Convective Processes Resolved by a Mesoscale Rawinsonde Network

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Guidelines followed in designing and operating a special mesoscale rawinsonde network are discussed. Objective data reduction and analysis techniques are developed and applied to the wind, temperature and moisture data measured during a selected thunderstorm case. The goal is to appraise the sounding system's limitations and reliability for resolving the mesoscale circulations associated with convective processes. A consistent four-dimensional synoptic portrayal of the variables is achieved by accounting for balloon drift, differing station-to-station and sounding-to-sounding ascent rates, and departures from scheduled release time.Temporal variations in the spatial distributions of computed divergence and kinematic vertical motion are in good qualitative agreement with the location and intensity of thunderstorm radar echoes, after further objective adjustments are applied to compensate for the assumed character of wind measurement and analysis errors. For the purpose of assessing data and analyt... Abstract Guidelines followed in designing and operating a special mesoscale rawinsonde network are discussed. Objective data reduction and analysis techniques are developed and applied to the wind, temperature and moisture data measured during a selected thunderstorm case. The goal is to appraise the sounding system's limitations and reliability for resolving the mesoscale circulations associated with convective processes. A consistent four-dimensional synoptic portrayal of the variables is achieved by accounting for balloon drift, differing station-to-station and sounding-to-sounding ascent rates, and departures from scheduled release time.Temporal variations in the spatial distributions of computed divergence and kinematic vertical motion are in good qualitative agreement with the location and intensity of thunderstorm radar echoes, after further objective adjustments are applied to compensate for the assumed character of wind measurement and analysis errors. For the purpose of assessing data and analyt...

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: