Articles | Volume 10, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-6777-2010
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-6777-2010
23 Jul 2010
 | 23 Jul 2010

Lagrangian mixing in an axisymmetric hurricane model

B. Rutherford, G. Dangelmayr, J. Persing, M. Kirby, and M. T. Montgomery

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.

Download
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint