Tropical Storms: A Bridge Between Formation and Intensification

热带风暴：形成与强化之间的桥梁

• 批准号: 1042680
• 负责人: Gary Barnes
• 金额: $ 47.45万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-04-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1042680&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Tropical; Storms; Bridge; Between; Formation

Abstract for Barnes/1042680Over the last decade efforts by NOAA and cooperating federal agencies have provided observations during progressively earlier stages of the hurricane life cycle. Tropical storms (TS, which are named systems possessing sustained wind speeds of 17-32 m/s) have thus been more frequently observed via a combination of in-situ airborne sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) dropwindsondes, and airborne conventional and Doppler radar. Existing data archives maintained by NOAA, NASA and the USAF Hurricane Reconnaissance Squadron represent key sources of information for this study, and their further exploitation is offers a desirably economical approach. Persistent uncertainties concerning mechanisms of TS formation and subsequent rapid intensification represent an impediment to more accurate forecasts and warnings; more complete examination of aforementioned datasets may provide insights into TS formation, the subsequent evolution of these warm-core storms, and ultimately those processes responsible for development of higher-category hurricanes. Detailed atmospheric profiles obtained by arrays of GPS sondes will be objectively combined flight-level and volumetric radar data within 200 km of the center of developing TS events with a focus on lower tropospheric structures and near-surface storm inflow. Serial reconnaissance flights by the USAF offer desirable temporal resolution (viz. snapshots very 6-12 hours). Global reanalysis datasets will be used to describe the large-scale environment of the storms. Together these fields will reveal further details re: the influence of environmental factors such as the deep layer vertical shear of the horizontal wind and midlevel dry air upon internal storm features including the developing circular eyewall and enclosed eye region, spiral rainbands, and associated energy inputs into the atmospheric boundary layer.The Intellectual Merit of this study rests in attaining more comprehensive descriptions of: reflectivity, kinematic and thermodynamic structures within developing tropical storms; the source of increased equivalent potential temperature near the storm core and its role in the formation process; the disposition of warm, moist low-level inflow directed toward the developing core; and the role of the mesoscale convectively generated vortex in TS development. Competing theories of TS formation (viz. so-called "top-down" or "bottom-up" mechanisms) will be critically evaluated using these previously untapped observations, and conditions differentiating tropical storms that attain hurricane status and those that do not will be explored. Derived fields will serve as a benchmark for detailed numerical simulations of tropical storms.Broader Impacts of this work will be derived through the training of graduate students and the continued development of classes in tropical meteorology offered at the University of Hawaii, by enhancement of a existing partnerships between the University of Hawaii and NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, and ultimately through improved ability to better anticipate hurricane development and issue accurate warnings to the public.

摘要巴恩斯/1042680在过去的十年中，NOAA和合作的联邦机构在飓风生命周期的早期阶段提供了观测结果。 因此，热带风暴（TS，被命名为具有17-32米/秒持续风速的系统）更经常地通过现场机载传感器、全球定位系统（GPS）下投式探空仪和机载常规和多普勒雷达的组合进行观测。 NOAA、NASA和美国空军飓风侦察中队维护的现有数据档案是本研究的关键信息来源，它们的进一步利用提供了一种理想的经济方法。 持续的不确定性的机制TS的形成和随后的快速增强是一个障碍，以更准确的预报和警告，更全面的检查上述数据集可能会提供洞察TS的形成，随后演变的这些暖心风暴，并最终那些过程负责发展的更高类别的飓风。 由GPS探空仪阵列获得的详细大气剖面将客观地结合发展TS事件中心200公里范围内的飞行高度和体积雷达数据，重点关注对流层下部结构和近地面风暴流入。 美国空军的连续侦察飞行提供了理想的时间分辨率（即每6-12小时的快照）。 全球再分析数据集将用于描述风暴的大尺度环境。 这些场的结合将进一步揭示环境因素对风暴内部特征的影响，如水平风和中层干空气的深层垂直切变，包括发展中的圆形眼壁和封闭眼区、螺旋雨带和相关的能量输入到大气边界层。发展中的热带风暴的反射率，运动学和热力学结构;风暴核心附近的等效位温增加的来源及其在形成过程中的作用;温暖，潮湿的低层流入直接向发展中的核心的处置;和TS发展中的中尺度对流产生的涡旋的作用。 竞争理论的TS形成（即所谓的“自上而下”或“自下而上”的机制）将严格评估使用这些以前未开发的观测，并区分热带风暴达到飓风状态和那些不将被探索的条件。 导出的场将作为热带风暴详细数值模拟的基准。这项工作的更广泛影响将通过培训研究生和继续发展夏威夷大学提供的热带气象学课程来得出，通过加强夏威夷大学和NOAA飓风研究部之间的现有伙伴关系，并最终通过提高更好地预测飓风发展和向公众发布准确警报的能力。