Network Analysis of Atmospheric Rossby Wave Patterns in the Northern Midlatitudes

Abstract:

Rossby waves, the primary contributors to weather and storms in the midlatitudes, are a major phenomenon in the upper atmosphere, and play a large role in poleward heat transport. Understanding the mechanism and features of Rossby waves are crucial for millions of people, especially due to the extreme events caused by Rossby Waves such as the Russian Heat Wave and the flood in Pakistan, both occurring in 2010. In this study, we use an idealized, regional, quasi-geostrophic, coupled ocean-atmosphere model (The Quasi-Geostrophic Coupled Model, or QGCM) to create Rossby waves in the northern hemisphere. We analyze these waves using the emerging technique of climate networks - a useful statistical tool for a range of complex systems, which has proven to be extremely useful in giving new insight into the climate system’s behavior. Here, we create networks using different climatic variables, and investigate the properties of Rossby waves, including propagation speed and energy transport. We look at network measures, such as degree and link length, to determine the major features of Rossby waves. Finally, we compare our results to observed data, and show how our findings provide a better understanding of the different regimes of Rossby Waves, their features, and mechanisms of their propagation, which is crucial for forecasting on short and long-range time scales.