Recent Afternoon-Evening Transition (AET) and Nocturnal Convective Initiation Events Studied as Part of the UAHuntsville ABIDE Field Project

UAHuntsville has begun the third phase of its Atmospheric Boundary Identification and Delineation Experiment (ABIDE) field project with the goals of evaluating the kinematic structure and behavior of convergent boundary zones (CBZs), especially in the boundary layer, during the afternoon to evening transition (AET) and overnight, and understanding how these boundaries can affect cloud formation and convective initiation (CI). While much work has been done to understand the process of CI in a convective boundary layer regime (e.g., results from observations during the IHOP field campaign), little is know of the characteristics and process of CI in a neutral to stable boundary layer. To study this, ABIDE employs the use of multiple dual-polarization Doppler radars and the unique UAH Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS) platform in a meso-gamma scale local network. The radars include the Mobile Alabama X-band (MAX) radar, which can be deployed at a variety of locations as the situation requires, and the Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operation Research (ARMOR, C-band), located at the Huntsville Airport. Component instrumentation on the MIPS includes: a very high resolution vertically pointing X-band profiling radar, 915 MHz Doppler wind profiles, 12-channel microwave profiling radiometer, lidar ceilometer, surface instrumentation, and acoustic sodar. Recent ABIDE cases observed beginning in the spring of 2012 will be discussed, including dual-Doppler wind field retrieval results, thermodynamic characteristics of observed CBZs, and the extent of convective development or non-development.