The Structure of Mesoscale Convective Systems as Revealed from Detailed Surface Mesoanalyses during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Vortex Experiment (BAMEX)

将于2003年5月20日至7月6日举行的弓形回波和中尺度涡旋实验将利用多个最先进的观测平台以及各种常规观测，产生全面的综合数据集，以帮助记录一类重要的中尺度天气现象的诞生、成熟、衰减和整个生命周期。 弓形回波和中尺度对流涡（MCV）与中尺度对流系统（MCS）一起出现。 恶劣天气，包括冰雹，大风和龙卷风，经常发生与MCS和嵌入的MVC和弓形回波。 在母MCS之后留下的残余MCV也可以起到旋转新的深对流并重新点燃新MCS的作用。 预测MCS将在何时何地形成，它将在哪里跟踪，以及它将持续多久仍然是一个令人烦恼的问题。 BAMEX有机会利用特殊数据集捕获多个MCS生命周期，从中可以增加对管理MCS行为的物理机制的科学理解，这是改进MCS预测的必要的第一步。这项研究的动机是需要准备全面的研究质量的细观分析，以了解更多的弓形回波和MCV的往往是“隐藏”的表面结构，以及如何将表面环流与表面上方的环流联系起来。 主要研究者将：（1）通过详细的地表中尺度分析，在空间和时间上记录第一代和随后一代MCS生命周期，（2）确定地表边界如何（外流、锋、干线）调节MCS生命周期，反过来又受到对流的调节，然后受到连续MCS的影响，（3）评估地面锋生过程如何迫使影响MCS生命周期的中尺度环流，（4）将地面特征，如尾流槽和低压、气泡高压和多个气旋性涡度极大值与中低层涡、中高层位涡异常、后入流急流、云对地闪电模式和雷达、飞机和卫星派生的MCS信号联系起来。 详细的地表中尺度分析将采用人工和自动程序相结合的方式进行，这些程序利用时空转换技术更好地绘制中尺度特征图。 将与BAMEX的其他研究人员合作探讨地面环流和自由大气环流之间的联系，这项研究的成功完成可能会导致更好地预报强风事件和对流风暴。

The Bow Echo and Mesoscale Vortex Experiment (BAMEX) to be held from 20 May to 6 July 2003 will take advantage of multiple state-of-the-art observational platforms together with a variety of conventional observations to produce comprehensive integrated datasets to help document the birth, maturation, decay, and overall life cycles of an important class of mesoscale weather phenomena. Bow echoes and mesoscale convective vortices (MCVs) occur in conjunction with mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Severe weather, including hail, high winds, and tornadoes, frequently occurs in association with MCSs and embedded MVCs and bow echoes. Remnant MCVs left behind in the wake of parent MCSs can also act to spin up new deep convection and reignite new MCSs. Forecasting where and when a MCS will form, where it will track, and how long it will last remains a vexing problem. An opportunity exists with BAMEX to capture multiple MCS life cycles with special datasets out of which can come increased scientific understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern MCS behavior, a necessary first step to making improvements in forecasting MCSs. This research is motivated by the need to prepare comprehensive research quality mesoanalyses in order to learn more about the often "hidden" surface structure of bow echoes and MCVs and how surface circulations are linked to circulations above the surface. The Principal Investigator will: (1) document first, and subsequent, generation MCS life cycles spatially and temporally through detailed surface mesoanalyses, (2) determine how surface boundaries (outflow, frontal, dryline) modulate MCS life cycles, are in turn modulated by the convection, and then influenced by successive MCSs, (3) evaluate how surface frontogenesis processes force mesoscale circulations that influence MCS life cycles, and (4) relate surface features such as wake troughs and lows, bubble highs, and multiple cyclonic vorticity maxima to low- and mid-level vortices, mid- and upper-level potential vorticity anomalies, rear-inflow jets, cloud-to-ground lightning patterns, and radar-, aircraft- and satellite-derived MCS signatures. The detailed surface mesoanalyses will be prepared using a combination of manual and automated procedures that take advantage of time-to-space conversion techniques to better map mesoscale features. The linkage between surface and free-atmosphere circulations will be explored in cooperation with other BAMEX investigators.Successful completion of this research may lead to better forecasts of severe wind events and convective storms.