MRI: Acquisition of Upper-Air and Surface Observing Systems for Weather Research and Instruction at SUNY Oswego

这项主要研究仪器（MRI）奖将用于获取地面和高空气象设备，重点是湖泊效应天气研究。 纽约的州立大学（SUNY）奥斯韦戈校区靠近安大略，是开展湖泊-陆地-空气相互作用影响研究的理想地点。移动的高空设施将使人们能够研究中尺度气象系统的结构和演变。由于五大湖附近缺乏地面气象站，纽约州立大学奥斯韦戈站点将提供一个强大的数据库，用于对湖泊改造的空气进行采样。这些设施将使纽约州立大学奥斯韦戈的教师和学生能够在安大略湖周围从事一个几乎连续的、低成本的实地项目，并使奥斯韦戈和其他机构的研究人员能够将模型输出与奥斯韦戈附近的观测结果进行比较。参加研究项目的学生以及在所需实验室就读的气象专业的学生将受益于学习如何操作现代气象观测系统和执行数据的质量控制。智力优点：湖泊效应雪带的形成是从云尺度到天气尺度的过程之间复杂相互作用的结果。 数值模型提供了一些深入了解这些雪带的结构和演变，但直接观测一直受到限制。 通过获得的观测系统，主要研究者将能够确定中尺度模型在哪些方面成功或失败，以代表这些带内和周围的热力学结构和环流模式的重要细节。 这将有助于模拟人员评估现有的许多边界层和微物理方案，并确定最能再现所观察到的湖泊效应雪带结构和演变的方案。 模型物理学的改进应能更准确地模拟雪带位置、内陆范围和降水率。 据推测，在湖效应条件下，奥斯韦戈的高空探测将导致更准确的雪带模拟。 为了检验这一假设，将使用中尺度模型进行敏感性试验，以确定同化奥斯韦戈数据的影响。 有了纽约州立大学奥斯韦戈的新设施，首席研究员预计在未来十年内将对至少50个雪带的核心进行采样。 在春末或夏季，无线电探空仪设备将用于获得大平原雷暴附近的近距离探测。 在一年中的其他时间，湖边的位置将允许采样的大气环境周围的其他有趣的现象，如水龙卷，雷暴，锋面通道，湖和陆地微风，夜间低空急流。 安大略湖的研究结果可能会扩展到其他大型水体。更广泛的影响：购置这些设备将加强对安大略湖周围天气现象进行研究的能力，并改进以这些现象为中心的教育活动。 增加对重要的中尺度天气的了解，可以改进对危险天气状况的预报。 将与感兴趣的科学家分享数据和结果。 PI将与希望使用奥斯韦戈设施在安大略湖附近进行短期、低成本实地研究的其他机构的研究人员合作。 纽约州立大学奥斯韦戈气象学项目自成立以来就有本科生参与研究。 有趣的现象，特别是湖泊效应暴风雪和大平原雷暴，激发和吸引学生，包括来自不同背景的学生。 许多学生从事独立的研究项目，并渴望参加内部和外部资助的赠款。 在这次MRI下获得的设备将为这些学生提供更多的研究机会。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award will be used to acquire surface and upper air meteorological equipment with a focus on lake-effect weather research. The State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego campus, with its proximity to Lake Ontario, is an ideal location to carry out research on the effects of lake-land-air interactions. The mobile upper-air facilities will allow the study of the structure and evolution of mesoscale meteorological systems. Since there is a lack of surface weather stations in the immediate vicinity of the Great Lakes, the SUNY Oswego site will provide a robust database for sampling lake-modified air. These facilities will allow SUNY Oswego faculty and students to engage in a nearly continuous, low-cost field project around Lake Ontario and enable researchers at Oswego and other institutions to compare model output with observations near Oswego. Students participating in research projects as well as meteorology majors enrolled in the required experimentation laboratory will benefit by learning how to operate modern meteorological observing systems and perform quality control of the data. Intellectual merit: Lake-effect snow bands form as the result of complex interactions between processes ranging from the cloud scale to the synoptic scale. Numerical models have provided some insight into the structure and evolution of these snow bands, but direct observations have been limited. With the acquired observing systems, the Principal Investigator will be able to identify where mesoscale models succeed or fail to represent important details of the thermodynamic structure and circulation patterns in and around these bands. This will help modelers evaluate the many boundary layer and microphysics schemes available, and identify those which best reproduce the observed structure and evolution of lake-effect snow bands. Improvement in model physics should result in more accurate simulations of snow band location, inland extent and precipitation rate. It is hypothesized that the upper-air soundings at Oswego during lake-effect conditions will result in more accurate snow band simulations. To test this hypothesis, sensitivity experiments using mesoscale models will be conducted to determine the impact of assimilating the Oswego data. With the new facilities at SUNY Oswego, the Principal Investigator expects to sample close to the core of at least 50 snow bands over the next decade. In late spring or summer, the radiosonde equipment will be used to obtain proximity soundings near Great Plains thunderstorms. At other times during the year, the lakeside location will allow sampling of the atmospheric environment around other interesting phenomena such as waterspouts, thunderstorms, frontal passages, lake and land breezes, and nocturnal low-level jets. Findings for Lake Ontario will likely extend to other large bodies of water. Broader impacts: Acquisition of the equipment will strengthen the ability to conduct research on weather phenomena around Lake Ontario and improve educational activities centered on these phenomena. The increased understanding of important mesoscale weather could result in improved forecasting of hazardous weather conditions. Data and results will be shared with interested scientists. The PI will collaborate with researchers from other institutions who wish to use the Oswego facilities for short-term, low-cost field studies near Lake Ontario. The SUNY Oswego meteorology program has involved undergraduates in research since its inception. Interesting phenomena, especially lake-effect snowstorms and Great Plains thunderstorms, excite and attract students including those from diverse backgrounds. Many students engage in independent study projects and are eager to participate in internally and externally-funded grants. The equipment acquired under this MRI will provide more research opportunities for these students.