Studies of Severe Convective Storms and Tornadoes Using Mobile Doppler Radar Data

使用移动多普勒雷达数据研究强对流风暴和龙卷风

• 批准号: 0934307
• 负责人: Howard Bluestein
• 金额: $ 76.12万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-06-15 至 2014-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0934307&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Studies; Severe; Convective; Storms; Tornadoes

Severe thunderstorms and the tornadoes they spawn produce significant loss of life and property across the U.S. This research, which will support involvement of the lead investigator and his students in VORTEX2 (the Verification of the Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment, Phase 2) and follow-on analysis of data both previously and yet to be collected, will employ unique mobile X- and W-band Doppler radar measurements describing both tornadic and non-tornadic thunderstorms. Of special interest are polarimetric measurements made in supercells combined with rapid-scan (i.e., rapidly repeated) volumetric radar descriptions of tornadic supercells. The former will provide 3-D descriptions of hydrometeor distributions in these storms, which are necessary for a full understanding of storm thermodynamics and dynamics while the latter will illuminate rapidly evolving and recurrent storm features. Tandem numerical experiments will ingest these measurements into a state-of-the-art cloud model in order to obtain improved estimates of atmospheric variables not directly measured by radar (such as air temperature, moisture content and vertical velocity within storm updrafts/downdrafts). This project will also support collection and analysis of data from the first rapid-scan polarimetric X-band mobile Doppler radar utilized in the study of severe thunderstorms, whose development was previously supported by NSF.The Intellectual Merit of this work derives from obtaining a more complete understanding of severe thunderstorms, the tornadoes they produce, and detailed dynamical relationships between the two.Broader Impacts will be immediately realized through training of graduate students involved in data collection and analysis, and through the PI's involvement in undergraduate education and dissemination of result both through formal publications and various media outlets. Ultimately, this work may have societal benefits through improved numerical forecasts and more timely public warnings. Benefits will also accrue through critical evaluation and resulting improvement of cutting-edge mobile radar technologies.

强烈的雷暴和它们所产生的龙卷风在美国各地造成了重大的生命和财产损失。这项研究将支持首席研究员和他的学生参与VORTEX 2（验证龙卷风实验中的旋转，第2阶段）以及对以前和尚未收集的数据的后续分析，将采用独特的移动的X和W波段多普勒雷达测量，描述龙卷风和非龙卷风雷暴。 特别感兴趣的是在超级单元中进行的偏振测量与快速扫描（即，快速重复的）龙卷风超级单体的体积雷达描述。 前者将提供这些风暴中水凝物分布的三维描述，这对于充分了解风暴热力学和动力学是必要的，而后者将阐明快速演变和经常性的风暴特征。 串联数值试验将把这些测量结果纳入最先进的云模型，以获得对雷达未直接测量的大气变量（如风暴上升气流/下降气流中的空气温度、含水量和垂直速度）的更好估计。 该项目还将支持收集和分析第一台用于研究严重雷暴的快速扫描偏振X波段移动的多普勒雷达的数据，该雷达的开发以前得到了国家科学基金会的支持。更广泛的影响将通过培训参与数据收集和分析的研究生立即实现，以及通过PI参与本科教育和通过正式出版物和各种媒体渠道传播结果。 最终，这项工作可能会通过改进数值预报和更及时的公共警报产生社会效益。 通过对最先进的移动的雷达技术进行严格的评估和改进，也将产生效益。