Multiple-Doppler radar observations of vertical wind profile heterogeneity in convective boundary layers

In this paper we use overdetermined dual-Doppler radar wind syntheses from mobile radar observations obtained during the International H2O Project to document some of the temporal and spatial variability of vertical wind profiles in convective boundary layers. The time and space resolution of the wind syntheses is approximately 90 s and 100 m, respectively. Our analyses reveal substantial heterogeneity in what might be called "storm proximity" wind profiles, even in the absence of obvious mesoscale wind shifts--regions many might have classified as "horizontally homogeneous" in the past. The variability of popular forecasting parameters such as mean shear and storm-relative helicity is shown to be linked to kinematic perturbations associated with boundary layer thermals. The structure of the fields of such parameters is thus closely related to the organization of boundary layer convection (e.g., cells versus rolls). We also will discuss some of the possible implications of the observed heterogeneity with respect to forecasting and simulating both mature convection and its initiation.