A numerical scheme for tracking cyclone centres from digital data. Part I: development and operation of the scheme

An automated scheme for finding and tracking cyclones from numerical analyses is described and its performance is discussed. It embodies several computational features not previously applied in this context and circumvents much of the labour that has hindered this work in the past. The scheme has been developed and tested with both observed and model-generated data, and particularly with a view to its suitability for studying the behaviour of southern hemisphere extratropical cyclones. -Authors