Collaborative Research: Instabilities, Dynamics, and Energetics accompanying Atmospheric Layering (IDEAL)

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The vertical structure of the free atmosphere under stable conditions from very low altitudes into the stratosphere and above is often characterized by thin, strongly stable, non-turbulent "sheets" separated by thicker, more weakly stratified, and often turbulent "layers". The occurrence and morphology of "sheet-and-layer" (S&L) structures in the free atmosphere are believed to be governed by larger-scale wind shears, gravity waves (GWs) at various frequencies, local S&L instability dynamics, turbulence and mixing, and their interactions.S&L structures have been known for several decades to play important roles in optical and radiowave propagation and in transport and mixing of heat, momentum, and constituents. There is also evidence that these small-scale flow features can have important implications for larger-scale dynamics, including instabilities and momentum transport accompanying GWs propagating to higher altitudes. However, little progress has been made in understanding the underlying dynamics or addressing the roles of instabilities and turbulence, the interactions among them, or the consequences of these flows for transport and mixing. In particular, the sources, morphologies, and statistics of intermittent turbulence events in stable stratification, and their dependence on environmental conditions remain to be defined observationally (e.g., instability character and statistics of S&L thicknesses, turbulence structure parameters and scales, and mechanical and thermal energy dissipation rates).Our lack of understanding of these dynamics to date can largely be attributed to observational and computational challenges in capturing the relevant atmospheric structures and dynamics with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution. The research program IDEAL, Instabilities, Dynamics, and Energetics accompanying Atmospheric Layering will conduct ground-based and in-situ measurements and associated modeling combined to quantify these processes and provide key insights into S&L dynamics and effects throughout the stratified atmosphere. The IDEAL will perform measurements either at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) in Utah or at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center (CG) in Wyoming, where restricted airspace is already assured.Intellectual Merit:For the first time, the dynamics underlying ubiquitous S&L structures in the free troposphere will be observed with multiple, coordinated, high-resolution, in-situ sensors together with the integrated sounding radar profiler and radiosondes from ~50 m to 4 km. Guidance and interpretation of the observations will be aided by high-resolution DNS, enabling identification of key dynamics and evaluation of theories and models of stratified turbulence, mixing, and transport.Broader Impacts:A more quantitative understanding of S&L dynamics in the stably stratified atmosphere will contribute to parameterization of their implications for transport and mixing and improve predictive capabilities of relevance to many research communities. These include applications as diverse as pollution and fugitive emission impacts, micro-climate forecasting, and aviation safety. The project will train two graduate students in state-of-the-art studies in atmospheric science, aerospace engineering, and computational fluid dynamics. Measurement technologies and techniques developed in this work will benefit future field research campaigns and regulatory compliance mandates.