Measurement and Predictability of Local Convective Rainfall

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This study addresses measurement of local convective surface rainfall and attendant surface and boundary layer atmospheric variables, on the creation of a prototype database for fundamental studies on rainfall properties and dynamics, and on the determination of predictability properties of local surface convective rainfall. The significance for hydrology is that the study will: (1) enhance the hydrologic database of rainfall and other storm data with very-fine resolution data with beneficial consequences for studies on the statistical and dynamical properties of surface rainfall and its extremes, (2) assess the fundamental dynamical and microphysical mechanisms at work during the occurrence of heavy surface rainfall with beneficial consequences for efforts devoted to dynamical parameterizations, (3) provide predictability measures that would be very beneficial for hydrologic studies of hazardous flood events. A host of specially calibrated instruments for surface meteorological measurements, including very sensitive optical raingauges and a phased array wind profiler will be used for measurement of convective events in three locations in Iowa City, Iowa during four spring and summer months of each of the two project years. The quality-controlled data will be used to create a prototype database that would be made available (together with documentation) to the scientific community for fundamental studies. The data will also be used to aid in the formulation of mathematical models of heavy rainfall that are physics-based and consistent with the observed temporal features of the process and that could be used to assess the predictability properties of local surface rainfall.//