A Simple Algorithm to Identify and Track Trough and Ridge in Reanalysis Data

Abstract:

Currently, researchers work with large volumes of data, and this can spend more time to climatology and meteorology analysis. The use of objective methods are essential to reduce the time of data analysis. An indication of synoptic systems development in surface is the presence of trough in the middle level (500 hPa). That atmospheric pattern denotes strong indication of instability and changes in the weather. Many of algorithms tracking of meteorological systems are two-dimensional. For example, the tracking of cyclones are based on identification of minimum center of sea level pressure or center of cyclonic vorticity close to the surface. The goal of this work is the creation of the algorithm that identifies and tracks the trough and ridge at middle levels (500 hPa), which can be used for three-dimensional identification/tracking of the cyclone on surface. The algorithm consists in identifying the area where the trough/ridge is contained, besides to provide information of the location of the axis of the trough/ridge and its slope, amplitude and intensity. So, allowing associate the features of the trough/ridge with the features of the systems at the surface.