Aboveground Thermodynamic Observations in Convective Storms from Balloonborne Probes Acting as Pseudo-Lagrangian Drifters

Markowski, Paul; Richardson, Yvette; Richardson, Scott J.; Petersson, Anders

doi:10.1175/bams-d-17-0204.1

Cited by 15 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…18-4; Stout and Huff 1953). Although the physical processes the hook echo represented were not fully understood at the time (Markowski 2002), the frequent association between the feature and tornadoes was adopted as an important part of the process of very short-term forecasts of tornado threat (known as warnings) in the United States.…”

Section: The Post-world War II Era: Radar and The Development Of Forementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surface observations collected by mobile vehicles during VORTEX and subsequent smaller projects allowed Markowski et al (2002) to examine the thermodynamic conditions near low-level mesocyclones, some of which produced tornadoes and some of which did not. This work tested hypotheses that had been developed by numerical modeling of conditions needed for strong low-level rotation and found that the observations showed much less cooling than models.…”

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also coupled back with theoretical predictions of baroclinic generation of low-level vorticity in downdrafts (e.g., Davies-Jones and Brooks 1993) to give a more complete picture of tornadogenesis Richardson 2014, 2017). Markowski et al (2008) used airborne dual-Doppler analyses from VORTEX to compute vortex lines in the low-level downdrafts and infer thermodynamics in the nearground environment. Their results supported the notion of baroclinic generation of vorticity in downdrafts, but also highlighted the importance of developing systems to collect observations in the near-surface region in supercells, a topic that we will return to later.…”

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The need to collect more and better observations in the field continues to drive development. While VORTEX and VORTEX2 pioneered surface observations, such as the mobile mesonet and StickNet systems, the results of the research based on those observations highlighted the need for better understanding of near-surface conditions in and near severe thunderstorms (e.g., Markowski et al 2002). Collecting observations near developing tornadoes or within regions of large hail can be extremely dangerous.…”

Section: Some New Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A Century of Progress in Severe Convective Storm Research and Forecasting

Brooks

Doswell

Zhang

et al. 2019

Meteorological Monographs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstracts The history of severe thunderstorm research and forecasting over the past century has been a remarkable story involving interactions between technological development of observational and modeling capabilities, research into physical processes, and the forecasting of phenomena with the goal of reducing loss of life and property. Perhaps more so than any other field of meteorology, the relationship between researchers and forecasters has been particularly close in the severe thunderstorm domain, with both groups depending on improved observational capabilities. The advances that have been made have depended on observing systems that did not exist 100 years ago, particularly radar and upper-air systems. They have allowed scientists to observe storm behavior and structure and the environmental setting in which storms occur. This has led to improved understanding of processes, which in turn has allowed forecasters to use those same observational systems to improve forecasts. Because of the relatively rare and small-scale nature of many severe thunderstorm events, severe thunderstorm researchers have developed mobile instrumentation capabilities that have allowed them to collect high-quality observations in the vicinity of storms. Since much of the world is subject to severe thunderstorm hazards, research has taken place around the world, with the local emphasis dependent on what threats are perceived in that area, subject to the availability of resources to study the threat. Frequently, the topics of interest depend upon a single event, or a small number of events, of a particular kind that aroused public or economic interests in that area. International cooperation has been an important contributor to collecting and disseminating knowledge. As the AMS turns 100, the range of research relating to severe thunderstorms is expanding. The time scale of forecasting or projecting is increasing, with work going on to study forecasts on the seasonal to subseasonal time scales, as well as addressing how climate change may influence severe thunderstorms. With its roots in studying weather that impacts the public, severe thunderstorm research now includes significant work from the social science community, some as standalone research and some in active collaborative efforts with physical scientists. In addition, the traditional emphases of the field continue to grow. Improved radar and numerical modeling capabilities allow meteorologists to see and model details that were unobservable and not understood a half century ago. The long tradition of collecting observations in the field has led to improved quality and quantity of observations, as well as the capability to collect them in locations that were previously inaccessible. Much of that work has been driven by the gaps in understanding identified by theoretical and operational practice.

show abstract

Section: The Post-world War II Era: Radar and The Development Of Forementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Some New Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A Century of Progress in Severe Convective Storm Research and Forecasting

Brooks

Doswell

Zhang

et al. 2019

Meteorological Monographs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During the Rivers of Vorticity in Supercells (RiVorS) project in May 2017, Markowski et al [10] used ground-launched PLDs for thermodynamic measurements in supercells. Using ground-level inflows, the team was able to target the supercell forward flank region successfully.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Deployment of Air-Launched Drifters from Small UAS

Swenson

Argrow

Frew

et al. 2019

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Supercell thunderstorms can form extremely dangerous and destructive tornadoes. While high fidelity supercell simulations have increased the understanding of supercell mechanics to help determine how and when tornadoes form, there is a lack of targeted, in situ measurements taken aboveground in supercells to validate these simulations. Pseudo-Lagrangian drifters (PLDs) are atmospheric probes that can be used to attain thermodynamic measurements in areas that are difficult or dangerous to access, such as from within supercells. Of particular interest in understanding tornadogenesis is the rear-flank downdraft (RFD). However, strong outflow winds behind the rear-flank gust front (RFGF) make the RFD particularly difficult to access with balloon-borne sensors launched from the ground. A specific type of PLD, an air-launched drifter (ALD) that is released from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), can be used to access RFD inflows, present at higher altitudes. Results from initial tests of ALDs are shown, along with results from a ground-released PLD test during a supercell intercept in the Oklahoma Panhandle on 12 June 2018. In characterization tests performed at the 2018 International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) flight week, it was found that the ALD sensor system performs reasonably well against industry standards. However, improvements will be made to increase the aspiration of the sensor.

show abstract