Environmental Causes Of Tropical Cyclone Size and Structure Change

热带气旋大小和结构变化的环境原因

• 批准号: 1342049
• 负责人: Elizabeth Ritchie
• 金额: $ 35.37万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-12-01 至 2017-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1342049&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Environmental; Causes; Tropical; Cyclone; Size

This project aims to improve basic understanding of the physical mechanisms associated with size and structure changes of a tropical cyclone (TC) due to interaction with its environment. Through a two-tiered approach using reanalysis datasets and numerical simulations, the fundamental physical mechanisms associated with TC size and structure change (expansion/contraction) will be investigated. Improved understanding of the physical processes associated with TC size/structure change is essential to better predict their future impacts.Intellectual Merit :This project will improve understanding of fundamental processes in the environment that produce TC size and structure change. TC size and outer wind structure determine the total area of landfall impact through radius of damaging winds, storm surge, and extent of rainfall. A better understanding of how TC size and outer wind strength is modified by the environment will result in better anticipation of these downstream impacts and, ultimately, better evacuation planning. These gains in knowledge will be achieved through a combined observational and numerical simulation study. The relationships between size/structure change and a number of environmental parameters will be explored using reanalysis data. Then, through examination of a series of initial-value and time varying, full-physics simulations utilizing a very fine mesh and explicit moist physics, the basic physical mechanisms that govern size and structure change from environmental forcing will be established.Broader Impacts :There are several areas of broader impact that will be addressed in the course of the work. The University of Arizona (UA) is committed institutionally to the research-based education of the next generation of scientists. Towards that end, this project will support early career development of a Postdoctoral Scholar and the education of a graduate student in a STEM discipline. The PI has a strong record of graduate and undergraduate student support and a demonstrated history of fostering graduate research, especially for women and other underrepresented groups.We also target elementary school education via a program called "Adopt-A-School" (AAS). The vision of AAS is to partner a single elementary school with a group of UA personnel to create a close, long-term relationship designed to strengthen STEM education at the elementary level with disadvantaged communities. Hollinger Elementary is a bilingual Title 1 school with a population that is over 90% Hispanic. This school year we have over 15 mentors working in 16 classrooms at all grade levels. Our goal is to provide role models and broaden the vision of these children so that they too dream of going to College. Graduate students working with the PI are mentors in these classrooms and the results gained during the course of this research are communicated to these children as part of enabling and enhancing the STEM education. Weather in general and TCs in particular, provide a source of information for STEM learning that excites the children.Finally, this award has the potential to significantly impact society as a whole. Forecasting of TC activity in general, and structure change specifically, is a problem that affects everyday people globally. Improvement of the understanding of large-scale patterns associated with significant structure change that contribute to forecasting ability is of great importance to our science. The ability to adequately forecast size and structure change, which impacts evacuation planning, wave setup and storm surge, has the potential to improve evacuation planning and disaster remediation. This project truly has the potential to have an impact far beyond the scientific community.

本项目旨在增进对热带气旋(TC)与其环境相互作用引起的大小和结构变化的物理机制的基本了解。通过使用再分析数据集和数值模拟的两层方法，将研究与TC大小和结构变化(膨胀/收缩)相关的基本物理机制。更好地理解与TC大小/结构变化相关的物理过程对于更好地预测其未来影响至关重要。智力优势：该项目将提高对环境中产生TC大小和结构变化的基本过程的理解。热带气旋的大小和外部风结构通过破坏性风半径、风暴潮和降雨范围决定了登陆影响的总面积。更好地了解热带气旋大小和外部风力强度是如何被环境改变的，将导致更好地预测这些下游影响，并最终更好地制定疏散规划。这些知识的增长将通过观测和数值模拟相结合的研究来实现。将利用再分析数据探索尺寸/结构变化与一些环境参数之间的关系。然后，通过利用非常精细的网格和显式潮湿物理对一系列初值和时变的全物理模拟进行检查，将建立支配环境强迫引起的尺寸和结构变化的基本物理机制。更广泛的影响：在工作过程中将解决几个更广泛的影响领域。亚利桑那大学(UA)在制度上致力于下一代科学家的研究型教育。为此，该项目将支持博士后学者的早期职业发展和STEM学科研究生的教育。该协会在研究生和本科生支持方面有着良好的记录，并在培养研究生研究方面有良好的历史，特别是对女性和其他代表性不足的群体。我们还通过一项名为“领养学校”(AAS)的计划瞄准小学教育。AAS的愿景是将一所小学与一群UA人员合作，建立一种密切的、长期的关系，旨在加强与弱势社区的小学STEM教育。霍林格小学是一所双语学校，拥有超过90%的西班牙裔人口。本学年，我们有超过15名导师在所有年级的16个教室工作。我们的目标是为这些孩子提供榜样，开阔他们的视野，让他们也梦想上大学。与PI合作的研究生是这些课堂上的导师，在本研究过程中获得的结果被传达给这些孩子，作为支持和加强STEM教育的一部分。天气，特别是TCS，为STEM学习提供了一个信息来源，让孩子们感到兴奋。最后，这个奖项有可能对整个社会产生重大影响。对TC活动的总体预测，特别是结构变化的预测，是一个影响全球日常生活的问题。提高对与重大结构变化相关的大尺度模式的理解，有助于提高预测能力，对我们的科学非常重要。能够充分预测影响疏散规划、波浪设置和风暴潮的大小和结构变化，有可能改进疏散规划和灾难补救。这个项目确实有可能产生远远超出科学界的影响。