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细微空间和时间变化的关系，最终目的是通过对一般大气环流的影响，更好地了解对流产生的重力波对全球气候的影响。在全球模型中，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。将使用一系列工具，包括全物理云分辨率天气研究模型以及更简单的一维波传播模型(参数化)。经过观测验证的云解析模型的结果将被提炼成简化的关系，并与气候模型中当前的物理过程参数相关联。这项工作的具体目标将包括：预测对流产生的波将在哪里传播、破裂并驱动风的变化；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，估计美国大陆对流产生的波谱的日变化和季节变化；测试和改进这些对流产生的波的最新参数化；以及评估气候模式运行中显示的改善。这一努力的更广泛影响将包括培训一名女研究生从事动态气象学或相关大气/气候科学的研究工作，以及通过提高对雷暴产生的重力波和相关的晴空湍流以及更广泛的天气和气候模式的了解和改进预测的潜力，对人类安全可能带来的好处。

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.