The Origin and Evolution of Waves and Bores within the Great Plains Nocturnal Boundary Layer and their Interaction with Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs)

总体目标是开展假设驱动的研究，以提高对大平原上空辐合边界层（CBZ）物理特性的理解，重点关注稳定的夜间边界层（NBL），其中对辐合边界层的演变、对流启动（CI）和中尺度对流系统（MCSs）的维持知之甚少。这项研究的显著社会效益是改进了对CI、闪电、恶劣天气（龙卷风）和空气质量的预测。三个主要和密切相关的目标包括全面调查：1。1 .稳定NBL内cbz（如阵风锋、孔、孤立波）的特征，包括孔和波的来源和演变，以及它们对云的形成、CI和MCSs维持的影响；2 .下午至傍晚转换（AET）期间CBZ的运动学、演化和CI；对NBL内多普勒雷达和剖面仪所得气流精度的评估。该项目与以堪萨斯为中心的多机构平原夜间高架对流（PECAN）野外活动完全集成，该活动将于2015年6月1日至7月15日进行。研究小组将积极参与实地活动，提供三个UAH设施：移动综合剖面系统（MIPS），移动阿拉巴马x波段（MAX）双极化雷达（MAX）和移动mesonet。这些设施将成为拟议的中尺度仪器网络的一部分，该网络包括8个移动雷达、4个移动分析系统和6个固定站点分析系统。为了确定低空急流对大平原夜间cbz（尤其是钻孔和波浪）、CI和MCS维持的相对重要性，本项目的结果将与ABIDE项目（在一个非常不同的环境下）的结果进行比较。知识价值。该项目将通过在参数空间（中性到稳定）中检查这些现象，有助于我们对cbz和CI的物理理解的进步，这些现象以前没有在大平原上进行过全面的探索。该项目的独特之处在于它强调了稳定NBL中深层对流和mcs的行为，并涉及到对PECAN项目重要的许多现象提供观测的ABIDE项目的延续。因此，我们对感兴趣的现象（NBL中深层对流的强迫和维持）有了明显的了解，这将有助于PECAN野外活动的成功。在他的大部分职业生涯中，PI一直在利用MIPS仪器进行深对流研究。我们在进行移动操作和分析来自各种剖面仪和雷达平台的数据方面获得了相当多的专业知识，就像本研究中使用的那样。更广泛的影响。改进了CI、闪电、恶劣天气（龙卷风）和BL运输（空气质量）的预报，代表了这项研究的重大社会效益。大平原中部以雷暴和MCS活动的夜间最大值而闻名，这些活动在暖季为该地区提供了很大一部分降雨。测量的综合性质（以及许多PECAN资源的24/7能力）增加了偶然发现的可能性，这是推进科学发现的重要组成部分。在PECAN实地活动期间收集的数据将广泛用于(i)两门研究生课程，边界层气象学和地面遥感；（ii）《地面遥感》一书。两名澳大研究生和一名博士后将积极参与实地活动和后续分析活动的各个方面。与过去一样，澳大的平台将提供给对相关主题有研究兴趣的其他澳大学生。该项目将支持和利用MIPS和MAX，其中MIPS和MAX在过去15年中已在许多科学项目中运行。这些数据集将有助于其他学科，如锋面的中尺度/微尺度结构、强风暴环境中的重力波、边界层过程（特别是AET和NBL）、生物飞行特性及其对多普勒雷达和雷达风廓线反演风精度的影响。

The general objective is to conduct hypothesis-driven research to improve understanding of the physics of convergent boundary zones (CBZ) over the Great Plains, focusing on the stable nocturnal boundary layer (NBL), within which the evolution of CBZs, convective initiation (CI), and maintenance of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) is poorly understood. The significant societal benefits of this research are improved forecasting of CI, lightning, severe weather (tornadoes), and air quality.Three primary and closely related objectives include comprehensive investigations of:1. Characteristics of CBZs (e.g., gust fronts, bores, solitary waves) within the stable NBL, including the sources and evolution of bores and waves, and their impact on cloud formation, CI, and maintenance of MCSs;2. CBZ kinematics, evolution, and CI during the Afternoon to Evening Transition(AET);3. Evaluation of the accuracy of airflow derived from Doppler radars and profilers within the NBL. This project is fully integrated with the multi-agency Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) field campaign centered over the Kansas, to be conducted between 1 June and 15 July 2015. The research team will be actively involved in the field campaign by contributing three UAH facilities: the Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS), the Mobile Alabama X-band (MAX) dual polarization radar (MAX), and a mobile mesonet. These facilities will be part of a proposed mesoscale network of instrumentation including 8 mobile radars, 4 mobile profiling systems, and 6 fixed-site profiling systems over the PECAN domain. Results of this project will be compared to those of the ABIDE project (in a much different environment) in order to determine the relative importance of the low level jet on nocturnal CBZs (bores and waves in particular), CI, and MCS maintenance over the Great Plains.Intellectual merit. This project will contribute to advances in our understanding of the physics of CBZs and CI by examining these phenomena in a parameter space (neutral to stable) that has not previously been comprehensively explored over the Great Plains. The unique feature of this project is its emphasis on the behavior of deep convection and MCSs in the stable NBL, and involves a continuation of the ABIDE project that has provided observations on many of the phenomena of importance to the PECAN project. Thus we have gained appreciable insight on the phenomena of interest (forcing and maintenance of deep convection in the NBL) that will contribute to the success of the PECAN field campaign. The PI has been conducting research on deep convection utilizing the MIPS instrumentation for much of his career. We have gained considerable expertise in conducting mobile operations and analysis of data from a diverse array of profiler and radar platforms, like those to be employed in this study.Broader impacts. Improved forecasting of CI, lightning, severe weather (tornadoes), and BL transports (air quality) represent significant societal benefits of this research. The central Great Plains is noted for the nocturnal maximum in thunderstorm and MCS activity that provides a significant fraction of rainfall to this region during the warm season. The comprehensive nature of measurements (and the 24/7 capability of many of the PECAN resources) increases probability of serendipitous discoveries, which is an important component of advancing scientific discovery. The data collected during the PECAN field campaign will be utilized extensively in (i) two graduate level courses, Boundary Layer Meteorology and Ground-Based Remote Sensing; and (ii) a book Ground-Based Remote Sensing. Two UAH graduate students and one postdoctoral associate will be actively engaged in all aspects of the field campaign and subsequent analysis activities. As in the past, the UAH platforms will be made available to other UAH students who have research interests in related topics. The project will support and utilize the MIPS and MAX, the former of which has been operated in numerous scientific projects over the past 15 years. The data sets will contribute to other disciplines, such as mesoscale/microscale structure of fronts, gravity waves in the severe storms environment, boundary layer processes (AET and NBL in particular), and properties of biological flyers and their impact on accuracy of winds retrieved from Doppler radars and radar wind profilers.