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East Asia and Western Pacific METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE

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153<br />

3. METHODOLOGY<br />

The data analysis <strong>and</strong> reduction procedures were detailed in Lin<br />

et aJ. (1986). We employed the Euler-Lagrange equations <strong>and</strong> the constraint<br />

equation to derive three variationally adjusted wind components<br />

(u, v, w) at each analysis level. The derived wind field is subject to<br />

both r<strong>and</strong>om <strong>and</strong> nonr<strong>and</strong>om errors. Following Lin et al. (1986), an<br />

error analysis was conducted. Our finding shows that the combined<br />

errors due to statistical uncertainty in the radial velocity estimates<br />

<strong>and</strong> geometrical considerations are 1-2 m s for the horizontal derived<br />

winds.<br />

Once the detailed wind field was obtained, fields of deviation<br />

perturbation pressure <strong>and</strong> temperature were recovered from the derived<br />

three-dimensional wind field via a thermodynamic retrieval method<br />

(Gal-Chen, 1978). The retrieved fields, together with the derived wind<br />

field, were then used to study some structural features of a squall<br />

line.<br />

4. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS<br />

4.1 Horizontal View at 0.73 km<br />

The horizontal storm-relative wind field with radar reflectivity<br />

contours superimposed is shown in Fig. 5a. Distances are in<br />

kilometers from the TOGA radar. At the time of analysis, the leading<br />

edge of the squall line was located about 10-20 km west of TOGA. There<br />

are many cells embedded within the squall line. The leading edge is<br />

almost in a north-south direction <strong>and</strong> moves from 250 at 16.5 m s<br />

The maximum reflectivity is less than 45 dBZ. Several new cells occur<br />

along the eastern edge of the squall line approximately 5-10 km to the<br />

east of the main cells. The low-level convergence line is evident<br />

especially over the northern portion of the domain. On the east side<br />

of the convergence line, storm-relative winds are mainly from the<br />

southeast. The southeast winds transport high 6 environmental air<br />

toward the leading edge of the squall line. Such air feeds the convective<br />

updrafts, resulting in a broad area of high reflectivities in the<br />

vicinity of the convergence line. Pronounced upward motion (Fig. 5b)<br />

prevails at the leading edge due to the strong low-level convergence.<br />

Conversely, downward motion dominates in a broad area west of the convergence<br />

zone. There are many cells in the squall line with new cells<br />

to their east. Most convective updrafts are accompanied by relatively<br />

weak convective downdrafts on their west side. This finding is consistent<br />

with that reported in Roux (1988) for a tropical squall line.<br />

Using dual-Doppler data obtained in the northern Ivory coast, Roux<br />

(1988) showed that the convective region has many short-lived cells of<br />

intense updrafts <strong>and</strong> high reflectivities with downdrafts in between <strong>and</strong><br />

behind.<br />

Figure 6a displays the retrieved P• ' field at the same level*<br />

Low pressure occurs on the downshear side (east) of.the.updraft (U)<br />

with high pressure on the upshear. Notice that high pressure observed<br />

on the west side of the updraft corresponds to the near-saturated<br />

convective-scale downdraft behind the leading edge. The density of the<br />

downdraft air is increased due to precipitation loading, resulting in a

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