Measurement and Anaylsis of Vertical Profiles of the Electric Field in Severe Storms During STEPS

计划于2000年初夏在堪萨斯西部进行的强雷暴带电和降水研究实地项目（STEPS）将利用飞机、雷达和其他观测系统对雷暴及其周围地区进行广泛的观测。 作为STEPS的一部分，MacGorman博士和他的合作PI大卫鲁斯特博士将发射气球，这些气球配备了测量和传输回地面的温度，风速和方向，以及当气球通过雷暴上升时的电场强度。 研究的目的是：（1）研究闪电的成因与不同类型强风暴的电荷分布的关系;（2）确定相对罕见的带正电荷的云地闪电是否与冰雹的产生有关，并可作为风暴强度的指标;（3）确定雷暴的电结构与雷暴中的空气运动和降水的关系。 数据分析将与NSF支持的其他STEPS项目密切协调，包括新墨西哥州技术闪电测绘仪（ATM-9912073），CHILL雷达（ATM-9912051和-9982030）和南达科他州装甲T-28飞机（ATM-9981175）。

The Severe Thunderstorm Electrification and Precipitation Study field program (STEPS), planned for the early summer of 2000 in western Kansas, will provide a wide range of observations in and around thunderstorms using aircraft, radar, and other observing systems. As part of STEPS, Dr. MacGorman and his Co-PI Dr. David Rust will launch balloons that are equipped to measure and transmit back to ground the temperature, wind speed and direction, and electric field strength as the balloons ascend through thunderstorms. Objectives of the research are (1) to examine the genesis of lightning flashes relative to the charge distribution of different types of severe storms; (2) to ascertain whether the relatively infrequent occurrence of positively charged cloud-to-ground lightning is associated with hail production and may be used as an indicator of storm severity; (3) to determine the electrical structure of thunderstorms in relation to the air motions and precipitation in the storms. Analysis of the data will be closely coordinated with other NSF-supported STEPS projects, including the New Mexico Tech lightning mapper (ATM-9912073), the CHILL radar (ATM-9912051 and -9982030), and the South Dakota armored T-28 airplane (ATM-9981175).