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Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 9, 18545-18596, 2009
www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/18545/2009/ doi:10.5194/acpd-9-18545-2009 © Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. |
Lagrangian mixing in an axisymmetric hurricane model
1Department of Mathematics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1874, USA
2Department of Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943-5114, USA
Abstract. This paper discusses the extension of established Lagrangian mixing measures to make them applicable to data extracted from a 2-D axisymmetric hurricane simulation. Because of the non-steady and unbounded characteristics of the simulation, the previous measures are extended to a moving frame approach to create time-dependent mixing rates that are dependent upon the initial time of particle integration, and are computed for nonlocal regions. The global measures of mixing derived from finite-time Lyapunov exponents, relative dispersion, and a measured mixing rate are applied to distinct regions representing different characteristic feautures within the model. It is shown that these time-dependent mixing rates exhibit correlations with maximal tangential winds during a quasi-steady state, establishing a connection between mixing and hurricane intensity.
Citation: Rutherford, B., Dangelmayr, G., Persing, J., Kirby, M., and Montgomery, M.T.: Lagrangian mixing in an axisymmetric hurricane model, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 9, 18545-18596, doi:10.5194/acpd-9-18545-2009, 2009.