Tropopause Analysis
The tropopause maps are an analysis of potential
temperature (color contours) on a surface of constant potential
vorticity, Q (Q = 2.0 PVU). Superposed on the analysis, are analyses
of saturated equivalent potential temperature (dashed lines, cint =
5 K).
This analysis contains the essential information
needed to understand the dynamics of weather systems within the
troposphere.
"Cold" tropopause (i.e. low potential temperature)
regions are associated with cyclonic circulations, while
"warm" tropopuase regions are associated with anti-cyclonic
circulations.
Features easily observed on these maps are the polar
and subtropical jets. The polar jet generally is associated with the
purple, blue, and light green contours during the winter. The
stronger the gradient (as indicated by the spacing between these
contours), the stronger the polar jet. The subtropical jet is usually
associated with the red and orange contours. Often, one can
easily see what is commonly referred to as a "split flow"
in those regions in which the paths of the polar and subtropical
jets diverge.
