Understanding the Internal Structure and Near-Storm Environments of Supercells via Innovative Analysis of Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) Observations

为什么一些超级单体雷暴会形成龙卷风，而另一些则不会，这是恶劣天气研究界正在进行的研究领域。先前的研究表明，某些接近风暴的环境条件可能在决定超级单体是否会变成龙卷风方面发挥很大作用。在2019年和2022年，NSF和NOAA支持了一项观测活动，以对超级单元格周围的条件进行精细测量。该奖项将把先进的数据分析和建模技术应用于在该运动中收集的观测数据，以回答有关接近风暴的环境条件与龙卷风发生之间的关系的问题。这一项目的社会影响将通过增进对形成龙卷风的条件的了解和向业务气象界传播调查结果来发现。三名职业生涯早期的研究人员将在该奖项下接受培训，以确保下一代科学家的发展。该奖项是为了分析在2019年和2022年进行野外季节的雷达和UAS超级细胞(环面)定向观测活动期间收集的数据。环面项目试图通过阐明风暴产生的边界和风暴外流中的相干结构与近地表旋转的产生/放大的关系来改善对超单体中小尺度过程的理解。在环面的保护伞下，这个奖项的首要目标是提高对为什么一些超级细胞产生龙卷风，而另一些不产生龙卷风的理解。研究小组计划通过多普勒风合成、非绝热拉格朗日分析和集合数据同化方法来合成环面观测，以解决三个主要研究重点：1.了解流向涡度流(SVC)和风暴内部边界及其与超级单体中近地旋转放大的关系。理解观察到的超级单体上升气流和流入特性之间的关系。了解超级细胞流入演变及其与风暴属性的关系。该奖项反映了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。

The question of why some supercell thunderstorms develop tornadoes while others do not is an ongoing area of study in the severe weather research community. Prior research has suggested that certain near-storm environmental conditions may play a large role in determining whether a supercell will become tornadic. In 2019 and 2022, NSF and NOAA supported an observational campaign to make fine-scale measurements of the conditions around supercells. This award will apply advanced data analysis and modeling techniques to the observational data collected in that campaign to answer questions about the relationship between near-storm environmental conditions and tornadogenesis. The societal impact of this project will be found through the increased understanding of the conditions that form tornadoes and the dissemination of findings to the operational meteorological community. Three early-career researchers will be trained under this award, assuring the development of the next generation of scientists.This award is for analysis of data collected during the Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) campaign that conducted field seasons in 2019 and 2022. The TORUS project sought to improve understanding of small-scale processes in supercells by elucidating the relationship of storm-generated boundaries and coherent structures within storm outflow to the generation/amplification of near-surface rotation. Under the TORUS umbrella, this award has the overarching goal of improving understanding of why some supercells produce tornadoes and others do not. The research team plans to synthesize TORUS observations via multi-Doppler wind syntheses, diabatic Lagrangian analyses, and ensemble data assimilation methods to address three main research foci:1. Understanding streamwise vorticity currents (SVCs) and storm-internal boundaries and their relationship to amplification of near-ground rotation in supercells.2. Understanding observed relationships between supercell updraft and inflow properties.3. Understanding supercell inflow evolution and its relationship to storm properties.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.