Can a Radar Emulator be used to Identify Simulated Pre-Tornadic Small-Scale Vorticity?
Date
2025-05-05
Authors
Harley, Noah
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Publisher
Houghton University
Abstract
Tornadoes are largely unpredictable severe weather events that are chaotic in nature. Much of this unpredictability stems from a lack of specific knowledge regarding the process of tornadogenesis. This thesis describes a proposed investigation of pre-tornadic, surfacebased, small-scale vorticity present in the high-resolution Cloud Model 1 numerical convective simulation of the May 24, 2011, El Reno tornadic supercell. The radar emulator RSim will be used to sample the simulated storm using different radar wavelengths, range resolutions, azimuthal resolutions, beamwidths, and other parameters similar to real-world radar sampling strategies. This will potentially allow scanning radar parameters to be optimized, enabling future field campaigns to test for the presence of this pre-tornadic phenomenon. The collaboration would include researchers from the Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Oklahoma.