Objective detection of the Kunming quasi-stationary front

ERA-Interim six-hourly reanalysis data supplied by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were used to examine the applicability of Hewson's 1998 objective front-plotting method to the recognition of the Kunming quasi-stationary front. The optimum locating variable and masking variables, together with their optimum thresholds, were determined for three typical Kunming quasi-stationary fronts that occurred in January and February 2008. Hewson's method was more suitable for objectively recognizing the Kunming quasi-stationary front than a subjective method. Thirty Kunming quasi-stationary front events during January–February 2008 were then identified using Hewson's method. A composite analysis clearly showed the horizontal and vertical structure of the Kunming quasi-stationary front, consistent with the theory. This objective method of recognizing the Kunming quasi-stationary front has advantages in terms of objectivity, practicality, and reliability, and therefore has important potential applications.