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University at Albany, State University of New York

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Articles 211 - 240 of 296

Full-Text Articles in Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology

Diagnosis Of The Source Of Medium-Range Forecast Errors For An Extratropical Cyclone, William Lamberson Jan 2015

Diagnosis Of The Source Of Medium-Range Forecast Errors For An Extratropical Cyclone, William Lamberson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Medium-range forecasts of an extratropical cyclone set to impact Western Europe on 16 Dec 2011 consistently predicted that the cyclone would be intense, with a minimum pressure as low as 930-hPa and an expansive area of high winds. In actuality, the cyclone never deepened below 965-hPa and its impact on Western Europe was minimal.

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Modulation Of East African Precipitation By The Indian Ocean Dipole (Iod) And Enso, Ahmed Shaaban Jan 2015

Modulation Of East African Precipitation By The Indian Ocean Dipole (Iod) And Enso, Ahmed Shaaban

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Tropical East Africa is influenced by two main rainy seasons, during autumn and spring. During autumn, tropical East African precipitation is clearly influenced by Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and/or ENSO. During spring, there is no clear SST pattern in the Indian Ocean. The association between El Niño and positive IOD phases is much stronger than the association between La Niña and negative IOD during October and November. During October, the association between El Niño and wet condition over tropical eastern Africa is stronger than association between La Niña and dry conditions. During November, the association between positive IOD and eastern …

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An Analysis Of High-Impact, Low-Predictive Skill Severe Weather Events In The Northeast U.S, Matthew Thomas Vaughan Jan 2015

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 …

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Extreme Hydrometeorological Events In The Peruvian Central Andes During Austral Summer And Their Relationship With The Large-Scale Circulation, Juan Carlos Sulca Jan 2015

Extreme Hydrometeorological Events In The Peruvian Central Andes During Austral Summer And Their Relationship With The Large-Scale Circulation, Juan Carlos Sulca

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this Master's dissertation, atmospheric circulation patterns associated with extreme hydrometeorological events in the Mantaro Basin, Peruvian Central Andes, and their teleconnections during the austral summer (December-January-February-March) are addressed. Extreme rainfall events in the Mantaro basin are related to variations of the large-scale circulation as indicated by the changing strength of the Bolivian High-Nordeste Low (BH-NL) system. Dry (wet) spells are associated with a weakening (strengthening) of the BH-NL system and reduced (enhanced) influx of moist air from the lowlands to the east due to strengthened westerly (easterly) wind anomalies at mid- and upper-tropospheric levels. At the same time extreme …

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Evolution Of African Easterly Waves And Their Relationship To Tropical Cyclogenesis, Alan Brammer Jan 2015

Evolution Of African Easterly Waves And Their Relationship To Tropical Cyclogenesis, Alan Brammer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The research in this thesis explores the relationship between African easterly waves (AEWs) and tropical cyclogenesis over the eastern Atlantic. This research utilises 33 years of reanalysis and satellite data to investigate the interaction between AEW troughs, the surrounding environment and the embedded vortex.

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The Variability Of Madden-Julian Oscillation Convection And The Role Of The Western Hemisphere Circulation, Naoko Sakaeda Jan 2015

The Variability Of Madden-Julian Oscillation Convection And The Role Of The Western Hemisphere Circulation, Naoko Sakaeda

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The convective initiation of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) over the Indian basin is often associated with eastward-propagating intraseasonal circulation approaching from the Western Hemisphere (WH), which is suggested to influence the onset of MJO convection. This dissertation first documents the event-to-event variability in the characteristics of MJO convection, which shows a geographical discrepancy in the relative roles of moist and dry dynamics on MJO convection. This dissertation then examines the structural evolution and dynamics of the intraseasonal upper-tropospheric circumnavigating circulation over the WH and its subsequent impact on MJO convection over the Indian basin, where MJO convective characteristics are highly …

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The Intensification Of Sheared Tropical Cyclones, Leon Nguyen Jan 2015

The Intensification Of Sheared Tropical Cyclones, Leon Nguyen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Environmental vertical wind shear has been shown to have a generally detrimental impact on tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change. However, many cases of rapidly intensifying (RI) sheared TCs have been observed, and TCs in moderate (5-10 m s-1) shear often have the largest intensity forecast errors. Thus, advancing the understanding of TC-shear interactions is vital to improving TC intensity forecasts, which have not seen much improvement over the past few decades. This dissertation employs both observational and high-resolution numerical modeling approaches to investigate how some TCs are able to resist shear and intensify.

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Evaluating Preferred Direction Tropical Cyclone Track Variability In An Operational Global Ensemble Prediction System, Travis Elless Jan 2015

Evaluating Preferred Direction Tropical Cyclone Track Variability In An Operational Global Ensemble Prediction System, Travis Elless

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ensemble forecasts of Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Sandy (2012) highlight instances where variability in tropical cyclone (TC) position forecasts are stretched along a preferred direction. The goal of this thesis is to analyze this stretching of variability in a global ensemble prediction system, particularly the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), to determine how often and under what conditions does variability stretching occur, and ultimately what feature(s) are responsible for generating this variability.

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The Impacts Of Varability In Temperature And Humidity On Electricity Consumption In New York State, Eric Adamchick Jan 2015

The Impacts Of Varability In Temperature And Humidity On Electricity Consumption In New York State, Eric Adamchick

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A seasonal harmonic linear regression approach is presented to model the seasonal and diurnal relationships between surface weather observations and electricity load data in New York State. The relationships between dry-bulb, dew point, and wet-bulb temperatures with electricity load were evaluated using the correlation coefficient to test the strength of the relationships, while the regression slope coefficient provided an interpretable scale for those relationships. We found that the strongest seasonal and diurnal relationships occur during boreal summer from the afternoon through the overnight hours, while similar but negative relationships are observed during the winter. Using the same seasonal harmonic linear …

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“Southerly Mohawk Hudson Convergence”- An Exploratory Case Study Of Terrain-Induced Wind Convergence On The Formation Of Thunderstorms In New York’S Capital Region, Christine Elizabeth Bloecker May 2014

“Southerly Mohawk Hudson Convergence”- An Exploratory Case Study Of Terrain-Induced Wind Convergence On The Formation Of Thunderstorms In New York’S Capital Region, Christine Elizabeth Bloecker

Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences

Southerly Mohawk-Hudson Convergence (SMHC) is a mesoscale phenomenon over New York’s Capital Region whereby a southwesterly wind flow over Eastern New York is channeled by the mountainous terrain westerly through the Mohawk River Valley and southerly through the Hudson River Valley. When these winds converge over the Capital Region, thunderstorms may suddenly erupt, disrupting air and ground traffic in the area. On rare occasions, these storms may be severe. This is the first comprehensive study to be conducted on this phenomenon. Climatology was compiled and showed that SMHC occurs on average at least twice a year. A case study was …

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The Effects Of Downsloping On Storm Precipitation Distributions In The Capital District Of New York State, Kyle James Pallozzi May 2014

The Effects Of Downsloping On Storm Precipitation Distributions In The Capital District Of New York State, Kyle James Pallozzi

Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences

Downsloping is a process which has an impact on many precipitation events in the Capital District of New York State. This study examines the effect of 850 hPa and 925 hPa mean vector wind direction, as well as the individual 850 hPa and 925 hPa wind directions observed through soundings, during precipitation events on precipitation distributions in the Capital District of New York State. Results from this study suggests that 850 hPa and 925 hPa mean vector wind as well as the 850 hPa and 925 hPa wind favor downsloping off of the Greens and Taconics, and therefore lower precipitation …

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Mjo Influence In Continental United States Temperatures, Ernesto W. Findlay May 2014

Mjo Influence In Continental United States Temperatures, Ernesto W. Findlay

Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences

Heat and cold episodes in the continental United States (U.S.) affect millions of people each year. Severe episodes can cause crop damage, power failure, heat stress and hypothermia. The predictability of these extreme events decreases significantly after one week. It is, therefore, essential for scientists to discover new ways to forecast these events weeks in advance, which will provide society ample of prior warning to prepare. The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is one of the largest drivers of weather in the tropics (Madden and Julian 1971, 1994). Previous studies have found relationships between the MJO and midlatitude modes of climatic variability, …

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Global View Of The Role Of The Itcz/Monsoon Trough In Tropical Cyclogenesis, Steven Fuhrman Jan 2014

Global View Of The Role Of The Itcz/Monsoon Trough In Tropical Cyclogenesis, Steven Fuhrman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

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Northeast Cool-Season Cyclones Associated With Significant Upper-Level Easterly Wind Anomalies, Adrian Mitchell Jan 2014

Northeast Cool-Season Cyclones Associated With Significant Upper-Level Easterly Wind Anomalies, Adrian Mitchell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A subset of Northeast U.S. cool-season cyclones is associated with upper-level easterly flow and, occasionally, well-defined easterly jet streaks. These events occur approximately once per year and may be associated with retrograding surface cyclones and precipitation caused by northerly warm-air advection, leading to forecast challenges. The deepest extratropical cyclone that affected the Northeast U.S. during the 2009-2010 cool-season was associated with an upper-level easterly jet streak, and produced a record snowfall total of 85 cm in Burlington, Vermont. Orographic precipitation enhancement in this case resulted from an interaction of the low-level flow with the complex topography of northern Vermont. This …

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Associations Between The Madden-Julian Oscillation, Equatorial Rossby Waves, And Extratropical Northern Hemisphere Predictability, Lawrence Gloeckler Jan 2014

Associations Between The Madden-Julian Oscillation, Equatorial Rossby Waves, And Extratropical Northern Hemisphere Predictability, Lawrence Gloeckler

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), the leading mode of tropical convective and circulation variability on intraseasonal time scales, has become increasingly leveraged to improve empirical prediction of the global atmospheric circulation. Significant progress has been made in recent years to advance subseasonal (10-30-day) prediction of atmospheric circulation anomalies, and much of this progress can be attributed to the inclusion of information about the phase and amplitude of the MJO in various forecast processes. Despite this progress, however, forecasts based only on the state of the MJO omit information about other important tropical convective and circulation anomalies, and coherent MJO signals are …

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Seasonal Variations Of Wind Farm Impacts On Land Surface Temperature And Vegetation Over Northern Illinois, Lauren Slawsky Jan 2014

Seasonal Variations Of Wind Farm Impacts On Land Surface Temperature And Vegetation Over Northern Illinois, Lauren Slawsky

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Operating wind turbines enhance near surface turbulence and alter the exchanges of surface energy, water, and momentum, thus affecting local micrometeorology. Climatic impacts of three wind farms in northern Illinois are assessed using land surface temperature (LST) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites for the period 2003-2013. Changes in LST between two periods (before and after construction of the wind turbines) and between wind farm pixels (WFPs) and nearby non wind farm pixels (NNWFPs) are quantified. An increase in LST is observed at nighttime over each wind farm, with the pattern of …

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A Climatology Of Central American Gyres, Philippe Pierre Papin Jan 2014

A Climatology Of Central American Gyres, Philippe Pierre Papin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Central American gyres (CAGs) are large, low-level, cyclonic circulations that are observed over Central America during the tropical cyclone (TC) season. CAGs often occur in conjunction with TCs, and can result in torrential rainfall over portions of Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and eastern United States. The lack of prior research on CAGs, their apparent links to TC activity, and their association with high- impact weather motivates this study.

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Upper-Tropospheric Precursors Associated With Subtropical Cyclone Formation In The North Atlantic Basin, Alicia Marie Bentley Jan 2014

Upper-Tropospheric Precursors Associated With Subtropical Cyclone Formation In The North Atlantic Basin, Alicia Marie Bentley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Oceanic cyclones exhibiting properties of both tropical and extratropical systems have been categorized as subtropical cyclones (STCs) since the early 1950s. The opportunity to investigate the roles of baroclinic and diabatic processes during the evolution of STCs from a potential vorticity (PV) perspective motivates this study. This study investigates the roles of baroclinic and diabatic processes during the evolution of STCs by calculating three PV metrics from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis 0.5° gridded dataset. The three PV metrics quantify the relative contributions of lower-tropospheric baroclinic processes, midtropospheric diabatic heating, and upper-tropospheric dynamical processes during …

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An Analysis Of Arctic Climate, The Intense Arctic Cyclone Of Early August 2012, And Middle To High Latitude Snowcover, Adam H. Turchioe Jan 2014

An Analysis Of Arctic Climate, The Intense Arctic Cyclone Of Early August 2012, And Middle To High Latitude Snowcover, Adam H. Turchioe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

On 03 August 2012, a cyclone formed over Central Siberia and progressed northeastwards. By 0000 UTC 05 August, the cyclone reached the Arctic Ocean with a mean sea-level pressure (MSLP) of 984 hPa. Once over the Arctic Ocean, the cyclone rapidly intensified and reached a minimum pressure of 966 hPa on 06 August near 83°N and 170°W. The cyclone slowly weakened, and on 0000 UTC 10 August once again had a minimum MSLP of 984 hPa. The motivation for this presentation is driven by the likelihood that this cyclone is one of the most intense storm systems to ever impact …

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On The Mjo And Anticyclonic Wavebreaking, Kyle Macritchie Jan 2014

On The Mjo And Anticyclonic Wavebreaking, Kyle Macritchie

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Madden Julian oscillation (MJO) is the primary mode of intraseasonal variability in the tropics. The MJO often couples with convection as it moves over the Indian Ocean and decouples as it leaves the west Pacific Ocean. The association between convection coupled to the MJO and the midlatitude flow pattern has been the primary focus of numerous studies. In particular, it has been shown that there is a statistical relationship between the position and strength of the MJO and anticyclonic wavebreaking (AWB). This study expands on this statistical relationship by examining, in detail, the two-way relationship between the MJO and …

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Old Tools, New View : Utilizing Species Distribution Models To Focus Conservation Efforts Under A Changing Climate, Samantha Hoff Jan 2014

Old Tools, New View : Utilizing Species Distribution Models To Focus Conservation Efforts Under A Changing Climate, Samantha Hoff

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In New York State, scientists have observed many changes in bird communities including population declines, range contractions, mismatch between behavior and resources, and changes in bird phenology as a result of climatic changes. Four objectives were addressed with this research: understanding how different bird species may respond to changing climatic conditions under a future IPCC emission scenario; determining how suitable habitat may change in the future and what bioclimatic variables are important to specific avian guilds; identifying hotspots of suitable habitat that may represent important areas for conservation investment; and investigating how managers can incorporate future climate predictions into management …

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Spatial And Seasonal Variability Of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Number Concentrations Over The Extended North African Continent And The Mediterranean, Hesham Abdel-Monem Afify Hassan Jan 2014

Spatial And Seasonal Variability Of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Number Concentrations Over The Extended North African Continent And The Mediterranean, Hesham Abdel-Monem Afify Hassan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The spatiotemporal variability of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentration is investigated over the extended domain of the North African continent and Mediterranean which is an essential step for better understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions and associated climate impacts over the region. The study is performed by analyzing the output for the period from 2004 to 2011 from the well-validated global chemistry and aerosol transport model GEOS-Chem-APM. The analysis shows that the dominant aerosol type for CCN number concentration is secondary particles all over the domain. Spatial analysis reveals the existence of four characteristic subdomains of variability: over the Mediterranean and …

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A Climatology Of Lower-Stratospheric Fronts Over North America, Hannah Elizabeth Attard Jan 2014

A Climatology Of Lower-Stratospheric Fronts Over North America, Hannah Elizabeth Attard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A two-part analysis, from a: (1) climatology and composite and (2) case study perspective, were used to examine robust lower-stratospheric fronts identified during eight winter seasons from 2004-2012 in North America. In Part 1, a climatology was constructed from the 184 identified cases of North American lower-stratospheric fronts associated with upper-level jet-front systems. The climatology and composite analyses of these identified cases reveal that there are substantial differences in the environmental characteristics and structure of lower-stratospheric fronts that develop in the Intermountain West and eastern North America regions. These differences exist in all flow directions and suggest that quasigeostrophic diagnostics …

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The Spectrum Of Progressive Derecho Formation Environments, Corey Guastini Jan 2014

The Spectrum Of Progressive Derecho Formation Environments, Corey Guastini

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Progressive derechos are severe mesoscale convective systems that often form east of the Rocky Mountains during the warm season (May–August) and cause, by definition, straight-line wind damage along paths upwards of 400 km long. This study develops a subjective, seven-category classification scheme that spans the spectrum of progressive derecho formation environments from those dominated by robust upper-level ridges to those characterized by vigorous upper-level troughs. A climatology of 256 progressive derecho events is created for 1996–2013 and is categorized according to the developed classification scheme. Derecho initiation-relative composites are constructed for each of the seven groups using 0.5° Climate Forecast …

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Dynamical And Thermodynamic Processes Contributing To Thundersnow Events Over The Northeast U.S, Kyle Jacob Meier Jan 2014

Dynamical And Thermodynamic Processes Contributing To Thundersnow Events Over The Northeast U.S, Kyle Jacob Meier

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Thundersnow often occurs in conjunction with mesoscale snowbands and may be associated with regions of locally heavy snowfall (15-30 cm) and intense snowfall rates (5-10 cm/h). The availability of the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) system and operational Doppler weather radars during the past 20 years has allowed meteorologists to produce comprehensive national lightning maps and to identify localized areas of enhanced snowfall associated with thundersnow. The purpose of this thesis is to take advantage of the NLDN data and other contemporary observing systems in order to construct climatological, composite, and case study analyses of the atmospheric environment during thundersnow …

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An Analysis Of Surface Air Temperature Trends And Variability Along The Andes, Eric Franquist Jan 2013

An Analysis Of Surface Air Temperature Trends And Variability Along The Andes, Eric Franquist

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Climate change is difficult to study in mountainous regions such as the Andes since steep changes in elevation cannot always be resolved by climate models. However, it is important to examine temperature trends in this region as rises in surface air temperature are leading to the melting of tropical glaciers. Local communities rely on the glacier-fed streamflow to get their water for drinking, irrigation, and livestock. Moreover, communities also rely on the tourism of hikers who come to the region to view the glaciers. As the temperatures increase, these glaciers are no longer in equilibrium with their current climate and …

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The Motion Of Mesoscale Snowbands In Northeast U.S. Winter Storms, Jaymes Kenyon Jan 2013

The Motion Of Mesoscale Snowbands In Northeast U.S. Winter Storms, Jaymes Kenyon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The distribution of snowfall accumulation attending winter storms is a product of both precipitation intensity and duration. Many heavy snowfall events are associated with distinct mesoscale snowbands that strongly modulate snowfall accumulation. Mesoscale snowbands are known to be favored within environments characterized by frontogenesis in the presence of weak moist symmetric or gravitational stabilities. Although the development of mesoscale snowbands often can be anticipated at 24–36-h ranges, anticipating band residence time at a fixed location remains a forecasting challenge. However, given that snowband residence time is related to characteristics of band motion, improved understanding of band motion presents an opportunity …

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Solar Radiation Measurements And Their Applications In Climate Research, Bangsheng Yin Jan 2013

Solar Radiation Measurements And Their Applications In Climate Research, Bangsheng Yin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Aerosols and clouds play important roles in the climate system through their radiative effects and their vital link in the hydrological cycle. Accurate measurements of aerosol and cloud optical and microphysical properties are crucial for the study of climate and climate change. This study develops/improves retrieval algorithms for aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) and low liquid water path (LWP) cloud optical properties, evaluates a new spectrometer, and applies long-term measurements to establish climatology of aerosol and cloud optical properties. The following results were obtained.

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Interactions Between African Easterly Waves And Moist Convection, Matthew Adam Janiga Jan 2013

Interactions Between African Easterly Waves And Moist Convection, Matthew Adam Janiga

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

African easterly waves (AEWs) over tropical Africa and the East Atlantic influence and are themselves influenced by moist convection. Data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, reanalyses, and in-situ observations are used to examine both directions of this two-way interaction.

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Study Of Key Factors Influencing Dust Emission : An Assessment Of Geos-Chem And Dead Simulations With Observations, Kevin Scott Bartlett Jan 2013

Study Of Key Factors Influencing Dust Emission : An Assessment Of Geos-Chem And Dead Simulations With Observations, Kevin Scott Bartlett

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mineral dust aerosols can impact air quality, climate change, biological cycles, tropical cyclone development and flight operations due to reduced visibility. Dust emissions are primarily limited to the extensive arid regions of the world, yet can negatively impact local to global scales, and are extremely complex to model accurately. Within this dissertation, the Dust Entrainment And Deposition (DEAD) model was adapted to run, for the first known time, using high temporal (hourly) and spatial (0.3°x0.3°) resolution data to methodically interrogate the key parameters and factors influencing global dust emissions. The dependence of dust emissions on key parameters under various conditions …

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