The Structure and Precipitation Characteristics of Typical Tibetan Plateau Vortices as Revealed by Energy Analysis

A precipitation case caused by the Tibetan Plateau Vortex(TPV) process that occurred during 21-25 July 2010 is investigated by means of energy analysis. This paper focuses on the characteristics of distribution and the reasons for the changes of apparent energy, latent energy, and Convective Available Potential Energy(CAPE) during the TPV's different development periods. The main results are as follows:(1) Apparent energy is responsible for the changes of total energy at the beginning, while latent energy is the main reason in the later development period;(2) The spiral structure of latent energy in the mature stage of the TPV is very clear, which can indicate the degree of development of the TPV;(3) Normalizing the CAPE values by the depth over which the integration takes place provides an index(NCAPE) that presents a clear hollow structure during the TPV's strong period;(4) Precipitation related to the TPV is mainly distributed in the southeast or south of the vortex center, which has a close relationship with the TPV's circulation and energy distribution characteristics.