PLAINS ELEVATED CONVECTION AT NIGHT (PECAN)

SCIENCE OVERVIEW AND EDO ASSESSMENT OFAP Meeting Spring 2013 PECAN Plains Elevated Convection At Night

NSF LAOF requests: UW King Air (120 flight hours) with WCL 3 NCAR ISSs (one of them mobile) with 120 sondes each NCAR ISS-449 profiler S-PolKa (NCAR) + 3 DOWs (CSWR)

Corresponding PIs SPO: David B. Parsons, U. Oklahoma ([email protected]) EDO: Bart Geerts, U. Wyoming ([email protected]) Co-Investigators Tammy M. Weckwerth, NCAR Conrad Ziegler, NSSL (NOAA rep) Richard Ferrare, Langley (NASA rep) David Turner (DOE ARM rep) Field phase 1 June –15 July 2015 Additional Steering Belay Demoz, Howard U. Funding NSF AGS; NOAA; Committee members John Hanesiak, U. Manitoba agencies NASA; DOE Kevin Knupp, U. Alabama Participating Matthew Parker, N. Carolina State U. universities 17 Russ Schumacher, CSU Josh Wurman, CSWR Education & 30+ students in the One-page 28 total from 21 organizations; outreach field statements of interest 4 are international 59 PIs & co-PIs up to 17 proposals to NSF PECAN science

Key Topic Key Hypothesis Initiation and early evolution of Nocturnal convection is more likely to be initiated and elevated convection (e.g., sustained when it occurs in a region of mesoscale Wilson and Roberts 2006) convergence above the SBL Internal structure, microphysics, The microphysical and dynamical processes in and dynamics of nocturnal developing and mature stratiform regions of nocturnal MCSs (e.g., French and Parker MCSs are critical to their maintenance and upscale 2010) growth through determining the structure and intensity of cold pools, bores and solitary waves that interact with the SBL Vertical displacements by Bores and associated wave/solitary disturbances undular bores and wave-like generated by convection play a significant role in features (e.g., Koch and Clark elevated, nocturnal MCSs through lifting parcels above 1999) the SBL to levels at or near their level of free convection Storm-scale numerical weather A mesoscale network of surface, boundary-layer and prediction (e.g., Surcel et al. upper-level measurements will enable advanced data 2010) assimilation systems to significantly improve the prediction of convection initiation. Advances in QPF associated with nocturnal convection will require either greatly improved convective parameterizations, or, more likely, horizontal and vertical resolutions sufficient to capture both SBL disturbances and convection PECAN platforms  scanning radars:  PECAN Integrated Sounding Array › fixed: S-PolKa, plus WSR-88D (PISA) and ARM SGP radars › concept: a PISA unit profiles the › mobile: 6 X-band + 2 C- kinematic, thermodynamic, and band radars moisture structure of the lower troposphere.  aircraft: › components: each unit has › clear-air:  surface  a  UW King Air with (radar//)  NASA DC-8 with LASE, interferometer  moisture and/or temperature profiler (DIAL, Raman lidar, microwave › storm-penetrating: radiometer, AERI …)  NOAA P-3 with X-band fore/aft › array: scanning tail radar  10 complete units enabled by 15  A-10 may be requested separ- participating institutions ately to participate in PECAN  6 fixed PISA units

 4 mobile PISA units  surface met & sounding vehicles

• Key challenge: deployment of mobile facilities at night ahead of the target. • Solutions: • Inter-IOP radar & PISA mobility only (not intra-IOP relocations); • Advance selection & characterization of potential sites; • NSSL forecast & nowcast guidance. ID lead PI instrument source instruments fixed profiling units (FP): stationary during the duration of PECAN, operating continuously FP1 David Turner ARM CART Central Facility wind lidar, Raman lidar, AERI, MR, sfc met and sfc fluxes, radiosonde unit, four 915 MHz WPs with a typical spacing of 10 km

FP2 Rich Clark Millersville University 1000 m tethersonde profiles of met + variables/turbulence, sfc met and sfc fluxes, Belay Demoz backscatter lidar, radiosonde unit, and sodar Howard Univ. and NASA/GSFC ALVICE Raman lidar & GLOW and/or Leosphere wind lidars, MR FP3 David Parsons NCAR EOL ISS-449, mini DIAL + University of Hohenheim, scanning DIAL (water vapor) and scanning Volker Wulfmeyer Germany rotational Raman lidar (temperature) Colorado State University radiosonde unit University of Manitoba MR and wind lidar FP4 Tammy Weckwerth NCAR EOL ISS with 915 MHz WP, mini DIAL, GAUS, sfc met

Radiometrics MR Naval Postgrad School flux tower, sodar, tethersonde FP5 Tammy Weckwerth NCAR EOL ISS with 915 MHz WP, sodar, mini DIAL, GAUS, sfc met Radiometrics MR FP6 John Hanesiak University of Manitoba MR, wind lidar, AERI DOE radiosonde unit & sfc met (ARM SPG Larned site) mobile profiling units (MP): operate during IOPs only MP1 David Turner University of Oklahoma, NSSL CLAMPS: AERI, MR, and scanning Doppler lidar

University of Oklahoma radiosonde & sfc met MP2 Kevin Knupp University of Alabama Huntsville scanning Doppler lidar, 915 MHz WP, MR, sodar,

MIPS truck , sfc met, radiosonde unit PISA building building PISA blocks MP3 David Parsons, Naval Postgraduate School TWOLF Doppler lidar & FM-CW radar (both truck- H. Bluestein, Wayne mounted ) + sfc met Feltz University of Wisconsin AERI + multi-spectral aerosol lidar + radiosonde unit MP4 T. Weckwerth NCAR EOL Mobile ISS with 915 MHz WP, MGAUS, sfc met PECAN domain OKC SLN *

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July July (# nights/ m) nocturnal low level jetin and P NOAA base for the Rogers:Will preferred (greenradar circle) within 75 km of S a all fixed PISA (FP)units are the Salina: O mobile ground units and Hays: preferredbase for centroid) in July (within 350 km of MCS initiations per month perations Center UWKA preferred base for # of nocturnal frequency frequency of the

- 3 NASA DC NASA

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band

- 8 mission type target PECAN deployment strategy # IOPs convection 5 example: MCS mission initiation MCS dynamics 10 µphysics bores 5

Mobile platforms are deployed ahead of target MCS.

Mobile radars and PISA units remain fixed during IOPs not just for safety, but also to sample both the storm and the broader environment (LLJ, BL evolution).

Aircraft move with the MCS.  NCAR S-Pol and Ka-band Radar (site near Hays, KS)  ISS 449 MHz 7-panel wind profiler (120 sondes) south of Hays, KS  ISS 915 MHz wind profiler (120 sondes) and sodar near Kearney, NE  ISS 915 MHz wind profiler (120 sondes) and sodar north of Goodland KS  Mobile ISS (120 sondes) based at Hays, KS  UW King Air (WCR and Raman Lidar) based at Salina, KS  DOW6, DOW7, Rapid-scan DOW based at Hays, KS  NCAR/EOL Project and Data Management Support (pre-planning, operations and E&O) based at Hays, KS

LAOF FACILITIES & LOCATIONS  1 June – 15 July 2014 (plus facility set-up and testing)  20 nocturnal IOPs in 45 days  Operations Area:  KS and OK for ground operations  Central US for flight operations  Distributed Operation Centers  Main Operations Center in Hays, KS  NASA and NOAA Aircraft in Oklahoma City, OK  UW King Air in Salina, KS  Ground-based systems maintenance base in Hays, KS  Coordination with NASA, NOAA, DOE/ARM

OPERATIONS  Web services (PECAN page, mailing lists, related links etc.)  Field Catalog with real-time GIS displays including all mobile and airborne platforms  Catalog Earth  Full suite of operational, model and research products available in catalog  A variety of report forms for operations documentation (e.g., status, operations plan of the day)  Assist with formulation/implementation of a data policy  Data questionnaire  Collection of routine operational and research data in the region and from other Weather Centers (NCEP, ECMWF, UKMO, etc.)  Composite surface and upper air datasets  Centralized long-term PECAN Archive at EOL  “Merged’ radar data for the archive REQUESTED DATA MANAGEMENT SUPPORT  Pre-planning and coordination with FAA required  Set-up & support of aircraft operations bases responsibility of respective aircraft providers  GIS Tool needed at Ops Center to facilitate real-time multi-aircraft coordination  Reliance on multi-path communications that connects Ops Center, aircraft and other key ground facilities (not a trivial task)  Dedicated Aircraft Coordinator at Ops center  Aircraft bases will have hangars and/or emergency evacuation plans in place  Participation of A-10 unlikely

AIRCRAFT CONSIDERATIONS SPOLKA  No major challenges for facility deployment  24/7 operations of the S-PolKa radar – attended/unattended  Crew duty limits will apply  Availability of Ka band radar is uncertain ISS/MISS/Profiler  EOL does not have 4 ISS – alternate involves MISS and 449 profiler  Crew duty limits will apply  Systems will remain stationary once IOP starts  Additional help from PIs/students needed to support operations  Timeliness of soundings onto the GTS dependent dependent on site-specific communications Other  Reliance on multi-path communications that connects Ops Center and key ground-based facilities  Dedicated Ground Coordinator at Ops Center  Availability of 3 NCAR mini-DIAL water vapor lidar highly unlikely  Pre-selection of mobile sites responsibility of PIs  Night time severe weather will require full forecast/nowcast team support during IOPs for alerts, warnings and ground site take-cover/evacuation

GROUND -BASED ISSUES CONCLUSIONS

 PECAN is FEASIBLE (no major concerns)  Direct schedule conflict with GOAmazon2015 (Option 1 and 4) & ICE- L  Safety and security of participants working at night in severe weather  Consolidation of operations bases should be considered  Lots of students needed to assist in facility operations  Special funds needed for FPS and CDS operations and data management support