Tiros-Viewed Jet Stream Cloud Patterns in Relation to Wind, Temperature, and Turbulence

摘要

Twenty cases of jet-stream cirrus clouds observed in TIROS photographs are related to the atmospheric wind and temperature structure. Standard rawinsonde observations provide the basis for the meteorological analysis. The orientation of cloud features identified as shadow lines, sharp-edged cirrus sheets, cirrus bands, and transverse waves is compared with the horizontal wind and the vertical wind shear in the upper troposphere. These cloud features appear to relate better to the speed and direction of the horizontal wind than to the vertical wind shear. All available pilot reports, both of clear-air turbulence and no clear-air turbulence, are collected for areas covered by the TIROS photographs. The intensity and spatial distribution of turbulence are related to the various jet-stream cloud features. A relatively large number of turbulence reports are found near long shadow lines and sharp-edged cirrus sheets. The results of the study indicate that cirrus cloud features recognizable in satellite photographs provide information that may be useful in the operational analysis of winds, temperature, and turbulence. (Author)