Formative Dynamics of Mammatus Clouds in Thunderstorm Cirrus

雷暴砧状的乳状云是大气中最具视觉特色的云之一。尽管它们的外表经常引人注目，但它们通常被认为是一种良性的对流形式。它们很少被研究，除了偶尔由于一些偶然的观察而作为题外话。因此，人们对它们的形成动力或它们的物理特征的原因知之甚少。如果我们要理解这些神秘的云现象，这些仍然需要解释。乳状云可能是最后一种云的形成尚未被理解。在这项工作中，将使用观测到的和理想化的探测数据对乳状云进行数值模拟，以初始化一个高分辨率（25-50米）的三维LES模型，该模型采用双矩（预测混合比例和数量浓度）和bin参数化的微物理过程。这些模拟将是雷暴卷云和亚云层环境的代表，以便更好地了解哪些动力和物理过程可能对乳状云的形成、组织、形状和可能的微物理结构负责。此外，对乳状云的研究将提高我们对对流的总体理解，包括云沉降和其他不稳定性。以及大气中对流所涉及的基本流体动力学和热力学过程。此外，关于卷云顶的动力学研究结果也可能对雷暴卷云研究的相关主题产生影响，例如在母风暴衰减后这些云层的长期维持。一名女性研究科学家参与了这项工作，这将有助于保留和提高妇女在科学领域的地位，并促进劳动力的多样性。此外，将支持学生进行硕士学位的研究，学生的选择基于与研究需要相称的优点和才能。如果有可能，被选中的学生将从开放大学气象学院的申请人中代表性不足的群体中选择一个。最后，将在当地为K-12年级的学生提供讲座，讲解云类型和云研究的科学。一个承认美国国家科学基金会的网页将被开发和设计，以向广大受众传播有关乳腺云的新知识。

Thunderstorm anvil mammatus are some of the most visually distinctive clouds in our atmosphere. Despite their often dramatic appearance, they generally are considered to be a benign form of convection. They are infrequently studied, except occasionally as an aside owing to some serendipitous observations. Thus, very little is actually known about their formative dynamics or the reasons for their physical characteristics. These still need to be explained if we are to understand these enigmatic cloud phenomena. Mammatus clouds are perhaps the last cloud form whose formation is yet to be understood.In this work mammatus-like clouds will be simulated numerically using observed and idealized soundings to initialize a high resolution (25-50 m) three-dimensional LES model that employs both two-moment (predicts mixing ratio and number concentration) and bin parameterizations of microphysical processes. These simulations will be representative of environments of thunderstorm cirrus and sub-cloud layers in order to attempt to better understand what dynamical and physical processes may be responsible for mammatus formation, organization, shape, and possibly microphysical structure..In addition, this research into mammatus will improve our understanding of convection in general, including cloud detrainment and other instabilities, and the basic fluid dynamic and thermodynamic processes involved in convection in our atmosphere. Moreover, the results regarding the dynamics of cirrus anvils may also have an impact on related topics in thunderstorm cirrus research, such as the long-term maintenance of these cloud layers long after the parent storm has decayed.A female research scientist is involved in this work, which will facilitate the retention and advancement of women in science, and promote diversity in the workforce. In addition a student will be supported to conduct research toward an MS degree, with student selection based on merit and talent commensurate with the needs for this research. If at all possible the chosen student will be one from an underrepresented group in the pool of applicants at OU School of Meteorology. Finally, talks will be offered locally, for grade groups ranging from K-12, which explain the science of cloud types and cloud research. A webpage acknowledging the NSF will be developed and designed to communicate new knowledge about mammatus clouds to a wide audience.