AN EXPERIMENT STUDY OF FRONTAL CYCLONES OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN^*

By using PSU/NCAR MM5 mesoscale model,a 60-h simulation is performed to reproduce a frontal cyclogenesis over the Western Atlantic Ocean during March 13-15 1992.The model reproduces well the genesis,track and intensity of the cyclone,its associated thermal structure as well as its surface circulation.The major cyclone (M) deepens 45 hPa in the 60-h simulation and 12 hPa in 6 hours from 36 h to 42 h (model time) and 27 hPa in 24 hours from 36 h to 60 h (model time).Cross-section and isentropic analysis tell us that the cyclogenesis is in very close relation with slantwise isentropic surfaces;the cyclone is always superposed on the core of neutral convective stability with nearly vertical isentropic surfaces,which coincides with what the theory of Slantwise Vorticity Development (SVD) says.Beginning with the theory of SVD,the development and propagation of the oceanic frontal cyclone are studied by using high-resolution model output in the context of slantwise isentropic surfaces.The results show that the frontal cyclone deepens rapidly by the interaction with the large-scale environment after occurring over the ocean with weak static stability;and the theory of SVD can well interpret the development and propagation closely related with slantwise isentropic surfaces,The downstream slantwise up-sliding movement along canting isentropic surfaces makes vorticities develop (USVD) under favorable condition (CD0,where CD is SVD index),and results in the moving and development of the cyclone.