IPV

Isentropic Potential Vorticity - the product of the absolute vorticity of an air parcel, and its static stability, calculated along a constant surface of 'theta' (potential temperature), hence the 'isentropic'. Anomalies in IPV around the level of the tropopause (and hence in the region of the driving jet stream) can be related to developments through the troposphere, leading to cyclogenesis. Because IPV is a highly conservative property for any sample of air, it is found to be particularly useful for tracking the path that stratospheric air (high IPV values) will take as it enters the upper troposphere during rapid cyclogenesis events. NWP models can be programmed to output the height of a particular IPV value - defined such that it 'samples' air in the model stratosphere. These patterns are then overlaid on water vapour imagery, and any mis-match between model and reality are quickly seen and allowed for. (See also Potential Vorticity).