Collaborative Research: AGS-FIRP Track 2--Process Investigation of Clouds and Convective Organization over the atLantic Ocean (PICCOLO)

合作研究：AGS-FIRP Track 2——大西洋上空云和对流组织的过程调查（PICCOLO）

• 批准号: 2331202
• 负责人: Michael Bell
• 金额: $ 105.05万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-15 至 2026-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2331202&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; AGS; FIRP; Track

The deep, rain-bearing convective clouds of the tropics are often found clumped into clusters with multiple cumulus towers topped by spreading anvils. These clusters come in a variety of shapes and sizes including squall lines and mesoscale convective systems like the ones found over the US Great Plains. Convective organization is clearly a concern for severe weather and it could also play important roles in Earth's energy balance, the distribution of moisture in the tropical atmosphere, and the ability of convection to drive the global atmospheric circulation. A key issue for understanding the role of convective organization in the climate system is the extent to which organization occurs spontaneously, driven by the clouds themselves, or is forced by large-scale environmental factors such as winds and sea surface temperature (SST) contrasts. Spontaneous organization has been found in idealized simulations, with substantial impacts on tropical climate and energetics, but the organization happens slowly in an otherwise quiescent and uniform environment. These simulations are compelling but their relevance to the real-world tropics, where conditions are never quiescent or uniform, has not been fully established. Work performed under this award seeks to understand the role of self-organization in the development of real-world convective cloud clusters observed over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The effects of the clusters on the surrounding environment is also examined.Specifically, the award supports a field campaign called PICCOLO, which stands for Process Investigation of Clouds and Convective Organization Over the atLantic Ocean. The primary activity of PICCOLO is the deployment of SEA-POL, a stabilized C-band polarimetric weather radar, on the German research vessel Meteor. The campaign is part of a joint international effort called ORCESTRA, ORganized Convection ExperimentS in the TRopical Atlantic, in which the Meteor will sail from Cape Verde to Barbados over six weeks starting in August 2024. The ship will cross the Atlantic at 7 degrees north with interruptions for several north-south transects across the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a band of organized convection typically found north of the equator over the tropical oceans. The SEA-POL radar observations will be combined with data from a variety of other observing systems aboard the Meteor, including weather balloons, a W-band cloud radar, a microwave radiometer, and two lidars. The ORCESTRA effort also includes measurements from the German HALO and French SAFIRE research aircraft.The work is of societal as well as scientific interest given the role of convective organization in extreme precipitation and hurricane formation, as well as the fact that organized convection contributes nearly half of the total precipitation in the tropics. The role of convective organization in Earth's energy balance is also of interest given recent studies suggesting that the rising temperature of the Earth could affect the extent of convective organization, which could in turn affect the amount of warming produced by increasing greenhouse levels. Beyond this societal relevance the work has broader impacts through the support and training of seven graduate students and two postdoctoral fellows. The campaign also participates in the SEA-POL PLUS program, which facilitates participation by students from underrepresented groups, and conducts local outreach to communities in Barbados and Cape Verde in collaboration with partners in the international ORCESTRA effort.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.

热带地区的深层、含雨对流云经常聚集成簇，并有多个积云塔，顶部有扩展的铁砧。 这些星团有各种形状和大小，包括飑线和中尺度对流系统，例如在美国大平原上发现的系统。对流组织显然是恶劣天气的一个问题，它还可以在地球的能量平衡、热带大气中的水分分布以及对流驱动全球大气环流的能力方面发挥重要作用。了解对流组织在气候系统中的作用的一个关键问题是对流组织在多大程度上自发发生，是由云本身驱动的，还是由风和海面温度（SST）对比等大规模环境因素强制发生的。 在理想化的模拟中已经发现了自发组织，对热带气候和能量学有重大影响，但这种组织在静止和均匀的环境中发生得很慢。 这些模拟很引人注目，但它们与现实世界热带地区的相关性尚未完全确定，那里的条件从来都不是静止或均匀的。 该奖项开展的工作旨在了解自组织在热带大西洋上空观测到的现实世界对流云团发展中的作用。 还研究了这些星团对周围环境的影响。具体来说，该奖项支持一项名为 PICCOLO 的实地活动，该活动代表大西洋上空云和对流组织的过程调查。 PICCOLO 的主要活动是在德国研究船 Meteor 上部署 SEA-POL，这是一种稳定的 C 波段偏振天气雷达。该活动是名为 ORCESTRA（在热带大西洋组织对流实验）的国际联合努力的一部分，其中 Meteor 将从 2024 年 8 月开始在六周内从佛得角航行到巴巴多斯。该船将以北纬 7 度横渡大西洋，跨热带辐合带（ITCZ）的几条南北横断面的中断，这是一条通常出现在赤道以北热带地区的有组织对流带海洋。 SEA-POL 雷达观测数据将与流星上各种其他观测系统的数据相结合，包括气象气球、W 波段云雷达、微波辐射计和两个激光雷达。 ORCESTRA 的工作还包括德国 HALO 和法国 SAFIRE 研究飞机的测量。鉴于对流组织在极端降水和飓风形成中的作用，以及有组织的对流贡献了近一半的事实，这项工作具有社会和科学意义。占热带地区总降水量。 对流组织在地球能量平衡中的作用也令人感兴趣，因为最近的研究表明，地球温度上升可能会影响对流组织的程度，进而影响温室水平增加所产生的变暖程度。 除了这种社会相关性之外，这项工作还通过七名研究生和两名博士后研究员的支持和培训产生了更广泛的影响。 该活动还参与了 SEA-POL PLUS 计划，该计划促进来自代表性不足群体的学生参与，并与国际 ORCESTRA 工作的合作伙伴合作，在巴巴多斯和佛得角的社区进行当地推广。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。