Towards quantifying mesoscale flows in the troposphere using Raman lidar and sondes
- Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD (United States)
- NASA, Greenbelt, MD (United States). Goddard Space Flight Center; and others
Water vapor plays an important role in the energetics of the boundary layer processes which in turn play a key role in regulating regional and global climate. It plays a primary role in Earth`s hydrological cycle, in radiation balance as a direct absorber of infrared radiation, and in atmospheric circulation as a latent heat energy source as well as in determining cloud development and atmospheric stability. Water vapor concentration, expressed as a mass mixing ratio, is conserved in all meteorological processes except condensation and evaporation. This property makes it an ideal choice for studying many of the atmosphere`s dynamic features. Raman scattering measurements from lidar also allow retrieval of water vapor mixing ratio profiles at high temporal and vertical resolution. Raman lidars sense water vapor to altitudes not achievable with towers and surface systems, sample the atmosphere at much higher temporal resolution than radiosondes or satellites, and do not require strong vertical gradients or turbulent fluctuations in temperature that is required by acoustic sounders and radars. Analysis of highly resolved water vapor profiles are used here to characterize two important mesoscale flows: thunderstorm outflows and a cold front passage.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 650228
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-98-8558C; CONF-980369-; ON: DE98052868; TRN: AHC2DT04%%141
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) science meeting, Tucson, AZ (United States), 23-26 Mar 1998; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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