An Observational Study of the Kinematic and Microphysical Control of Lightning Properties over Alabama During Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3)

2012年5月至6月进行的深对流云和化学（DC 3）实地活动是一项多区域、多平台的努力，旨在确定深中纬度大陆对流云及其内在动力学、物理和电气化过程对对流层上部组成和化学的影响。 该奖项将支持美国东南部的重点测量，但这项研究将与其他研究密切配合进行，这些研究集中在科罗拉多的Front Range以及整个俄克拉荷马州和得克萨斯州的南部平原地区的深对流云-化学相互作用沿着，从而可以描述这些不同地区对流行为和背景化学的对比模式。 对这项工作的支持将有助于数据的收集和分析，包括：地面偏振多普勒雷达观测、移动的探测和以亚拉巴马北方为中心的闪电测绘阵列观测。 这些观测将与专门为DC 3配备仪器的飞机（包括NSF/NCAR GV高空喷气机和NASA DC-8飞机）的飞越协调进行。这项研究的智力价值在于全面描述对流运动，对流运动是水物质和化学成分从边界层快速输送到对流层-平流层界面的原因。以及必要的微物理相互作用关键云电气化和随后的氮氧化物的生产。 更广泛的影响将通过研究生教育和基于媒体的公共和地方学校宣传相结合来实现，最终通过提高对自然和人为排放存在时深层大气对流对地球大气化学成分影响的认识来实现。

The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign to be conducted May-June 2012 is a multi-regional, multi-platform effort to determine the impact of deep midlatitude continental convective clouds and their intrinsic dynamical, physical, and electrification processes upon upper tropospheric composition and chemistry. This award will support focused measurements in the Southeastern U.S., but this research will be conducted in close coordination with other studies focused on deep convective cloud-chemistry interactions along the Front Range of Colorado and across the Southern Plains region of Oklahoma and Texas, allowing characterization of contrasting modes of convective behavior and background chemistry across these diverse regions. Support of this particular effort will facilitate collection and analysis of data including: ground-based polarimetric Doppler radar observations, mobile soundings, and total lightning mapping array observations centered on northern Alabama. These observations will be performed in coordination with overflight of aircraft especially instrumented for DC3 including the NSF/NCAR GV high-altitude jet and NASA DC-8 aircraft.The intellectual merit of this research rests on comprehensive description of convective motions responsible for rapid transport of water substance and chemical constituents from the boundary layer up to the troposphere-stratosphere interface, as well as requisite microphysical interactions key cloud electrification and subsequent production of nitrogen oxides. Broader impacts will come through graduate student education and a combination of media-based public and local school outreach, and ultimately through improved knowledge of the influence of deep atmospheric convection on the chemical composition of earth's atmosphere in the presence of natural and anthropogenic emissions.