Latent Heat Release and Extratropical Cyclones

Evaluating the effect of latent heat release on an extratropical cyclone can be a tricky proposition, one that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, from an observational perspective. It requires measurements at all scales, from the release of latent heat at the microscale to a tracing of the energy up in scale until it reaches the synoptic scale of the cyclone. Therefore, the modelling world is much better suited to address these sorts of questions. We chose a case study from November 2006 to evaluate using both traditional synoptic methods, as well as potential vorticity maps and simulated satellite data.