cited by 76 publications

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“…It is not surprising then that these ingredients often combine to shape abrupt and severe weather that can cripple McMurdo for days. Meteorologists have documented intense katabatic winds flowing from the nearby glacial valleys (e.g., Bromwich 1989Bromwich , 1991, cyclonically forced barrier winds propagating northward along the Transantarctic Mountains (e.g., O'Connor et al 1994), and one of the most active regions of mesoscale cyclogenesis on earth adjacent to Ross Island (Bromwich 1991;Bromwich 1994, 1996;Gallée 1996;Carrasco et al 2003). Blowing snow and fog frequently suspend aircraft operations on the local runways (A. Cayette, Aviation Technical Services, 2003, personal communication).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Simpson was also the first to note the deflection of winds around Hut Point Peninsula. Mather and Miller (1967), Sinclair (1982), Slotten and Stearns (1987), Bromwich (1988a), O'Connor and Bromwich (1988), and Seefeldt et al (2003) examined the spatial distribution of the winds using manned observations, AWSs, satellite imagery, and, most recently, numerical modeling. They noted the strong influence of the orography of Ross Island, especially the deflection of the dominant southerly winds around to the east and west of the island.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*

et al. 2005

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In response to the need for improved weather prediction capabilities in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program's Antarctic field operations, the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) was implemented in October 2000. AMPS employs a limited-area model, the Polar fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU-NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5), optimized for use over ice sheets. Twice-daily forecasts from the 3.3-km resolution domain of AMPS are joined together to study the climate of the McMurdo region from June 2002 to May 2003. Annual and seasonal distributions of wind direction and speed, 2-m temperature, mean sea level pressure, precipitation, and cloud fraction are presented. This is the first time a model adapted for polar use and with relatively high resolution is used to study the climate of the rugged McMurdo region, allowing several important climatological features to be investigated with unprecedented detail.Orographic effects exert an important influence on the near-surface winds. Time-mean vortices occur in the lee of Ross Island, perhaps a factor in the high incidence of mesoscale cyclogenesis noted in this area. The near-surface temperature gradient is oriented northwest to southeast with the warmest temperatures in the northwest near McMurdo and the gradient being steepest in winter. The first-ever detailed precipitation maps of the region are presented. Orographic precipitation maxima occur on the southerly slopes of Ross Island and in the mountains to the southwest. The source of the moisture is primarily from the large synoptic systems passing to the northeast and east of Ross Island. A precipitation-shadow effect appears to be an important influence on the low precipitation amounts observed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Total cloud fraction primarily depends on the amount of open water in the Ross Sea; the cloudiest region is to the northeast of Ross Island in the vicinity of the Ross Sea polynya.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*

et al. 2005

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“…Baroclinic instability and cyclonic vorticity is also required for the development of these polar lows, with theoretical studies demonstrating that baroclinic instability can yield shallow disturbances with sizes and growth rate representative of observed polar lows (Emanuel and Rotunno 1989;Fett 1989). Katabatic winds have been observed accelerating and propagating horizontally for hundreds of kilometres down the local pressure gradients of synoptic cyclones in a geostrophic direction (Bromwich et al 1992). In the early stages of the period under investigation, synoptic-scale analyses showed a decaying low pressure system affecting the Western Ross Sea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Energetic katabatic winds have been observed propagating for great distances when "anchored" to a pronounced regional pressure gradient due to a synoptic-scale circulation in the neighbourhood, thus following a geostrophic adjustment (Bromwich et al 1992). In this paper, the interaction of a vigorous katabatic outbreak propagating as a baroclinic wave disturbance across the Ross Sea and along the coast of Victoria Land, with a well-developed mesoscale system approaching Terra Nova Bay, is discussed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convective Snowfalls Linked to the Interaction of a Boundary-Layer Front with a Mesoscale Cyclone Near Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Bove¹,

Grigioni

2009

Boundary-Layer Meteorol

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During the XXII Italian expedition in Antarctica, in the summer of 2007, severe weather conditions associated with deep convective instability and heavy coastal precipitation occurred around the Terra Nova Bay area in the presence of an upper level trough and energetic katabatic winds flowing from the Ross Ice Shelf over the open sea. In this case study we document an example of boundary-layer frontal movement across the Ross Sea and mesocyclone development in conjunction with the frontal movement. A westward fast moving boundary-layer front, generated by the leftward turning katabatic airstream to the east of Ross Island, was observed propagating as a baroclinic wave disturbance in an easterly direction across the Ross Sea, merging later with a mesocyclone approaching Terra Nova Bay from offshore. The observed inertial trajectory and an estimation of the radius of curvature suggest that the vigorous katabatic airstream was sustained by the strengthening of a surface mesocyclonic circulation settled over the north-eastern Ross Ice Shelf, triggered by a sub-synoptic upper level trough passing over the area. We hypothesise that baroclinic instability in the low levels plays an important role in the development of a mesoscale vortex and for triggering convective precipitation.

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“…The Black Sea has an area of 436,400 km2 (not including the Sea of Azov) [1], a maximum depth of 2,212 m [2], and a volume of 547,000 km3 [3] The Black Sea forms in an east-west trending elliptical depression which lies between Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine [4]. It is constrained by the Pontic Mountains to the south and by the Caucasus Mountains to the east, and features a wide shelf to the northwest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long Term Cloud Cover and SST Investigation of the Black Sea

Kavak¹,

Karadoğan²,

Karayücel³

2016

MEJS

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Satellite Observations of Katabatic-Wind Propagation for Great Distances across the Ross Ice Shelf

Cited by 76 publications

References 0 publications

The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*

The Climate of the McMurdo, Antarctica, Region as Represented by One Year of Forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System*

Convective Snowfalls Linked to the Interaction of a Boundary-Layer Front with a Mesoscale Cyclone Near Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Long Term Cloud Cover and SST Investigation of the Black Sea

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