EAPSI: Lake-Effect Precipitation Processes Over Hokkaido Island, Japan

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Lake-, sea-, and ocean-effect (hereafter referred to as lake-effect) snowstorms occur downstream of large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes of North America and the Sea of Japan. These highly localized storms can bring heavy snowfall to urban and rural areas, impacting local transportation, utilities, education, and commerce. Weather forecasters and weather prediction models currently struggle with accurately predicting the magnitude, timing, and spatial distribution of this heavy snowfall. An improved understanding of precipitation processes in lake-effect storms is imperative to improving forecast skill during these events. This study will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Yasushi Fujiyoshi, a noted expert on lake-effect snowfall, at the Institute for Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University. The island of Hokkaido receives much of its annual snowfall from lake-effect events, and this study will involve the analysis of a lake-effect event that impacted Hokkaido Island during winter 2013-2014 using both observational data and simulations of the storm.The magnitude, timing, and spatial distribution of lake-effect snowfall is strongly influenced& by the spatial and temporal patterns of observed hydrometeor types and the degree of riming within the storm. Using observational data such as atmospheric soundings, surface snow crystal observations, dual-polarization radar, and satellite imagery, as well as numerical model simulations, this research will examine the precipitation structures and hydrometeor-type distributions within a lake-effect storm affecting Hokkaido Island and will explore how these factors affect the intensity, timing, and distribution of lake-effect precipitation over the Sea of Japan. Analysis of lake-effect events from Lake Ontario, New York, and the Great Salt Lake, Utah, which are smaller bodies of water, will also be incorporated into a comparison of the relevant microphysical processes in order to advance our understanding of this phenomenon across many scales and geographical locations. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.