An objective identification technique for potential vorticity structures associated with African easterly waves

Fischer, Christoph; Fink, Andreas H.; Schömer, Elmar; Rautenhaus, Marc; Riemer, Michael

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4213-2024

Articles | Volume 17, issue 10

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4213-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4213-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 17, issue 10

Methods for assessment of models

|

23 May 2024

Methods for assessment of models |

| 23 May 2024

An objective identification technique for potential vorticity structures associated with African easterly waves

Christoph Fischer, Andreas H. Fink, Elmar Schömer, Marc Rautenhaus, and Michael Riemer

Data sets

AEWDAT - African Easterly Waves: Identified and Tracked Wave Troughs C. Fischer et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8403744

Identified Potential Vorticity Structures associated with African Easterly Waves C. Fischer et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10061471

Model code and software

enstools-feature: A framework for identification and tracking of meteorological features C. Fischer https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10062273

Short summary

This study presents a method for identifying and tracking 3-D potential vorticity structures within African easterly waves (AEWs). Each identified structure is characterized by descriptors, including its 3-D position and orientation, which have been validated through composite comparisons. A trough-centric perspective on the descriptors reveals the evolution and distinct characteristics of AEWs. These descriptors serve as valuable statistical inputs for the study of AEW-related phenomena.