Quantifying Turbulence Intensity from the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems (OWLeS) Campaign.

Lake-effect snow systems form through upward turbulent heat and moisture fluxes from lake surfaces as cold air flows over relatively warm waters, internal boundary layer dynamics, and entrainment zone interactions between the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and the overlying air. These processes create localized areas of snowfall downwind of lakes. Physical processes that amplify snowfall amounts, especially turbulent transfers, are difficult to quantify within these areas. The generation of turbulence is varied and challenging to predict due to its dynamics and fluxes that have yet to be fully understood. This study focuses on turbulence in the entrainment zone of lake-effect boundary layers. LiDAR and in situ observations taken from the University of Wyoming King Air during the OWLeS campaign were utilized to better understand entrainment zone impacts on the top of the convective boundary layer (CBL). Prior results concluded that entrainment had a lesser impact than anticipated regarding lake-effect formation and snowfall production. We seek to quantify turbulence intensity and influence within the PBL as a potential mechanism that alters snowfall and convective cloud structure.