Tropical Storms: A Bridge Between Formation and Intensification

热带风暴：形成与强化之间的桥梁

• 批准号: 1042680
• 负责人: Gary Barnes
• 金额: $ 47.45万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-04-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1042680&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Tropical; Storms; Bridge; Between; Formation

Abstract for Barnes/1042680Over the last decade efforts by NOAA and cooperating federal agencies have provided observations during progressively earlier stages of the hurricane life cycle. Tropical storms (TS, which are named systems possessing sustained wind speeds of 17-32 m/s) have thus been more frequently observed via a combination of in-situ airborne sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) dropwindsondes, and airborne conventional and Doppler radar. Existing data archives maintained by NOAA, NASA and the USAF Hurricane Reconnaissance Squadron represent key sources of information for this study, and their further exploitation is offers a desirably economical approach. Persistent uncertainties concerning mechanisms of TS formation and subsequent rapid intensification represent an impediment to more accurate forecasts and warnings; more complete examination of aforementioned datasets may provide insights into TS formation, the subsequent evolution of these warm-core storms, and ultimately those processes responsible for development of higher-category hurricanes. Detailed atmospheric profiles obtained by arrays of GPS sondes will be objectively combined flight-level and volumetric radar data within 200 km of the center of developing TS events with a focus on lower tropospheric structures and near-surface storm inflow. Serial reconnaissance flights by the USAF offer desirable temporal resolution (viz. snapshots very 6-12 hours). Global reanalysis datasets will be used to describe the large-scale environment of the storms. Together these fields will reveal further details re: the influence of environmental factors such as the deep layer vertical shear of the horizontal wind and midlevel dry air upon internal storm features including the developing circular eyewall and enclosed eye region, spiral rainbands, and associated energy inputs into the atmospheric boundary layer.The Intellectual Merit of this study rests in attaining more comprehensive descriptions of: reflectivity, kinematic and thermodynamic structures within developing tropical storms; the source of increased equivalent potential temperature near the storm core and its role in the formation process; the disposition of warm, moist low-level inflow directed toward the developing core; and the role of the mesoscale convectively generated vortex in TS development. Competing theories of TS formation (viz. so-called "top-down" or "bottom-up" mechanisms) will be critically evaluated using these previously untapped observations, and conditions differentiating tropical storms that attain hurricane status and those that do not will be explored. Derived fields will serve as a benchmark for detailed numerical simulations of tropical storms.Broader Impacts of this work will be derived through the training of graduate students and the continued development of classes in tropical meteorology offered at the University of Hawaii, by enhancement of a existing partnerships between the University of Hawaii and NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, and ultimately through improved ability to better anticipate hurricane development and issue accurate warnings to the public.

Barnes/1042680 摘要 在过去十年中，NOAA 和合作联邦机构的努力提供了飓风生命周期逐渐早期阶段的观测结果。 因此，通过现场机载传感器、全球定位系统 (GPS) 落风探空仪以及机载常规和多普勒的组合，可以更频繁地观测到热带风暴（TS，被称为具有 17-32 m/s 持续风速的系统）雷达。 NOAA、NASA 和美国空军飓风侦察中队维护的现有数据档案是本研究的关键信息来源，它们的进一步利用提供了一种理想的经济方法。 关于热带气旋形成机制和随后迅速加剧的持续不确定性阻碍了更准确的预报和预警；对上述数据集进行更全面的检查可以深入了解 TS 的形成、这些暖核风暴的后续演变，以及最终导致高级飓风发展的过程。 通过 GPS 探空仪阵列获得的详细大气剖面将客观地结合距 TS 事件发展中心 200 公里范围内的飞行高度和体积雷达数据，重点关注低对流层结构和近地表风暴流入。 美国空军的连续侦察飞行提供了理想的时间分辨率（即 6-12 小时的快照）。 全球再分析数据集将用于描述风暴的大范围环境。 这些字段将共同揭示更多细节：环境因素的影响，例如水平风和中层干燥空气的深层垂直切变对内部风暴特征的影响，包括正在发展的圆形眼壁和封闭的眼区域、螺旋雨带以及相关的能量输入这项研究的智力价值在于获得更全面的描述：正在发展的热带风暴中的反射率、运动学和热力学结构；风暴核心附近等效位温升高的来源及其在形成过程中的作用；温暖、潮湿的低层流入流向正在发展的核心；以及中尺度对流产生的涡旋在 TS 发展中的作用。 TS 形成的竞争理论（即所谓的“自上而下”或“自下而上”机制）将使用这些先前未开发的观测结果进行严格评估，并且区分热带风暴达到飓风状态和未达到飓风状态的条件将被严格评估。探索过。 派生场将作为热带风暴详细数值模拟的基准。这项工作的更广泛影响将通过研究生培训和夏威夷大学提供的热带气象学课程的持续发展以及现有的热带气象学课程的增强而产生。夏威夷大学和 NOAA 飓风研究部门之间的合作，最终通过提高更好地预测飓风发展并向公众发出准确警报的能力。