Convective Cloud Urban Boundary-layer Experiment

该研究旨在利用计划的实地活动来调查德克萨斯州休斯顿周围沿海城市地区的对流风暴。该区域经常观测到的对流系统对沿海城市地区的生命和财产造成严重损害。从城市环境和海风释放的多余热量和气溶胶影响对流云系统的动力学。然而，城市地区和对流云系之间的相互作用和反馈还没有得到很好的理解。该研究将使用增强的大气观测和数值模拟来研究城市地区如何影响对流云单元的形成，旅程和消散。这项研究将通过与能源部在同一地区赞助的计划中的跟踪气溶胶-对流相互作用实验协调进行实地实验，将沿海城市环境中的人类活动与对流云系统联系起来。此外，研究人员将开发一个综合的城市建模框架，将大气动力学和气溶胶影响与关键的人为影响相结合。该项目将包括针对大学生和当地公众的教育和外联活动，以及对本科生和研究生进行地球系统科学方面的培训，并开发与城市气候系统有关的新课程和课程单元。研究团队亦会与德州空气质量委员会（Texas Air Quality Commission）及来自美国多间大学及国家实验室的TRACER科学家紧密合作，分享多个平台的观测资料，以了解该地区的对流风暴。实验活动将集中于海洋-城市-乡村界面。该活动将持续监测云的特征、地面-大气强迫、边界层状态、气溶胶强迫、海风环流和降水的演变。该设置将有助于理解沿海城市陆地-大气相互作用，这是一个具有重大知识差距的研究领域，以及它们与对流云系统的联系。受观测约束的数值模式将用于研究城市云的相互作用和雷暴，以了解和量化各种城市强迫对对流风暴的演变和特征的影响。研究的主要目的是：1）了解关键的城市边界层过程如何影响对流云的形成。2)调查城市化对风暴形成、移动和消散的影响。3)调查城市大气和地表能量过程中对流云的反馈。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The research seeks to leverage a planned field campaign to investigate convective storms in the coastal urban area around Houston, Texas. Commonly observed convective systems in the region cause severe damage to life and property in the coastal urban area. Excess heat and aerosols released from the urban environment and sea breeze impact the dynamics of convective cloud systems. However, the interaction and feedback between urban areas and convective cloud systems are not well understood. The study will use enhanced atmospheric observations and numerical modeling to study how urban areas impact the formation, journey, and dissipation of convective cloud cells. The research will link human activities in coastal urban environments to convective cloud systems by conducting a field experiment in coordination with the planned Tracking Aerosol-Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) sponsored by the Department of Energy at the same area. In addition, the investigators will develop a comprehensive urban modeling framework that will integrate atmospheric dynamics and aerosol impacts with key anthropogenic influences. The project will involve education and outreach activities for university students and the local public as well as train undergraduate and graduate students in Earth System science and develop new courses and course modules related to urban climate systems. The research team will also work closely with the Texas Air Quality Commission as well as TRACER scientists from various US universities and national laboratories for sharing observations from a variety of platforms to understand convective storms over the area.The experimental campaign will concentrate on the ocean-urban-rural interface. The campaign will continuously monitor the evolution of cloud characteristics, surface-atmosphere forcing, boundary layer state, aerosol forcing, sea-breeze circulation, and precipitation. The setup will aid in understanding coastal-urban land-atmosphere interactions, an area of research with significant knowledge gaps and their connections with convective cloud systems. Numerical models constrained by observations will be used to investigate urban-cloud interaction and thunderstorms to understand and quantify the impacts of various urban forcings on the evolution and characteristics of convective storms. The primary objectives of the study are: 1) To understand how critical urban boundary layer processes impact convective cloud formation. 2) To investigate the impact of urbanization on storm formation, movement, and dissipation. 3) To investigate the feedback of convective clouds in urban atmospheric and surface energy processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.