Intermountain Cyclogenesis

在博萨特教授的指导下，将研究在落基山脉和美国西部观测到的一些周期性天气系统的特征。虽然一些天气系统的案例研究在几十年前首次出现在文献中，但此后很少有文献跟进。一个例子就是所谓的“内华达低气压”，它通常在春季形成于塞拉山脉以东，当时500毫巴的气流向西南方向流动。从俄勒冈州到内华达南部经常可以看到背风槽的前兆。内华达低气压的生命周期、动力和热结构是什么？它们在下游后期的气旋形成中起作用吗？如果有，怎么做？这些内华达低气压被认为不同于科罗拉多低气压或地中海低气压，主要归因于当地地形的物理尺寸和特征的差异。除了有助于更好地理解外，仔细的研究还应该有助于解释和利用数值模型的预测。

The characteristics of a number of recurrent weather systems observed in the Rocky Mountains and western United States will be examined under the direction of Professor Bosart. While case studies of some weather systems first appeared in literature several decades ago, little has followed since. One example is the so called "Nevada low", which generally forms in spring east of the Sierras when the 500 mb flow is southwesterly. A precursor lee trough is often seen from Oregon to southern Nevada. What are the life cycle, dynamic and thermal structures of the Nevada lows? Do they play any role in the later cyclogenesis downstream? If so, how? These Nevada lows are believed to be different from Colorado or Mediterranean lows, mostly attributed to differences in the physical dimensions and characteristics of local terrain. Besides leading to a better understanding, a careful study should also aid in the interpretation and utilization of predictions from numerical models.