Student Seminar: Eric Bembenek

The Effect of Precipitation on Barotropic Instability

The effect of precipitation on concepts from dynamics such as barotropic and baroclinic instability is not well known. In this talk, we examine what effect precipitation has on the evolution of a barotropically unstable Bickley jet in an idealized setting. In particular, we consider what effect a meridional gradient in saturation moisture has on the growing instability and later stages of the flow when it becomes more turbulent. We find that, as the gradient increases, (i) the waveform of the most unstable mode moves to larger scales, (ii) the growth rate decreases, (iii) an asymmetry between cyclones and anticyclones develops, and (iv) cyclones become more intensified.