TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatiotemporal evolution of the microphysical and thermodynamic characteristics of the 20 June 2015 pecan MCS
AU - Stechman, Daniel M.
AU - McFarquhar, Greg M.
AU - Rauber, Robert M.
AU - Bell, Michael M.
AU - Jewett, Brian F.
AU - Martinez, Jonathan
N1 - This study was funded by the National Science Foundation under Grants AGS-1359098, AGS 1842094, AGS-1841966, and AGS-1701225, with additional support provided by the NSSL Director's Discretionary Research Fund. We would like to thank the NOAA P-3 flight crew for acquiring the PECAN dataset. Conrad Ziegler and David Jorgensen of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) are acknowledged for their efforts in obtaining flight hour support for the P-3 service during PECAN. We also acknowledge the work of Brittany Welsh and Troy Zaremba who manually identified the majority of the representative particle images for the PECAN spirals. Finally, Annette Foerster is acknowledged for creating the aircraft motion correction files for the PECAN NOAA Tail Doppler Radar data. Some of the computing for this project was performed at the OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research (OSCER) at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
Acknowledgments. This study was funded by the National Science Foundation under Grants AGS-1359098, AGS 1842094, AGS-1841966, and AGS-1701225, with additional support provided by the NSSL Director’s Discretionary Research Fund. We would like to thank the NOAA P-3 flight crew for acquiring the PECAN dataset. Conrad Ziegler and David Jorgensen of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) are acknowledged for their efforts in obtaining flight hour support for the P-3 service during PECAN. We also acknowledge the work of Brittany Welsh and Troy Zaremba who manually identified the majority of the representative particle images for the PECAN spirals. Finally, Annette Foerster is acknowledged for creating the aircraft motion correction files for the PECAN NOAA Tail Doppler Radar data. Some of the computing for this project was performed at the OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research (OSCER) at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
PY - 2020/4
Y1 - 2020/4
N2 - This study examines microphysical and thermodynamic characteristics of the 20 June 2015 mesoscale convective system (MCS) observed during the Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) experiment, specifically within the transition zone (TZ), enhanced stratiform rain region (ESR), anvil region, melting layer (ML), and the rear inflow jet (RIJ). Analyses are developed from airborne optical array probe data and multiple-Doppler wind and reflectivity syntheses using data from the airborne NOAA Tail Doppler Radar (TDR) and ground-based Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars. Seven spiral ascents/descents of the NOAA P-3 aircraft were executed within various regions of the 20 June MCS. Aggregation modified by sublimation was observed in each MCS region, regardless of whether the sampling was within the RIJ. Sustained sublimation and evaporation of precipitation in subsaturated layers led to a trend of downward moistening across the ESR spirals, with greater degrees of subsaturation maintained when in the vicinity of the descending RIJ. In all cases where melting was observed, the ML acted as a prominent thermodynamic boundary, with differing rates of change in temperature and relative humidity above and below the ML. Two spiral profiles coincident with the rear inflow notch provided unique observations within the TZ and were interpreted in the context of similar observations from the 29 June 2003 Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment MCS. There, sublimation cooling and enhanced descent within the RIJ allowed ice particles to survive to temperatures as warm as 16.88C before completely sublimating/evaporating.
AB - This study examines microphysical and thermodynamic characteristics of the 20 June 2015 mesoscale convective system (MCS) observed during the Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) experiment, specifically within the transition zone (TZ), enhanced stratiform rain region (ESR), anvil region, melting layer (ML), and the rear inflow jet (RIJ). Analyses are developed from airborne optical array probe data and multiple-Doppler wind and reflectivity syntheses using data from the airborne NOAA Tail Doppler Radar (TDR) and ground-based Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars. Seven spiral ascents/descents of the NOAA P-3 aircraft were executed within various regions of the 20 June MCS. Aggregation modified by sublimation was observed in each MCS region, regardless of whether the sampling was within the RIJ. Sustained sublimation and evaporation of precipitation in subsaturated layers led to a trend of downward moistening across the ESR spirals, with greater degrees of subsaturation maintained when in the vicinity of the descending RIJ. In all cases where melting was observed, the ML acted as a prominent thermodynamic boundary, with differing rates of change in temperature and relative humidity above and below the ML. Two spiral profiles coincident with the rear inflow notch provided unique observations within the TZ and were interpreted in the context of similar observations from the 29 June 2003 Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment MCS. There, sublimation cooling and enhanced descent within the RIJ allowed ice particles to survive to temperatures as warm as 16.88C before completely sublimating/evaporating.
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U2 - 10.1175/MWR-D-19-0293.1
DO - 10.1175/MWR-D-19-0293.1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85085219191
SN - 0027-0644
VL - 148
SP - 1363
EP - 1388
JO - Monthly Weather Review
JF - Monthly Weather Review
IS - 4
ER -