Collaborative Research: Mesoscale Airmasses with High Theta-E (MAHTE)

合作研究：高 Theta-E 中尺度气团 (MAHTE)

• 批准号: 2113341
• 负责人: Adam Houston
• 金额: $ 24.88万
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-15 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2113341&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Mesoscale; Airmasses; Theta

Severe thunderstorms are commonly associated with hot and humid airmasses. However, there is evidence that storms can be maintained or even enhanced on the cooler side of a boundary in certain circumstances. This research project will analyze these scenarios, where the cool side of an airmass has significant energy available to fuel thunderstorms. The researchers will develop a climatology of cases and analyze the physical processes responsible for their development. The research has direct impact on public safety through improved forecasting of severe weather events. Multiple students would be involved in the project, ensuring training of the next generation of scientists.The research team will conduct a study of mesoscale airmasses with high theta-e (MAHTE), which are generally areas of moist air with high Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) values on the cool side of a frontal or outflow boundary. This award is for a foundational study on MAHTEs to determine their climatology and the physical processes responsible for their development. Analysis of surface observations will provide the spatial distribution, diurnal cycle, and seasonality of MAHTEs within the US. Idealized simulations would be used to provide a thorough understanding of the processes through which MAHTE develop. The following hypotheses will be tested: 1) The primary mechanism through which MAHTE develop is differential vertical advection across the airmass boundary, 2) A secondary mechanism through which MAHTEs develop is locally-enhanced surface fluxes of moisture near the leading edge of the MAHTEs, and 3) MAHTE formation is likely to depend on the environmental wind shear.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.

严重的雷暴通常与炎热潮湿的气团有关。 然而，有证据表明，在某些情况下，在边界较冷的一侧，风暴可以维持甚至增强。 该研究项目将分析这些情景，其中气团的冷侧具有可用于引发雷暴的大量能量。 研究人员将开发案例气候学并分析导致其发展的物理过程。 该研究通过改进恶劣天气事件的预​​报对公共安全产生直接影响。 多名学生将参与该项目，确保下一代科学家的培训。研究小组将对高θe（MAHTE）的中尺度气团进行研究，这些气团通常是具有高对流可用势能的潮湿空气区域(CAPE) 锋面或流出边界冷侧的值。 该奖项旨在奖励 MAHTE 的基础研究，以确定其气候学和负责其发展的物理过程。 对表面观测的分析将提供美国境内 MAHTE 的空间分布、昼夜周期和季节性。 理想化的模拟将用于提供对 MAHTE 开发过程的透彻理解。 将测试以下假设：1) MAHTE 发展的主要机制是穿过气团边界的差异垂直平流，2) MAHTE 发展的次要机制是 MAHTE 前缘附近局部增强的表面湿气通量， 3) MAHTE 的形成很可能取决于环境风切变。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持 标准。