Transverse ageostrophic circulations associated with elevated mixed layers.

Abstract

An elevated mixed layer is a principal component of the conceptual model recently proposed by Carlson and others to explain the evolution of a severe storm environment over the Southern Plains of the United States during springtime. Elevated mixed layers are most likely to be found downwind of strongly heated arid land areas (often plateaus), which favor the growth of a deep mixing layer with high potential temperature. In this study, the Sawyer-Eliassen secondary circulation equation is used to diagnose the transverse ageostrophic circulations that are associated with the dynamical forcing implied by the above conceptual model of the elevated mixed layer structure. -from Authors severe storm Southern Plains USA ageostrophic circulations