An Observational Study of the Kinematic and Microphysical Control of Lightning Properties over Alabama During Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3)

将于2012年5月至6月开展的深对流云和化学(DC3)野外活动是一项多区域、多平台的工作，旨在确定中纬度大陆深对流云及其内在的动力、物理和电化过程对对流层高层组成和化学的影响。该奖项将支持美国东南部的重点测量，但这项研究将与其他专注于科罗拉多州前沿地区以及俄克拉荷马州和德克萨斯州南部平原地区的深对流云-化学相互作用的研究密切合作，从而能够表征这些不同地区的对流行为和背景化学的对比模式。对这一特别努力的支持将促进数据的收集和分析，包括：以阿拉巴马州北部为中心的地面极化多普勒雷达观测、移动探测和总闪电测绘阵列观测。这些观测将与为DC3特别配备仪器的飞机(包括NSF/NCAR GV高空喷气式飞机和NASA DC-8飞机)的飞越协调进行。这项研究的智力优势在于全面描述对流运动，这些对流运动负责将水物质和化学成分从边界层快速输送到对流层-平流层界面，以及必要的微物理相互作用，关键的云带电和随后产生氮氧化物。更广泛的影响将通过研究生教育和以媒体为基础的公共和地方学校宣传相结合来产生，并最终通过在存在自然和人为排放的情况下更好地了解深层大气对流对地球大气化学成分的影响而产生。

The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign to be conducted May-June 2012 is a multi-regional, multi-platform effort to determine the impact of deep midlatitude continental convective clouds and their intrinsic dynamical, physical, and electrification processes upon upper tropospheric composition and chemistry. This award will support focused measurements in the Southeastern U.S., but this research will be conducted in close coordination with other studies focused on deep convective cloud-chemistry interactions along the Front Range of Colorado and across the Southern Plains region of Oklahoma and Texas, allowing characterization of contrasting modes of convective behavior and background chemistry across these diverse regions. Support of this particular effort will facilitate collection and analysis of data including: ground-based polarimetric Doppler radar observations, mobile soundings, and total lightning mapping array observations centered on northern Alabama. These observations will be performed in coordination with overflight of aircraft especially instrumented for DC3 including the NSF/NCAR GV high-altitude jet and NASA DC-8 aircraft.The intellectual merit of this research rests on comprehensive description of convective motions responsible for rapid transport of water substance and chemical constituents from the boundary layer up to the troposphere-stratosphere interface, as well as requisite microphysical interactions key cloud electrification and subsequent production of nitrogen oxides. Broader impacts will come through graduate student education and a combination of media-based public and local school outreach, and ultimately through improved knowledge of the influence of deep atmospheric convection on the chemical composition of earth's atmosphere in the presence of natural and anthropogenic emissions.