Mesowest: Cooperative Mesonets in the Western United States

Horel, John D.; Splitt, M. E.; Dunn, Lawrence B.; Pechmann, Judith; White, Bryan G.; Ciliberti, C. M.; Lazarus, S. M.; Slemmer, Jonathan; Zaff, D.; Burks, Jeremy

doi:10.1175/1520-0477(2002)083<0211:mcmitw>2.3.co;2

Cited by 269 publications

(212 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These data are from a weather station just outside the fire perimeter, the location of which is shown in Fig. 10 (data obtained from MesoWest, Horel et al, 2002), and the 17:00 PDT upper air soundings at Oakland International Airport (KOAK, location shown in Fig. 1).…”

Section: Lifted Parcelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental controls on pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus initiation and development

Lareau

Clements

2016

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. In this paper we present the first direct observational evidence that the condensation level in pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds can be significantly higher than the ambient lifted condensation level. In addition, we show that the environmental thermodynamic profile, day-today variations in humidity, and ambient wind shear all exert significant influence over the onset and development of pyroconvective clouds. These findings are established using a scanning Doppler lidar and mobile radiosonde system during two large wildfires in northern California, the Bald Fire and the Rocky Fire. The lidar is used to distinguish liquid water from smoke backscatter during the plume rise, and thus provides a direct detection of plume condensations levels. Plume tops are subsequently determined from both the lidar and nearby radar observations. The radiosonde data, obtained adjacent to the fires, contextualize the lidar and radar observations, and enable estimates of the plume ascent, convective available potential energy, and equilibrium level. A noteworthy finding is that in these cases, the convective condensation level, not the lifted condensation level, provides the best estimate of the pyrocumulus initiation height.

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Section: Lifted Parcelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental controls on pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus initiation and development

Lareau

Clements

2016

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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“…Data from over 50 surface weather stations within the Valley with diverse suites of sensors are used from the Mesowest archive (Horel et al 2002). In addition, seven 10-m Integrated Surface Flux System (ISFS) stations providing radiation, kinematic flux, and ground probe sensors as well as standard weather variables were deployed around the Salt Lake Valley as part of PCAPS (numbered in purple dots in Fig.…”

Section: Meteorological Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamically Induced Displacements of a Persistent Cold-Air Pool

Lareau

Horel

2014

Boundary-Layer Meteorol

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We examine the influence of a passing weather system on a persistent cold-air pool (CAP) during the Persistent Cold-Air Pool Study in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah, USA. The CAP experiences a sequence of along-valley displacements that temporarily and partially remove the cold air in response to increasing along-valley winds aloft. The displacements are due to the formation of a mountain wave over the upstream topography as well as adjustments to the regional horizontal pressure gradient and wind-stress divergence acting on the CAP. These processes appear to help establish a balance wherein the depth of the CAP increases to the north. When that balance is disrupted, the CAP tilt collapses, which sends a gravity current of cold air travelling upstream and thereby restores CAP conditions throughout the valley. Intra-valley mixing of momentum, heat, and pollution within the CAP by Kelvin-Helmholtz waves and seiching is also examined.

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“…Observed station temperature data to evaluate the model included daily NSAT and LT recorded at Hat (41.1°N, 112.6°W) and Gunnison (41.3°N,112.9°W) islands, obtained from the MesoWest Project (Horel et al, 2002). NSAT is measured about 12 m above current lake level and LT in about 0.9 m of water, about 0.15 m above the lake fl oor.…”

Section: Observation Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of salinity parameterizations on temperature simulation over and in a hypersaline lake

Wen

Nagabhatla

Zhao

et al. 2015

Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol.

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In this paper, we introduced parameterizations of the salinity effects (on heat capacity, thermal conductivity, freezing point and saturated vapor pressure) in a lake scheme integrated in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with the Community Land Model (WRF-CLM). This was done to improve temperature simulation over and in a saline lake and to test the contributions of salinity effects on various water properties via sensitivity experiments. The modifi ed lake scheme consists of the lake module in the CLM model, which is the land component of the WRF-CLM model. The Great Salt Lake (GSL) in the USA was selected as the study area. The simulation was performed from September 3, 2001 to September 30, 2002. Our results show that the modifi ed WRF-CLM model that includes the lake scheme considering salinity effects can reasonably simulate temperature over and in the GSL. This model had much greater accuracy than neglecting salinity effects, particularly in a very cold event when that effect alters the freezing point. The salinity effect on saturated vapor pressure can reduce latent heat fl ux over the lake and make it slightly warmer. The salinity effect on heat capacity can also make lake temperature prone to changes. However, the salinity effect on thermal conductivity was found insignifi cant in our simulations.

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Mesowest: Cooperative Mesonets in the Western United States

Abstract: By surmounting the technical difficulties of collecting, integrating, and disseminating surface observations from many different organizations, MesoWest is able to provide research and operational meteorologists with useful, real-time data from the western states.

Cited by 269 publications

References 14 publications

Environmental controls on pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus initiation and development

Environmental controls on pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus initiation and development

Dynamically Induced Displacements of a Persistent Cold-Air Pool

Impacts of salinity parameterizations on temperature simulation over and in a hypersaline lake

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