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Request for the use of the Mobile Mesonet and Tornado Pods NSF Facility for Education Boundaries around Severe Storms (BASS) Project

Scott M. Steiger

Department of Atmospheric and Geological Sciences The State University of New York at Oswego

Oswego, NY 13126 26 September 2014

1. Introduction

The Meteorology Program in the Department of Atmospheric and Geological Sciences at the

State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego would like to request the use of the Center for

Severe Weather Research (CSWR) Mobile Mesonet and Tornado Pod for educational purposes

during the period 1 June – 22 June 2015. The proposed deployment will coincide with the

SUNY Oswego Storm Forecasting and Observation (“Storm Chasing”) Program

(http://www.oswego.edu/administration/ORSP/Storm.html) and be part of the new Field

Experiences in Storm Observation and Forecasting course (MET 325). There will be 15

participants of the Storm Chasing Program, along with four instructors. SUNY Oswego has

experience with CSWR facilities, having used the Doppler on Wheels (DOW) for two NSF

projects (EAGER-LLAP grant 2010-11 and OWLeS 2013-14) and one educational deployment

in 2012.

The objectives of this proposed deployment are to: 1) give undergraduate meteorology

students exposure to state-of-the-art equipment and have them learn how to operate the mobile

mesonet and tornado pods, 2) have students plan and carry out storm sampling strategies (e.g.,

where to deploy to sample the rear/forward flank downdrafts in supercells), and 3) immediately

perform quality control and initial analyses back in the lab in Oswego after we return from the

trip. Students and teachers from local K-12 schools and nearby colleges, along with the

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remainder of the SUNY Oswego community (e.g., administrators), will either be invited to the

Oswego campus for an open house or we will bring the facilities to a school or two exposing

them to how the mobile mesonet and tornado pods collect data and to show some of the initial

data analysis.

2. Proposed use of the Mobile Mesonet and Tornado Pods for Education

Typically 15 students and 4 leaders (Dr. Steiger, a forecast assistant, and 2 drivers) drive in

two 12-passenger vans to the Plains as part of the SUNY Oswego Storm Forecasting and

Observation Program. We propose to arrive in Boulder, CO 1 June 2015 to be introduced to the

CSWR and its staff and to be trained in how to use the mobile mesonets and pods.

A team of 3 students will lead a forecast discussion every morning of the Storm Forecasting

and Observation Program. After reviewing the forecast and target area, we will then discuss how

to position the mesonet and pods around a thunderstorm (e.g., see Fig. 1 for a supercell

deployment). These deployments will be based on thunderstorm type (supercell, squall line) and

anticipated movement of these storms. If the storm motion will be greater than 30 kts, we will

deploy pods well ahead of the storm (e.g., 25 km) or not deploy, as it may be too dangerous for

students to stop near a fast-moving storm. Dr. Steiger will assign students to teams [e.g.,

mesonet & pod team (3-4 students), rawinsonde] and review the operations plan of the day. We

will stay in contact via ham radio (both school vans are equipped with one and we are requesting

a radio for the mesonet) and cell phone during operations in case adjustments will need to be

made. After the storm passes the mesonet team will retrieve the pods.

SUNY Oswego owns a state-of-the-art Vaisala, Inc. rawinsonde system that we anticipate

using during this project. These launches will be mostly done prior to storm initiation to assess

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the environment. It is too difficult to launch nearby an ongoing storm as it takes over an hour to

deploy and collect the data (we cannot move while collecting sonde data).

Before we depart Oswego, students in the Met 325 course will devise strategies for different

weather scenarios and objectives. They will work with Dr. Steiger during the in-class part of the

MET 325 course during the last quarter of the spring term. The main scientific goal is to study

how meteorological variables change across storm boundaries (e.g., Markowski et al. 2002, Lee

et al. 2012). We will relate temperature gradients across the boundaries to storm behavior and

development of hazardous weather (e.g., tornadoes). We will not target tornadoes themselves,

keeping a distance of at least 5 km.

For the analysis phase of this proposed project, students will examine the mesonet and pod

data in the Oswego lab. They will have one week to analyze the collected data testing

hypotheses or doing case studies and then present their findings in oral and written format. The

data will be available for future student projects (and backed up on an external hard drive).

It will be helpful to have a technician to train us for a day to help with operating the

equipment, downloading and analyzing the data. It will also be very helpful to have real-time

viewing capabilities of the mesonet’s position overlaid on a road map and NEXRAD data.

Lastly, if possible, we will participate in project PECAN (Plains Elevated Convection at

Night). We will discuss with CSWR staff how to participate. The main limiting factor will be

student fatigue, but I am almost certain some students will be excited to be a part of a major

science project!

3. Outreach to other schools and the public

We had a very successful outreach program to the public outside the SUNY Oswego

community during the NSF EAGER-LLAP and OWLeS projects and we foresee the same

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success with this proposed project. Dr. Steiger and some of his students will present how the

mobile mesonet and pods operate and some of their findings via an open house-type event to be

held on campus the week after we return from the Plains. We propose to travel to nearby schools

with the facility manager’s permission. Dr. Steiger has very good relationships with the local

media and will invite them to these events as well.

4. Budget

We travel an average of ~600 miles per day during the storm observation program (*10 days

= 6000 miles). It will likely be ~1500 miles to drive from the Plains states to Oswego, NY after

the storm chase. We may drive ~500 miles while in New York. Hence, we will need the costs

of driving and maintaining the mesonet for 8000 miles covered. A plane ticket to send a driver

from CSWR to Oswego will be needed to drive the mobile mesonet and pods back to Boulder,

CO (1700 miles and ~$250 for a one way ticket Denver to Syracuse).

References

Lee, B. D., C. A. Finley, and C. D. Karstens, 2012: The Bowdle, South Dakota, cyclic tornadic

supercell of 22 May 2010: Surface analysis of rear-flank downdraft evolution and multiple

internal surges. Mon. Wea. Rev., 140, 3419–3441.

Markowski, P. and Y. Richardson, 2010: Mesoscale Meteorology in Midlatitudes. Wiley-

Blackwell, 407 pp.

Markowski, P. M., J. M. Straka, and E. N. Rasmussen, 2002: Direct surface thermodynamic

observations within the rear-flank downdrafts of nontornadic and tornadic supercells. Mon. Wea,

Rev., 130, 1692-1721.

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Figure  1.  An  idealized  step  pattern  for  the  mobile  mesonet.    Figure  from  Markowski  and  Richardson  (2010).    Star  shows  location  of  viewer  for  picture  to  the  right.    This  is  the  position  where  one  of  the  pods  would  be  placed  by  the  students  in  the  school  van.    The  students  in  the  mesonet  would  then  drop  off  2-­‐3  pods  along  their  path  (spacing  at  least  1  km).

Version 4 February 2012  

Facility Request Form for Educational Activities    Part I: General Information

Requestor Name Scott  Steiger  Institution and Address SUNY  Oswego  Department  of  

Atmospheric  and  Geological  Sciences;  room  366  Shineman  Science  Center;  Oswego,  NY  13126  

Phone and Email (315)  312-­‐2802;  scott.steiger@oswego.edu  

Faculty Advisor Name (if student requestor)        Part II: Project Description

Project Title Boundaries  around  severe  storms  (BASS)  

Project Location Central  Plains  of  the  United  States  Start and End Dates of Field Deployment 1  –  22  June  2015  

NSF Facilities requested (type and # of systems) 1  Mobile  mesonet,  4  pods  Number of Expendables requested (if applicable)  

     Part III: Educational Activities Description

Number of students actively involved Graduate: 0 Undergraduate: 15

Desired training activities conducted by Facility Staff including time in the field

We would like to be trained on how to operate (including saving the data, data analysis tools) the mesonet and pods during 1 June 2015

Desired teaching activities conducted by Facility Staff including time in the field

Additional special requirements that pertain to Facility support

Maintenance if vehicle breakdown occurs or if equipment stops working.

Version 4 February 2012  

Ancillary/Opportunistic Outreach Activities

While traveling to observe storms over the Plains states, we will give tours of the facilities to the local public and visitors at the hotels where we will stay. If allowed to bring the facilities to Oswego, we will visit local K-12 schools and invite nearby university students (e.g., SUNY Oswego and Brockport) and the public to watch demonstrations with the equipment.

     Part IV: Operational Requirements

Please specify data access needs (e.g., real time) Real  time  data  access  is  needed.    If  possible,  a  method  for  viewing  the  mesonet’s  position  overlaid  on  NEXRAD  data  and  the  road  network.    Mobile  Internet.  

Please specify data analysis needs If  there  are  any  data  analysis  tools  for  the  mesonet  and  pod  data  beyond  Microsoft  Excel  it  would  be  appreciated  if  shared  with  us.  

Please specify communications needs Ham  radio  in  the  mesonet.    

       

 

Feasibility Analysis Project: Boundaries And Severe Storms (BASS) project Location: SUNY-Oswego and the Great Plains Duration: 1 June - 22 June 2015 Requesting PI/Host: Scott Steiger Summary: CSWR finds this request feasible and feels that it is an appropriate use of a Mesonet and Pods for educational purposes. CSWR will be able to train PI Steiger and his students on Mobile Mesonet and Pod operations. The educational plan proposed by PI Steiger is appropriate for these deployments, incorporating the Mesonet and Pods into an existing Storm Observations course makes excellent use of a relatively inexpensive observational resource. Longer analysis: The requested use is well planned. The Mesonet and Pods will be used synergistically with the SUNY-Oswego Sounding System during a field program, Field Experiences in Storm Observations and Forecasting (MET 325), and students will analyze the data at the culmination of the field portion of the course. Data also will be archived at SUNY-Oswego for potential use in future analyses. Prior to the field portion of the project, students will plan deployment strategies for the Mesonet and Pods (and SUNY-Oswego Soundings) for different types of convection and under the supervision of PI Steiger, execute these deployments out in the field. After the field project in the Great Plains, the Mesonet and Pods will be driven by the PI’s team to Oswego, New York, and outreach events K-12 schools and local colleges in the Oswego-area and possibly an open house at SUNY-Oswego will be conducted. PI Steiger is well connected with the local media, so advertising of events and additional outreach will be pursued through this venue. The breadth of local outreach planned should engage a large segment of the population in meteorology education. As with all relatively short educational deployments, there is a risk that the weather will not be favorable, however, given that this is a fully mobile project and there is a wide diversity of potential phenomena in the Plains during early June, the probability of observing interesting weather useful for the educational purposes of this project is very high. The project will target temperature boundaries associated with various types of weather phenomena (e.g., supercells, squall lines, ordinary thunderstorms), which are common in June. CSWR staff will train the PI and his students in Mesonet and Pod operations, data transfer, and the use of software during the deployment. No CSWR staff is needed to accompany the Mesonet during deployments, but a technician will be available to assist SUNY-Oswego for emergency maintenance. The PI has significant experience with undergraduate field programs that target severe storms, so safety concerns are mitigated. The PI will not be attempting observations in or near tornadoes. The PI proposes to sample gust fronts at least 5 km distant from any tornado, and either will not deploy or deploy at least 25 km distance from fast-moving and/or complex storms. The Mesonet vehicle will be equipped with VHF radio and cell Internet, so PI Steiger will be in radio and

cell contact with his students during deployments. The PI will make the final deployment and safety decisions. Students will pick up the Pods after it is safe after the region of interest has passed over the Pod array. The PI would like the ability to overlay Pod locations with NEXRAD data and the road network. Currently, CSWR does not have this capability at this time, but may by the time of the proposed BASS project. While desirable, this is not critical for operations or safety. CSWR is participating in the PECAN experiment during June 2015. BASS will use a vehicle planned for use as a DOW support vehicle in PECAN, and a replacement vehicle will be rented for use PECAN. The Mobile Mesonet and Pods will be picked up by the PIs team from Hays, Kansas. CSWR will fly a driver to the Syracuse/Oswego area to retrieve the system afer the end of BASS. CSWR personnel will be available to train PI Steiger and his students on mesonet operations and Pod deployments on or immediately before 1 June in Hays, KS. But, if the PI has some flexibility on the start-date of his course, a PECAN open house (presentations, media, showcasing of PECAN instrumentation, etc.) is scheduled for Saturday, 30 May, that would provide his students with an excellent opportunity to learn more about the project and interact with scientists and instruments from a multitude of institutions that they might not otherwise have the chance to do. Additionally, on 31 May, the SUNY-Oswego students may have the opportunity to participate in a CSWR PECAN practice deployment, giving them the chance to experience a mutli-instrument deployment. If the opportunity arises, and safety allows, students fielding the CSWR Mesonet and Pods for BASS might be able to participate in one or more PECAN scientific missions.

DOW Education Project Budget Summary

Project Name Boundaries And Severe Storms (BASS) project

Location SUNY-Oswego and the Great Plains

Duration 1 June - 22 June 2015

Principal Investigator Scott Steiger

1. Field Operation

A.Mesonet Fuel

8000 miles estimate, 10

mpg gallon/rate 800 4.5 3600

B. Vehicle Rental Days of rental

25

Days/rate 25 130 3250

(DOW support replacement in PECAN)

Total Field Cost $6,850

2. Ferry

A. Fuel 1700 miles 10 mpg gallon/rate 170 4.5 765

B. Hotel 3 ferry day Days/rate 3 103.5 311

C. Perdiem Days/rate 3 50 150

D. Airfare + Airport Transportation ow HYS-SYR Trip/rate 1 650 650

Total Ferry Cost $1,876

3. Salary+Fringe

A. Non-LOAF Staff + Fringe (38%)

5 days for Mesonet ferrying + flight

travel $1,380

4. Radar /Facility Usage Fee

A. Vehicle Mileage Charge Ferry + Ops Miles/reate 9700 0.243 $2,357

5. Purchased Service (Disks, rent, communication) 0

6. Equipment 0

7. Participant Support

A. Stipend

B. Travel 0

4. Indirect Costs 68% of items 1 to 5 $8,475

Total BASS Cost $20,937

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Final  Report  for  use  of  CSWR  Mobile  Mesonet  and  Tornado  Pods  Facility  Pool  Request  

Boundaries  Across  Severe  Storms  (BASS)  Education  Project      

1. Educational  objectives  

The  primary  objective  of  the  Boundaries  Across  Severe  Storms  (BASS)  Project  was  to  expose  

undergraduate  students  to  such  state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art  facilities  as  the  Center  for  Severe  Weather  

Research  (CSWR)  mobile  mesonet  vehicle  and  tornado  pods  while  sampling  airmass  

characteristics  across  supercell  thunderstorm  gust  fronts.    Fifteen  undergraduate  students  [1  

engineering  student  from  the  State  University  of  New  York  (SUNY)  Environmental  Science  and  

Forestry  college;  the  remainder  were  meteorology  majors  from  SUNY  Oswego,  Brockport,  

Albany,  and  Penn  State]  were  participants  in  the  2015  SUNY  Oswego  Storm  Forecasting  and  

Observation  Program  during  which  time  they  were  trained  by  CSWR  staff  on  how  to  operate  

these  facilities  and  designed  and  carried  out  experiments.    At  first  the  students  were  nervous  

about  driving  and  using  the  mobile  mesonet,  but  after  the  training  in  Hays,  KS  on  31  May  2015,  

they  overall  enjoyed  having  the  equipment  and  reported  that  having  the  data  in  real  time  and  

archived  enhanced  their  learning.    The  analysis  of  the  collected  data  occurred  on  the  SUNY  

Oswego  campus  during  a  4-­‐day  period  after  returning  from  the  U.S.  Plains  in  which  students  did  

brief  research  reports  on  topics  of  their  choosing  based  on  observations  from  the  trip.  

2. Deployment  and  class  procedures  

The  mesonet  vehicle  collected  data  on  most  every  day  we  had  it  from  1  to  9  June  2015.    The  

students  were  divided  into  3  teams:  forecast,  logistics,  and  equipment  teams.    The  teams  

rotated  each  day  so  the  team  of  5  students  on  the  equipment  team  one  day  had  this  

responsibility  again  3  days  later.    Four  of  the  five-­‐team  members  rode  in  the  mesonet  while  one  

remained  in  the  SUNY  Oswego  vans.    This  person  would  then  be  in  the  mesonet  3  days  later.    

This  was  done  to  increase  comfort.  

The  tornado  pods  were  deployed  during  1-­‐4  different  observation  periods  (e.g.,  pod  ‘K’  

sampled  4  events  while  ‘O’  sampled  only  1).    Generally  the  decision  of  when  and  where  to  

deploy  was  made  by  the  head  instructor,  but  the  students  were  the  ones  who  physically  ran  

through  the  methodology  of  finding  a  suitable  surface  and  orientating  the  pod  correctly  and  

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documenting  the  location  with  a  GPS  unit  and  pictures.    The  instructor  attempted  to  place  the  

pods  where  a  supercell  thunderstorm  or  gust  front  from  the  storm  would  propagate  over  the  

pod.    Safety  of  the  students  was  given  top  priority  when  deciding  to  deploy  the  pods.  

3. Successes  as  viewed  by  professor  and  students  

We  learned  a  lot  about  strategizing  to  sample  key  parts  of  an  actual  storm,  having  multiple  

variables  to  consider;  e.g.,  do  we  have  time  to  deploy  safely?  Will  we  have  time  to  come  back  

and  collect  the  pods  by  the  next  morning?  How  is  the  terrain  by  the  road?    Students  (and  

instructors)  gained  an  appreciation  for  how  difficult  fieldwork  can  be.  

  Some  of  the  data  were  used  in  the  student  projects.    For  example,  Matthew  Wunsch  

analyzed  data  collected  by  the  mesonet  while  it  was  stationary  and  a  supercell’s  rear  flank  

downdraft  (RFD)  moved  overhead  (see  Figs.  1-­‐5).    He  noted  surges  in  wind  speed  associated  

with  the  RFD  passage.    This  agrees  with  previous  literature  showing  RFDs  can  have  multiple  gust  

fronts/surges  (Lee  et  al.  2012).    A  continuation  of  this  particular  project  and  use  of  the  data  

collected  during  BASS  in  future  student  class  projects  will  have  more  interesting  results  for  

students  to  discover!  

4. Outreach  activities  

The  only  outreach  we  were  able  to  do  was  while  on  the  road  storm  chasing.    We  were  

approached  by  the  public  at  gas  stations  and  hotel  parking  lots.    The  students  and  professors  

were  more  than  happy  to  share  with  them  what  we  were  doing  with  the  facilities.    One  of  the  

days,  we  opened  up  the  mesonet  truck  and  placed  one  of  the  pods  on  the  ground  behind  the  

truck.    There  were  more  than  30  other  storm  chasers  around  who  visited.  

5. Lessons  learned  

The  main  lesson  learned  was  how  difficult  it  is  to  plan  pod  deployment.    Safety  was  the  top  

concern,  so  we  did  not  deploy  within  5  miles  of  the  suspected  tornadic  region  in  a  storm.    We  

wanted  to  have  the  pods  sample  the  air  masses  on  either  side  of  a  gust  front  (rear  or  forward  

flank),  so  finding  places  where  this  would  work  where  the  ground  was  even  and  had  short  grass  

in  a  small  amount  of  time  (minutes)  was  challenging.    The  other  consideration  was  the  fact  that  

after  we  were  done  chasing,  we  needed  to  go  back  and  pick  up  the  pods.    For  this  reason  alone  

we  usually  did  not  deploy  more  than  2  pods  during  an  event.  

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  A  couple  of  difficulties  arose  as  the  mesonet  overheated  in  multiple  instances  and  the  

air  conditioning  did  not  work.    We  thought  we  solved  the  overheating  issue  by  adding  more  

coolant  to  the  truck,  but  had  to  return  the  mesonet  and  pods  one  day  earlier  than  planned  

because  it  overheated  while  we  were  near  Hays,  KS  (the  drop  off  point).  

  Having  ham  radios  in  each  of  our  vehicles  was  key  to  keeping  everyone  safe.    Thank  you  

to  Traeger  Meyer  for  installing  a  ham  radio  we  brought  with  us  on  31  May!  

With  the  experience  gained,  I  plan  to  ask  for  these  facilities  again  next  chase  season.  

 

References  

Lee,  B.  D.,  C.  A.  Finley,  and  C.  D.  Karstons,  2012:  The  Bowdle,  South  Dakota,  Cyclic  Tornadic  

Supercell  of  22  May  2010:  Surface  analysis  of  rear-­‐flank  downdraft  evolution  and  multiple  

internal  surges.  Mon.  Wea.  Rev.,  140,  3419  –  3441.  

   

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Figures  

 Fig.  1.  Topeka,  KS  (KTWX)  radial  velocity  (left;  no  scale  shown)  and  reflectivity  (right;  scale  

shown  to  left  of  velocity)  at  0056  UTC  8  June  2015.    The  star  indicates  the  mesonet’s  

location.  

   

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 Fig.  2.  Photograph  taken  by  student  Matthew  Wunsch  at  our  location  shown  in  Fig.  1  looking  

east.  

   

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 Figs.  3-­‐5.  Mesonet  data  (unsmoothed;  we  plan  to  do  moving  averages  in  the  future  with  these  

data).    Note:  vehicle  was  not  in  motion  during  this  time  period.    Time  in  UTC.  

   

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