Research on Surface Weather Map Analysis

准确、客观地诊断锋面特征对气象教学、科研和业务工作具有重要意义。 本项目的目标是开发和验证一种不同于目前实践的表面图分析技术。 目前的分析实践过度依赖于极锋理论。 这个项目计划表明，许多，如果不是大多数，锋现在经常显示在地图上，并作为理解天气模式的基础是缺乏证据的密度的准不连续性，这是相关的极锋概念。 相反，首席研究员建议：（1）将锋面的识别限制在与理论密切相关的偶然结构上;（2）确定在暖边缘没有急剧锋面风转变的明显水平温度梯度区的重要性，这在目前的实践中还没有得到承认;（3）鼓励把现时被误称为锋面的许多结构改为低压槽。 预计该项目将导致更好地了解地面边界层以及上面的自由大气中的过程，这项研究将依赖于常规地面观测数据库。 边界层结构与天气尺度气旋生成的关系以及锋生过程是有待解决的问题。 这项研究将把锋生的概念发展为一个两阶段的过程，在这个过程中，首先产生一个相对较强的水平温度梯度区，然后这个区受到短暂的变形和/或会聚作用。这项研究的成功完成将导致改变地面地图分析的方式，并提供一个物理上现实的方式来解释各种类型的天气现象。

Accurate and objective methods for diagnosis of surface frontal features is important to meteorological education, research and operations. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a technique of surface map analysis that differs from present practice. Current analysis practice places excessive reliance on the polar front theory. This project plans to show that many, if not most, fronts now routinely shown on maps and used as the basis for understanding the weather pattern are lacking evidence for a quasi-discontinuity of density that is required for relevance to polar front concepts. Instead, the Principal Investigator proposes: (1) to restrict identification of fronts to the occasional structures that do adhere closely to the theory; (2) to establish the importance of zones of pronounced horizontal temperature gradient lacking a sharp frontal wind shift at the warm edge, which are not now recognized in current practice; (3) to encourage denoting many of the structures now falsely designated as fronts instead as troughs of low pressure. It is expected that the project will lead to improved understanding of processes in the surface boundary layer as well as in the free atmosphere above.The research will rely on the database of routine surface observations. Issues to be addressed are the relationships between the boundary-layer structures and synoptic-scale cyclogenesis, and the process of frontogenesis. The research will develop the idea of frontogenesis as a two-stage process in which first a zone of relatively strong horizontal temperature gradient is created, and then this zone is acted upon by short-lived exposure to deformation and/or convergence. Successful completion of this research will result in changing the way surface map analysis is done and in providing a physically realistic way of explaining weather phenomena of various types.