Defenses for Fall 2023
USING LABORATORY AND AIRBORNE MEASUREMENTS TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF ICE NUCLEATING PARTICLES IN ICE AND MIXED-PHASE CLOUDS
September 25, 2023
Ryan Patnaude
Ice may be present in the atmosphere either in cirrus or mixed-phase cloud regions, each with their own distinctly different characteristics and formation mechanisms. The former is characterized by the presence of only ice crystals at temperatures < -38 ºC, while the latter includes the coexistence of both supercooled liquid cloud droplets and ice crystals between temperatures of 0 ºC and…
THE EFFECT OF PROJECTED SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE CHANGE ON MJO ACTIVITY IN A WARMER CLIMATE
September 22, 2023
Amanda Bowden
The Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) consists of a convective region that propagates eastward in the tropics on repeat every 30-90 days with peak amplitude during the Boreal Winter (November - March). Since the MJO modulates extreme weather, future MJO changes in a warmer climate have implications for prediction of extreme events. Understanding precipitation pattern changes in a changing…
Diagnosing the Angular Momentum Fluxes that Drive the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation
September 12, 2023
Ann Casey Hughes
The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is one of the most amazing phenomena in the atmosphere. It is a descending pattern of alternating easterly and westerly equatorial stratospheric winds that is produced by the upward transport of momentum in multiple types of atmospheric waves. The discovery of the QBO and its role in the global circulation are discussed. The angular momentum budget of the…
Cold Pool Train Dynamics and Transport
September 08, 2023
Christine Neumaier
Convectively generated cold air outflows, referred to as cold pools, can initiate new convection and loft aerosols, such as dust or pollen. In the BioAerosols and Convective Storms Phase I (BACS-I) field campaign, we observed multiple cold pools passing over the same location on the same day, without colliding, which we refer to as a “cold pool train”. The goals of this study are to examine…
Inorganic Gas-Aerosol Partitioning in and around Animal Feeding Operation Plumes in Northeastern Colorado in Late Summer 2021
September 05, 2023
En Li
Ammonia (NH3) from animal feeding operations (AFOs) is an increasingly important source of reactive nitrogen in the US, but despite its ramifications to air quality and human and ecosystem health, its near-source evolution remains understudied. To this end, the Transport and Transformation of Ammonia (TRANS2Am) field campaign was conducted in the northeastern Colorado Front Range in summer 2021…
CHANGES IN THE SNOWPACK OF THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN IN A WARMER FUTURE CLIMATE
August 23, 2023
Lexi Sherman
Water is a crucial factor to sustaining life on Earth. Snow acts as a reservoir for water, providing storage during the cold seasons and freshwater resources throughout the warmer months. Streamflow in the upper Colorado River Basin is primarily contributed by seasonal mountain snowmelt that provides critical freshwater resources to humans and wildlife, effectively connecting ecological,…
The influence of prescribed burning on springtime PM2.5 concentrations in eastern Kansas
August 18, 2023
Olivia Sablan
Annual springtime (March - May) prescribed burning is practiced in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas to mitigate wildfire risk, improve nutritional value of vegetation for cattle grazing, limit woody encroachment, and maintain the health of the tall grass prairie ecosystem. Smoke from these prescribed fires produces fine particulate matter (PM2.5), degrading air quality. Smoke from prescribed…
When is the Unpredictable (slightly more) Predictable? An Assessment of Opportunities for Skillful Decadal Climate Prediction Using Explainable Neural Networks
August 10, 2023
Emily Gordon
Predicting climate variability on decadal (2-10 year) timescales can have huge implications for society because it can provide better estimates of both global trends as well as regional climate variability for crucial, actionable lead times. The key to skillful decadal prediction is understanding and predicting oceanic variability. However, predictable sig- nals in the ocean can be masked by…
GREMLIN: GOES Radar Estimation via Machine Learning to Inform NWP
August 02, 2023
Kyle Hilburn
Imagery from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) has been a key element of U.S. operational weather forecasting since 1975. The latest generation, the GOES-R Series, offers new capabilities to support the need for high-resolution rapidly refreshing imagery for situational awareness. Despite the well demonstrated value to human forecasters, usage of GOES imagery in data…