Polarimetric doppler radar observations of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in a winter storm

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

Volumn 68, Issue 8, 2011, Pages 1676-1702

  Houser, Jana Lesak ^a   Bluestein, Howard B ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA   (United States)

Author keywords

Kelvin Helmholtz instabilities; Precipitation; Radars Radar observations; Winter cool season

Indexed keywords

ADAPTIVE SENSING; ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS; CROSS-CORRELATION COEFFICIENT; DIFFERENTIAL REFLECTIVITY; DOPPLER RADAR OBSERVATION; HORIZONTAL WINDS; ICE CRYSTALS; INITIAL PERTURBATION; KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITIES; KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ WAVES; KINEMATIC STRUCTURES; MICROPHYSICS; OKLAHOMA; OUT OF PHASE; POLARIMETRIC VARIABLE; RADAR DATA; RADIAL VELOCITY; SHEAR LAYER; SPECTRUM WIDTH; TURBULENT MOTION; UPWARD MOTION; VERTICAL VELOCITY; WAVE CREST; WAVEBREAKING; WEATHER SURVEILLANCE RADAR-1988 DOPPLER; WINTER STORMS; WINTER/COOL SEASON;

ATMOSPHERIC STRUCTURE; DOPPLER EFFECT; DOPPLER RADAR; HELMHOLTZ EQUATION; KINEMATICS; POLARIMETERS; POLAROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS; REFLECTION; STORMS; SURVEILLANCE RADAR; VELOCITY;

SHEAR FLOW;

ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION; ATMOSPHERIC STRUCTURE; DOPPLER RADAR; ICE CRYSTAL; KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY; LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS; PERTURBATION; PRECIPITATION (CLIMATOLOGY); STORM; WAVE BREAKING; WINTER;

SOUTH DAKOTA; TWIN LAKES; UNITED STATES;

EID: 80051807517     PISSN: 00224928     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2011JAS3566.1     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Armijo, L., 1969: A theory for the determination of wind and precipitation velocities with Doppler radars. J. Atmos. Sci., 26, 570-573.
2. Barnes, S. U., 1964: A technique for maximizing details in numerical weather map analysis. J. Appl. Meteor., 3, 396-409.
3. Benjamin, S. G., G. A. Grell, J. M. Brown, T. G. Smirnova, and R. Bleck, 2004a: Mesoscale weather prediction with the RUC hybrid isentropic-terrain-following coordinate model. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 473-494.
4. Benjamin, S. G., and Coauthors, 2004b: An hourly assimilation-forecast cycle: The RUC. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 495-518.
5. Bringi, V. N., T. D. Keenan, and V. Chandrasekar, 2001: Correcting C-band radar reflectivity and differential reflectivity data for rain attenuation: A self-consistent method with constraints. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 39, 1906-1915.
6. Britter, R. E., and J. E. Simpson, 1978: Experiments on the dynamics of a gravity current head. J. Fluid Mech., 88, 223-240.
7. Browning, K. A., 1971: Structure of the atmosphere in the vicinity of large amplitude Kelvin-Helmholtz billows. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 97, 283-299.
8. Browning, K. A., and C. D. Watkins, 1970: Observations of clear air turbulence by high power radar. Nature, 277, 260-263.
9. Browning, K. A., G. W. Bryant, J. R. Starr, and D. N. Axford, 1973: Air motion within Kelvin-Helmholtz billows determined from simultaneous Doppler radar and aircraft measurements. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 99, 608-618.
10. Chandrasekar, V., V. N. Bringi, N. Balakrishnan, and D. S. Zrnić, 1990: Error structure of multiparameter radar and surface measurements of rainfall. Part III: Specific differential phase. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 621-629.
11. Chapman, D., and K. A. Browning, 1997: Radar observations of wind-shear splitting within evolving atmospheric Kelvin- Helmholtz billows. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 123, 1433-1439.
12. Crum, T. D., R. L. Alberty, and D. W. Burgess, 1993: Recording, archiving, and using WSR-88D data. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 74, 645-653.
13. Doviak, R. J., P. S. Ray, R. G. Strauch, and L. J. Miller, 1976: Error estimation in wind fields derived from dual-Doppler radar measurement. J. Appl. Meteor., 15, 868-878.
14. Drazin, P. G., 1958: The stability of a shear layer in an unbounded heterogeneous inviscid fluid. J. Fluid Mech., 4, 214-224.
15. Drazin, P. G., and W. H. Reid, 1981: Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Hydrodynamic Stability, Cambridge University Press, 14-22.
16. Droegemeier, K. K., and R. B. Wilhelmson, 1985: Threedimensional numerical modeling of convection produced by interacting thunderstorm outflows. Part I: Control simulation and low-level moisture variations. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 2381-2403.
17. Droegemeier, K. K., and R. B. Wilhelmson, 1986: Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a numerically simulated thunderstorm outflow. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 67, 416-417.
18. Fletcher, N. H., 1962: The Physics of Rain Clouds. Cambridge University Press, 383 pp.
19. Friedrich, K., D. E. Kingsmill, C. Flamant, H. V. Murphey, and R. M. Wakimoto, 2008: Kinematic and moisture characteristics of a nonprecipitating cold front observed during IHOP. Part II: Along front structures. Mon. Wea. Rev., 136, 3796-3821.
20. Fritts, D. C., 1979: The excitation of radiating waves and Kelvin- Helmholtz instabilities by the gravity wave-critical level interaction. J. Atmos. Sci., 36, 12-23.
21. Fritts, D. C., T. L. Palmer, O. Andreassen, and I. Lie, 1996: Evolution and breakdown of Kelvin-Helmholtz billows in stratified compressible flows. Part I: Comparison of two- and three-dimensional flows. J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 3173-3191.
22. Geerts, B., and Q. Miao, 2010: Vertically pointing airborne Doppler radar observations of Kelvin-Helmholtz billows. Mon. Wea. Rev., 138, 982-986.
23. Gossard, E. E., and J. H. Richter, 1970: The shape of internal waves of finite amplitude from high-resolution radar sounding of the lower atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 27, 971-973.
24. Hallett, J., and S. C. Mossop, 1974: Production of secondary ice particles in the riming process. Nature, 249, 26-28.
25. Hardy, K. R., R. J. Reed, and G. K. Mather, 1973: Observation of Kelvin-Helmholtz billows and their mesoscale environment by radar, instrumented aircraft, and a dense radiosonde network. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 99, 279-293.
26. Hassle, N., and E. Hudson, 1989: The wind profiler for the NOAA Demonstration Network: Instruments and observing methods. Papers presented at the Fourth WMO Technical Conference on Instruments and Methods of Observations (TE-CIMO-IV), Brussels, WMO/TD Rep. 35, 261-266.
27. Helmholtz, H. L. F., 1868: Über discontinuierliche Flüssigkeits-Bewegungen (On the discontinuous movements of fluids). Monatsber. König. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 23, 1-215.
28. Hicks, J. J., and J. K. Angell, 1968: Radar observations of breaking gravitational waves in the visually clear atmosphere. J. Appl. Meteor., 7, 114-121.
29. Hogan, R. J., P. R. Field, A. J. Illingworth, R. J. Cotton, and T. W. Choularton, 2002: Properties of embedded convection inwarmfrontal mixed-phase cloud from aircraft and polarimetric radar. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 128, 451-476.
30. Holton, J. R., 1992: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. 3rd ed. Academic Press, 511 pp.
31. Kelvin, L., 1871: Hydrokinetic solutions and observations. Philos. Mag., 42, 362-377.
32. Koop, C. G., and F. K. Browand, 1979: Instability and turbulence in stratified fluid with shear. J. Fluid Mech., 93, 135-159.
33. Luce, H., G. Hassenpflug, M. Yamamoto, and S. Fukao, 2008: High-resolution observations with MU radar of a KH instability triggered by an inertia-gravity wave in the upper part of a jet stream. J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 1711-1718.
34. Ludlam, F. H., 1967: Characteristics of billow clouds and their relation to clear air turbulence. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 93, 419-435.
35. Markowski, P. M., and Y. P. Richardson, 2010: Mesoscale Meteorology in Midlatitudes. Wiley-Blackwell, 430 pp.
36. Martner, B. E., J. B. Snider, R. J. Zamora, G. P. Byrd, T. A. Niziol, and P. I. Joe, 1993: A remote-sensing view of a freezing-rain storm. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 2562-2577
37. May, P. T., R. G. Strauch, K. P. Moran, and W. L. Ecklund, 1990: Temperature sounding by RASS with wind profiler radars: A preliminary study. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 28, 19-28.
38. McLaughlin, D., and Coauthors, 2009: Short-wavelength technology and the potential for distributed networks of small radar systems. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 90, 1797-1817.
39. McPherson, R. A., and Coauthors, 2007: Statewide monitoring of the mesoscale environment: A technical update on the Oklahoma Mesonet. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 24, 301-321.
40. Miles, J. W., and L. N. Howard, 1964: Note on heterogeneous shear flow. J. Fluid Mech., 20, 331-336.
41. Mueller, C. K., and R. E. Carbone, 1987: Dynamics of a thunderstorm outflow. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 1879-1895.
42. Park, H. S., A. V. Ryzhkov, D. S. Zrnić, and K. E. Kim, 2009: The hydrometeor classification algorithmfor the polarimetricWSR-88D: Description and application to anMCS.Wea. Forecasting, 24, 730-748.
43. Petre, J. M., and J. Verlinde, 2004: Cloud radar observations of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a Florida anvil. Mon. Wea. Rev., 132, 2520-2523.
44. Reiss, N. M., and T. J. Corona, 1977: An investigation of a Kelvin- Helmholtz billow cloud. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 58, 159-162.
45. Rogers, R. R., and M. K. Yau, 1996: A Short Course in Cloud Physics. 3rd ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, 290 pp.
46. Ryzhkov, A. V., 2007: The impact of beam broadening on the quality of radar polarimetric data. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 24, 729-744.
47. Ryzhkov, A. V., and D. S. Zrnić, 1998a: Discrimination between rain and snow with a polarimetric radar. J. Appl. Meteor., 37, 1228-1240.
48. Ryzhkov, A. V., and D. S. Zrnić, 1998b: Beamwidth effects on the differential phase measurements of rain. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 15, 624-634.
49. Ryzhkov, A. V., and D. S. Zrnić, 2007: Depolarization in ice crystals and its effect on radar polarimetric measurements. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 24, 1256-1267.
50. Ryzhkov, A. V., T. J. Schuur, D. W. Burgess, P. L. Heinselman, S.E.Giangrande, and D. S. Zrnić, 2005: The Joint Polarization Experiment: Polarimetric rainfall measurements and hydrometeor classification. Bull. Amer.Meteor. Soc., 86, 809-824.
51. Scarchilli, G., E. Goroucci, V. Chandrasekar, and T. A. Seliga, 1993: Rainfall estimation using polarimetric techniques at C-band frequencies. J. Appl. Meteor., 32, 1150-1160.
52. Schurr, T., A. Ryzhkov, and P. Heinselman, 2003: Observations and classification of echoes with the polarimetric WSR-88D radar. NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory Rep., 46 pp. [Available online at http://arrc.ou.edu/;guzhang/Polarimetry/img/class/Schuur2003.pdf.]
53. Scorer, R. S., 1969: Billow mechanics. Radio Sci., 4, 1299-1308.
54. Scotti, R. S., and G. M. Corcos, 1972: An experiment of the stability of small disturbances in a stratified free shear layer. J. Fluid Mech., 52, 499-528.
55. Shapiro, M. A., 1980: Turbulent mixing within tropopause folds as a mechanism for the exchange of chemical constituents between the stratosphere and troposphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 37, 994-1004.
56. Simpson, J. E., 1969: A comparison between laboratory and atmospheric density currents. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 95, 758-765.
57. Simpson, J. E., 1982: Gravity currents in the laboratory, atmosphere and ocean. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 14, 213-234
58. Snyder, J. C., H. B. Bluestein, G. Zhang, and S. J. Frasier, 2010: Attenuation correction and hydrometeor classification of highresolution, X-band, dual-polarized mobile radar measurements in severe convective storms. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 27, 1979-2001.
59. Straka, J. M., D. S. Zrnić, and A. V. Ryzhkov, 2000: Bulk hydrometeor classification and quantification using polarimetric radar data: Synthesis of relations. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 1341-1372.
60. Strauch, A. G., K. P. Moran, P. T. May, A. J. Bedard, and W. L. Ecklund, 1988: RASS temperature sounding techniques. NOAA Tech. Memo. ERL WPL-158, 12 pp. [Available from National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161.]
61. Sykes, R. I., and W. S. Lewellen, 1982: A numerical study of breaking Kelvin-Helmholtz billows using a Reynolds-stress turbulence closure model. J. Atmos. Sci., 39, 1506-1520.
62. Thorpe, S. A., 1968: A method of producing a shear flow in a stratified fluid. J. Fluid Mech., 32, 693-704.
63. Thorpe, S. A., 1971: Experiments on the instability of stratified shear flows: Miscible fluids. J. Fluid Mech., 46, 299-319.
64. Thorpe, S. A., 1973: Experiments on instability and turbulence in a stratified shear flow. J. Fluid Mech., 61, 731-751.
65. Trapp, R. J., and C. A. Doswell III, 2000: Radar data objective analysis. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 17, 105-120.
66. Wakimoto, R. M., and B. L. Bosart, 2001: Airborne radar observations of a warm front during FASTEX. Mon. Wea. Rev., 129, 254-274.
67. Wakimoto, R. M., W. Blier, and C. Liu, 1992: The frontal structure of an explosive oceanic cyclone: Airborne radar observations of ERICA IOP 4. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 1135-1155.
68. Wallace, J. M., and P. V. Hobbs, 1977: Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey. Academic Press, 467 pp.
69. Weber, B. L., and D. B. Wuertz, 1990: Comparison of rawinsonde and wind profiler radar measurements. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 157-174.
70. Weber, B. L., D. B. Wuertz, D. C. Welsh, and R. McPeek, 1992: Quality controls for profiler measurements of winds and RASS temperatures. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 10, 452-464.
71. Weckwerth, T. M., and R. M. Wakimoto, 1992: The initiation and organization of convective cells atop a cold-air outflow boundary. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 2169-2187.
72. Zhang, P., A. Ryzhkov, and D. Zrnić, 2007: Kelvin-Helmholtz waves observed by a polarimetric prototype of the WSR-88D radar. Extended Abstracts, 33rd Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Cairns, Australia, Amer. Meteor. Soc., P10.4. [Available online at http://ams.confex.com/ams/33Radar/techprogram/paper_ 122956.htm.]
73. Zrnić, D. S., and A. V. Ryzhkov, 1999: Polarimetry for weather surveillance radars. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 80, 389-406.
74. Zrnić, D. S., N. Balakrishnan, C. L. Ziegler, V. N. Bringi, K. Aydin, and T. Matejka, 1993: Polarimetric signatures in the stratiformregion of a mesoscale convective system. J. Appl. Meteor., 32, 678-693.