Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies

Randy Peppler

Description

lightning networks in Oklahoma, Alabama, Virginia, and Florida for severe weather ..... http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/wof/documents/Year_One_Work_Plans.pdf) This ...... to fund and supervise two graduate students, and one Post-Doctoral scientist ...... VPR characteristics are being compared along side properties of the ...

Informations

• Publié par: paul.vallen
• Nombre de lectures: 32
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale
Meteorological Studies

Annual Report
Prepared for the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

NA17RJ1227
NA08OAR4320904
NA08OAR4320886

Fiscal Year – 2011











































Cover figure – The new On Demand Severe Weather Verification System, part of NSSL’s Warning Decision
Support System – Integrated Information (WDSS-II) Multi-Radar/Multi Sensor platform, captures rotation tracks
during the 27-28 April 2011 tornado outbreak in the southeastern U.S. It is seeing use for storm verification and
emergency reconnaissance. More on this project can be found within CIMMS research theme “Forecast
Improvements” on p. 32.
2 Table of Contents



Introduction 4

General Description of CIMMS and its Core Activities 4

Management of CIMMS, including Mission and Vision
Statements, and Organizational Structure 5

Executive Summary Listing of Activities during FY2011 6

Distribution of NOAA Funding by CIMMS Task and Theme 13

CIMMS Council and Fellows Membership and Meeting Dates 14

General Description of Task I Activities 16

Research Performance 17

Basic Convective and Mesoscale Research 17

Forecast Improvements 28

Climatic Effects of/Controls on Mesoscale Processes 95

Socioeconomic Impacts of Mesoscale Weather Systems and
Regional Scale Climate Variations 108

Doppler Weather Radar Research and Development 117

Climate Change Monitoring and Detection 185

Public Affairs and Outreach 188

Appendix A – CIMMS Awards and Honors 192

Appendix B – Publication Summary 193

Appendix C – Personnel Summary 194

Appendix D – Compilation of CIMMS-Related Publications 2010-2011 195

Appendix E – Executive Summary of CIMMS Annual Report 212
3 COOPERATIVE INSTITUTE FOR MESOSCALE METEOROLOGICAL STUDIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

Annual Report of Research Progress under Cooperative Agreement NA17RJ1227,
Extension Agreement NA08OAR4320904, and Shadow Agreement NA08OAR4320886
During the 2011 Fiscal Year

Peter J. Lamb, Director
Randy A. Peppler, Associate Director
Tracy L. Reinke, Executive Director of Finance and Operations


INTRODUCTION

General Description of CIMMS and its Core Activities

The Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) was established in 1978 as a
cooperative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The
University of Oklahoma (OU). CIMMS provides a mechanism to link the scientific and technical resources
of OU and NOAA to create a center of research excellence in mesoscale meteorology, regional climate
studies, and related subject areas. CIMMS-supported scientists and students conduct research in
mesoscale dynamics, radar research, development, and analysis, atmospheric electricity, severe storms,
cloud microphysics, and boundary layer studies, with increasing emphasis in recent years on the climatic
effects of/controls on mesoscale processes, the socioeconomic impact of such phenomena, and climate
change monitoring and detection. Outreach activities are also performed in a number of ways described
later in this report.

CIMMS promotes cooperation and collaboration on problems of mutual interest among OU research
scientists and students and the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) National
Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Operations Center (ROC) for
the WSR-88D (NEXRAD) Program, NWS NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) Storm
Prediction Center (SPC), NWS Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB), and the NWS Forecast Office
in Norman, Oklahoma. CIMMS also fosters collaboration with the NWS Training Center (NWSTC) in
Kansas City, Missouri.

CIMMS research contributes to the NOAA mission through improvement of the observation, analysis,
understanding, and prediction of weather elements and systems and climate anomalies ranging in size
from cloud nuclei to multi-state areas. Advances in observational and analytical techniques lead to
improved understanding of the evolution and structure of these phenomena. Understanding provides the
foundation for more accurate prediction of hazardous weather and anomalous regional climate. Better
prediction contributes to improved social and economic welfare. Because small-, meso-, and
regionalscale phenomena are also important causes and manifestations of climate, CIMMS research is
contributing to improved understanding of the global climate system and regional climate variability and
change. CIMMS promotes research collaboration between scientists at OU and NOAA by providing a
center where government and academic scientists may work together to learn about and apply their
knowledge of mesoscale weather and regional-scale climate processes.

CIMMS is part of the National Weather Center, a unique confederation of federal, state, and OU
organizations that work together in partnership to improve understanding of the Earth's atmosphere.
Recognized for its collective expertise in severe weather, many of the research and development
activities of the Center have served society by improving weather observing and forecasting, and thus
have contributed to reductions in loss of life and property. Many entities of the National Weather Center
played a key role in the decade-long, $2 billion dollar modernization and restructuring of the National
4 Weather Service. National Weather Center organizations employ approximately 650 men and women
and provide more than $45 million annually to the Oklahoma economy.

In addition to CIMMS, National Weather Center organizations include:

• NOAA OAR National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
• NOAA NWS Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB)
• NOAA NWS NCEP Storm Prediction Center (SPC)
• NOAA NWS Radar Operations Center (ROC)
• NOAA NWS Forecast Office, Norman
• Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS)
• OU College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences
• OU School of Meteorology
• OU Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability
• OU Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS)
• OU Atmospheric Radar Research Center (ARRC)
• OU Center for Spatial Analysis (CSA)
• OU Supercomputing Center for Education and Research (OSCER)

CIMMS concentrates its research and outreach efforts and resources on the following principal themes:
(1) basic convective and mesoscale research, (2) forecast improvements, (3) climatic effects of/controls
on mesoscale processes, (4) socioeconomic impacts of mesoscale weather systems and regional-scale
climate variations, (5) Doppler weather radar research and development, and (6) climate change
monitoring and detection.

This report describes NOAA-funded research and outreach progress made by CIMMS scientists at OU
and those assigned to our collaborating NOAA units during OU fiscal year 2011 (1 July 2010 through 30
June 2011), and as such represents the eighth annual report written for the present cooperative
agreement (NA17RJ1227), its extension agreement (NA08OAR4320904), and a shadow agreement
(NA08OAR4320886) that relates to the SCIPP activities. NOAA-funded projects are explicitly identified in
project titles. Publications are grouped by project throughout the report and also compiled in Appendix D.
This report also documents the NOAA-relevant research and outreach activities performed by core
CIMMS scientists based at the university that may be funded by other agencies – these agencies are
identified. Publications written, awards received, and employee and funding statistics are presented in
Appendices at the end.


Management of CIMMS, including Mission and Vision Statements, and
Organizational Structure

A Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA and OU, last signed in 1995, defines CIMMS
organizationally. A Council and an Assembly of Fellows governs CIMMS. The NOAA Science Advisory
Board conducted the most recent review of CIMMS in October 2003. One result of this review was the
development of a strategic plan for the extension period (its executive summary is included in Appendix
D). With the NOAA Science Advisory Board taking over the responsibility of reviewing CIMMS, the
CIMMS Advisory Board no longer exists. Beginning in November 2010, NOAA conducted a nationwide
competition of CIMMS. As of the end of the FY 2011 reporting period, this competition was ongoing.

The CIMMS Council meets quarterly to provide advice and recommendations to the Director of CIMMS
regarding appointments, procedures, and policies; to review and adopt bylaws; and to periodically review