VORTEX 2: Storm-scale Baroclinity Using Fine-scale Observations and Numerical Models

该奖项是一个多研究人员的努力，被称为在龙卷风实验2（涡2）旋转的起源验证的一个组成部分。 VORTEX 2是VORTEX 1的后续，其现场阶段在1994年和1995年春季进行。 涡1先进的知识龙卷风和非龙卷风风暴的运动学结构，并提供了一些线索，超级单体风暴和龙卷风的演变非常精细的空间尺度异质性的敏感性。 VORTEX 2的研究目标将集中在龙卷风的发生和维持以及龙卷风近场风场的结构上。 正在与国家海洋和大气层管理局联合进行涡动2号试验，它将涉及一个前所未有的固定和移动的设施观测网络，其中包括多普勒雷达、地面和高空观测。 .超级单体雷暴包含潜在的重要热力学和运动学梯度，其中许多被怀疑与低层中气旋生成有关。由于在先前的数值研究中已经解决了虚拟位温的强梯度，风暴尺度斜压性被怀疑在水平涡度的斜压生成中发挥作用，在某些情况下，风暴的主要上升气流可以使水平涡度倾斜和拉伸。虽然相对稀疏的现场观测收集到这一点上的斜压性的问题，这些意见是典型的空间分辨率差，在这个奖项下的研究的智力价值来自新开发的“StickNet”技术，一个阵列的快速部署的地面站的介绍。 这些系统将在第二次涡动期间部署，以便从龙卷风生成和验证/改进风暴尺度数值天气预报模型的角度解决风暴尺度斜压性问题。这些测量将提供前所未有的细节的热力学和运动学量的变化，在接近超级单体中气旋，结合从双多普勒分析和数值模型计算的空气包裹的轨迹，将允许建设的涡度预算进入低层中气旋的空气包裹。StickNet测量还将提供洞察多风暴相互作用的哪些特性有利于龙卷风的形成和龙卷风的维持。StickNet数据还将用于验证数值风暴尺度模型，并为验证和改进现有热力学检索技术方法提供基础。这项研究的广泛影响将以多种方式体现出来。一些研究生和本科生将被用于规划和执行StickNet数据收集。其中一些学生有气象学以外领域的背景（例如，风力工程），因此将有机会扩大他们的知识基础。鉴于德克萨斯理工大学学生群体的典型种族多样性，预计传统上代表性不足的群体，特别是西班牙裔群体，将有充分的机会参加VORTEX 2的StickNet部分。这项研究的最终目标是通过实时观测和短期数值模拟来改进严重雷暴和龙卷风的预报。预报技能的提高对保护生命和财产至关重要。通过在期刊出版物和会议报告中广泛传播研究成果，所有达到的研究目标将在社区产生重大影响。

This award is one component of a mutli-investigator effort known as the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX 2). VORTEX 2 is a follow on to VORTEX 1 whose field phase was conducted during the Spring of 1994 and 1995. The VORTEX 1 advanced knowledge of the kinematic structures of tornadic and nontornadic storms and provided some hints as to the sensitivity of the evolution of supercell storms and tornadogenesis to very fine spatial scale heterogeneity. The VORTEX 2 research objectives will focus on the genesis and maintenance of tornadoes and on the structure of the near wind field of the tornado. The VORTEX 2 is being conducted in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and it will involve an unprecedented observational network of stationary and mobile facilities that include Doppler radars, surface and upper air observations. . Supercell thunderstorms are known to contain potentially significant thermodynamic and kinematic gradients, many of which are suspected to be relevant to low-level mesocyclogenesis. Owing to the strong gradients in virtual potential temperature that have been resolved in prior numerical studies, storm-scale baroclinity is suspected to play a role in the baroclinic generation of horizontal vorticity, which can be tilted and stretched by the principal updraft of the storm in some circumstances. Though the relatively sparse in-situ observations gathered in the field to this point have shed some light on the issue of baroclinity, these observations are typically poor in spatial resolution.The intellectual merit of the research under this award follows from the introduction of newly-developed "StickNet" technology, an array of rapidly-deployable surface stations. These systems will be deployed during VORTEX 2 to address the issue of storm-scale baroclinity both from the standpoint of tornadogenesis and the verification/improvement of storm-scale numerical weather prediction models. These measurements will provide unprecedented detail of variations in thermodynamic and kinematic quantities in close proximity to supercell mesocyclones which, in combination with air parcel trajectories calculated from dual-Doppler analyses and numerical models, will permit the construction of a vorticity budget for air parcels entering the low-level mesocyclone. StickNet measurements will also provide insight into what properties of multi-storm interactions are favorable to tornadogenesis and tornado maintenance. The StickNet data also will be used to validate numerical storm-scale models and also will provide a basis for verification and improvement of existing methods of thermodynamic retrieval techniques. The broader impacts of the study will be felt in a number of ways. A number of graduate and undergraduate students will be utilized in the planning and execution of StickNet data collection. Some of these students have background in fields other than meteorology (e.g., wind engineering), and therefore will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge base. Given the typical ethnic diversity of the student population at Texas Tech University, it is expected that traditionally underrepresented groups, particular those of Hispanic descent, will have full opportunity to participate in the StickNet component of VORTEX2. The ultimate goal of the research is the improvement of severe thunderstorm and tornado forecasts, both through real-time observation and short-term numerical modeling. This increase in forecast skill is of utmost importance for the protection of life and property. Through the broad dissemination of research results in journal publications and conference presentations, all research objectives that are met will have significant impact in the community.