Dr. David M. Schultz

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Fronts, Airstreams, and Airstream Boundaries

I'm pursuing collaborative research with Bob Cohen who developed a method for objectively calculating airstream boundaries in midlatitude cyclones. We are investigating the development of airstream boundaries in idealized nondivergent vortices and simulated low-pressure systems in different background flows. This research helps to explain the differences between the conceptual models of cyclones (Norwegian Cyclone Model and the Shapiro-Keyser (1990) cyclone model).

The first manuscript from this collaboration is now available:
Cohen, R. A., and D. M. Schultz, 2005: Contraction rate and its relationship to frontogenesis, the Lyapunov exponent, fluid trapping, and airstream boundaries. Mon. Wea. Rev., 133, 1353-1369. [AMS] [PDF]

One use of these diagnostics is to diagnose fluid trapping. For an illustration of this, see this case study of a vorticity maximum as observed in water-vapor imagery.

This work was presented at the 10th Cyclone Workshop in Val Morin, Quebec, the 11th Cyclone Workshop in Monterey, California, and the Fred Sanders Symposium.

Snapshots of trajectories and airstream boundaries:
ERICA IOP 5: Cyclone in Diffluent Flow
ERICA IOP 8: Cyclone in Confluent Flow

Bob's page (with animations of ERICA IOP 5 and IOP 8)

Abstract for the 11th Cyclone Workshop
Abstract for the 10th Cyclone Workshop

Return to David Schultz's homepage.

Updated 7 June 2005