Authors: Alice Favre Bruce Hewitson Mark Tadross Christopher Lennard Ruth CerezoMota
Publish Date: 2011/02/23
Volume: 38, Issue: 7-8, Pages: 1473-1487
Abstract
The characteristics of Southern Cutoff Lows CoLs are studied for the period 1979–2008 The systematic identification of CoLs is realized by applying an original automated scheme using mean daily geopotential height and air temperature at 500 hPa NCEPDOE II Reanalysis data From closed lows’ trajectories established from the Equator to the polar jet stream extratropical lows are analyzed and the stage of cutoff is defined as a secluded low presenting a cold core From 4843 cases the general CoL features are presented and confirm several previous results such as the geographic distribution which shows that they are more frequent in the latitudinal band contained between 20°S and 45°S and in close proximity to the continents On a seasonal time scale CoLs are more numerous from late summer to autumn with a maximum of frequency in March/April In winter June–July–August they are fewer but deeper than during the rest of the year In the median domain ~325°S the annual cycle of the frequency is bimodal and present two peaks during transitional seasons In this zone the seasonal cycle varies in accordance with the Semiannual Oscillation Thereby when the meridional gradient of temperature/pressure is reinforced between mid and high latitudes CoLs are more frequent in the median domain Over the period 1979–2008 the annual CoLs’ frequency exhibits a positive trend of about 25 This increase is associated with a widening of the latitudinal domain of occurrence equatorward as well as poleward The trend is linked with an abrupt positive shift in the number of CoLs’ generation between 1998 and 1999 The geographical distribution of CoLs frequency varies significantly in accordance with El Niño Southern Oscillation with more CoL’s at lower higher latitudes during La Niña El Niño events principally in the Southern Pacific
Keywords: