RELAMPAGO
Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And
Meso-scale/micro-scale Processes with Adaptive
Ground Observations (translates to lightning flash
in Spanish and Portuguese)
RELAMPAGO
Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And
scale Processes with Adaptive
flash
June 2014
South American countries, particularly Argentina and South American countries, particularly Argentina and Brazil, are making large investments in weather Brazil, are making large investments in weather observing and forecasting technology and observing and forecasting technology and infrastructure to support their growing populations infrastructure to support their growing populations and economies, yet fundamental knowledge is and economies, yet fundamental knowledge is lacking about the regional meteorology, prediction, lacking about the regional meteorology, prediction, and required observational, prediction, and modeling and required observational, prediction, and modeling approaches.approaches.approaches.approaches.
The high frequency of convective initiation and The high frequency of convective initiation and upscale growth in Subtropical South America makes upscale growth in Subtropical South America makes it an ideal natural laboratory to study these processes it an ideal natural laboratory to study these processes near complex terrain, where multiscale models suffer near complex terrain, where multiscale models suffer in skill.in skill.
June 2014
South American countries, particularly Argentina and South American countries, particularly Argentina and Brazil, are making large investments in weather Brazil, are making large investments in weather observing and forecasting technology and observing and forecasting technology and infrastructure to support their growing populations infrastructure to support their growing populations and economies, yet fundamental knowledge is and economies, yet fundamental knowledge is lacking about the regional meteorology, prediction, lacking about the regional meteorology, prediction, and required observational, prediction, and modeling and required observational, prediction, and modeling
The high frequency of convective initiation and The high frequency of convective initiation and upscale growth in Subtropical South America makes upscale growth in Subtropical South America makes it an ideal natural laboratory to study these processes it an ideal natural laboratory to study these processes near complex terrain, where multiscale models suffer near complex terrain, where multiscale models suffer
RELAMPAGO 2018-2019with CACTI) is an international project...
● to study intense continental convective systems in subtropical South America
● to understand their interactions with local and regional with local and regional meteorology, aerosols, topography, and land-atmosphere interactions
● to improve severe storm hazard prediction
● to place extreme continental convection in context with regional and global climate
2019 (working closely is an international project...
to study intense continental convective systems in subtropical
to understand their interactions
atmosphere
to improve severe storm hazard
to place extreme continental convection in context with regional
Denver •
Córdoba •
¿Why Argentina?
Mendoza •• Urbana-Champaign
• Santa Fé
Severe hailnear Mendoza
Severe hail/Tornadoes/Flash Flooding nearSierras de Córdoba
High frequency of initiation of organized convection
Vidal (2014)PhD Dissertation
Severe hail/Tornadoes/Flash Flooding nearSierras de Córdoba
RELAMPAGO + CACTIContributions
NSF (US)
• S-PolKa• 3 DOWs• 1200 Soundings + Expendables, 5 sounding
DOE (US)CACTI
AMF-1 (cloud/profiling suite, aerosol measurements)C-SAPR2
NASA (US)
DisdrometersRain gauges
sounding vehicles• 3 Mesonetvehicles• Pods• WV-DIAL LIDAR• 15 ISFS/ meteorological stations/disdrometers
C-SAPR2
G-I (microphysical and aerosol aircraft) TBD
NOAA (US)
Lightning mapping arrayField mills
S-Band/449 Profilers (Proposed)
DOE (US)
(cloud/profiling suite, aerosol measurements)
SAPR2
SMN (Argentina)
C-Band DP op network
Mobile soundings
INPE/FAPESP(Brazil)
Mobile X-Band DP radarPrecip/profiling supersiteLightning SAPR2
(microphysical and aerosol
TBD
soundings
Enhancement of operational radiosondes
Distrometers + rainfall
Lightning mapping arraySticknetS-Band DP radars downstream
Science Focus Areas
● Theme 1: Convective ● Theme 2: Microphysics and aerosols● Theme 3: Electrification● Theme 4: Severe weather (winds, hail, ● Theme 4: Severe weather (winds, hail,
tornadoes, flooding)● Theme 5: Hydrometeorology/land
flooding● Theme 6: Nowcasting and forecasting
societal impacts
Science Focus Areas
Theme 1: Convective lifecycleTheme 2: Microphysics and aerosolsTheme 3: Electrification
weather (winds, hail, weather (winds, hail,
Theme 5: Hydrometeorology/land surface,
Nowcasting and forecasting,
RELAMPAGO Timeline
RELAMPAGO-HYDRO
CACTI-EOP
RELAMPAGO-IOPs
CACTI-IOPs
Jun2018
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan2019
Feb Mar Apr May
Operational Radar Network
Córdoba
Santiago delEstero
SanMartín(S/X Band)
Anguil
SanRafael
Tunuyán
C-Band Dual-pol
C-Band Doppler
0.5° beam blockage for existing radars indicated
Doppler on WheelsMobile Radars
Operational Radar Network
Córdoba
Santiago delEstero
Paraná
Concordia
Santiago(BR)
ResistenciaBernardo de Irigoyen
Ezeiza
Pergamino
Anguil
Band Doppler
S-Band Doppler
S-Band non-Doppler
existing radars indicated by white areas within range rings
Doppler on WheelsMobile Radars
Córdoba
Salta
Mendoza
Antofogasta
RELAMPAGO + CACTI Surface and Upper
AMF-1
DOEWEST
ChilePODS +Mesonet
Pilar
RAOBsSurface stations:SMN surface stationsBoard of Cereals, Córdoba ProvinceUniversidad de La PuntaDACC, Mendoza Province
SantoDomingo
Santa Rosa
AMF-1Mesonet
Resistencia
Uruguaiana
RELAMPAGO + CACTI Surface and Upper-Air Network
Pilar
Ezeiza
Santa Rosa
How will S-PolKa and the DOW accomplish these science objectives?
● DOWS will provide dual polarization data, but be operated primarily in d(volume scanning, 5 minute refresh)
● C-band Argentinian radars (and C-SAPR2) will suffer from attenuation and backscatter differential phase effects, amount of real-time scan control?
● S-PolKa can help with calibration and algorithm development for Cdrops, and heavy precipitation
● Provide RHIs, QPE, µphys and cloud liquid water/water vapor retrievals● Provide RHIs, QPE, µphys and cloud liquid water/water vapor retrievals
Example of a squall line in Parana. Strong C-Band attenuation case.
and the DOW radars be operated to accomplish these science objectives?
DOWS will provide dual polarization data, but be operated primarily in dual-Doppler scanning modes
will suffer from attenuation and backscatter differential time scan control?
can help with calibration and algorithm development for C-Band radars, critical in hail, large
and cloud liquid water/water vapor retrievalsand cloud liquid water/water vapor retrievals
Mobile sampling strategies – Under the umbrella of Under the umbrella of fixed observations
Upscale growth/backbuilding
“Flooding happens where it rains the hardest for the longest”
Dr. Chuck Doswell, Retired NSSL
System propagation important for flooding hazard, in addition to instantaneous precipitation rates
Storm mode, convective core Storm mode, convective core propagation, as well as preferred locations of new updrafts important
Cold pools are important forcing mechanisms for convective maintenance, propagation, and triggering of new convective cores
What environmental factors combine for heavy precipitation production?
Lightning in RELAMPAGO
• GOES-R GLM validation and science (recommendation that GOES-R becomes GOES-E)
• Demonstrate use of real time lightning information for nowcastinginformation for nowcasting
• Documents thunderstorm environments, allowing investigation of link between pre-storm environment and subsequent electrification (e.g., anomalous/inverted charge structures common in dry, high-cloud-base environments)
• Provides validation dataset for thunderstorm electrification models
R GLM validation and science
Demonstrate use of real time lightning
environments, allowing investigation of storm environment
and subsequent electrification (e.g., anomalous/inverted charge structures
thunderstorm electrification models Courtesy S. Goodman
How does land cover heterogeneity (including human-modified land cover) impact initiation and growth of convective precipitation at the local and mesoscale through land-atmosphere exchanges of moisture and energy?
How have changes in land cover affected the partitioning of rainfall between infiltration/runoff and the residence times of soil moisture and groundwater in the Carcarañá Basin’s terrestrial system?
How does land cover heterogeneity modified land cover)
convective precipitation at the local and atmosphere
exchanges of moisture and energy?
How have changes in land cover affected the partitioning of rainfall between infiltration/runoff and the residence times of soil moisture and groundwater in the Carcarañá Basin’s terrestrial system?
The Hydrometeorology Team will focus on the Carcarañá Watershed.
F - Flux Towers (latent and sensible heat flux)
B - Basic Meteorological Stations (precipitation,
The Hydrometeorology Team will focus on the Carcarañá Watershed.
Stations (precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature)
S - Streamflow Measurements