Potential Vorticity Structures in African Easterly Waves, 2002-2022

Identified and tracked 3-D Potential Vorticity structures associated with African Easterly Waves from June to October over 21 years, based on ERA-5 reanalysis. Christoph Fischer from Universität Hamburg processed the data using a Hilbert transform to compute wave phase and extract trough areas, assigning each feature a low-dimensional description including a best-fit ellipsoid. The dataset is structured as JSON files containing annual lists of timestamps, tracked PV features with unique identifiers, and a graph of parent-child connections representing feature evolution over time.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the lifecycle and evolution of African Easterly Waves based on tracked Potential Vorticity structures.
• Studying the statistical properties of atmospheric vortices based on the ellipsoid fits assigned to each feature.
• Developing or validating feature-tracking algorithms for meteorological data based on the provided parent-child graph connections.
• Investigating interannual variability of wave-associated phenomena in the African region based on 21 years of seasonal data.

Strengths

• Covers 21 years of seasonal data (2002-2022, June-October), providing a long-term climatological perspective.
• Data is derived from the high-quality ERA-5 reanalysis, a widely trusted source in atmospheric science.
• Includes a tracking graph connecting features over time, enabling analysis of feature lifecycles.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the JSON structure or a forthcoming publication.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific machine learning tasks.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

ERA-5 reanalysis processed by Christoph Fischer, Universität Hamburg.

Collection Method

AEW troughs were identified, then a Hilbert transform was used to compute wave phase and extract 3-D PV structures within trough areas, which were then described with low-dimensional features including best-fit ellipsoids.

Time Range

2002 to 2022, specifically June to October each year.

Geography

Domain associated with African Easterly Waves; specific spatial extent is not detailed but likely focuses on North Africa and the tropical Atlantic.