The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns

The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Smith, Erik T.
Language:English
Published: Kent State University / OhioLINK 2017
Subjects:
Geography
Climate Change
Environmental Science
Meteorology
Climate
Synoptic Climatology
Cold Air Outbreaks
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
United States
Self-Organizing Maps
Polar Vortex
Extreme Weather
Teleconnections
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1499870942487366
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-kent14998709424873662021-08-03T07:03:09Z The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Smith, Erik T. Geography Climate Change Environmental Science Meteorology Climate Synoptic Climatology Cold Air Outbreaks Atmospheric Circulation Patterns United States Self-Organizing Maps Polar Vortex Extreme Weather Teleconnections Periods of extreme cold impact the mid-latitudes every winter. Depending on the magnitude and duration of the occurrence, extremely cold periods may be deemed cold air outbreaks (CAOs). Atmospheric teleconnections impact the displacement of polar air, but the relationship between the primary teleconnections and the manifestation of CAOs is not fully understood. A systematic CAO index was developed from 20 surface weather stations based on a set of criteria concerning magnitude, duration, and spatial extent. Statistical analyses of the data were used to determine the overall trends in CAOs. Clusters of sea level pressure (SLP), 100mb, and 10mb geopotential height anomalies were mapped utilizing self-organizing maps (SOMs) to understand the surface, tropospheric Polar Vortex (PV), and stratospheric PV patterns preceding CAOs. The Arctic Oscillation (AO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Pacific-North American (PNA) teleconnections were used as variables to explain the magnitude and location of mid-latitude Arctic air displacement. Persistently negative SLP anomalies across the Arctic and North Atlantic were evident 1 – 2 weeks prior to the CAOs throughout the winter. The tropospheric and stratospheric PV were found to be persistently weak/weakening prior to mid-winter CAOs and predominantly strong and off-centered prior to early and late season CAOs. Negative phases of the AO and NAO were favored prior to CAOs, while the PNA was found to be less applicable. This method of CAO and synoptic pattern characterization benefits from a continuous pattern representation and provides insight as to how specific teleconnections impact the atmospheric flow in a way that leads to CAOs in the eastern U.S. 2017-07-18 English text Kent State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1499870942487366 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1499870942487366 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Geography
Climate Change
Environmental Science
Meteorology
Climate
Synoptic Climatology
Cold Air Outbreaks
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
United States
Self-Organizing Maps
Polar Vortex
Extreme Weather
Teleconnections
spellingShingle Geography
Climate Change
Environmental Science
Meteorology
Climate
Synoptic Climatology
Cold Air Outbreaks
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
United States
Self-Organizing Maps
Polar Vortex
Extreme Weather
Teleconnections
Smith, Erik T.
The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
author Smith, Erik T.
author_facet Smith, Erik T.
author_sort Smith, Erik T.
title The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
title_short The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
title_full The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
title_fullStr The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
title_full_unstemmed The Characteristics of Cold Air Outbreaks in the eastern United States and the influence of Atmospheric Circulation Patterns
title_sort characteristics of cold air outbreaks in the eastern united states and the influence of atmospheric circulation patterns
publisher Kent State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2017
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1499870942487366
work_keys_str_mv AT smitherikt thecharacteristicsofcoldairoutbreaksintheeasternunitedstatesandtheinfluenceofatmosphericcirculationpatterns
AT smitherikt characteristicsofcoldairoutbreaksintheeasternunitedstatesandtheinfluenceofatmosphericcirculationpatterns
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