SGER: Infrared Thermographic Evaluation of Tornadic Convective Systems

虽然在过去几年里，人们在了解龙卷风的形成和消散方面取得了很大进展，但控制龙卷风形成和消亡的确切因素仍不清楚。 最近使用移动的多普勒雷达进行的研究揭示了许多关于龙卷风和龙卷风雷暴的结构。 然而，许多形成/消散理论需要了解龙卷风内部和附近的详细热结构，而多普勒雷达不太适合提供这方面的信息。在这项探索性研究小额资助计划中，辐射成像设备将用于绘制强对流风暴和龙卷风冷凝漏斗中云底的温度场。 该项目将与国家科学基金会资助的另一个项目（ATM-0241037）一起进行，其中一个主要目标是使用移动的多普勒雷达研究龙卷风的形成和对流风暴中的龙卷风。 预计风暴主要上升气流区域附近云底的温度场可能包含龙卷风是否会随之形成的线索。 该项目是首次尝试使用地面移动的平台远程感测强对流风暴云底的热力学信息。 如果该项目成功，未来的实地实验可能会增加对龙卷风成因的了解，并提高龙卷风预报的技能。 后者可能导致龙卷风造成的伤亡减少。

While much progress has been made over the last several years in understanding tornado genesis and dissipation, the exact factors that control the formation and demise of tornadoes is not known. Recent research using mobile Doppler radars has revealed much about the structure of tornadoes and tornadic thunderstorms. Many formation/dissipation theories, however, require an understanding of detailed thermal structure in and near the tornado and Doppler radars are not well suited to provide this information.In this Small Grant for Exploratory Research, radiometric imaging equipment will be used to map the temperature field at cloud base in severe convective storms and in tornado condensation funnels. The project will be conducted in conjunction with another NSF-funded project (ATM-0241037), in which one of the main objectives is to use mobile Doppler radars to study tornado formation and tornadoes in convective storms. It is anticipated that the temperature field at cloud base near the storms' main updraft region may contain clues as to whether or not tornado formation may ensue. This project represents the first attempt to sense remotely, thermodynamic information at cloud base in severe convective storms, using a ground-based mobile platform. If the project is successful, future field experiments could lead to an increased understanding of tornado genesis and an increase in skill in tornado forecasting. The latter could lead to a decrease in deaths and injuries from tornadoes.