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小尺度时空变化的关系，最终目标是更好地了解对流产生的重力波通过影响大气环流对全球气候的影响。 在全球模式中，重力波驱动平流层的环流变化，这可能影响气候，特别是在季节和区域尺度上。 将使用一系列工具，包括全物理云解析天气研究模型以及更简单的一维波传播模型（参数化）。 观测验证的云解析模型的结果将被提炼为简化的关系，并与气候模型中当前的物理过程参数化相关联。 这项工作的具体目标将包括：预测对流产生的波浪将在何处传播、破裂和驱动风的变化;利用密集的降水雷达观测网络和经验证的天气模型研究，估计美国大陆上空对流产生的波浪频谱的日变化和季节变化;测试和改进对流产生的这些波的最新参数化;以及评价气候模式运行中所显示的改进。 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晴空湍流以及更广泛的天气和气候模式的理解和改进预测的潜力，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.