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Air-mass thunderstorm

About: Air-mass thunderstorm is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 100 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1800 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use global climate models and a high-resolution regional climate model to examine the larger-scale (or "environmental") meteorological conditions that foster severe thunderstorm formation.
Abstract: Severe thunderstorms comprise an extreme class of deep convective clouds and produce high-impact weather such as destructive surface winds, hail, and tornadoes. This study addresses the question of how severe thunderstorm frequency in the United States might change because of enhanced global radiative forcing associated with elevated greenhouse gas concentrations. We use global climate models and a high-resolution regional climate model to examine the larger-scale (or “environmental”) meteorological conditions that foster severe thunderstorm formation. Across this model suite, we find a net increase during the late 21st century in the number of days in which these severe thunderstorm environmental conditions (NDSEV) occur. Attributed primarily to increases in atmospheric water vapor within the planetary boundary layer, the largest increases in NDSEV are shown during the summer season, in proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coastal regions. For example, this analysis suggests a future increase in NDSEV of 100% or more in locations such as Atlanta, GA, and New York, NY. Any direct application of these results to the frequency of actual storms also must consider the storm initiation.

331 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors quantified the thunderstorm frequency over the oceans during the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment by examination of over 20, 000 surface hourly observations from research ships.
Abstract: The thunderstorm frequency over the oceans during the Global Atmospheric Research Program Atlantic Tropical Experiment is quantified by examination of over 20 000 surface hourly observations from research ships. The overall thunderstorm frequency is one thunderstorm day per ship per month. There were many examples of intense mesoscale systems, such as squall lines, passing over the ships, extending to 13–17 km in altitude, but that nevertheless produce few reports of lightning. This reinforces the idea, based on data from other tropical ocean regions and from global satellite data, that in spite of the ubiquitous “hot towers” over tropical oceans, marine cumulonimbus product little lightning. Climatological data from the monsoon regions of the Tropics are analyzed to reveal that during periods of onshore flow and heavy rainfall the oceanic regime of high rainfall but little lightning moves onshore. A rain-thunderstorm ratio is defined and used to characterize convective rainfall regimes as contin...

238 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a series of three rockets was launched over an air mass thunderstorm off the eastern seaboard of Virginia while simultaneous stratospheric and ground-based electric field measurements were made.
Abstract: On August 9, 1981, a series of three rockets was launched over an air mass thunderstorm off the eastern seaboard of Virginia while simultaneous stratospheric and ground-based electric field measurements were made. The conductivity was substantially lower at most altitudes than the conductivity profiles used by theoretical models. Direct current electric fields over 80 mV/m were measured as far away as 96 km from the storm in the stratosphere at 23 km altitude. No dc electric fields above 75 km altitude could be identified with the thunderstorm, in agreement with theory. However, vertical current densities over 120 pA/sq m were seen well above the classical 'electrosphere' (at 50 or 60 km). Frequent dc shifts in the electric field following lightning transients were seen by both balloon and rocket payloads. These dc shifts are clearly identifiable with either cloud-to-ground (increases) or intercloud (decreases) lightning flashes.

119 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the Klemp-Wilhelmson 3D numerical cloud model is used to investigate cloud development along intersecting thunderstorm outflow boundaries, where the model initial environment is characterized by a temperature and moisture profile typically found in strong convective situations, and the initial wind field is prescribed by a constant unidirectional shear 2.9 m s−1 km−1 from 0.8 to 8.9 km.
Abstract: The Klemp–Wilhelmson three-dimensional numerical cloud model is used to investigate cloud development along intersecting thunderstorm outflow boundaries. The model initial environment is characterized by a temperature and moisture profile typically found in strong convective situations, and the initial wind field is prescribed by a constant unidirectional shear 2.9 m s−1 km−1 from 0.8 to 8.9 km, with a constant wind everywhere else. The wind shear vector is perpendicular to the line containing the two initial outflow-producing clouds (which are spaced 16 km apart and are triggered by thermal impulses centered at the top of the boundary layer). The dynamics of the outflow collision are documented using time-dependent, kinematic air parcel trajectories and thermodynamic data. We find that ambient air in the outflow collision region is literally “squeezed” out of the way as the two outflows collide. Some of this air is lifted to saturation, triggering two convective clouds. The upshear member of the...

105 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the environmental atmospheric characteristics in the vicinity of different types of severe convective storms in Europe during the warm seasons in 2006 and 2007, and combine these data with EUCLID (European Cooperation for Lightning Detection) lightning data to distinguish and classify thunderstorm activity on a European scale into seven categories: none, weak, strong, moderate, and severe.

100 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
20177
20166
20155
20145
20134
20126