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Evolving three-dimensional structures in atmospheric flow: visualisation and communication.

Evolving three-dimensional structures in atmospheric flow: visualisation and communication. Ian N. James Dept of Meteorology, University of Reading (formerly Chair of Publishing Committee, Royal Meteorological Society). Remember the 1960s?. The medium is the message.

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Evolving three-dimensional structures in atmospheric flow: visualisation and communication.

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  1. Evolving three-dimensional structures in atmospheric flow: visualisation and communication. Ian N. James Dept of Meteorology, University of Reading (formerly Chair of Publishing Committee, Royal Meteorological Society)

  2. Remember the 1960s? The medium is the message ….or the graphic is the science!

  3. Theme of talk • Geophysical fluid dynamics is the study of four dimensional structures • Traditionally had to represent them on two dimensional sheets of paper • Science is not done until it has been communicated!

  4. The nature of meteorology…. …..500 giga-numbers to this!

  5. Visualizing 4D into 2D • Cross sections in different directions through (x,y,p,t) space • Use of means and variances, filters to isolate particular features

  6. Forecasts from 21/1/03

  7. Vertical structure Flow at different levels in the atmosphere simultaneously. (22/1/87)

  8. Storm tracks • Organisation of midlatitude weather systems, with local maxima of intensity • Relationship to “mean” flow • Implications for large scale forcing of the atmosphere - feedback • Example of how limitations of visualisation have impacted on conceptual models.

  9. Storm tracks – the Eulerian view All based on 2-6 day filtered transients for DJF EKE, 25 kPa Upward temperature flux, 70 kPa Momentum flux, 25 kPa Height variance, 25 kPa

  10. Stormtrack – lifecycle theory

  11. P A Eady growth rate – traditional journal picture Growth rate of most unstable Eady mode at 70 kPa: (Hoskins & Valdes 1990)

  12. Growth rate of most unstable mode: P A Eady growth rate(DJF)

  13. A P A P Eady growth rate – some different perspectives

  14. Longitude-height section (DJF NH) EKE

  15. A P A 3D view of the NH winter storm track • EKE • Vertical temp flux • Poleward wind for a single season. • Orography

  16. Hovmöller plot - DJF • v* at 30 kPa, 34-66°N • High pass filtered • (2 – 6 day filter)

  17. v* during 84/85 winter Eurasia N America

  18. Communicating 4D vision • Most paper journals still prefer monochrome line drawings. • Greyscale unreliable and expensive • Colour very expensive - only economical for huge print runs (10,000 upwards) • Movies impossible

  19. Electronic publishing • Pros: • Unrestricted use of colour, movie loops, etc.. • Rapid publication (non-quantized) • Links to web sites • Important that the highest standards of refereeing apply.

  20. Electronic publishing • Cons: • Authentication of material (what do referees see?) • Use of visual formats in practise restricted • Publication in fact little faster than paper journals (hold-ups from refereeing, publishers’ bureaucracy) • Financial model – how is publication to be paid for? (Readers? Authors? Sponsors?)

  21. Conclusions • Unrestricted use of colour, 3D plotting, colour enables us to approach 4D visualization of GFD objects • Liberates hypothesis-setting • We are getting used to increasingly sophisticated packages on our desktops. • Publication is still a real block to communication. • Need a Powerpoint-like e-publishing package!

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