Current Highlight

Feature detection software was developed and applied towards the detection of swirling flow in a numerically simulated supercell thunderstorm. The software operates on digital model history files and outputs data containing the three-dimensional location of vortex centers and the magnitude of the vorticity vector at these locations. This data is then rendered in different ways, producing unique insight into the internal structure of the simulated storm including the dynamic and sometimes transient nature of highly anisotropic vortices. The algorithm, based upon the method of Sujudi and Haimes, is applied towards tracing the location and magnitude of features resembling weak tornadoes at ground level, tracing vorticity magnitude along the path of a surface vortex, and producing three-dimensional visualizations and animations of vortex location and magnitude in selected regions of the storm. This technique is found to offer unique advantages to other visualization approaches, most notably the capture of vortex core locations which can be exploited by post-production software to calculate diagnostic quantities through time and space. Click on the image at left for more information, as well as a access to a larger version of the image.

Past Highlights