Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evaluation Of A Cloud Detection Technique Using Spatial And Radiometric Thresholds For Near Infrared Satellite Imagery, William J. Graff

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of cloud location in near infrared (NIR) imagery is of interest to the meteorological community given the wavelengths greater spatial resolution compared to longwave infrared and its potential nighttime applications. This method consists of an algorithm that can be employed by multiple instrument platforms. It analyzes changes between satellite image radiances and a seasonal synthetic background radiance image. The NIR sensor bands of the Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) and Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite instruments are used to evaluate the performance of a monochromatic change detection technique designed to locate areas …

Forecasting Lightning Cessation Using Dual-Polarization Radar And Lightning Mapping Array Near Washington, D.C., Nancy M. Holden

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate forecasts of thunderstorms are important to space launch, aviation, and public safety. While prior studies have primarily focused on atmospheric conditions leading to lightning onset, less research has been dedicated to the challenging problem of predicting lightning cessation. This study verifies the probabilistic lightning cessation model developed by Joseph Patton (2017) at Florida State University for use by the U.S. Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The Washington, D.C. greater metropolitan area, which presents a climate different to that of central …

Impact Of Past Experiences With Tornadoes On Future Decisions In Nebraska, Emily Paltz, Michael Hayes, Matthew Van Den Broeke

UCARE Research Products

The National Weather Service (NWS) advises the public to go to an interior room on the lowest level of their houses when a tornado warning is issued for their area. As the NWS Central Region Service Assessment of the Joplin, Missouri Tornado published in July 2011 reveals, however, this is often not the first action taken after learning that there is danger of being hit by a tornado. Rather, people need to seek confirmation from more than one source before following the recommended action. The goal of this research project is to determine how the number of sources and what …

Ldentifying And Characterizing Cognitive Factors Significant To Practicing And Learning Meteorology, Peggy M. Mcneal

Dissertations

To see the world as a meteorologist, one must understand and interpret atmospheric processes through representations depicted on two-dimensional weather charts and maps that encode large amounts of spatial and numerical data. This is a cognitively demanding and spatially challenging task, especially for students with burgeoning levels of meteorology knowledge, who lack the expertise of practiced meteorologists that read such charts and maps with ease. With little prior work informing meteorology and meteorology education through a cognitive science lens, this study surveys the literature and follows models of discipline-based education and cognitive science research to identify the discrete intelligence factors …

Embroidered Meteorology, Bettina L. Matzkuhn

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Weathering is a series of embroidered works that explore the symbolic and cartographic language of meteorology. Through research, mentorship and the physical work, my understanding and anxiety around weather has grown. Making art is a learning process for me: the haptic is a means for understanding. From embroidered world maps to animation to painted laundry, I conflate the intricacy of textiles with the complicated nature of the atmosphere.

Storm Chasing Across The Plains: An Experience Portfolio, Isaac Bowers

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The opportunity to predict and document severe weather across the Plains is not available to many, but it is a vital experience for those who hope to truly excel in meteorology. The ability to travel alongside one of the professors that has guided you through the program, apply the knowledge gained from that professor and many others, and view nature’s breathtaking power in person is truly a capstone experience for any meteorology major. Luckily, the B.S. Meteorology Program at WKU offers a select group of students this opportunity annually. This portfolio report will consist of documentation I recorded during my …

Cirrus Cloud Microphysics Over Darwin, Australia, Dorothea Ivanova, Matthew Johnson

Publications

Ice clouds, crucial to the understanding of both short - and long - term climate trends, are poorly represented in global climate models (GCMs). Cirrus clouds, one of the largest uncertainties in the global radiation budget, have been inadequately studied at low latitudes. Parameterizations exist for mid - latitude and tropical cirrus ( Ivanova et al. 2001; McFarquhar et al. 1997). Due to climate sensitivity in the GCM with respect to cloud input, without robust parameterizations of cirrus clouds, the GCM is inaccurate over most output fields, including radiative forcing, temperature, albedo, and heat flux (Yao and Del Genio 1999). …

Investigating The Effects Of Ice-Forming Saharan Dust Aerosols On Tropical Deep Convection Using Spectral Bin Microphysics, Matthew Scott Gibbons

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Aerosol effects on cloud and precipitation formation remain a significant source of uncertainty in the study of weather and climate. Aerosols can impact cloud and precipitation formation by functioning as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN) and/or ice nuclei (IN) affecting subsequent cloud microphysical processes. Aerosol effects on clouds are tightly interconnected with cloud dynamic and thermodynamic variables, some of which are currently impossible or infeasible to observe with existing sensors. Numerical models can be used to untangle aerosols effects from cloud dynamics and thermodynamics, but model results can be affected by the complexity of the parameterizations …

Broadening Traditional Aviation Meteorology Education To Support Spaceflight Operations, Thomas A. Guinn, Nicholas J. Stapleton, Katherine A. Winters, Bradley M. Muller, Debbie M. Schaum

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The purpose of this paper is to examine the expansion of traditional aviation meteorology education necessary to support the growing commercial space-operations industry. While spaceflight meteorological considerations do overlap with those of traditional aviation operations, there are notable differences schools must address for appropriate education and training of both meteorologists and operators. These include knowledge of increased weather sensitivities, space-weather impacts, triggered lightning, triboelectrification, and high-resolution vertical wind-profile analyses. An added challenge in the educational process is the more limited amount of publicly available weather and space-weather products necessary to support spaceflight education. Furthermore, in comparison with traditional aviation meteorology, …

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite- R Series (Goes-R) 2016, Paige N. Dixon

Student Works

This is a report on the first NOAA GOES-R satellite, launched on November 19th, 2016. This report will cover some of the details of the GOES-R project, as well as discuss the collaborations that made the project possible. This document will also detail some of the new satellite’s capabilities including geostationary lightning detection, and space weather monitoring, and will focus on real-world application of such technology. Additionally, this report will list some of the current and projected GOES-R products, and the potential benefits if testing proves successful.

Multiscale Wind Modelling For Sustainability And Resilience, Djordje Romanic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The research presented herein is a mix of meteorological and wind engineering disciplines. In many cases, there is a gap between these two fields and this thesis is an attempt to bridge that gap through multiscale wind modelling approaches. Data and methods used in this study cover a multitude of spatial and temporal scales. Applications are in the fields of sustainability and resilience. This relationship between multiscale wind modelling and sustainability and resilience is investigated examining several case studies of three different developments: urban, rural and coastal.

An urban wind modelling methodology is proposed and applied for a specific development …

Wind Climatology: A Study Of Trends On Rodgers' Dry Lakebed, Dana Coppernoll-Houston

STAR Program Research Presentations

A number of smaller projects at the Armstrong Flight Research Center fly on or close to the ground and are subject to ground-level winds. Many of these are new prototype models, such as PRANDTL-D (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Lower Drag). Waiting for the right conditions on a day of variable winds can sometimes mean that teams fail to complete testing. A strategic analysis of wind behavior at a locations where winds can vary greatly due to terrain could lend insight into the best times to test for near-ground aircraft. The purpose of this project was to data mine historical …

The Influence Of Model Resolution On The Simulated Sensitivity Of North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Maximum Intensity To Sea Surface Temperature, Sarah Strazzo, James Elsner, Timothy Larow, Hiroyuki Murakami, Michael Wehner, Ming Zhao

Publications

No abstract provided.

Karst Landscape Influence On The Planetary Boundary Layer Atmosphere, Zachary S. Sullivan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Karst landscapes cover approximately 20% of the ice-free land area worldwide. The soluble nature of the bedrock within a karst landscape allows for the formation of caverns, joints, fissures, sinkholes, and underground streams, which affect the hydrological behavior of the region. Currently, the Noah Land-Surface Model (Noah- LSM), coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, does not provide a representation of the physical behavior of a karst terrain. Previous research has attempted to model karst behavior through soil moisture and land cover/land use changes to determine the influence this unique landscape may have on atmospheric phenomenon. This highlights …

Modeling And Satellite Remote Sensing Of The Meteorological Impacts Of Irrigation During The 2012 Central Plains Drought, Clint Aegerter

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As irrigation is increasingly needed for agricultural production, it is becoming progressively more important to understand not only how irrigation impacts water availability, but how the introduction of this water into the soil impacts weather and climate through land-atmosphere interactions. In the summer of 2012, the Central Plains of the United States experienced one of its most severe droughts on record. This study examines the meteorological impacts of irrigation during this drought through observations and model simulations using the Community Land Model (CLM) coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. A simple parameterization of irrigation processes is added …

Evaluation Of Surface Layer Parameterizations Using In-Situ Observations, Jeremy Katz

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Appropriate calculation of surface turbulent fluxes between the atmosphere and the underlying surface is one of the major challenges in geosciences. In practice, the surface turbulent fluxes are estimated from the mean surface meteorological variables based on the bulk transfer model combined with Monnin-Obukhov Similarity (MOS) theory. Few studies have been done to examine the extent that to which this flux parameterization framework can be applied to different weather and surface conditions. A novel validation method is developed in this thesis research, which is applied to evaluate the surface flux parameterization using in-situ observations. The main findings are: (a) the …

The Tropical Cyclone Diurnal Cycle, Jason Paul Dunion

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The research presented in this thesis explores a phenomenon referred to as the tropical cyclone (TC) diurnal cycle (TCDC) and presents satellite, numerical modeling, and observational perspectives pertaining to how it can be monitored, its evolution in time and space, its relevance to TC structure and intensity, and how it manifests in numerical simulations of TCs. Infrared satellite imagery was developed and used to investigate diurnal oscillations in TCs and finds a diurnal pulsing pattern that occurs with notable regularity through a relatively deep layer from the inner core to the surrounding environment. A combination of satellite, numerical model simulations, …

Revisiting 3d Stereo Satellite Image Displays, Frederick R. Mosher

Frederick R. Mosher

Over 30 years ago, there were a number of development efforts to display 3D stereo satellite images and associated weather. Dr. Fritz Hasler showed how the GOES-east and west satellites could be remapped to generate true stereo pairs for obtaining cloud heights and he also showed how artificial stereo images could be generated using derived IR cloud heights to generate parallax shifts for the visible or infrared images. While there was a flurry of interest in the 1980s, the techniques had largely fallen from routine usage until recently. However, technology advances in both satellites and display technology has allowed for …

Revisiting 3d Stereo Satellite Image Displays, Frederick R. Mosher

Frederick R. Mosher

Over 30 years ago, there were a number of development efforts to display 3D stereo satellite images and associated weather. Dr. Fritz Hasler showed how the GOES-east and west satellites could be remapped to generate true stereo pairs for obtaining cloud heights and he also showed how artificial stereo images could be generated using derived IR cloud heights to generate parallax shifts for the visible or infrared images. While there was a flurry of interest in the 1980s, the techniques had largely fallen from routine usage until recently. However, technology advances in both satellites and display technology has allowed for …

Revisiting 3d Stereo Satellite Image Displays, Frederick R. Mosher

Frederick R. Mosher

Over 30 years ago, there were a number of development efforts to display 3D stereo satellite images and associated weather. Dr. Fritz Hasler showed how the GOES-east and west satellites could be remapped to generate true stereo pairs for obtaining cloud heights and he also showed how artificial stereo images could be generated using derived IR cloud heights to generate parallax shifts for the visible or infrared images. While there was a flurry of interest in the 1980s, the techniques had largely fallen from routine usage until recently. However, technology advances in both satellites and display technology has allowed for …

Evaluation Of Large‑Scale Meteorological Patterns Associated With Temperature Extremes In The Narccap Regional Climate Model Simulations, Paul C. Loikith, Duane E. Waliser, Huikyo Lee, J. David Neelin, Benjamin Lintner, Seth Mcginnis, Linda Mears, Jinwon Kim

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Large-scale meteorological patterns (LSMPs) associated with temperature extremes are evaluated in a suite of regional climate model (RCM) simulations contributing to the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program. LSMPs are characterized through composites of surface air temperature, sea level pressure, and 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies concurrent with extreme temperature days. Six of the seventeen RCM simulations are driven by boundary conditions from reanalysis while the other eleven are driven by one of four global climate models (GCMs). Four illustrative case studies are analyzed in detail. Model fidelity in LSMP spatial representation is high for cold winter extremes near …

Climate Controls On Air Quality In The Northeastern U.S.: An Examination Of Summertime Ozone Statistics During 1993-2012, Evan M. Oswald, Lesley Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Eric M. Leibensperger, Rich Poirot, Jeff Merrell

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

The goal of this study is to better understand the linkages between the climate system and surface-level ozone concentrations in the Northeastern U.S. We focus on the regularity of observed high ozone concentrations between May 15 and August 30 during the 1993-2012 period. The first portion of this study establishes relationships between ozone and meteorological predictors. The second examines the linkages between ozone and large-scale teleconnections within the climate system. Statistical models for each station are constructed using a combination of Correlation Analysis, Principal Components Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression. In general, the strongest meteorological predictors of ozone are the …

Aviation Security Impacts Of Meteorological And Climatic Disruption, Melanie Wetzel

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Commercial and military flight operations are frequently imperiled or disrupted by meteorological conditions. Severe weather events and climate-related factors create aviation security impacts on airport siting and reliability, human safety, economic stability, military defense strategy, aircraft routing and computer systems vulnerability. Climate trends have been associated with increased frequency of storm surge incursions at coastal airports, intense snowfall accumulations, runway closures due to rainstorm runoff, extended periods of fog/stratus restrictions and severe-weather related risk from lightning, hail and icing. The economic and safety impacts of these events are being incorporated into long-term planning by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), …

Is The Gefion Dynamical Asteroid Family The Source Of The L-Chondrites?, R. V. Roberts, Michael J. Gaffey, Sherry Fieber-Beyer

Space Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of High-Impact, Low-Predictive Skill Severe Weather Events In The Northeast U.S, Matthew Thomas Vaughan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

An objective evaluation of Storm Prediction Center slight risk convective outlooks, as well as a method to identify high-impact severe weather events with poor-predictive skill are presented in this study. The objectives are to assess severe weather forecast skill over the northeast U.S. relative to the continental U.S., build a climatology of high-impact, low-predictive skill events between 1980–2013, and investigate the dynamic and thermodynamic differences between severe weather events with low-predictive skill and high-predictive skill over the northeast U.S. Severe storm reports of hail, wind, and tornadoes are used to calculate skill scores including probability of detection (POD), false alarm …

Ensemble Prediction And Data Assimilation For Operational Hydrology, Dong-Jun Seo, Yuqiong Liu, Hamid Moradkhani, Albrecht Weerts

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This special section in the Journal of Hydrology will discuss the need for advancing hydrologic ensemble prediction and DA.

Air Mass Frequency During Precipitation Events In The Northern Plains Of The United States, Anthony Baum, Richard De Pasquale, Melissa L. Godek

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Since 1980, numerous billion-dollar disasters have affected the Northern Plains of the United States, including nine droughts and four floods. The atmospheric environment present during precipitation events can largely be described by the presiding air mass conditions since air masses characterize a multitude of meteorological variables at one time over a large region. The goal of this research is to add knowledge to current understandings of the factors responsible for precipitation in the Northern Plains through an assessment of synoptic air mass conditions. The Spatial Synoptic Classification is used to categorize 30 years of daily surface air mass types across …

Sfa Weather Station-May 2014, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Public Perception And Response To Hurricane Sandy, Lindsay L. Rice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey on October 29th, 2012. The storm impacted the coastal regions of New Jersey and New York, especially the heavily populated area of New York City. This research, which analyzes secondary data obtained from a telephone survey, investigates the public response of residents before, during and after Hurricane Sandy. The survey consisted of questions regarding what the residents expected concerning the threat of Hurricane Sandy, whether it matched what they experienced, where they got their information and how they made their decision to evacuate or not. The results from the survey were statistically …

Sfa Weather Station-April 2014, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.