Abstract
Although considerable progress has been made in improving the early predictability of the tropical cyclones, our knowledge of the vertical structure of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) over a cyclone-affected ocean remains limited. Here, we investigate the impact of a very severe cyclonic storm ‘OCKHI’ on the MABL parameters over the Arabian Sea by using a regional numerical weather prediction model, namely Consortium for Small-scale Modelling (COSMO). Time-series meteograms of the surface-layer and upper-air meteorological parameters are examined for six distinct locations on the trajectory of OCKHI. Equivalent day analysis on the surface-layer turbulent fluxes over these locations reveals a substantial rise in the magnitude of sensible and latent heat fluxes during the passage of the storm. Surface-layer parameters within the MABL exhibit large diurnal variability during the passage of the storm compared with the normal days. Profiles of thermodynamic parameters indicate a significant dip in the mixed layer heights near the eye of the storm due to the formation of deep convective precipitating clouds. A decline in the mixed layer height during the propagation of the storm was a persistent feature. The present study also provides a conserved variable analysis of the equivalent potential temperature (𝜃e) and specific humidity (q) for a diagnostic investigation on the MABL processes and the movement of an air parcel.
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Acknowledgements
The COSMO model is developed by the German Weather Service and is available to the users’ community for scientific and research purposes after attaining a scientific license. Model details can be accessed through its website (http://www.cosmo-model.org/). Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) has a scientific license for utilization of the COSMO model in research mode, and the authors are thankful to the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD, German Weather Service) for providing the initial and lateral boundary conditions from the ICON global model for this study. We express our sincere gratitude to Drs. Detlev Majewski and Ulrich Schattler, and their colleagues from Deutscher Wetterdienst, Germany for their continuous support in smooth operations of COSMO at SPL. We would also like to thank RSMC, IMD for making the cyclone related data available in the public domain. Roshny S. and Freddy P. Paul would like to thank the Indian Space Research Organisation for their Research Fellowship. We would also like to place on records our sincere gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which helped us in improving the quality of this article.
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D., B.S., S., R., Paul, F.P. et al. Impact of a very severe cyclonic storm ‘OCKHI’ on the vertical structure of marine atmospheric boundary layer over the Arabian Sea. Bull. of Atmos. Sci.& Technol. 1, 407–431 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42865-020-00020-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42865-020-00020-7