Collaborative Research: Study of the Genesis, Evolution, Structure, and Dynamic Climatology of Tornadoes and Their Environments

目前对龙卷风科学几个领域的理解水平无法为一些基本问题提供答案。关于龙卷风的大小、强度或结构的真实分布的基本答案是难以捉摸的。当地环境对龙卷风强度的影响、发生、生长、增强和消散的发生和时间的决定因素以及发生的模式在很大程度上是未知的，关于垂直风场结构、近地破坏性风的演变和结构以及亚龙卷风尺度涡的细节也是未知的。其中许多问题并不新鲜；然而，由于目前可获得高质量、高分辨率的数据集，有可能以更严格的方式解决这些问题。多普勒车轮（DOW）移动雷达收集了近年来几次龙卷风的详细数据集。这些数据集代表了独特而有价值的信息宝库，对这些信息的分析可以应用于促进对与龙卷风有关的广泛基本过程的理解。对1995-2003年“龙卷风旋转起源验证试验”（VORTEX）和“龙卷风和雷暴雷达观测试验”（ROTATE）收集的DOWs资料进行分析，并结合其他雷达和现场观测资料，研究龙卷风及其环境的发生、演变、结构和气候学。VORTEX和ROTATE野外活动获得了前所未有的高质量数据。通过在距离龙卷风中心0.17-15公里的范围内仔细部署雷达，以非常精细的分辨率获得数据，交叉和沿波束数据间距分别为3 - 250米和12-75米。这些观测是在龙卷风演变的不同阶段获得的，为统计和气候学分析提供了广泛的样本。在感兴趣的深度上，快速扫描功能和精心选择的体积覆盖模式允许从二维13秒、有限三维20秒到深三维50秒的时间分辨率。通过精心设计的扫描策略，在几个实例中实现了捕获龙卷风形成的部署，其中包括双多普勒部署，以及对已有龙卷风的几次双多普勒部署。不同的数据集将用于探索现象的特定方面。详细的双多普勒和单多普勒分析将在特定情况下进行，以评估龙卷风结构、演变和起源的概念、数值和实验室模型。为了发展龙卷风基本结构和动力的气候学，将对大范围的龙卷风数据集进行分析。将对大型龙卷风的高分辨率体积数据集进行单多普勒检索。DOW雷达和其他数据将用于研究龙卷风在不同环境下的演变和结构，以及它们对这些环境的影响。对上述龙卷风形成、结构、环境依赖性、气候学和其他问题的深入了解，将对探测、预警和预测这些严重事件的能力产生广泛的影响，并减少随后的人员伤亡。

Current level of understanding in several areas of tornado science fails to provide answers to some fundamental questions. Basic answers concerning the true distribution of sizes, intensities, or structures of tornadoes are elusive. The influence of the local environment on tornado intensity, the determining factors for the occurrence and timing of genesis, growth, intensification, and dissipation, as well as the modes of genesis are largely unknown, as are details concerning vertical wind field structure, the evolution and structure of damaging winds near the ground, and sub-tornado-scale vortices. Many of these questions are not new; however, due to the current availability of high quality, high-resolution data sets, it is possible to address these questions in a more rigorous manner. The Doppler On Wheels (DOW) mobile radars have collected detailed data sets of several tornadoes in recent years. These data sets represent a treasure trove of unique and valuable information, the analysis of which can be applied to advance understanding of a broad range of fundamental processes related to tornadoes. Data collected using the DOWs during 1995-2003 in the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX) and the Radar Observations of Tornadoes and Thunderstorms Experiment (ROTATE) will be analyzed, some in conjunction with other radar and in situ observations, to study the genesis, evolution, structure, and climatology of tornadoes and their environments. The VORTEX and ROTATE field campaigns yielded data with unprecedented quality. Through careful radar deployments at ranges of 0.17-15 km from tornado centers, data were obtained at very fine resolution, with cross and along beam data spacing of from 3 - 250 m and 12-75 m, respectively. These observations were obtained during various stages of tornado evolution for 60 tornadoes, providing a broad sample for statistical and climatological analysis. Fast scanning capabilities and carefully selected volume coverage patterns over the depth of interest allowed for temporal resolutions from 13 s in two dimensions, 20 s in limited three dimensional, to 50 s in deep three dimensional volumes. Using carefully designed scanning strategies, deployments capturing tornadogenesis were achieved in several instances, including one with dual-Doppler, in addition to several dual-Doppler deployments on pre-existing tornadoes. Different data sets will be used to explore specific aspects of the phenomena. Detailed dual-Doppler and single-Doppler analyses will be conducted on particular cases in order to evaluate conceptual, numerical, and laboratory models of tornado structure, evolution, and genesis. An analysis of the broad range of tornado data sets will be undertaken in order to develop a climatology of basic tornado structures and dynamics. Single-Doppler retrievals will be conducted on high-resolution volumetric data sets in large tornadoes. DOW radar and other data will be used to study the evolution and structure of tornadoes in varying environments, and their effect on those environments. A greater understanding of tornadogenesis, structure, environmental dependencies, climatology, and other issues described above will have a broad impact on the ability to detect, warn, and forecast these severe events and reduce subsequent casualties.