Behavior of the Extraordinary Cold vortex over the Far East Coastal Area Observed during the Period from

Abstract

The cold air domes which can be analysed inside of the "polar air mass" moved over the Japan Sea, bringing extremely heavy snow fall to lee side coastal region. General feature of sinking cold air is verified by the decreasing volume in the upper part of cold dome, and at the same time the ascent motion is found in surrounding air mass. The temperature in the uppermost part of this cold dome, however, decreases while it passes over the Japan Sea, resulting in a destabilizing of stratification. It is suggested that the upward motion and compensating convergence are caused by a strong supply of heat from the sea surface amounting to more than 1000ly day-1 as the superior cold air covers the warmer sea.