RICO - Continuing Research

RICO - 持续研究

• 批准号: 0854954
• 负责人: Robert Rauber
• 金额: $ 80.02万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-10-01 至 2014-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0854954&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RICO; Continuing; Research

The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign was carried out by the Principal Investigators and colleagues within the northeast trade winds of the western Atlantic near the Caribbean Islands of Antigua and Barbuda from November 2004 to January 2005. The objective of RICO was to characterize and understand the properties of trade wind cumulus at all scales, with particular emphasis on precipitation. Precipitation from shallow tropical convection has become a focus of investigation because of its potential to alter marine boundary layer dynamics and cloud organization, modify aerosol distributions and associated direct and indirect climatic effects, and regulate heat and moisture transported into the intertropical convergence zone, which influences the Hadley circulation. Understanding how precipitation forms within shallow tropical convection, and the effects precipitation has on trade wind cloud organization and the thermal, moisture and aerosol properties of the marine boundary layer are the overarching goals of this research.In this new project, research will continue on the outstanding scientific questions regarding trade wind clouds and precipitation that motivated RICO. The scientific approach involves analyses of data collected during RICO, and numerical modeling studies, to test hypotheses developed from earlier data analyses. With the addition of new research involving satellite data, the research crosses all scales relevant to trade wind clouds and addresses many of the key scientific objectives of RICO. The specific goals are to quantify and understand (1) the microphysical and environmental processes influencing the rate of precipitation formation in trade wind cumuli, (2) the mechanisms by which precipitation influences the mesoscale organization of trade wind clouds, (3) the mechanisms by which clouds and precipitation influence the mesoscale substructure of the marine boundary layer, and (4) the impact of clouds and cloud processing on the distribution of aerosols within the marine boundary layer.The intellectual merit of this research is the advancement of knowledge and understanding of cloud, aerosol, and precipitation characteristics in the trade wind region, and the mechanisms that govern their evolution. These problems are central to understanding the role of trade wind clouds in the climate system. The broader impacts of the research will be substantial. It will contribute to the global effort to model trade wind clouds by providing data analyses that will allow direct comparison with models. It will lead to new understanding and discoveries about trade wind cloud systems that will almost certainly translate into improvements in understanding of climate and climate change, as well as tropical weather forecasting. The project provides training for graduate students as well as undergraduate students under the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. The team of graduate students will collaborate with a network of research scientists on and beyond their campus.

2004年11月至2005年1月，主要研究人员及其同事在加勒比海安提瓜和巴布达群岛附近的西大西洋东北信风区进行了海洋积云降雨（RICO）实地研究。RICO的目的是表征和了解信风积云在所有尺度上的特性，特别强调降水。热带浅对流降水具有改变海洋边界层动力学和云组织、改变气溶胶分布和相关的直接和间接气候效应、调节热量和水分输送到热带辐合带从而影响哈德利环流的潜力，因此成为研究的焦点。了解降水如何在热带浅层对流中形成，以及降水对信风云组织和海洋边界层的热、湿度和气溶胶特性的影响是本研究的总体目标。在这个新项目中，将继续研究有关引发RICO的信风云和降水的突出科学问题。科学方法包括对RICO期间收集的数据进行分析，并进行数值模拟研究，以检验从早期数据分析中得出的假设。加上卫星数据的新研究，该研究跨越了与信风云相关的所有尺度，并解决了RICO的许多关键科学目标。具体目标是量化和理解(1)影响信风积云降水形成速率的微物理和环境过程，(2)降水影响信风云中尺度组织的机制，(3)云和降水影响海洋边界层中尺度亚结构的机制，(4)云和云处理对海洋边界层内气溶胶分布的影响。本研究的智力价值在于促进了对信风区云、气溶胶和降水特征的认识和理解，以及控制其演变的机制。这些问题对于理解信风云在气候系统中的作用至关重要。这项研究的广泛影响将是实质性的。它将通过提供可与模型直接比较的数据分析，为全球建立信风云模型做出贡献。它将导致对信风云系统的新的理解和发现，这几乎肯定会转化为对气候和气候变化以及热带天气预报的理解的改进。本项目为本科生科研经历项目下的研究生和本科生提供培训。研究生团队将与校园内外的研究科学家网络合作。