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Concept
Cyclogenesis
Summary
Cyclogenesis is the development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere (a low-pressure area). Cyclogenesis is an umbrella term for at least three different processes, all of which result in the development of some sort of cyclone, and at any size from the microscale to the synoptic scale.
Tropical cyclones form due to latent heat driven by significant thunderstorm activity, developing a warm core.
Extratropical cyclones form as waves along weather fronts before occluding later in their life cycle as cold core cyclones.
Mesocyclones form as warm core cyclones over land, and can lead to tornado formation. Waterspouts can also form from mesocyclones, but more often develop from environments of high instability and low vertical wind shear.
The process in which an extratropical cyclone undergoes a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure (24 millibars or more) in a 24-hour period is referred to as explosive cyclogenesis, and is usually present during the formation of a nor'easter. Similarly, a tropical cyclone can undergo rapid intensification.
The anticyclonic equivalent, the process of formation of high-pressure areas, is anticyclogenesis. The opposite of cyclogenesis is cyclolysis.
There are four main scales, or sizes of systems, dealt with in meteorology: the macroscale, the synoptic scale, the mesoscale, and the microscale. The macroscale deals with systems with global size, such as the Madden–Julian oscillation. Synoptic scale systems cover a portion of a continent, such as extratropical cyclones, with dimensions of across. The mesoscale is the next smaller scale, and often is divided into two ranges: meso-alpha phenomena range from across (the realm of the tropical cyclone), while meso-beta phenomena range from across (the scale of the mesocyclone). The microscale is the smallest of the meteorological scales, with a size under (the scale of tornadoes and waterspouts). These horizontal dimensions are not rigid divisions but instead reflect typical sizes of phenomena having certain dynamic characteristics.
Official source
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