Projects

191001-363513-4E
18-NGI3-49
N/A
9/1/2018
2020-8-31 0:0:0
Completed
$201,319.00
Advancing Meteorological and Operational Detection of Mesoscale Kinematic and Thermodynamic Variability
Knupp
Kevin
UAH
CH-CE
OAR
Understanding the potential for severe storms in the Southeast, Midwest, and Great Plains is what researchers investigating Quasi-Linear Convective Systems (QLCSs) aimed to improve. This was done through the development of methodologies or use of new data sets to advance understanding of mesoscale variability (MV) and boundary layer variability (BLV) associated with these systems, specifically the Afternoon to Evening Transition (AET) process. A real-time prototype high-resolution Velocity Azimuth Display (HR-VAD) wind product was developed (https://www.nsstc.uah.edu/armor/webimage/viewer.html), and wind profiles obtained from it were compared with wind profiles from wind profiling systems nearby, with very good correlation between the two measurements. This preliminary research shows promise in advancing knowledge of boundary layer structure and processes in advance of severe QLCSs. A related effort was to characterize the spatial variability in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and lower atmosphere produced by cooling from shading by low-level clouds and by evaporation from rain showers in the vicinity of potential tornadic storms, and the impact of this evaporational cooling.