An evaluation of high-resolution interferometer soundings and their use in mesoscale analyses

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Applied Meteorology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1993)032<0522:AEOHRI>2.0.CO;2· OSTI ID:6438847

Bradshaw, J T; Fuelberg, H E ^[1]

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1. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee (United States)

An aircraft prototype of the High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS) was flown over Tennessee and northern Alabama during summer 1986. HIS temperature and dewpoint soundings were examined on two flight days to determine their error characteristics and utility in mesoscale analyses. Random errors were calculated from structure functions while total errors were obtained by pairing the HIS soundings with radiosonde-derived profiles. Random temperature errors were found to be less than 1[degree] to 5[degrees]C. Total errors of both parameters were considerably greater, with dewpoint errors especially large on the day having a pronounced subsidence inversion. Cumulus cloud cover on 15 June limited HIS mesoscale analyses on that day. Previously undetected clouds were found in many HIS fields of view, and these probably produced the low-level horizontal temperature and dewpoint variations observed in the retrievals. HIS dewpoints at 300 mb indicated a strong moisture gradient that was confirmed by GOES 6.7 micron imagery. HIS mesoscale analyses on 19 June revealed humid air stretching across the study area. The moist region was confirmed by radionsonde data and imagery from the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS). Convective temperatures derived from the HIS retrievals helped explain the cloud formation that occured after the HIS overflights. Crude estimates of Bowen ratio were obtained from HIS data using a mixing-line approach. Values indicated that areas of large sensible heat flux were the areas of first cloud development. These locations were also suggested by GOES visible and infared imagery. The HIS retrievals indicated that areas of thunderstorm formation were regions of greatest instability. Local landscape variability and atmospheric temperature and humidity fluctuations were found to be important factors in producing the cumulus clouds on 19 June. HIS soundings were capable of detecting some of this variability. 47 refs., 16 figs., 1 tab.

• OSTI ID: 6438847
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Meteorology; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Meteorology; (United States) Vol. 32:3; ISSN 0894-8763; ISSN JOAMEZ
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
AIRCRAFT
ALABAMA
CLOUD COVER
DATA
DATA COVARIANCES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
FIELD TESTS
FUNCTIONS
GOES SATELLITES
HEAT FLUX
HUMIDITY
INFORMATION
INTERFEROMETRY
MAPPING
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METEOROLOGY
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
RESOLUTION
SATELLITES
STATISTICAL DATA
STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
TENNESSEE
TESTING
USA