The gust fronts of convective cold pools (CPs) are increasingly recognized as loci of enhanced triggering for subsequent convective cells. It has so far been difficult to track these gust fronts in high‐resolution data, such as large eddy simulations (LES)—rendering mechanistic analysis of CP interaction incomplete. Here, a simple tracking method is defined, tested, and applied, which uses horizontal advection and a condition on horizontal divergence, to emit tracers at the perimeter of surface precipitation patches. Tracers are then reliably transported to the gust front, yielding closed bands marking the CP boundary. The method thereby allows analysis of the dynamics also along the gust front, which allows to identify point‐like loci of pronounced updrafts. The tracking works well for a single idealized CP and reliably tracks a population of CPs in a midlatitude diurnal cycle. As the method uniquely links CPs and their tracers to a specific parent precipitation cell, it may be useful for the analysis of interactions in evolving CP populations.

中文翻译：

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基于粒子的冷池阵风锋线跟踪。

对流冷池（CP）的阵风前沿被越来越多地认为是随后对流细胞触发增强的场所。迄今为止，很难在高分辨率数据（例如大涡流模拟（LES））中跟踪这些阵风前沿，从而使CP相互作用的机理分析不完整。在这里，定义，测试和应用了一种简单的跟踪方法，该方法使用水平对流和水平散度条件，以在地面降水斑块的周边发射示踪剂。然后将示踪剂可靠地运输到阵风前部，产生标记CP边界的封闭带。该方法从而允许动态的分析也沿着阵风锋面，可以识别明显上升气流的点状位点。该跟踪对于单个理想CP而言效果很好，并且可以在中纬度昼夜周期中可靠地跟踪CP的数量。由于该方法将CPs及其示踪剂唯一链接到特定的母体沉淀池，因此对于分析不断变化的CP种群中的相互作用可能很有用。