ESE315 Assignment 5

Part 1 Surface weather map analysis

For this part, you will learn to identify the low pressure center, draw the isobars, and identify the cold front and the warm fronts on a surface weather map. I highly recommend that you go through these lecture notes developed by Dr Chuck Weidman at the University of Arizona on this topic.

• Notes: fronts
• Notes: surface weather map analysis example

The worksheet is in PDF format and will be distributed in the course chat group. This worksheet was developed by Dr Chuck Weidman at University of Arizona and used in this course with his permission. Thank you Dr Weidman!

Part 2 Relationship between surface and upper-level weather

For this part, we will use the surface and upper-level weather analysis maps to follow the life cycle of one mid-latitude cyclone.

Surface and upper-level weather analysis maps can be found from a number of sources. For example, China Meteorological Administration, Korean Meteorology Administration, NOAA PSL map room, etc. Alternatively, you can use a forecast produt (e.g., ECMWF), but you must make sure that the surface and upper-level maps you use corresponde to the forecast issued at the same time for the same target time.

1. Choose a 3-day period between November 9 and November 22. For each day, copy and paste the daily surface, 500 hPa, 200 hPa weather maps over East Asia at 00Z (every 24 hours) in sequence into an Word file.
   1. Each day, identify the locations of the surface low pressure system on the surface weather map.
   2. Each day, identify the locations of the troughs on the 500 hPa map and the 200 hPa map.
   3. Each day, mark the locations of the surface low pressure center and the 500-hPa low or trough onto the 200 hPa weather map.
   4. Follow one of the surface low pressure system over the course of 3 days. Describe in words how the conditions in the upper levels helps the development of surface low pressure systems (keeping in mind the locations of the upper level troughs, the jet streams, upper level divergence at the exit region of the jet streams, etc).