A Survey of Wyoming King Air and Cloud Radar Observations in the Cumulus Photogrammetric In-Situ and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO) experiment

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A Survey of Wyoming King Air and Cloud Radar
Observations in the Cumulus Photogrammetric
In-Situ and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO)
experiment J. Cory Demko
(coryuw_at_uwyo.edu) Rick Damiani (rickdami_at_uwyo.ed
u) Bart Geerts (geerts_at_uwyo.edu)

Joseph Zehnder (zehnder_at_asu.edu) Departme
nt of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming

Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State
University
Site Location
Rationale
Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson, AZ.
This range has a maximum elevation of about 2800
m (9000 feet) and referred to as a sky island .
16 flights were conducted between 18 July and
17 August 2006.
Cumulus convection is of fundamental importance
as it serves as the primary mechanism for the
vertical transfer of heat, moisture and momentum.
Details of the evolution of cumulus convection at
multiple scales, particularly the transition from
shallow to deep convection, are important, since
these processes must be parameterized in
numerical weather prediction and general
circulation models. CuPIDO examines fundamental
cumulus dynamics and the two-way interaction
between cumuli and the environment. The
detrainment of momentum, heat and moisture by
isolated cumuli is directly relevant to cumulus
parameterization in NWP models An isolated
mountain serves as a natural laboratory for the
study of cumulus evolution, allowing continuous
measurements by ground-based instruments,
cameras, radiosondes, and aircraft. CuPIDO also
aims to study how surface fluxes around an
isolated mountain drives anabatic flow, moisture
and heat convergence, and the initiation of
shallow, mediocre, and deep convection.
Successive shallow Cu developed between 1740
1840 UTC (800m deep) evolving rapidly into
congestus by 1935 UTC
ISFF site
Camera site
Flight summary
Number of flight hours 60 Number of flights
sampling transition from cloud-free to Cu
congestus 8 Number of flights sampling
transition to deep convection 7 Number of
flight loops around the mountain, in the
convective BL
Cumulus Dynamics using the Wyoming Cloud Radar
(WCR)
Scientific Objectives
Orographic forcing of boundary layer flow mass
and moisture convergence

• Characterize the onset and transition from
  shallow to deep convection using surface and
  upper air measurements, various ground-based
  profiling systems, in-situ and Doppler
  aircraft observations and stereo digital
  photogrammetric techniques.
• CuPIDO will advance scientific knowledge on
  several fronts
• fundamental cumulus dynamics
• orographic forcing of cumulus clouds
• cumulus-environment interaction

Who/What Was Involved?
 

• University of Wyoming
• King Air
• Wyoming Cloud Radar

• 18 July 2006 164430 164630 UTC (left)
  and 164815 165015 UTC (right) The figures
  show plumes detaching from the ground and
  connecting to clouds above.

• Arizona State University
• Digital Visible Spectrum Cameras
• (2 stereopairs)

• 25 July 2006 case illustrating orographic
  boundary layer forcing over the Santa
  Catalinas. Panels 1 3 illustrates
  circumnavigation loops at 1,000ft agl, 7,000ft
  msl, and 10,000ft msl conducted 1600 1647 UTC.
  Tracks show equivalent potential temperature
  and wind barbs are colored via mixing ratio.
  Panels 1 and 2 view the mountain top-down whereas
  panel 3 shows the southern periphery. Panel 4
  illustrates an aircraft sounding from 1946
  1953 UTC (23,000ft msl 1,000ft agl). Track
  show equivalent potential temperature and wind
  barbs colored via potential temperature.
  Graphics produced using IDV.
• Weak low - level upslope flow exists with
  very little if any wind shear. A relatively
  moist and cool boundary layer exists during the
  morning hours (MST) due to a Gulf of Mexico
  surge which arrived several hours prior. The
  boundary layer contained more moisture than any
  other day up to this point. Rather high CAPE,
  but also significant CIN existed during this IOP.

• 18 July 2006 vertical plane dual Doppler image
  which shows a section of a turret tilting against
  the main wind direction. It is forming to the
  north of Mt. Lemmon.
• 180330 180420 UTC

• NCAR/EOL
• 10 ISFF/PAM Stations
• 2 M-GAUS mobile radiosondes

• University of Arizona WRF modeling
  Support
• GPS water vapor