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Figure 2: Tropical Storm Simulations

This image has two panels. In each panel is a graphic depiction of
a hurricane-like storm from a model simulation. The top panel shows
a weak, broad storm as simulated by a global climate model. The
bottom panel "telescopes in" on the storm region, and shows how the
storm in that region is simulated in much higher detail using a
nested high-resolution model. In the high-resolution solution,
the hurricane is much more compact and has a precipitation pattern
that resembles a real hurricane, with a doughnut shape and an
"eye" of minimum precipitation at the storm center.

Fig. 2. Top: a tropical storm as simulated in a global climate model. Shown are surface temperature (shading), pressure and winds. Bottom: the same storm case, but as simulated with the hurricane prediction model. Shown are surface winds and precipitation on the inner grid of the hurricane model. The vector spacing illustrates the resolution of the two models (250 km for the global model vs. 18 km for the hurricane model.)

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Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Figure 2: Tropical Storm Simulations

Geophysical Fluid
Dynamics Laboratory