Long-Lived Mesoconvective Vortices and Their Environment. Part II: Induced Thermodynamic Destabilization in Idealized Simulations

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Abstract
Idealized numerical simulations are used to quantify the effect of quasi-balanced lifting arising from the interaction of the ambient vertical shear with midtropospheric cyclonic vortices (MCVs) generated by mesoscale convective systems on thermodynamic destabilization over a range of ambient vertical shear strengths and vortex characteristics observed in Part I. Maximum upward displacements occur beneath the midtropospheric potential vorticity anomaly, near the radius of maximum tangential vortex winds. The location of the region of upward displacements relative to the ambient vertical shear vector depends on the relative strength of the vortex tangential flow and the ambient vertical shear, and ranges from downshear for vortices of moderate strength in strong ambient vertical shear to 90° to the left of downshear for strong vortices in weak ambient vertical shear. Although significant upward displacements occur most rapidly with small vortices in strong ambient vertical shear, maximum upward di... Abstract Idealized numerical simulations are used to quantify the effect of quasi-balanced lifting arising from the interaction of the ambient vertical shear with midtropospheric cyclonic vortices (MCVs) generated by mesoscale convective systems on thermodynamic destabilization over a range of ambient vertical shear strengths and vortex characteristics observed in Part I. Maximum upward displacements occur beneath the midtropospheric potential vorticity anomaly, near the radius of maximum tangential vortex winds. The location of the region of upward displacements relative to the ambient vertical shear vector depends on the relative strength of the vortex tangential flow and the ambient vertical shear, and ranges from downshear for vortices of moderate strength in strong ambient vertical shear to 90° to the left of downshear for strong vortices in weak ambient vertical shear. Although significant upward displacements occur most rapidly with small vortices in strong ambient vertical shear, maximum upward di...

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