The following references are ones that I find particularly insightful or valuable to my understanding of CSI. I also base my recommendations on articles that tend to have a minimum of errors or misinterpretations of CSI, to the best of my ability to understand these issues.

Please send me your comments on my selections, if you are so inclined.

CSI Reference List

These papers are the original works which spurred interest in the concept of CSI.

Emanuel, K. A., 1983a: The Lagrangian parcel dynamics of moist symmetric stability. J. Atmos. Sci., 40, 2368-2376.

Emanuel, K. A., 1983b: On assessing local conditional symmetric instability from atmospheric soundings. Mon. Wea. Rev., 111, 2016-2033.

These books have very good treatments on CSI. Houze's discussion is probably the best overall. Emanuel's tends to be a little thick on theory. Bluestein doesn't distinguish between theta-e and theta-e*. All the books are light on observational discussion.

Emanuel, K. A., 1994: Atmospheric Convection. Oxford University Press, chapter 12.

Houze, R. A. Jr., 1993: Cloud Dynamics. Academic Press, section 2.9.1.

Finding papers on the relevance of CSI to operational forecasting is easy. Finding good papers on the relevance of CSI to operational forecasting is very difficult. The best is by Nicosia and Grumm (1999). Despite a few problems (e.g., two- versus three-dimensional expressions for MPVg), we also recommend Wiesmueller and Zubrick (1998) in this category. Grumm and Nicosia (1997) has a good discussion of the operational implementation of CSI concepts on pages 21-22.

Wiesmueller, J. L., and S. M. Zubrick, 1998: Evaluation and application of conditional symmetric instability, equivalent potential vorticity, and frontogenetical forcing in an operational forecasting environment. Wea. Forecasting, 13, 84-101.

Grumm, R. H., and D. J. Nicosia, 1997: WSR-88D observations of mesoscale precipitation bands over Pennsylvania. Natl. Wea. Dig., 21(3), 10--23.

These three papers are must-read papers. They changed the way I view slantwise convection and our ability to diagnose CSI. In particular, Jascourt et al. (1988) challenges us to consider the implications of what happens when both moist symmetric and moist gravitational instabilities coexist. Seltzer et al. (1985) lists a series of tests to make sure that a particular banded precipitation pattern may be associated with moist symmetric instability. Byrd (1989) notes that many situations where the criteria for moist symmetric instability are met do not have banded precipitation.

Jascourt, S. D, S. S. Lindstrom, C. J. Seman, and D. D. Houghton, 1988: An observation of banded convective development in the presence of weak symmetric stability. Mon. Wea. Rev., 116, 175-191.

Seltzer, M. A., R. E. Passarelli, and K. A. Emanuel, 1985: The possible role of symmetric instability in the formation of precipitation bands. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 2207-2219.

Emanuel, K. A., 1988: Observational evidence of slantwise convective adjustment. Mon. Wea. Rev., 116, 1805-1816.

Reuter, G. W., and M. K. Yau, 1990: Observations of slantwise convective instability in winter cyclones. Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 447-458.

Reuter, G. W., and M. K. Yau, 1993: Assessment of slantwise convection in ERICA cyclones. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 375-386.

Sanders, F., 1986: Frontogenesis and symmetric stability in a major New England snowstorm. Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1847-1862.

Sanders, F., and L. F. Bosart, 1985: Mesoscale structure in the Megalopolitan snowstorm of 11-12 February 1983. Part I: Frontogenetical forcing and symmetric instability. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 1050-1061.

Wolfsberg, D. G., K. A. Emanuel, and R. E. Passarelli, 1986: Band formation in a New England winter storm. Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1552-1569.

Lindstrom and Nordeng (1992) propose adding slantwise convective parameterization to improve quantitative precipitation forecasting. Their results show a dramatic improvement when the slantwise convective parametrization is added! Why no one else has followed their lead continually amazes me. Despite drastically different methodologies, Zhang and Cho (1992) and Seman (1994) produce similar results, addressing the very nature of convection in a baroclinic environment. The two papers by Xu force us to evaluate the nature of the banding in the presence of frontogenesis and CSI. Jones and Thorpe (1992) and Zhang and Cho (1995) investigate the stability of idealized flows to three-dimensional perturbations. Ducrocq (1993) is probably one of the best idealized numerical modeling studies that exist, taking many of the precautionary measures that previous studies fail to do.

Jones, S. C., and A. J. Thorpe, 1992: The three-dimensional nature of 'symmetric' instability. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 118, 227-258.

Lindstrom, S. S., and T. E. Nordeng, 1992: Parameterized slantwise convection in a numerical model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 742-756.

Seman, C. J., 1994: A numerical study of nonlinear nonhydrostatic conditional symmetric instability in a convectively unstable atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1352-1371.

Xu, Q., 1986: Conditional symmetric instability and mesoscale rainbands. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 112, 315-334.

Xu, Q., 1992: Formation and evolution of frontal rainbands and geostrophic potential vorticity anomalies. J. Atmos. Sci., 49, 629-648.

Zhang, D.-L., and H.-R. Cho, 1992: The development of negative moist potential vorticity in the stratiform region of a simulated squall line. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 1322-1341.

Zhang, D.-L., and H.-R. Cho, 1995: Three-dimensional simulation of frontal rainbands and conditional symmetric instability in the Eady-wave model. Tellus, 47A, 45-61.

Thorpe, A. J., and K. A. Emanuel, 1985: Frontogenesis in the presence of small stability to slantwise convection. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 1809-1824.

Xu, Q., 1989a: Extended Sawyer-Eliassen equation for frontal circulations in the presence of small viscous moist symmetric stability. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 2671-2683.

Xu, Q., 1989b: Frontal circulations in the presence of small viscous moist symmetric stability and weak forcing. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 115, 1325-1353.