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未能提供一些基本问题的答案。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，龙卷风发生、发展、加强和消散的决定因素，以及龙卷风的发生、发展、加强和消散的方式，以及垂直风场结构、地面附近破坏性风的演变和结构以及次龙卷风尺度涡旋的细节，在很大程度上是未知的。这些问题中的许多都不是新问题；然而，由于目前有高质量、高分辨率的数据集，有可能以更严格的方式解决这些问题。轮上多普勒(DOW)移动雷达收集了近年来几次龙卷风的详细数据集。这些数据集是一个独特和有价值的信息宝库，对这些信息的分析可用于增进对与龙卷风有关的广泛基本过程的了解。将分析1995-2003年在验证龙卷风旋转起源实验(涡旋)和龙卷风和雷暴实验的雷达观测(ROTATE)中使用DOW收集的数据，其中一些将结合其他雷达和现场观测，以研究龙卷风及其环境的成因、演化、结构和气候学。涡旋和旋转场运动产生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，获得了非常高分辨率的数据，横向和纵向数据间隔分别为3-250米和12-75米。这些观测是在60次龙卷风的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。快速扫描能力和精心选择的感兴趣深度的体积覆盖模式允许时间分辨率，从二维13 S，有限三维S 20，到深度三维体积50 S。使用精心设计的扫描战略，在几个实例中实现了捕获龙卷风发生的部署，其中包括一次使用双多普勒，此外还对先前存在的龙卷风进行了几次双多普勒部署。将使用不同的数据集来探索这些现象的具体方面。为了评估龙卷风结构、演变和成因的概念模型、数值模型和实验室模型，将对特定案例进行详细的双多普勒和单多普勒分析。将对广泛的龙卷风数据集进行分析，以发展基本龙卷风结构和动力学的气候学。将在大龙卷风的高分辨率体积数据集上进行单多普勒反演。陶氏雷达和其他数据将被用来研究龙卷风在不同环境中的演变和结构，以及它们对这些环境的影响。更好地了解龙卷风的发生、结构、环境依赖性、气候学和上述其他问题，将对发现、警告和预测这些严重事件并减少后续伤亡的能力产生广泛影响。

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.