Cyclogenesis in frontal zones.

Abstract

Observational evidence has demonstrated that localized barocline zones in the atmosphere are unstable to disturbances with wavelengths of approximately 100km. Examples of such disturbances include: polar-front cyclones, Baiu cyclones, polar lows and comma clouds. In an attempt to understand the dynamical processes responsible for the generation of these diverse but apparently related phenomena, a 2D baroclinic zone is tested for stability against small amplitude 3D pertubations. The baroclinic zone employed in this analysis is the Hoskins-Bretherton semigeostrophic model of a synoptic scale front.-from Authors