Mesoscale meteorology is the study ofweather systems and processes at horizontal scales of approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) to several hundred kilometres. It is smaller thansynoptic-scale systems (1,000 km or larger) but larger thanmicroscale (less than 1 km). At the small end, it includesstorm-scale phenomena (the size of an individual thunderstorm[1]). Examples of mesoscale weather systems aresea breezes,squall lines, andmesoscale convective complexes.
Vertical velocity often equals or exceeds horizontal velocities in mesoscale meteorological systems due to nonhydrostatic processes such as buoyant acceleration of a rising thermal or acceleration through a narrow mountain pass.
Theearliest networks of weather observations in the late 1800s and early 1900s could detect the movement and evolution of larger,synoptic-scale systems likehigh andlow-pressure areas. However, smaller and potentially hazardous meteorological phenomena were not well-captured by the sparse observation networks. The emergence ofweather radar in the mid-1900s and an improved understanding of thunderstorm behavior led to an increased recognition of a need to study phenomena between the scales studied in the extant disciplines of microscale and synoptic-scale meteorology.[2] The term "mesoscale" originated from M. G. H. Ligda at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, who suggested a need to study phenomena at such scales in 1951:[2][3]
It is anticipated that radar will provide useful information concerning the structure and behavior of that portion of the atmosphere which is not covered by either micro- or synoptic-meteorological studies. We have already observed with radar that precipitation formulations which are undoubtedly of significance occur on a scale too gross to be observed from a single station, yet too small to appear even on sectional synoptic charts. Phenomena of this size might well be designated as mesometeorological.
— M. G. H. Ligda, "Radar Storm Observation",Compendium of Meteorology (1951)[4]
Mesoscale meteorology broadly concerns meteorological phenomena larger than a few kilometres across but smaller than could be resolved by the observation networks used in the earlieststandardized weather maps.[5] The mesoscale regime is often divided into these subclasses based on the size of associated weather systems:[6]
As a note, tropical and subtropical cyclones are classified byNational Hurricane Center as synoptic scale rather than mesoscale.[8]
Features the size of an individual thunderstorm are also known somewhat informally as "storm-scale", typically meso-gamma but sometimes meso-beta[9] ormicroscale.
Mesoscale processes are characterized by having a relatively largeRossby number compared tosynoptic scale processes. Thus, over shorter distances as implicated in mesoscale phenomena, the importance ofgeostrophic balance and theEarth's rotation in shaping atmospheric processes is small relative to synoptic-scale phenomena.[10] This is particularly true towards the smaller end of the mesoscale range.[11]: 8 Because thecurvature of Earth is small at mesoscales, the physical models used to diagnose mesoscale phenomena often assume aconstant Coriolis frequency.[10] Nonetheless, theCoriolis force is non-negligible and comparable to the influence of atmosphericbuoyancy.[7]
Large-scaleturbulence andeddies also play a large role in mesoscale meteorology.[10] The vertical movement of air (often expressed asomega) is larger at mesoscale than at synoptic scales, and the distribution ofair pressure tends to be influenced by the behavior of winds at the mesoscale (as opposed to the converse at synoptic scales).[7] For many mesoscale phenomena, the vertical acceleration of air is sufficiently large enough that calculations cannot assumehydrostatic balance. This is often true of phenomena with a vertical dimension roughly equal to their horizontal dimensions.[11]: 9
As insynoptic frontal analysis, mesoscale analysis uses cold, warm, and occluded fronts on the mesoscale to help describe phenomena. On weather maps mesoscale fronts are depicted as smaller and with twice as many bumps or spikes as the synoptic variety. In theUnited States, opposition to the use of the mesoscale versions of fronts on weather analyses, has led to the use of an overarching symbol (a trough symbol) with a label of outflow boundary as the frontal notation.[12]
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