Richard Spinrad, Ph.D., OAR director, and Alexander MacDonald, Ph.D., director of the OAR Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes, announced the awards in a recent organization-wide meeting. The five Norman area recipients conduct research in the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies.

“Their paper reflects the pre-eminence, the vision and the passion of NOAA researchers,” Spinrad said. “Their work provides a strong foundation for understanding the complex oceanic and atmospheric systems that govern our planet.”

The research team includes:

• Lead author Pamela Heinselman, Ph.D., of the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
• David Priegnitz, Kevin Manross, Travis Smith and Richard Adams of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma

The team evaluated the performance of phased array radar technology that has the potential to produce faster scan times than the Doppler radar systems used in weather forecasting today. The radar was used to scan three Oklahoma storms – a supercell thunderstorm, a microburst producing thunderstorm and a hailstorm – to compare data gathered by the phased array and Doppler radar systems.

Using phased array radar rapid scan capability, the researchers found that for each type of storm mored detailed clues were detected prior to the development of severe weather.   Faster scans showed rapid re-intensification in a supercell, the entire life cycle of a microburst, and more details to determine the threat of hail.

Further testing and development of phased array radar technology could ultimately bring about longer lead times for severe storm warnings and provide people in a storm’s path extra time get to safe shelter.

The Spring 2009 Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment will be highlighted along with how wet microburst events can be “nowcasted” with the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased Array Radar.

Presentations on the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed will include how the program bridges the gap between research and operations, and activities occurring during the Spring 2009 Experimental Warning Program.   Also at the HWT this past spring, the GOES-R Proving Ground began with the assessment and development of techniques for the next generation GOES satellites (GOES-R).

NSSL’s vision for storm scale numerical weather prediction and recent research to improve models used in operational severe weather forecasting are on the agenda, and the concept of “Pathcasts” will be introduced to discuss how well we can forecast future tornado locations.

The dual-polarization capabilities of the radar examined the microphysical characteristics of high-elevation thunderstorms. Data will provide insight into the variations of storm characteristics for different terrain profiles.

Along with the radar, NSSL collaborated with NCAR, USGS and the University of Colorado on a local network of eleven tipping bucket rain gauges and four disdrometers deployed along the eastern side of the West Elk Mountains to help calibrate the radar data. The network will be complemented by existing hourly gauge observations and 24h rain totals from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network (CoCoRaHS) gauges.

The project was sponsored by the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Michael Coniglio and Pamela Heinselman

Research scientists studying improvements in tornado forecasting and new radar systems at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., Michael C. Coniglio and Pamela L. Heinselman, were named as recipients of the 2008 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. An award ceremony is planned in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

“It is quite remarkable to have two researchers from NSSL win this prestigious award in one year,” said James Kimpel, National Severe Storms Laboratory Director. “It speaks well for the future of our lab to have these outstanding young people on board.”

Working in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed, Coniglio is a key player in collaborations to evaluate experimental numerical weather models and bring that cutting edge research to forecasters, ultimately improving forecasts. This spring he helped set up the Operations Center and joined scientists in the field for VORTEX2, the largest and most ambitious field experiment in history to explore tornadoes.

Mike Coniglio in VORTEX2. Objects in the mirror may be larger than they appear.

Heinselman has led the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased Array Radar Demonstration project for several years. Her research focuses on the use of radar data to improve tornado warning lead times. She has served as a mentor to numerous undergraduate and graduate meteorology students, encouraging the next generation of scientists.

“In honoring these scientists early in their careers, we recognize both their achievements to date and the promise of their continued contributions to the nation,” said Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “NOAA takes great pride in these individuals and in its entire complement of stellar science.”

NSSL scientist David Stensrud and former NSSL researcher Erik Rasmussen are past recipients of the honor.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory serves the nation by working to improve the lead time and accuracy of severe weather warnings and forecasts in order to save lives and reduce property damage. NSSL scientists are committed to their mission to understand the causes of severe weather and explore new ways to use weather information to assist National Weather Service forecasters and federal, university, and private sector partners.

Pam Heinselman with student. "It's fun to watch them grow."

The Presidential Early Career Awards embody the high priority the Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals and contribute to all sectors of the economy. Nine federal departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the most meritorious young scientists and engineers — researchers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for strengthening America’s leadership in science and technology and contributing to the awarding agencies’ missions.

The awards, established by President Clinton in February 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected on the basis of two criteria: pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and a commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach. Winning scientists and engineers receive up to a five-year research grant to further their study in support of critical government missions.

NSSL Field Command Vehicle with Wyoming tornado in the background. Credit: Mike Coniglio

Preliminary numbers are emerging from VORTEX2 2009, the largest tornado field experiment in history.  The Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment – 2 (VORTEX2) is focused on gathering data to answer detailed questions about how, when and why tornadoes form.

VORTEX2 research vehicles each logged over 10,000 miles visiting nine states (Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa).  Data was collected on 19 days out of 35.  Teams deployed on 17 supercell thunderstorms and 12 ordinary storms.

On June 5, 2009, VORTEX2 collected data on a significant tornado in Goshen County, Wyoming.  Researchers claim this tornado is now the best-documented tornado in history, with comprehensive data collection beginning before the tornado formed and continuing through its demise.

Scientists had hoped to deploy on five tornadic storms this year, but 2009 was a historically low tornado year in the VORTEX2 domain.  NOAA NSSL scientists used the opportunity to refine deployment strategies, and felt by the last week all teams had learned to work together to cover a storm effectively.  At the conclusion of 2009 operations, Principal Investigators met to identify issues to address by 2010 operations, tentatively scheduled for May 1-June 15, 2010.
NOAA NSSL used VORTEX2 as an opportunity to reach out to the public through social networking.  Over 6,000 people are fans of the VORTEX2 Facebook page and over 1,900 are following VORTEX2 on Twitter.

Background: VORTEX2 is supported by NOAA and the National Science Foundation.  Nearly 100 scientists, students and staff took part in the experiment, which ran from May 10, 2009 through June 13, 2009.

Significance: VORTEX2 will give researchers a better understanding of tornadoes and should help increase warning time for those in the path of these deadly storms.

A mobile mesonet instrument rack

A collaborative nationwide project exploring the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes will occur from May 10 through June 13 in the central United States. The project, Verification of the Origin of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment 2 (VORTEX2 or V2), is the largest and most ambitious attempt to study tornadoes in history and will involve more than 50 scientists and 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

“Data collected from V2 will help researchers understand how tornadoes form and how the large-scale environment of thunderstorms is related to tornado formation,” according to Louis Wicker, research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory and V2 co-principal investigator.

Scientists will sample the environment of supercell thunderstorms — violent thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes — that form over more than 900 miles of the central Great Plains. Areas of focus include southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. The V2 Operations Center will be at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla.

Preliminary results from V2 are scheduled for presentation at Penn State University during fall 2009. At that time, organizers will begin planning details of the second phase of V2 scheduled for May 1- June 15, 2010.

V2 is a $11.9 million program funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation, 10 universities, and three non-profit organizations.

The original VORTEX program, operated in the central Great Plains during 1994 and 1995, documented the entire life cycle of a tornado for the first time in history. Recent improvements in National Weather Service severe weather warning statistics may be partly due to the application of VORTEX findings. V2 will build on the progress made during VORTEX and further improve tornado warnings and short-term severe weather forecasts.

“An important finding from the original VORTEX experiment was that the factors responsible for causing tornadoes happen on smaller time and space scales than scientists had thought,” said Stephan Nelson, NSF program director for physical and dynamic meteorology. “New advances will allow for a more detailed sampling of a storm’s wind, temperature and moisture environment and lead to a better understanding of why tornadoes form – and how they can be more accurately predicted.”

Scientists and students throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia that will work with the V2 program include the Center for Severe Weather Research, Rasmussen Systems, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, OU/NOAA Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, NSF-sponsored National Centers for Atmospheric Research, Penn State University, University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech University, Lyndon State College, University of Colorado, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, University of Illinois, University of Massachusetts, University of Nebraska, Environment Canada, and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

For a complete list of participating scientists, and to learn more about the experiment, visit the V2 site and the official project Web site.

NSF is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $6.06 billion. Its funds reach all 50 states through grants to more than 1,900 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 45,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes over 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

The Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) currently has two branches, the Experimental Forecasting Program (EFP) and the Experimental Warning Program (EWP).  During Spring Experiment operations each functions on a slightly different schedule with different but complementary roles and goals.

The EFP Spring Experiment will run from May 4 through June 5, and will focus on using convection-allowing model forecasts as guidance for the prediction of severe convective weather.  The experimental models will be generated by a number of collaborators including the University of Oklahoma’s Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (OU-CAPS), the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction Environmental Modeling Center (NCEP/EMC), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), NSSL, the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory Global System Division (ESRL/GSD).  Participants will assess strengths and weaknesses of the models using various verification approaches, including new methods being developed at the cooperative Developmental Testbed Center.  Furthermore, they will explore new data assimilation strategies and their potential impact on forecasting.  Unique to this year will be the synergy with a project to study tornadoes, VORTEX2 and the new GOES-R Proving Ground project both located in the National Weather Center.

The EWP Spring Experiment is focusing on shorter-term convective weather warning needs of forecasters and will run for six weeks:  April 27- May 22, and June 1-12.  The EWP will test and evaluate emerging technologies and science for WFO severe convective weather warning operations in Weather Forecast Offices (WFO).  There will be four projects geared toward WFO warning decision-making applications:
- An evaluation of experimental multiple-radar/sensor gridded severe weather algorithm products using the NSSL Warning Decision Support System II (WDSSII);
-  An evaluation of the 3D Lightning Mapping Arrays (LMA) in Central Oklahoma, Northern Alabama, the Washington D.C. Metro Area, and possibly East-Central Florida;
- An evaluation of networked 3-cm radars (CASA) in Central Oklahoma;
-  An evaluation of the phased array radar (PAR) in Norman, Okla.

Background:  Collaborative Spring Experiments help improve severe storm forecasts and warnings by indentifying key unresolved issues for both researchers and forecasters and by streamlining the transfer of experimental techniques into operations.

The Cooperative Conservation Award is a Department of the Interior Honor Award established to recognize outstanding cooperative conservation achievements that include collaborative activity among a diverse range of entities that may include Federal, State, local and tribal governments, private for-profit and nonprofit institutions, other nongovernmental entities, and individuals.

The Protection of Aquifer Resources in Oklahoma project is an unprecedented effort to capture and hold flood waters over known recharge areas.
In cooperation with the Oklahoma Climate Survey, which administers the Oklahoma Mesonet system, the Chickasaw Nation is working with NOAA to calibrate NOAA radar systems (dual-polarimetric, phased array, and the WSR-88D network) to nearby Oklahoma Mesonet stations in order to assess site-specific source-water hydrology and soil moisture conditions.  Specifically, these data will reduce spatial and temporal variability and provide accurate, localized real-time precipitation estimates, helping to determine the availability of source water for recharge.
NSSL’s multi-sensor quantitative precipitation estimation system, Q2, will leverage this collection of real-time data to increase the accuracy of rainfall estimates within the aquifer area. Real-time observations will be linked with high-resolution rainfall estimates and increase the accuracy of predicted surface water and groundwater levels produced by a suite of existing and emerging numerical weather and water models.
Key to the success of the Protection of Aquifer Resources Project is the unique partnership led by the Chickasaw Nation, headquartered in Ada, Oklahoma.  Other groups involved are:  federal (NOAA NSSL, Bureau of Reclamation, Environmental Protection Agency), state (Oklahoma Climatological Survey and Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality), academia (OU and Oklahoma State University), and private landowners.
Significance:  Water shortages are a global issue.  Development of this technology in Oklahoma will likely develop commercialization opportunities throughout the U.S. and potentially across the globe.

NSSL needs your observations!

NSSL’s HaSDEx program is live and ready for spring severe weather.  Volunteers within 90 miles of Norman, Oklahoma are invited to document date, time, location and the size of hail through a link online at:  http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/projects/hasdex/

NSSL researchers will merge the reported observations with data from the dual-polarized KOUN radar to investigate the relationship of polarimetric variables to hail size.  The information will be used to refine hail detection algorithms designed to diagnose storm characteristics and intensity and improve warnings for hail producing storms.

HaSDEx volunteers are anonymous and make no long-term commitments.  In the past two years NSSL has logged thousands of reports.

Background: Dual-polarized radars transmit radio wave pulses with both horizontal and vertical orientations to more accurately measure cloud particles and precipitation size, shape and density. This additional information results in improved estimates of rain and snow rates, better detection of large hail location in summer storms, and improved identification of rain/snow transition regions in winter storms. The WSR-88D radars in the NEXRAD network will be upgraded with polarimetric technology beginning in 2010, extending their functionality and effectiveness.

Significance:  Enhances public awareness of atmospheric science and severe weather hazards and severe weather safety.

NSSL also launched a NSSL VORTEX2 Facebook page and Twitter page.  Fan us!
A VORTEX2 Media Day will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, May 8 at the National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd., in Norman, Okla. Interested media will have the opportunity to tour VORTEX2 research vehicles and interview VORTEX2 researchers and teams. Watch for more information.
NSSL engineers are outfitting research vehicles with cutting edge communications systems and weather instruments.  Vehicles will be shakedown tested during April and early May.