METEO 5140/6140: MESOSCALE AND RADAR METEOROLOGY Spring 2006
Instructor: Prof. Ed Zipser, assisted by Graduate Research Assistant Brandon Kerns
DRAFT Syllabus (November 9, 2005)

Fundamentals of radar meteorology, quantitative description of cumulus convection, multicell and supercell storms, mesoscale convective systems, planetary boundary layer, local circulations (thermal and terrain forcing), downslope windstorms. Emphasis is on developing physical and dynamical understanding of phenomena over a range of scales, through careful study of their observed characteristics.

LECTURES AND COMPUTER ACCESS:
In addition to the usual lectures, on most days we will be using the real-time access to the web available in 820 WBB for viewing examples of radar loops and current weather situations. Some homework and projects will require access to the Web and Department Web sites. Access FROM one of the Department’s connections (won’t work from home) will also be needed when downloading papers from the AMS web site or a variety of other sources that the U. of Utah Marriott Library has subscribed to.

TEXTBOOKS:
Rinehart, Radar for Meteorologists (4th edition, 2004)
NWS Skew-T/Log-p diagram manual (will be handed out in class)
Mesoscale Convective Systems by Houze, Dec. 2004, Reviews of Geophysics (downloadable)

ALSO USEFUL, BUT NOT REQUIRED:
Rogers and Yau, A Short Course in Cloud Physics (3rd edition, 1989)
Wallace and Hobbs, Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, 1977
Mesoscale Meteorology and Forecasting (Edited by Peter Ray, AMS, 1986)
Houze, Cloud Dynamics (1993).
Severe Convective Storms (Edited by Chuck Doswell, AMS, 2001)

GRADING:
There will be NO final exam, and NO assignments given with due dates after 21 April 2004. There WILL be a fairly comprehensive midterm sometime in March (30 percent). The remainder of the grade will be based upon homework assignments, class participation, reports on papers from the literature, and a term project which will be defined by the end of February.

CLASS SCHEDULE:
MWF 940 - 1030 am, 820 WBB
First Class Monday 9 January
Note that due to Dr. Zipser's participation in a field experiment in Darwin from mid-Jan through
mid-Feb, that Brandon Kerns will be responsible for this portion of the lectures and homework assignments.

APPROXIMATE ORDER OF TOPICS:

1. Radar meteorology. (Rinehart’s Chapters 1-8, clear air returns, and color figures on pp.305-341. Can skip pp.17-26. ) Emphasize understanding beam shape, beam dimension and height above terrain, point and distributed targets, drop size distribution, Doppler velocity, tradeoffs between unambiguous range and velocity, meteorological targets, and attenuation.

2. (concurrent with radar met): Review of thermodynamics (Rogers and Yau Chapters 1-4, mainly for reference). Use of the Skew-T/log-p diagram, conservative vs. nonconservative quantities, vertical profiles of thermodynamic variables. Parcel theory, including CAPE, CIN, entrainment and their relationship to convective-scale vertical motions and condensate loading. Quantitative description of cumulus clouds (Rogers and Yau, Chapter 5, and selected portions of AMS 1986 and Houze 1993 from above list).

3. Quantitative description of cumulonimbus convection, including single cell vs. multicell storms, absolute vs. relative flow, squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, mesoscale convective complexes, convective vs. stratiform precipitation, and vorticity generation by MCSs. Supercell thunderstorms. Severe weather, including tornadoes, hail, flash floods, wet and dry downbursts, derechoes. (Reading assignments and handouts from a combination of above books and papers to be downloaded.)

4. Planetary boundary layer processes, including local, thermal, and terrain forcing, air mass modification, and lake effect precipitation. Downslope windstorms. (Reading assignments and handouts from a combination of above books and papers to be downloaded.)