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- Author or Editor: G. R. Ochs x
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Abstract
A wind-measuring system using three separate optical systems, each consisting of a 3 mW He-Ne 1aser and two photodiode receivers, forming an equilateral triangle 300 m on a side, has successfully measured the divergence over the area of the triangle, and the space-averaged horizontal wind vector. Good correlation was found between the flow into the triangle and occurrences of thermal plumes seen by an adjacent acoustic sounder. The flow into the triangle was proportional to the vertical velocity. During large convective activity, there was a certain periodicity in the occurrence of plumes.
Abstract
A wind-measuring system using three separate optical systems, each consisting of a 3 mW He-Ne 1aser and two photodiode receivers, forming an equilateral triangle 300 m on a side, has successfully measured the divergence over the area of the triangle, and the space-averaged horizontal wind vector. Good correlation was found between the flow into the triangle and occurrences of thermal plumes seen by an adjacent acoustic sounder. The flow into the triangle was proportional to the vertical velocity. During large convective activity, there was a certain periodicity in the occurrence of plumes.
Abstract
Aircraft measurements of C T 2 in an unstable marine boundary layer suggest a modification of the surface layer free-convection model. This modification is given by a function of z/zi , where z is the observation height and zi the height to the inversion base. This variation of C T 2 with height may be expressed as z −4/3[1 + 0.84(z/zi ) + 4.13(z/zi )2] for 0 ≤ z/zi ≤ 0.8.
Abstract
Aircraft measurements of C T 2 in an unstable marine boundary layer suggest a modification of the surface layer free-convection model. This modification is given by a function of z/zi , where z is the observation height and zi the height to the inversion base. This variation of C T 2 with height may be expressed as z −4/3[1 + 0.84(z/zi ) + 4.13(z/zi )2] for 0 ≤ z/zi ≤ 0.8.
Abstract
Prototype Laser Weather Identifier (LWI) systems designed to detect fog, rain and snow were tested for several months at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, and at the AFGL Weather Test Facility at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts. We present a detailed analysis of the performance of these systems, compared with human weather observations and tipping-bucket raingages, and suggest modifications for future operational instruments.
Abstract
Prototype Laser Weather Identifier (LWI) systems designed to detect fog, rain and snow were tested for several months at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, and at the AFGL Weather Test Facility at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts. We present a detailed analysis of the performance of these systems, compared with human weather observations and tipping-bucket raingages, and suggest modifications for future operational instruments.
Abstract
In a cooperative field study of the planetary boundary layer, three optical wind sensors were placed around a 300 m meteorological tower in a 450 m equilateral triangle 3–4 m above the terrain. It was found that the convergence measured by the three-sensor system correlates well with in situ measurements of vertical wind by anemometers located on the tower at heights up to 300 m during the occurrence of thermal plumes. By analyzing the correlation between the optically measured convergence and the vertical wind measurements made on the tower, the inversion layer, if below the top of the tower, can usually be located in the early morning when thermal plumes are active. The space-averaged horizontal wind vectors measured by the optical system have good, though not perfect, agreement with the tower measurements at the lowest layer (10 m above the ground), and with the measurements of a nearby network of surface anemometers. A comparison of the optically measured convergence with the direction of the surface horizontal wind indicates some effect of irregular terrain.
Abstract
In a cooperative field study of the planetary boundary layer, three optical wind sensors were placed around a 300 m meteorological tower in a 450 m equilateral triangle 3–4 m above the terrain. It was found that the convergence measured by the three-sensor system correlates well with in situ measurements of vertical wind by anemometers located on the tower at heights up to 300 m during the occurrence of thermal plumes. By analyzing the correlation between the optically measured convergence and the vertical wind measurements made on the tower, the inversion layer, if below the top of the tower, can usually be located in the early morning when thermal plumes are active. The space-averaged horizontal wind vectors measured by the optical system have good, though not perfect, agreement with the tower measurements at the lowest layer (10 m above the ground), and with the measurements of a nearby network of surface anemometers. A comparison of the optically measured convergence with the direction of the surface horizontal wind indicates some effect of irregular terrain.
Shallow, maritime cumuli are ubiquitous over much of the tropical oceans, and characterizing their properties is important to understanding weather and climate. The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign, which took place during November 2004–January 2005 in the trades over the western Atlantic, emphasized measurements of processes related to the formation of rain in shallow cumuli, and how rain subsequently modifies the structure and ensemble statistics of trade wind clouds. Eight weeks of nearly continuous S-band polarimetric radar sampling, 57 flights from three heavily instrumented research aircraft, and a suite of ground- and ship-based instrumentation provided data on trade wind clouds with unprecedented resolution. Observational strategies employed during RICO capitalized on the advances in remote sensing and other instrumentation to provide insight into processes that span a range of scales and that lie at the heart of questions relating to the cause and effects of rain from shallow maritime cumuli.
Shallow, maritime cumuli are ubiquitous over much of the tropical oceans, and characterizing their properties is important to understanding weather and climate. The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign, which took place during November 2004–January 2005 in the trades over the western Atlantic, emphasized measurements of processes related to the formation of rain in shallow cumuli, and how rain subsequently modifies the structure and ensemble statistics of trade wind clouds. Eight weeks of nearly continuous S-band polarimetric radar sampling, 57 flights from three heavily instrumented research aircraft, and a suite of ground- and ship-based instrumentation provided data on trade wind clouds with unprecedented resolution. Observational strategies employed during RICO capitalized on the advances in remote sensing and other instrumentation to provide insight into processes that span a range of scales and that lie at the heart of questions relating to the cause and effects of rain from shallow maritime cumuli.
A severe 5-day lake-effect storm resulted in eight deaths, hundreds of injuries, and over $3 million in damage to a small area of northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania in November 1996. In 1999, a blizzard associated with an intense cyclone disabled Chicago and much of the U.S. Midwest with 30–90 cm of snow. Such winter weather conditions have many impacts on the lives and property of people throughout much of North America. Each of these events is the culmination of a complex interaction between synoptic-scale, mesoscale, and microscale processes.
An understanding of how the multiple size scales and timescales interact is critical to improving forecasting of these severe winter weather events. The Lake-Induced Convection Experiment (Lake-ICE) and the Snowband Dynamics Project (SNOWBAND) collected comprehensive datasets on processes involved in lake-effect snowstorms and snowbands associated with cyclones during the winter of 1997/98. This paper outlines the goals and operations of these collaborative projects. Preliminary findings are given with illustrative examples of new state-of-the-art research observations collected. Analyses associated with Lake-ICE and SNOWBAND hold the promise of greatly improving our scientific understanding of processes involved in these important wintertime phenomena.
A severe 5-day lake-effect storm resulted in eight deaths, hundreds of injuries, and over $3 million in damage to a small area of northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania in November 1996. In 1999, a blizzard associated with an intense cyclone disabled Chicago and much of the U.S. Midwest with 30–90 cm of snow. Such winter weather conditions have many impacts on the lives and property of people throughout much of North America. Each of these events is the culmination of a complex interaction between synoptic-scale, mesoscale, and microscale processes.
An understanding of how the multiple size scales and timescales interact is critical to improving forecasting of these severe winter weather events. The Lake-Induced Convection Experiment (Lake-ICE) and the Snowband Dynamics Project (SNOWBAND) collected comprehensive datasets on processes involved in lake-effect snowstorms and snowbands associated with cyclones during the winter of 1997/98. This paper outlines the goals and operations of these collaborative projects. Preliminary findings are given with illustrative examples of new state-of-the-art research observations collected. Analyses associated with Lake-ICE and SNOWBAND hold the promise of greatly improving our scientific understanding of processes involved in these important wintertime phenomena.
