<p>When I was first introduced to potential vorticity, I was told that it is a very important tool for meteorologists to learn. Sure, it solved a simple problem in dynamics, but it wasn't apparent to me at the time on why it was important.</p>

<p>As I progress, I find that it becomes more and more useful in finding notable features, such as tropical cyclones and fronts. That being said, why isn't it plotted more often? I don't find plots of potential vorticity often, but when I do, it is often plotted for higher in the troposphere, and not where features are commonly found.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-07T20:03:21.330Z
@gansub You don't have to calculate PV on an isentropic surface. Sure, it eliminates the horizontal components of $\nabla \theta$, but those can be calculated. The vertical components can be calculated using the geopotential height of adjacent surfaces. I do know of one product that calculates PV (specifically Ertel's PV), - MERRA2 from NASA. But that is a reanalysis, not a model used for forecasting.
BarocliniCplusplus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-09T15:28:07.963Z
@gansub I recently used MERRA-2, and that is what stood out to me. Its also much more accessible for me than European products.
BarocliniCplusplus
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-23T10:02:52.390Z
This is long overdue, but with @gansub bringing it up, I thought I'd share this: https://www.atmos.washington.edu/~hakim/tropo/info_php.html. These are the maps that were referenced in all my dynamics classes.
Jareth Holt
<meteorology><atmosphere><dynamics><vorticity>
Why is potential vorticity so emphasized in technical work, but often neglected in maps on weather websites?
BarocliniCplusplus
# Why is potential vorticity so emphasized in technical work, but often neglected in maps on weather websites?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-05)

When I was first introduced to potential vorticity, I was told that it is a very important tool for meteorologists to learn. Sure, it solved a simple problem in dynamics, but it wasn't apparent to me at the time on why it was important.

As I progress, I find that it becomes more and more useful in finding notable features, such as tropical cyclones and fronts. That being said, why isn't it plotted more often? I don't find plots of potential vorticity often, but when I do, it is often plotted for higher in the troposphere, and not where features are commonly found.

**Tags:** meteorology, atmosphere, dynamics, vorticity

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @gansub You don't have to calculate PV on an isentropic surface. Sure, it eliminates the horizontal components of $\nabla \theta$, but those can be calculated. The vertical components can be calculated using the geopotential height of adjacent surfaces. I do know of one product that calculates PV (specifically Ertel's PV), - MERRA2 from NASA. But that is a reanalysis, not a model used for forecasting.  
> **username_0**: @gansub I recently used MERRA-2, and that is what stood out to me. Its also much more accessible for me than European products.  
> **username_1**: This is long overdue, but with @gansub bringing it up, I thought I'd share this: https://www.atmos.washington.edu/~hakim/tropo/info_php.html. These are the maps that were referenced in all my dynamics classes.  

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## 0 answers

