RUI: Heavy Precipitation Over Eastern North America: Synoptic Climatology and Associated Diabatic Feedbacks

9707443拉克曼，这个项目的最终目标是深入了解强降水事件之前和伴随的大尺度大气流动模式。HPE在这里被定义为降雨量超过平均24小时季节性总降雨量两个标准差的事件。如果能够确定与这类事件相关的特征流动模式，就可能获得关于非绝热加热和降水过程以及所涉及的反馈的新的见解。这些信息反过来可以作为数值预报模式中更好的物理参数的基础。首席调查员对加拿大西部地区的HPE进行了初步研究，取得了一些有希望的结果。这项研究将考察美国东北部的HPE，主要是在寒冷的季节。他的分析将涉及从准地转势涡度角度诊断的这些事件的合成和案例研究，并将检验水汽输送在HPE演变中的作用。该奖项是NSF本科生机构研究活动的一部分。拉克曼博士将让几名本科生直接参与他的研究。

9707443 Lackmann The ultimate goal of this project is to gain insights into the large-scale atmospheric flow patterns that precede and accompany heavy precipitation events (HPE). HPE's are here defined as those events where precipitation exceeds the average 24 hour seasonal rainfall totals by two standard deviations. If characteristic flow patterns associated with such events can be identified , new insights about the diabatic heating and precipitation processes and feedbacks involved may be obtained. This information, in turn, could serve as the basis for better parameterization of the physics in numerical forecast models. The principal investigator has obtained some promising results with a preliminary study of HPE's over western Canada. This study will examine HPE's in the northeastern part of the U.S., principally in the cold season. His analyses will involve both composite and case studies of these events diagnosed from a quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity perspective and will examine the role of moisture transports in the evolution of HPE's. This award is part of NSF's Research in Undergraduate Institutions activity. Dr. Lackmann will involve several undergraduates directly in his research.