Date of Award

1-1-2012

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences

Content Description

1 online resource (xi, 80 pages) : illustrations (some color), color map.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

John Molinari

Committee Members

Ryan Torn

Keywords

gyre, MJO, monsoon, subtropical, tropical cyclones, wave-breaking, Madden-Julian oscillation, Ocean-atmosphere interaction

Subject Categories

Atmospheric Sciences | Meteorology

Abstract

This thesis conducts an observational study of a large cyclonic gyre that developed in the Western North Pacific (WNP) in late July 1989. For a period of six days, azimuthally-averaged winds at 850 hPa remained cyclonic out from the center of circulation to the 2000 km radius, with azimuthally-averaged tangential wind speeds at or greater than 10 m s-1. The gyre exhibited an asymmetric convection pattern, with the center, north and west flanks devoid of large convective areas, but the southern and eastern flanks maintained large-scale convective regions, extending as much as 4000 km in longitude.

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