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ADAMS2017 THESIS FINAL ELECTRONIC 2.pdf (9.47 MB)

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Bomb Cyclones of the Western North Atlantic

Adams, Ryan
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1509530111664557

Abstract Details

2017, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography.
“Bomb” cyclones represent a small subset of mid-latitude cyclones characterized by rapid intensification and frequently are associated with extreme weather conditions along the eastern coast of North America. Like other extreme phenomena, bomb cyclone predictions are prone to error leading to inadequate or untimely hazard warnings. The rare nature of bomb cyclones and the uniqueness of their evolutions has made it difficult for researchers to make meaningful generalizations on bomb cyclone events. This paper describes bomb cyclone climatology for the western North Atlantic, using data from the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis for 1948-2016, and uses a synoptic climatological analysis to relate these bombs to their associated atmospheric environments. A self-organizing map (SOM) of 300-hPa geopotential height tendency is created to partition the regional atmospheric environment. Thermodynamic fields are contrasted by each 300-hPa geopotential height tendency pattern for both bomb and non-bomb events in composite difference maps. The SOM patterns most significantly associated with western North Atlantic bomb cyclogenesis are characterized by both strongly and weakly negative height tendencies along the eastern United States. In both cases, these patterns exhibit strong meridional flow, a distinction marked by the weakening and breaking down of the polar vortex in the boreal Winter. The composite maps for each pattern show the mean differences in low-mid level ascent and near surface thermodynamics for bomb environments contrasted with non-bomb environments, resulting in diverse spatiotemporal distributions of bombs in the western North Atlantic.
Scott Sheridan (Advisor)
80 p.
Atmospheric Sciences; Geography
Explosive cyclones; bomb cyclones; cyclogenesis, synoptic climatology, SOMs, self-organizing maps, North Atlantic

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Adams, R. (2017). Bomb Cyclones of the Western North Atlantic [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1509530111664557

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Adams, Ryan. Bomb Cyclones of the Western North Atlantic. 2017. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1509530111664557.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Adams, Ryan. "Bomb Cyclones of the Western North Atlantic." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1509530111664557

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1509530111664557
299
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.