Radiosonde Data Analysis

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Radiosonde Data Analysis

• Carrie Phelps
• MY NASA DATA Workshop
• August 5, 2004

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Radiosonde Launch Network
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What do meteorologists do with radiosonde data?
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Reasons to collect radiosonde information

• Can assess the stability of the atmosphere
• Can see weather elements at every layer
• Can determine potential for convection, forecast
  temperatures, character of severe weather
• The data is used to produce weather forecast
  models

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What are the disadvantages?

• Only available twice a day (00Z and 12Z)
• Character of weather can change dramatically
  between soundings
• Sounding does not give a true vertical dimension
  since wind blows balloon downstream
• Sounding does not give a true snapshot since it
  takes several minutes to travel from the surface
  to the upper troposphere

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Graphing Radiosonde DataThe Skew T Log
PThermodynamic Diagram
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(No Transcript)
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Level of Free Convection (LFC)
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Convective Inhibition (CINH)
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Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE)
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Forecast Model plot of CAPE
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Will there be any storms today?

• LFC is at 656 mb
• CAPE is 1357 J/kg
• CINH is 305 J/kg
• There is currently a temperature inversion

• Moderate potential
• Moderately Unstable
• Must muster the energy!

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Temperature Inversions

• Warm air over cool air
• Restricts upward motions
• Can cause fog or pollution problems

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Temperature Inversions

• Formed by
• Surface cooling at night
• Advection of warm air mass
• Subsidence (sinking air)
• Orographic features

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Temperature inversion this morning at Wallops
Island
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Try to build a thunderstorm!http//profhorn.aos.w
isc.edu/wxwise/thermo/tstm.html
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Lets graph our balloon data!