Collaborative Research: Processes Determining the Climatology of Atmospheric Unstable Layers

合作研究：确定大气不稳定层气候学的过程

• 批准号: 2129221
• 负责人: Marvin Geller
• 金额: $ 15.64万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2129221&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Processes; Determining; Climatology

This research seeks to answer a number of questions that have arisen from recent observations of unstable layers at various altitudes in the atmosphere; that is, these layers are characterized with air temperature decreasing with height. Unstable layers have been identified by examining a fast meteorological sensor attached to meteorological balloons launched from stations operated by the United States (US) Weather Service. The fast meteorological sensor can take air temperature at every second, which is at every 5 meters as a balloon rises. Unstable layers are commonly associated with turbulence. Within each turbulent layer, air motions cascade from large eddies to small ones due to kinetic energy dissipation. Atmospheric turbulence is dangerous for aircraft operations and has impacts on remote sensing atmospheric phenomena. The researchers for the project will investigate what causes these unstable layers. Understanding of the origin of these unstable layers could improve safety of aircraft operations. Recently global observations using this type of fast meteorological balloon sensors become available. The investigators also plan to organize an international workshop to stimulate international research for using this dataset. The research team will answer two principal questions: 1) Why are there more unstable layers in the lower stratosphere at midnight Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in the western contiguous US than at noon GMT, with the opposite being true in the eastern US? 2) Is the observed phenomenon of a great number of thick unstable layers and a relative paucity of thinner layers at near 12 km altitude at Koror (7.3 N, 134.5 E), which is also called “notch”, present at other near equatorial stations? In what way might this “notch” be related to the minimum in atmospheric stability that has been noted earlier by other authors in the same general atmospheric region? The research plan to address question 1 is to try to identify differences in the times and locations of atmospheric gravity buoyancy waves that lead to the lower stratospheric unstable layers. This is planned to be done using a ray-tracing methodology. The research plan to address question 2 is to compare the geographical and temporal variation of the “notch” feature to that of the stability minimum. The investigators also plan to identify the “notch” feature with in-cloud and cloud-outflow turbulence.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.

这项研究试图回答最近对大气中不同高度的不稳定层进行观测时出现的一些问题，即这些层的特征是气温随高度下降。通过检查安装在由美国气象局运营的气象站发射的气象气球上的快速气象传感器，确定了不稳定层。这种快速的气象传感器可以每秒测量空气温度，当气球升起时，气温每隔5米测量一次。不稳定层通常与湍流有关。在每个湍流层内，由于动能耗散，空气运动由大到小依次递增。大气湍流对飞行器的运行是危险的，对遥感大气现象有影响。该项目的研究人员将调查这些不稳定层的原因。了解这些不稳定层的来源可以提高飞机运行的安全性。最近，使用这种快速气象气球传感器进行全球观测成为可能。研究人员还计划组织一次国际研讨会，以促进使用该数据集的国际研究。研究小组将回答两个主要问题：1)为什么在格林威治标准时间午夜，美国西部邻近地区的平流层低层不稳定层比格林威治时间中午多，而美国东部则相反？2)在近12公里高度的Koror(7.3N，134.5 E)观察到的大量厚层不稳定层和较薄的层相对较少的现象是否存在于其他赤道站？这个“缺口”可能以什么方式与大气稳定度的最低值有关，这一点早些时候已经被其他作者在同一大气层区域注意到了？解决问题1的研究计划是试图确定导致平流层下部不稳定层的大气重力浮力波的时间和位置的差异。计划使用光线跟踪方法来完成这项工作。解决问题2的研究计划是将“缺口”特征的地理和时间变化与稳定性最小值的变化进行比较。调查人员还计划识别云内和云外湍流的“缺口”特征。这一裁决反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。