4.4 an Overview of the Bow Echo and Mcv Experiment (Bamex)
4.4 AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOW ECHO AND MCV EXPERIMENT (BAMEX) Planned Field Phase: May 20 – July 6, 2003 Christopher Davis (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado) Michael Biggerstaff (University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma) Lance Bosart (University at Albany, SUNY) George Bryan (Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania) David Dowell (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado) Robert Johns (Storm Prediction Center, Norman, Oklahoma) David Jorgensen (NSSL, Boulder, Colorado) Brian Klimowski (NWSFO, Rapid City, South Dakota) Kevin Knupp (University of Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama) Wen-Chau Lee (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado) Ron Przybylinski (NWSFO, St. Louis, Missouri) Gary Schmocker (NWSFO, St. Louis, Missouri) Jeffery Trapp (NSSL, Boulder, Colorado) Stanley Trier (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado) Roger Wakimoto (UCLA, Los Angeles, California) Morris Weisman (NCAR, Boulder, Colorado) Conrad Ziegler (NSSL, Norman, Oklahoma) (A complete list of participants in BAMEX can be found in the Appendix.) 1. Introduction The study of long-lived (e.g., 6-24 hr.) mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) continues to be a prominent topic in meteorology, mainly because of the profound effect such systems can have on local weather. The spectrum of significant MCSs is approximately bracketed by bow-echoes at small scales, which can be responsible for generating large swaths of damaging surface winds, and mesoscale convective complexes with mesoscale convective vortices (MCVs) at larger scales, which can produce widespread heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Both are examples of convective systems that develop appreciable vertical components of vorticity and often are seen to evolve into comma shaped precipitation regions. According to Frisch et al. (1986), at least half of the warm-season rainfall in the central United States is produced by long-lived mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) In addition, Fritsch et al.
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