Collaborative Research: Radar Observations of Convective Lifecycle near Argentina's Sierras de Cordoba

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Arguably the most intense storms in the world occur in mountainous west central Argentina. Our current knowledge of the storms in this region largely comes from weather satellites, which provide valuable snapshots but lack spatial and temporal details needed to fully understand and predict their formation. The RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, and Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations) project seeks to understand how these intense storms initiate, grow, and produce severe weather in the vicinity of the Sierras de Cordoba. By using state-of-the-art ground-based instruments, detailed observations of these storms throughout their lifecycle, and the environment in which they form, will allow for a comparison with severe storms over the U.S. to help understand and improve prediction of intense convection in Argentina and around the world. This project, involving researchers at the University of Washington and Colorado State University, includes participation in the field phase of RELAMPAGO occurring 1 November - 15 December 2018 near Cordoba, Argentina to study which factors lead to intense upward motion in the storms, how these storms rapidly grow upscale near the mountains, and how these processes and environmental conditions compare to other mountainous regions of the world with intense, severe storms. To achieve this goal, a network of fixed and mobile research weather radars, atmospheric soundings, lightning arrays, and satellites will provide the necessary measurements for addressing these science objectives. These research activities will also foster international collaborations and provide the opportunity to reach out to the public, both locally and abroad, to highlight the goals of this project, promote science, and serve as role models for future generations of atmospheric scientists. Satellite studies have highlighted focused initiation and upscale growth of intense convective systems near the Sierras de Cordoba (SDC) in Argentina. The RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, and Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations) field campaign aims to understand the processes responsible for this convective lifecycle and associated severe weather by leveraging the recurring focused topographic initiation of this region. The research will use the RELAMPAGO radar network, including the NSF-supported, dual-polarization, Doppler, dual-wavelength S-PolKa radar, to document the full lifecycle of these intense storms and, with coincident RELAMPAGO environmental observations, determine the relative roles of steep terrain and localized and large-scale atmospheric flow patterns in the rapid upscale growth and maintenance of these systems near the SDC. Results from this research will provide the first continuous view of the storm lifecycle and will provide a means to compare with deep storms in other mountainous regions to develop conceptual models for improving global prediction of these hazardous events. This project is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.