Atmospheric Sciences Commons^™

Understanding And Predicting Precipitation Characteristics In The United States Through Machine Learning, Numerical Modeling And Measurements, Cody Luther Ratterman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Precipitation is one of the most important yet uncertain variables in the climate system. It varies dramatically in terms of timing, accumulation, rate, and phase, depending on location, season, circulation patterns, and atmospheric conditions. Precipitation forecasts, especially snowfall, are essential to supporting drought mitigation and water management in the Intermountain West. Because rainfall and snowfall lead to opposite effects on snowpack, accurately partitioning rain and snow is important to estimate snowpack levels, winter recreation, mountain ecosystems and runoff. The research findings in this dissertation have advanced the understanding and prediction of precipitation and snowpack in the U.S. by addressing the …

Detecting Ionospheric Disturbances Using High Frequency Coastal Radar Transmissions From The West Coast Of The United States, Riley N. Troyer, Kenneth Obenberger, Michael Negale, Eugene Dao, Zsolt Balint, Eric Burnside, Kris Robinson, Jeffrey M. Holmes, Pavel Inchin, Jonathan Snively

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Coastal radar system are located around the world and many happen to transmit at frequencies capable of skywave propagation via the ionosphere. Therefore, they can be detected hundreds to thousands of kilometers away. This paper demonstrates the opportunity to detect 39 Coastal Ocean Dynamics Application Radar transmitters located on the western coast of the United States using three HF radio receivers in Utah and New Mexico. It also illustrates the possibility to use the phase and Doppler measurements of these signals to derive displacements of the refracting ionospheric layer up to meter resolution for the 2023 annular solar eclipse, an …

Modulation Of The Pacific Meridional Mode On The Dipole Pattern Of The Conus Summertime Precipitation, Grace Affram

Student Research Symposium

Historically, the precipitation trend over the past few decades in the Contiguous United States (CONUS) exhibits a "Dry-West Wet-East" pattern; this is manifested by recent droughts/floods in the western/eastern US. However, it remains elusive what atmospheric phenomenon has potentially driven such a remarkable, and impactful precipitation pattern. Here we found that a coupled climate mode—the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM) exerted strong impacts on the precipitation pattern over the CONUS during the summer season. We discovered a significant association between the PMM index and precipitation across the CONUS; this was manifested as a zonal dipole pattern—negative correlations in the western U.S. …

Advancing S2s Precipitation Outlooks Through The Weather Regime-Gaussian Mixture Model Framework, Wei Zhang

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Using Weather Stations, Jake Sanders, Daniel Findlay, Kathy Cabe Trundle, Rita Hagevik, Kaitlin Campbell

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides an overview of how weather stations work and the steps to set up your own weather station. To help monitor the water conditions, wind speeds, and temperatures that can impact your plants, we suggest adding a weather station to your garden area or greenhouse.

Ocean Temperatures Do Not Account For A Record-Setting Winter In The U.S. West, Matthew D. Laplante, Liping Deng, Luthiene Dalanhese, Shih-Yu Wang

Journalism and Communication Faculty Publications

The record-setting winter of 2022–2023 came as an answer to both figurative and literal prayers for political leaders, policy makers, and water managers reliant on snowpacks in the Upper Colorado River Basin, a vital source of water for tens of millions of people across the Western United States. But this “drought-busting” winter was not well-predicted, in part because while interannual patterns of tropical ocean temperatures have a well-known relationship to precipitation patterns across much of the American West, the Upper Colorado is part of a liminal region where these connections tend to be comparatively weak. Using historical sea surface temperature …

The 2022 Hunga Tonga Volcanic Eruption's Impact On Radio Communications, Spencer Brothers

Student Research Symposium

On January 15^th 2022, the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption, Figure 1, ejected unprecedented amounts of water into the stratosphere. The resulting plume may present temporary opportunities for long distance radio communication.

Nalidarturbopauseshear, Titus Yuan

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The USU Na lidar has been upgraded to be able to measure temperature and winds in the lower thermosphere up to ~ 115 km routinely. The new capability, coupled with the existing nightglow instruments at USU, enables the investigation of the extreme large wind and shears in this region and their correlation to the atmospheric gravity waves activities in the upper mesosphere.

Acoustic Waves In The Upper Atmosphere, Geoffrey Blayne Schulthess

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Atmospheric waves can be generated by tropospheric sources such as earthquakes and explosions, causing significant disturbances in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, where radio wave communications take place. For this analysis, they will be separated into two sub-groups called acoustic waves and gravity waves. Because each of these waves have unique frequency ranges, they can be observed and measured in order to determine their source type and location. Past studies attempted to build the connections between these waves with severe storms and earthquakes, which have improved our understanding of their complexity. Because of the complex nature of these waves, simplified …

Investigating Mesospheric Mountain Waves And Oh Temperature Dynamics Over Chile, David G. Soward

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Atmospheric gravity waves (GW) occur throughout the atmosphere, propagating from copious sources in the lower atmosphere into the upper neutral atmosphere and ionosphere. There are many sources of GW, most of them are associated with strong weather disturbances which are highly transient in nature. Another source of GW are strong winds blowing over prominent mountains that generate mountain waves (MW.) An important property of all of these waves is that they propagate upwards, carrying large amounts of energy and momentum which can be deposited in the upper atmosphere as the waves saturate and break. The Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO) was …

The Impact Of Energetic Neutral Particles Raining Down On The Thermosphere Due To Charge Exchange Reactions In The Upper Ionosphere And Polar Wind, Larry Gardner

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Tdim Ionospheric Model Tec Maps Of The High-Latitude Northern Hemisphere, Used In The Paper Titled "Hemispherical Shifted Symmetry In Polar Cap F-Region Patch Occurrence: A Survey Of Gps Tec Data From 2015 To 2018", Michael David, Jan J. Sojka

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TDIM ionospheric model was run for the year 2018 at 10-day intervals and 2-hr intervals in UT.

Data From Analysis Of Mesosphere Secular Trends And Episodic Variability, 9/3/1993 To 8/5/2003, Troy A. Wynn, Vincent B. Wickwar, Joshua P. Herron

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The database examined here covers a time span from September 1993 to August 2003 and an altitude range of 45 to 90 km, and contains 593 nightly temperature profiles. We examine our data for secular warming and cooling and decadal scale (solar cycle) variations by applying three different models to the data.

Thermal Structure Of The Mesopause Region During The Wadis-2 Rocket Campaign, Raimund Wörl, Boris Strelnikov, Timo P. Viehl, Josef Höffner, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Michael J. Taylor, Yucheng Zhao, Franz-Josef Lübken

Publications

This paper presents simultaneous temperature measurements by three independent instruments during the WADIS-2 rocket campaign in northern Norway (69^◦ N, 14^◦ E) on 5 March 2015. Vertical profiles were measured in situ with the CONE instrument. Continuous mobile IAP Fe lidar (Fe lidar) measurements during a period of 24 h, as well as horizontally resolved temperature maps by the Utah State University (USU) Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) in the mesopause region, are analysed. Vertical and horizontal temperature profiles by all three instruments are in good agreement. A harmonic analysis of the Fe lidar measurements shows the presence …

The Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper: Remote Sensing Of The Nighttime Oh Layer During The Deepwave Campaign, Pattilyn Mclaughlin

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper [AMTM] is a remote sensing instrument developed at Utah State University to map temperature structures in the hydroxyl airglow emission at ~87 km. These maps can then be used to quantify wave field characteristics and to observe general climatology trends. Two recent campaigns that it has been involved with are the DEEPWAVE campaign in Lauder, New Zealand and the Super Soaker campaign in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment, “DEEPWAVE” was an international measurement and modeling program intended to characterize the generation and propagation of a broad range of atmospheric gravity waves with …

Usu-Csu Na Lidar Data, Tao Yuan

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The naturally existing mesospheric Na layer, overlapping the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere, provides an excellent tracer for lidar remote sensing. The Na Doppler lidar technique is designed to measure neutral temperature and wind profiles in the mesopause region (~ 80-110 km) by observing the thermal broadening and Doppler shift of the atomic Na fluorescence spectrum. Relocated from Colorado State University (CSU), the Na lidar at Utah State University (USU) has been operating since the summer of 2010, for roughly 1000 hours per year. Enabled by a pair of Faraday filters, it has a unique daytime observation capability to study …

Seasonal Propagation Characteristics Of Mstids Observed At High Latitudes Over Central Alaska Using The Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar, Michael R. Negale, Michael J. Taylor, M. J. Nicolls, Sharon L. Vadas, Kim Nielsen, Craig J. Heinselman

Publications

Near‐continuous electron density measurements obtained over a ∼3 year period, 2010–2013, using the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) in central Alaska (69°N, 147°W) have been analyzed to quantify the properties of over 650 high‐latitude medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). Our analysis focused on the altitude range 100–300 km encompassing the lower ionosphere/thermosphere and yielded first full seasonal day/night distributions of MSTIDs at high northern latitudes with mean values: horizontal wavelength 446 km, horizontal phase speed 187 m/s, and period 41 min. These year‐round measurements fill an important summertime gap in existing MSTID measurements revealing predominantly eastward wave propagation during …

Multidecadal Variability In The Subseasonal Peak Of Low-Level Convergence Over The Pacific Warm Pool, Yen-Heng Lin, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

In the Western North Pacific (WNP), the atmospheric low-level convergence is one of the main factors that influences the genesis of tropical cyclones (TC). It has been observed that the timing of the seasonal maxima in the low-level convergence and TC genesis has shifted since the mid-1990s from mid-August to late-July, with this shift having also affected the number of TC. A multidecadal frequency of 20 years was revealed in the timing variation of the tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the Western Pacific, in which a weak WNP low-level convergence in spring may trigger an advanced ISO phase in summer …

Data From: Polar Topside Ionosphere During Geomagnetic Storms: Comparison Of Isis-Ii With Tdim, Jan J. Sojka, Dan Rice, Michael David, Robert W. Schunk, Robert Benson, H. G. James

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Output files from runs of the TDIM ionospheric model used for calculations and electron density profiles from ISIS-II and TDIM used in figures in the article in Radio Science.

Mesospheric Densities And Temperatures Derived From 11 Years Of Data Acquired With The Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar At The Atmospheric Lidar Observatory At Utah State University, Vincent B. Wickwar, Joshua P. Herron

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Frequent observations were carried out with the Rayleigh-scatter lidar at Utah State University’s Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (41.742572° N, 111.808273° W, and 1466 m) from August 1993 through December 2004. Of 964 nights observed, a total of 839 nights were judged good for deriving temperatures. These 839 were reduced to obtain all-night relative neutral densities and absolute temperatures. These results extend from 45 to ≤ 95 km, thereby covering the mesosphere. This netCDF file starts by giving the number of nights included in the file. For each night, the netCDF file then provides defining parameters and derived profiles, as defined below. …

Unexpected Occurrence Of Mesospheric Frontal Gravity Wave Events Over South Pole (90°S), Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Michael J. Taylor, J. B. Snively, Christina Solorio

Publications

Since 2010, Utah State University has operated an infrared Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole station to investigate the upper atmosphere dynamics and temperature deep within the vortex. A surprising number of “frontal” gravity wave events (86) were recorded in the mesospheric OH(3,1) band intensity and rotational temperature images (typical altitude of ~87 km) during four austral winters (2012–2015). These events are gravity waves (GWs) characterized by a sharp leading wave front followed by a quasi-monochromatic wave train that grows with time. A particular subset of frontal gravity wave events has been identified in the past (Dewan …

Mid-Latitude Climatologies Of Mesospheric Temperature And Geophysical Temperature Variability Determined With The Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar At Alo-Usu, Joshua P. Herron, Vincent B. Wickwar

All Physics Faculty Publications

From 1993-2004, 839 nights were observed with the Rayleigh-scatter lidar at Utah State University’s Atmospheric Lidar Observatory. They were reduced to obtain nighttime mesospheric temperatures between 45 and ~90 km, which were then combined to derive composite annual climatologies of mid-latitude temperatures and geophysical temperature variability. At 45 km, near the stratopause, there is a ~250 K temperature minimum in mid-winter and a 273 K maximum in mid-May. The variability behaves oppositely, being 7-10 K in winter and 2.5 K in summer. At 85 km, there is a 215 K temperature maximum at the end of December and a 170 …

Usu Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar 2014-2015 Nightly Temperatures, Leda Sox, Vincent B. Wickwar, Tao Yuan

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Temperatures from a collocated Rayleigh-scatter lidar (RSL) and sodium resonance lidar were compared night-by-night, at different altitude levels, and hour-by-hour.

Three zipped files are provided.

USU RSL 2014-2015 [O] Corrected Temperatures.zip contains 36 files, one per night and hour, in RSLHourlyTemperaturesYYYYMMDDhour#.txt filename format.

USU RSL 2014-2015 Hourly Temperatures.zip contains 36 files, one per night and hour, in RSLHourlyTemperaturesYYYYMMDDhour#.txt filename format.

USU RSL 2014-2015 Nightly Temperatures.zip contains 19 files, one per night, in RSLTemperaturesYYYYMMDD.txt filename format.

Apathy And Concern Over The Future Habitability Of Earth: An Introductory College Assignment Of Forecasting Co2 In The Earth’S Atmosphere, Benjamin J. Burger

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Non-science, first year regional undergraduate students from rural Utah communities participated in an online introductory geology course and were asked to forecast the rise of CO₂ in the Earth’s atmosphere. The majority of students predicted catastrophic rise to 5,000-ppm sometime over the next 3,100 years, resulting in an atmosphere nearly uninhabitable to human life. However, the level of concern the students exhibited in their answers was not directly proportional with their timing in their forecasted rise of CO₂. This study showcases the importance of presenting students with actual data and using data to develop student forecasted models. …

Does Strong Tropospheric Forcing Cause Large-Amplitude Mesospheric Gravity Waves? A Deepwave Case Study, Martina Bramberger, Andreas Dörnbrack, Katrina Bossert, Benedikt Ehard, David C. Fritts, Bernd Kaifler, Christian Mallaun, Andrew Orr, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Markus Rapp, Michael J. Taylor, Simon Vosper, Bifford P. Williams, Benjamin Witschas

Publications

On 4 July 2014, during the Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE), strong low-level horizontal winds of up to 35 m s⁻¹ over the Southern Alps, New Zealand, caused the excitation of gravity waves having the largest vertical energy fluxes of the whole campaign (38 W m⁻²). At the same time, large-amplitude mesospheric gravity waves were detected by the Temperature Lidar for Middle Atmospheric Research (TELMA) located at Lauder (45.0°S, 169.7°E), New Zealand. The coincidence of these two events leads to the question of whether the mesospheric gravity waves were generated by the strong tropospheric forcing. To …

Collaborative Research: Synergistic Merging Of Traditional Aeronomy With Targeted High-Frequency (Hf) Heating Diagnostics, Herbert C. Carlson

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Mesospheric Gravity Waves Over Antarctica Observed By Angwin (Antarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network) Imagers Using 3-D Spectral Analyses, Takashi S. Matsuda, Takuji Nakamura, Mitsumu K. Ejiri, Masaki Tsutsumi, Yoshihiro Tomikawa, Michael J. Taylor, Yucheng Zhao, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Damian J. Murphy, Tracy Moffat-Griffin

Publications

We have obtained horizontal phase velocity distributions of the gravity waves around 90 km from four Antarctic airglow imagers, which belong to an international airglow imager/instrument network known as ANGWIN (Antarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network). Results from the airglow imagers at Syowa (69°S, 40°E), Halley (76°S, 27°W), Davis (69°S, 78°E), and McMurdo (78°S, 167°E) were compared, using a new statistical analysis method based on 3-D Fourier transform (Matsuda et al., 2014) for the observation period between 7 April and 21 May 2013. Significant day-to-day and site-to-site differences were found. The averaged phase velocity spectrum during the observation period showed preferential …

Collaborative Research: Refining And Testing Methods For Identifying And Quantifying Gaseous Oxidized Mercury In Air, Seth Lyman

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Cedar: Mesospheric Investigation Of Gravity Wave And Mountain Wave Activities And Impacts In The Lee Side Of The Southern Andes, Pierre-Dominique Pautet

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Opal Cubesat Data Analysis Model, Kenneth Zia, Ludger Scherliess, Michael J. Taylor

Physics Student Research

Understanding the Earth’s lower thermosphere (altitude range 9 km -140km) is of growing interest for many areas of research within the space weather community. The NSF sponsored OPAL (Optical Profiling of the Atmospheric Limb) mission is designed to measure temperature profile by observing the integrated line of sight of the day-time O2 A-band (~760nm) emissions on the limb. The OPAL instrument has an altitude resolution of 1.03km from 80-160km flown on a 3U CubeSat, and is expected to be launched from the ISS (International Space Station) (~400km altitude). We have developed a model of OPAL’s position and attitude of its …