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Uncovering the Edge of the Polar Vortex
Journal article

Uncovering the Edge of the Polar Vortex

  • Serra, Mattia Institute for Mechanical Systems, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Sathe, Pratik Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
  • Beron-Vera, Francisco Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
  • Haller, George Institute for Mechanical Systems, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
  • 2017-11-21
Published in:
  • Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. - American Meteorological Society. - 2017, vol. 74, no. 11, p. 3871-3885
Atmospheric Science
English Abstract
The polar vortices play a crucial role in the formation of the ozone hole and can cause severe weather anomalies. Their boundaries, known as the vortex “edges,” are typically identified via methods that are either frame dependent or return nonmaterial structures and, hence, are unsuitable for assessing material transport barriers. Using two-dimensional velocity data on isentropic surfaces in the Northern Hemisphere, the authors show that elliptic Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) identify the correct outermost material surface dividing the coherent stratospheric vortex core from the surrounding incoherent surf zone. Despite the purely kinematic construction of LCSs, the authors find a remarkable contrast in temperature and ozone concentration across the identified vortex boundary. The authors also show that potential vorticity–based methods, despite their simplicity, misidentify the correct extent of the vortex edge.
Language
  • English
Open access status
hybrid
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/272326
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