Abstract
Reliable forecasts of extra-tropical cyclones such as Superstorm Sandy require accurate understanding of their thermodynamic evolution. Within such systems, the evaporation, transport, and precipitation of moisture alters stable isotope ratios of cyclonic waters and creates spatio-temporal isotopic patterns indicative of synoptic-scale processes. Here, high-frequency records of precipitation isotope ratios from four sites (West Lebanon, NH; Baltimore, MD; State College, PA; and Colcord, WV) are used to investigate the development of Sandy as the storm made landfall and moved inland. These high-frequency records are also combined with a Lagrangian backward transport model to create a general relationship between precipitation deuterium-excess and moisture source conditions. Based on this general relationship, the evolution of precipitation efficiency within Superstorm Sandy is mapped through time using a set of distributed isotope collections. These maps identify a region of high-precipitation efficiency near storm's core where intense rainfall rates likely exceeded the resupply of moisture as well as outlying rain-bands of lower precipitation efficiency possibly influenced by entrainment of a mid-western cold front.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Learning from the Impacts of Superstorm Sandy |
| Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
| Pages | 41-55 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780128016527 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780128015209 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)