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Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior Over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from 2009-2018 NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data

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Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior Over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from 2009-2018 NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects Honors College at WKU 2020 Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from 2009-2018 NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data Dallas McKinney Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses Part of the Atmospheric Sciences Commons, Geographic Information Sciences Commons, and the Meteorology Commons Recommended Citation McKinney, Dallas, "Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from 2009-2018 NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data" (2020). Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 836. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/836 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DETERMINING ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER BEHAVIOR OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN USING AIRCRAFT VERTICAL PROFILES FROM 2009-2018 NASA STUDENT AIRBORNE RESEARCH PROGRAM DATA A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Science with Mahurin Honors College Graduate Distinction at Western Kentucky University by Dallas J. McKinney April 2020 ***** CE/T Committee: Professor Joshua Durkee, Advisor Professor Gregory Goodrich Professor Joel D. Lenoir Copyright by Dallas J. McKinney 2020 ABSTRACT The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height separates turbulently mixed air and pollutants emitted at the ground from the free troposphere above and is an important parameter in numerical weather prediction and air pollution dispersion models. Discerning the ABL height over mountainous terrain has historically been difficult because of, for example, complex interactions with upper level winds, venting of humidity and aerosols into the free troposphere, and large spatiotemporal variability. ABL over mountainous terrain (MT) can closely follow the terrain, be flat, or be shallower than surrounding valleys depending on the time of day, synoptic conditions, and effects of the surrounding terrain. To determine the ABL behavior over MT, meteorological and greenhouse gas data collected by NASA aircraft during accents and descents over mountains across Central and Southern California during the 2009-2018 Student Airborne Research Programs (SARP) were analyzed. Synoptic conditions for California from 2009-2018 were analyzed via 1000-500 hPa geopotential heights and mean sea level pressure self-organized maps created from North American Regional Reanalysis data. Synoptic ridging occurred during each of the 2009-2018 NASA SARP research flights. Hyper-terrain and terrain following ABL behavior over MT were favored when a strong thermal low formed in the Central and Imperial Valleys and an upper level ridge was centered over California. This new knowledge of ABL behavior over MT during synoptic ridging can be now compared versus numerical weather and pollution modeling to assess the accuracy of their forecasts of this important parameter. ii DEDICATION In memory of Jack McKinney: educator, coach, Kentucky colonel, and, most importantly, Papaw. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very thankful for everyone that has helped make this project and my time at WKU as a member of Mahurin Honors College a success. First, I would like to thank my advisors Dr. Durkee and Dr. Goodrich for guiding me through this project and for teaching me pretty much everything I know about meteorology. I would also like to thank Dr. Joel Lenoir for being the third reader for my thesis. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge WKU meteorology alum and soon to be Dr., Erik Smith of Kent State University who walked me through how to do synoptic classification through self-organized maps. I would make you a coauthor on this project if I could in order to acknowledge your contributions. This entire project was made possible since I had the opportunity to participate in the 2018 NASA SARP. I want to thank Dr. Sally Pusede and PhD student Laura Barry from the University of Virginia for mentoring me through the first phase of this project. Being a part of NASA SARP forged me to become an atmospheric researcher and inspired me to apply to graduate school. I am additionally grateful to my 2018 NASA SARP class and especially my AtmoChem research group who were the best budding researchers, housemates, and supportive friends one could ask for during our time at UC Irvine. I was privileged to get to know each of you! I would like to thank the NOAA Senator Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program for covering my tuition for the past two years so that I could focus on my classes and doing research such as this project. Next, I would like to say thank you to the WKU Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES) for providing me the computing resources necessary to iv complete this project. The WKU Mahurin Honors College also deserves a kudos for providing me the structure and resources to complete this undergraduate research. Additionally, I want to thank my family for supporting me through this research. It has required many late nights and long weekends away from home working away at a computer, but you have always been there for me when I called and anxiously waiting for me at the door when I return. Lastly, I would like to thank the Lord for saving my soul and answering my prayers in helping me to complete this project. To God be the glory! v VITA EDUCATION Western Kentucky University , Bowling Green, KY May 2020 B.S. in Meteorology B.S. in Geographic Information Science Western Kentucky University , Bowling Green, KY May 2019 Geographic Information Systems Certificate West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Paducah, KY May 2017 Associate’s in Science Mayfield Creek Christian Academy, Cunningham, KY May 2015 High School Diploma FIELDS OF STUDY First Major Field: Meteorology Second Major Field: Geographic Information Science AWARDS & HONORS Summa Cum Laude, WKU, May 2020 Dr. Syed Reza Ahsan Outstanding GIS Senior, WKU, May 2020 Glickman Family Senior Named Scholarship, AMS, January 2020 Senator Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship, NOAA, May 2018 Unsung Student Hero, WKCTC, May 2017 All-Academic Team, KCTCS, May 2017 Valedictorian, MCCA, May 2015 RESEARCH EXPERIENCE NOAA Senator Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program August 2018- National Weather Service, Cleveland, OH May 2020 NASA Student Airborne Research Program June 2018- Armstrong Research Center August 2018 vi PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE National Weather Service, Paducah, KY May 2018- Student Volunteer February 2020 PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS American Geophysical Union (AGU) American Meteorological Society (AMS) American Water Works Association (AWWA) Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS) Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals (KAMP) National Speleological Society (NSS) National Weather Association (NWA) INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE Ontario Storm Prediction Centre, Environment Canada, Toronto, Canada July 2019 WKU Sisterhood Lifetime Experience Grant PRESENTATIONS “Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data;” 21st Joint Conference on the Applications of Air Pollution Meteorology with the Air & Waste Management Association, 100th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, Boston, MA: January 2020. “Determining Atmospheric Boundary Layer Behavior over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles from 2009-2018 NASA Student Airborne Research Program Data;” Kentucky Academy of Science; Berea, KY: November 2019. “Observing Boundary Layer Heights over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles;” Kentucky Academy of Science; Bowling Green, KY: November 2018. “Observing Boundary Layer Heights over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles;” WKCTC Science Seminar Series; Paducah, KY: October 2018. “Observing Boundary Layer Heights over Mountainous Terrain Using Aircraft Vertical Profiles;” NASA SARP Student Research Conference; Irvine, CA: August 2018. vii CONTENTS Abstract ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv Vita vi List of Figures ix List of Tables xi Introduction 1 Study Area and Methods 3 Results and Discussion 29 Conclusions 49 References 52 Appendix A 56 Appendix B 62 Appendix C 93 Abbreviations 126 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 2.1 NASA DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory…………………..………..…..…….5 2.2 Altitude vs topography 27 June 2018…………………………...………..………9 2.3 MMS probe on DC-8…………………………………………………….……...10 2.4 NASA SARP 2018 vertical profile over Los Angeles, California……....………13 2.5 24 June 2018 vertical profile ground paths……………………………….……..13 2.6 Map of 2009-2018 SARP data………………………………………….…….…15 2.7 Map of California MT………………………………………………….………..17 2.8 Map of 2009-2017 SARP data over MT……………………………….………..19 2.9 Map of 2009-2017 NASA SARP MT vertical profiles……………….…………21 2.10 Altitude vs topography 22 July 2009………………………………….…....……22 2.11 Idealized illustration of four ABL behaviors vs height……………….…….……24 2.12 SOM example for South Africa snow events…………………………….………26 3.1 MT Vertical Profile 1 from 22 July 2009……………………………….….…….29 3.2 MT Vertical Profile 33 from 21 July 2011…………………………….….………30 3.3 Altitude vs topography for MT Vertical Profile
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