A Topological Framework for Atmospheric River Interaction Using Framed Braids

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel topological framework using framed braids to analyze interactions of atmospheric rivers, capturing complex structural and moisture dynamics beyond traditional methods.

Contribution

It develops a topological approach with framed braids to encode AR filament interactions and internal moisture evolution, providing new insights into AR dynamics.

Findings

Braid-based indicators reveal structural reorganizations.

The framework captures moisture intensification episodes.

It offers a complementary perspective to existing diagnostics.

Abstract

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are filamentary moisture pathways responsible for a large fraction of extreme precipitation and often occur as interacting filament bundles within the same synoptic regime. Existing diagnostics typically analyze ARs in isolation, despite the frequent coexistence and interaction of multiple filaments. We introduce a topological framework for AR analysis based on framed braids and framed braidoids, which encodes both the geometric interaction of AR centroids and the internal evolution of moisture transport. In this approach, AR filaments are represented as strands whose time-ordered crossings form braid words, while moisture-based framing captures internal intensification or weakening along each filament. Applying this framework to reanalysis-derived Atmospheric River track data, we construct braid and framed braid representations over sliding time windows and analyze a strongly interacting multi-filament AR episode in the North Pacific. The results show that braid-based indicators capture structural reorganizations and moisture intensification episodes that are not apparent from centroid geometry or IVT magnitude alone, offering a complementary structural perspective on atmospheric moisture transport.