2000: Tracks and Cloud Structures in Midlatitude Storms

Problem

What will midlatitude storms in the future look like in terms of their intensity, frequency, severity, tracks and cloud properties? How well does the GISS GCM reproduce these storm characteristics and what is the assessment of its capability to predict future storms?

Research Objectives

• Document differences in storm frequency and intensity in warm and cold years and the trend in those properties for a 37-year period (61-98).
• Analyze the relationship between the dynamic properties and the cloud properties of 30 mid-latitude storms from the month of April, 1989.

Research Tasks

1. Use NCAR weather station data to identify storms based on low sea level pressure, and ISCCP satellite-imaging data to observe the cloud properties of the storms.
2. Correlate the strength of the storms with the properties of the clouds and the distribution of these properties within the storms.
3. Produce a graph that shows the relationship between the strength of a storm and the properties of the clouds within different sections of the storm.
4. Analyze the frequency and intensity of the storms between warm and cold years for a 37-year period using NCEP Reanalysis data.
5. Record the trend of those storm properties over the 37-year period.
6. Ideally, since Heberthe is comparing storm properties in warm and cold years, the two parts of the project would relate if Sharika could analyze storm and cloud properties in a warm and a cold month. Then Heberthe's results will show the differences in the frequency and intensity of storms between warm and cold years, and Sharika's results will show how such differences in storm properties would affect the distribution of the clouds produced by the storms.

Team Products

Two Excel workbooks, each containing data and plots. The worksheets in both Excel workbooks will be followed by explanations and analysis of the data and results.