32nd Conference on Broadcast Meteorology/31st Conference on Radar Meteorology/Fifth Conference on Coastal Atmospheric and Oceanic Prediction and Processes

Monday, 11 August 2003: 4:30 PM
MIPS and Radar Observations of Boundaries during IHOP-2002
Haldun Karan, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL; and K. R. Knupp
Poster PDF (355.4 kB)
This paper presents an observational overview of boundaries observed during the IHOP-2002 field campaign. We present preliminary analyses of boundaries observed with the UAH Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS), that was an integral part of the mobile ground-based observational systems deployed for IHOP-2002. The MIPS data are combined with scanning Doppler radar data, surface data, and GOES satellite data. A variety of boundaries were observed, including cold fronts on 24 May, 3 June, and 12 June, dry lines on 15 June, 18 June and 19 June, a vigorous gust front on 15 June, another one at midnight on 21 June, and a gust front/bore hybrid on 25 June. 915 MHz Doppler radar reveals details of vertical velocities within the boundary zone, and properties ABL eddies and turbulence around the boundary. Profiles of 3-D kinematics and reflectivities will be presented for each boundary. Ceilometer data often reveal interesting variations in backscatter for many of the observed boundaries. Data from the 12-channel microwave radiometer reveals appreciable enhancement of water vapor, and destabilization, within the boundary zone. These observations will be compared to characteristics of other boundaries, primarily gust fronts, observed by the MIPS over southeast Texas and the Florida Keys region.

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