Master of Science in Applied Meteorology (MSAM) Thesis Research
Shippee, N. J. 2010, Classification of Mesoscale Snow Banding Events in the Northeast United State
Abstract:
Wintertime precipitation has a large impact on the Northeastern United States each year. Within any given storm, there is potential for banded snow events, some of which can produce heavy amounts of snowfall. Previous studies have shown that heavy banded snow events require strong values of frontogenesis, weak moist symmetric stability, and moisture to form within any given storm. This study seeks to find answers to two questions. The first is whether it is possible to predict mesoscale snow banding events based on independent variables such as topographical height or slope. The second question is whether these variables can be combined into a forecasting tool to predict the occurrence of snow banding through statistical correlation.
For this study, storms were first identified using GOES satellite archive data, obtained from the NCDC GIBBS archive (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/gibbs). Storms seen on satellite imagery were gathered into a database. Using WSR-88D radar data, banding events were identified in the storm database with the storms containing changes in 24 hour snow depth of 8 inches or greater. Using classification systems developed by Novak et al (2004), the type of banding was identified within storms. A gridded area was created over the Northeastern United States with 20 km spacing in between grid points. The grid was rotated 45 degrees to better align with the axis of the Appalachian Mountains. Topography for the region of study was classified based on elevation using the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) data source of the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) ETOPO1 dataset. Heights were interpolated to the grid points developed in the 20 km resolution grid. Basic classification schemes involving elevation were employed to correlate the existence of a banding event with the topographical classification. Model data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR-A) was obtained and used in GEMPAK, with data interpolated to the 20 km resolution grid. Results from synoptic composites based on banding type observed in storm events will be presented, along with predictability of banding by variables such as topographic slope, frontogenesis, cross-shore potential temperature gradient, and the existence of a coastal front in the gridded domain.
Senior Research: C-10/REF- Analysis of the C-10 Research Foundation Dataset
Miller, S.T.K, 2007:
Abstract: This proposed research project represents a cooperative effort between the C-10 Research and Education Foundation, and Plymouth State University’s Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute. The purpose of the project is to subject the meteorological and radiological data recorded by C-10′s Citizens Radiological Monitoring Network to rigorous scientific analysis, determine seasonal, annual, and interannual trends in the radiological data, quantify the effect of the tides on near-shore radiological measurements, identify radiological “hot spots”, create a multi-variate wind climatology, and make recommendations for better positioning of available sensor equipment.
C-10/ REF Research Proposal, PDF
Shippee, N. , 2007
Abstract: The C-10 Research and Education Foundation, established in 1991, is a non-profit organization developed to monitor the health and safety impacts posed by the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant in Seabrook, NH. C-10’s “Citizens Radiological Monitoring Network” (CRMN) consists of approximately 25 fully-automated monitoring stations, each recording wind and radiological data at a time interval of 1 minute. The average horizontal spacing is consistent with a small meso-? (2 – 20 km) or a large microscale (< 2 km) network. This dataset is very unique in both its length and complexity, and has been growing steadily over the past decade and a half. Processing this dataset has proven to be difficult because of the need for large amounts of computer resources (memory) to process the data. The average length of the dataset is approximately 6 to 7 years long. Minute by minute data being read into memory causes problems with storage as there are approximately 3.15 million lines of observations per data file. Each line consists of a time stamp, two types of radiological measurements, temperature data, wind direction, and wind speed.
After parsing of the dataset statistical analysis will be completed on the data, which includes a) identifying secular trends in the radiological data, b) identification and characterizing of seasonal and annual-scale variations in radiological activity, c) identification of tidal influences in radiological activity at coastal sites, d) identification of regions with higher and lower than average radiological activity, i.e., “hot spots” and “cold spots”, e) creation of a wind climatology, for each grid point, and for the CRMN domain as a whole, and f) correlation of the results of secular trends, seasonal/annual trends, and hot/cold spots with wind climatology. After completing these goals, recommendations for repositioning of radiological sensors will be made based on each of the previous goals.
C-10/ REF Research Final Report, PDF
KGYX Independent Study Research: KGYX Gulf of Maine Tidal Flooding Study
Abstract: A recent study conducted by Cannon (2007) studied coastal flooding events in the Gulf of Maine since the beginning of the 20th Century, and determined that the majority of them were associated with strong northeasterly winds. These flooding events are contributed to by to major factors; wind waves and tidal excursion. Ekman (1905) stated that the Earth’s rotation, being the cause of Coriolis force, influenced the mass transport of water such that the net transport occurred at 90 degrees to the right of wind stress in the Northern Hemisphere. This effect, better known as Ekman pumping, is a possible explanation to the difference between the observed tidal heights and predicted astronomical tidal heights. Using data obtained from the Center for Operational Oceanic Products and Services (COOPS), the computation of a difference function between the observed and predicted tidal heights was made for the tidal gauge stations of Portland, Bar Harbor, Portsmouth, Cutler Naval Base, and Boston Harbor. This study uses cross correlation of the difference between observed and predicted tidal heights to specify the relationship of tidally-induced coastal flooding to the along-shore wind component in the western Gulf of Maine.
Northeast Storm Conference Poster (.ppt)
Advanced Synoptic Meteorology Research Project
Michaud, Rennie, and Shippee, 2007:
Abstract: Forecasting snowfall totals for central New England can be a difficult task as slight synoptic and topographical changes can enhance or inhibit precipitation across mesoscale distances. The goal of this research project is to determine differences and similarities between the synoptic setup of storms that produce significant snowfall in Plymouth, NH, and the setup of systems that do not. Using archived climatological, METAR, and surface data, cases were selected and snowfall initialization times were utilized for NCEP/NCAR composites. The composites were split into three different sets: 44 cases where one of three selected sites (Plymouth NH, Concord NH, St. Johnsbury VT) received more than the local NWS-defined winter storm warning criteria of 7 or more inches of snowfall, of which 25 cases where Plymouth received warning criteria, and 19 cases where Plymouth received less than the warning criteria. Subjective analysis shows that while there are multiple similarities, subtle differences can be the deciding factor in whether Plymouth does or does not receive substantial snowfall.
Final Paper | Figures(Slideshow) |Final Presentation(Powerpoint 2007 ) | Final Presentation (Powepoint 2003)
This content is published under the Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported license.
0 Comments.