GALE Project Synoptic and Mesoscale Case Studies

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The rapid development and intensification of winter cyclones in coastal regions presents a major weather forecasting problem. Along the East Coast of the United States, the development of cyclonic storms and frontal systems often occurs along the coastal region of the Carolinas. These weather systems may lead to severe weather in the heavily populated Northeast Corridor in the form of freezing rain, heavy snowfall, blizzards and extensive coastal erosion. A complex interaction of cold continental air, warm ocean currents, traveling atmospheric disturbances and local geography all appear to contribute to the rapid development of these systems; however, the processes are not well understood and the phenomena are often poorly forecast. In January-March 1986 a cooperative research project to study winter storms in this region was held by an consortium of universities and Federal agencies. Entitled GALE (Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment), the project was designed to provide detailed information on the role of air-sea interaction, planetary boundary-layer processes and mesoscale meteorological processes. As one of the core investigators of the GALE, the Principal Investigator was instrumental in designing and executing the experiment. Using the specialized data sets collected during the GALE, the Principal Investigator will carry out a number of diagnostic studies. The working scientific hypothesis is that the evolution of mesoscale atmospheric structure over the land and water is influenced by the initial large scale flow and, in turn, feeds back upon and alters the large scale flow during the life cycle of various weather events. The nature and consequences of this interaction between mesoscale and larger scale processes is one of the scientific problems that must be addressed before substantial progress can be made in forecasting of extreme weather events.