Gravity Waves above Deep Convective Storms: Dynamics and Impacts

该项目将研究对流风暴上方重力波的特征及其与相关降水的精细尺度时空变化的关系，其最终目标是通过对流产生的重力波对大气环流的影响，提高对其对全球气候影响的认识。在全球模式中，重力波驱动平流层的环流变化，从而影响气候，特别是在季节和区域尺度上。将利用一系列工具，包括全物理云分辨天气研究模型以及更简单的一维波传播模型（参数化）。经过观测验证的云分辨模式的结果将被提炼成简化的关系，并与气候模式内当前的物理过程参数化联系起来。这项工作的具体目标将包括：预测对流产生的波浪将在哪里传播、破裂和驱动风的变化；利用密集的降水雷达观测网络和经过验证的天气模式研究，估算美国大陆对流产生的波谱的日变化和季节变化；测试和改进由对流产生的这些波的最先进的参数化；对气候模式运行的评估表明有所改进。这项工作的更广泛影响将包括培养一名从事动态气象学或相关大气/气候科学研究的女研究生，以及通过提高对雷暴产生的重力波和相关晴空湍流以及更广泛的天气和气候模式的预测的理解和潜力，对人类安全的潜在好处。

This project will examine characteristics of gravity waves above convective storms and their relationships to fine-scale spatial and temporal variations in associated precipitation, with an ultimate goal of improved understanding of the effects of gravity waves generated by convection upon global climate via their influence on the general atmospheric circulation. In global models, gravity waves drive circulation changes in the stratosphere that can affect climate, particularly on seasonal and regional scales. A hierarchy of tools will be utilized, including full-physics cloud-resolving weather research models as well as simpler one-dimensional wave propagation models (parameterizations). Results from the observationally-validated cloud-resolving models will be distilled to simplified relationships and linked to current physical process parameterizations within climate models. Specific objectives of the effort will include: Prediction of where convectively-generated waves will propagate, break, and drive changes in the wind; estimation of diurnal and seasonal variations in the spectrum of waves generated by convection over the continental U.S. by utilizing the dense network of precipitation radar observations and validated weather model studies; testing and improving a state-of-the-art parameterization of these waves generated by convection; and evaluations of indicated improvements in climate model runs. Broader impacts of this effort will include training of a female graduate student for a research career in dynamic meteorology or related atmospheric/climate science, as well as potential benefits to human safety via improved understanding and potential for improved prediction of thunderstorm-generated gravity waves and associated clear-air turbulence as well as broader weather and climate patterns.