Finescale Orographic Precipitation Variability and Gap-Filling Radar Potential in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Campbell, Leah S.; Steenburgh, W. James

doi:10.1175/waf-d-13-00129.1

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 114 publications

(90 reference statements)

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“…The bimodality of the Valais data may be explained by the exceptional character of the 2016-2017 winter season with unseasonally high temperatures and perhaps the inclusion of data from early spring notwithstanding our careful selection of the data. Nevertheless, they are comparable to the results from Cluckie et al (2000) in Salford, England, where a bimodal distribution of melting layer heights with peaks at 650 and 1850 m was found. The melting layer tops are also within the limits of the values found by Fabry et al (1994b) in Montreal, which ranged between 200 and 3800 m in spring and 0 and 3900 m in winter.…”

Section: Melting Layer Statisticssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The melting layer tops are also within the limits of the values found by Fabry et al (1994b) in Montreal, which ranged between 200 and 3800 m in spring and 0 and 3900 m in winter. The observed melting layer depths are thicker than those observed by Cluckie et al (2000) but comparable to the depth ranges reported by Fabry et al (1994b). Similarly to the results in Cluckie et al (2000) and Wolfensberger et al (2016), melting layer thickness seems to be independent of season, climate or topography.…”

Section: Melting Layer Statisticssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…For Mediterranean precipitation, Berne et al (2004) found that point-scale VPRs have a spatial representativeness which is limited to 6 km distances from the radar for 15 min integration times. Whereas Fabry et al (1994b) reported a melting layer height change of 1500 m within 3 h in Montreal (Canada), Cluckie et al (2000) found no more than 600 m deviation in the melting layer height in the region of Middle Wallop (England) and this only in conditions with significant convection. However, none of these studies were conducted in an Alpine environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Characterisation of the melting layer variability in an Alpine valley based on polarimetric X-band radar scans

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The melting layer designates the transition region from solid to liquid precipitation, and is a typical feature of the vertical structure of stratiform precipitation. As it is characterised by a well-known signature in polarimetric radar variables, it can be identified by automatic detection algorithms. Though often assumed to be uniform in space and time for applications such as vertical profile correction, the spatial variability of the melting layer remains poorly documented. This work aims to characterise and quantify the spatial and temporal variability of the melting layer using a method based on the Fourier transform, which is applied to high-resolution X-band polarimetric radar data from two measurement campaigns in Switzerland. It is first demonstrated that the proposed method can accurately and concisely describe the spatial variability of the melting layer and may therefore be used as a tool for comparison. The method is then used to characterise the melting layer variability in summer precipitation on the relatively flat Swiss Plateau and in winter precipitation in a large inner Alpine valley (the Rhone valley in the Swiss Alps). Results indicate a higher contribution of smaller spatial scales to the total melting layer variability in the case of the Alpine environment. The same method is also applied to data from vertical scans in order to study the temporal variability of the melting layer. The variability in space and time is then compared to investigate the spatio-temporal coherence of the melting layer variability in the two study areas, which was found to be more consistent with the assumption of pure advection for the case of the plateau.

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Section: Melting Layer Statisticssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Melting Layer Statisticssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Characterisation of the melting layer variability in an Alpine valley based on polarimetric X-band radar scans

et al. 2018

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“…Observational studies suggest that during winter storms, a layer containing high values of vertical shear may often be a feature of high mountain ranges (e.g. Lin et al , ; Garvert et al , ; Neiman et al , ; Campbell and Steenburgh, ). Idealized numerical simulations indicate that a shear layer develops on the windward side of a mountain as a result of strong static stability and/or surface friction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kelvin–Helmholtz waves in extratropical cyclones passing over mountain ranges

Medina

Houze

2016

Quart J Royal Meteoro Soc

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Kelvin-Helmholtz billows with horizontal scales of 3-4 km have been observed in midlatitude cyclones moving over the Italian Alps and the Oregon Cascades when the atmosphere was mostly statically stable with high amounts of shear and Ri < 0.25. In one case, data from a mobile radar located within a windward facing valley documented a layer in which the shear between down-valley flow below 1.2 km and strong upslope cross-barrier flow above was large. Several episodes of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves were observed within the shear layer. The occurrence of the waves appears to be related to the strength of the shear: when the shear attained large values, an episode of billows occurred, followed by a sharp decrease in the shear. The occurrence of large values of shear and Kelvin-Helmholtz billows over two different mountain ranges suggests that they may be important features occurring when extratropical cyclones with statically stable flow pass over mountain ranges.

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“…18a], the Oregon Cascades [Garvert et al (2007), their Fig. 19], and the Wasatch Mountains [Campbell and Steenburgh (2014), their Fig. 21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-Scale Precipitation Elements in Midlatitude Cyclones Crossing the California Sierra Nevada

Medina

Houze

2015

Monthly Weather Review

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Radar data in some frontal systems passing over the Sierra Nevada of California show large variance on scales of ;10 km. The most prominent features are a few kilometers in scale and are similar to small-scale precipitation cells embedded in fronts seen over other mountain ranges. Other frontal systems crossing the Sierras are characterized by more uniform air motions. Updrafts in large-variance storms have characteristics of shear-induced turbulence, although buoyant instability may also contribute. Large-variance storms occur under stronger upstream winds and vertically integrated cross-and along-barrier moisture fluxes. Rain gauges indicate that large-variance storms have precipitation greater than smaller-variance storms. Stronger horizontal moisture fluxes may provide greater mean upslope condensation rates; however, it is hypothesized that accelerated microphysical processes are needed to most efficiently convert the condensate into precipitation that falls out on the lower slopes before being carried downstream. Radar data indicate that the turbulence embodied in the cellular motions of the large-variance cases is consistent with microphysical enhancement resulting from updraft elements producing pockets of liquid water conducive to riming and coalescence. In addition, radar spectrum-width data show that the cells contain strong subcell-scale turbulence conducive to particle collisions and aggregation. Polarimetric radar data just below the 08C level show large raindrops in the cells, consistent with aggregation occurring in cells just above the melting layer. It is hypothesized that such enhanced microphysical processes in large-variance cases hasten the growth and fallout in the regions of maximum condensation over the windward slopes.

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Finescale Orographic Precipitation Variability and Gap-Filling Radar Potential in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Cited by 16 publications

References 114 publications

Characterisation of the melting layer variability in an Alpine valley based on polarimetric X-band radar scans

Characterisation of the melting layer variability in an Alpine valley based on polarimetric X-band radar scans

Kelvin–Helmholtz waves in extratropical cyclones passing over mountain ranges

Small-Scale Precipitation Elements in Midlatitude Cyclones Crossing the California Sierra Nevada

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