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Moisture and heat budgets of a cirrus cloud from aircraft measurements during FIREThis study is based on the NCAR King Air aircraft and radiosonde observations on 31 October 1986 during the FIRE in Wisconsin over Oshkosh. Aircraft step-up and spiral descent flights are used to obtain kinematic and thermodynamic data. In the step-up maneuver, six different penetrations were made between 1528 and 1616 UTC. Each penetration was about 30 km long separated in the vertical by about 300 m. The time difference between the two spiral soundings was about 43 min. The aircraft descended at a rate of 1.5 m/s during these spiral soundings. Kinematic, cloud physical, and radiometric observations from various instruments are used to estimate the different terms in the moisture- and heat-budget equations. The results show that the advection terms, estimated using the mean longitudinal wind and vertical velocities, and radiative fluxes are important in forming budgets for the cirrus layers. Ice-crystal growth is significant in the upper layers. The maintenance of cirrus can be attributed to relatively warm and moist air advection, radiative cooling at upper levels, and moisture advection in the vertical. Turbulent heat and moisture fluxes are found to be significant in the low levels of cirrus.
Document ID
19930072394
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Gultepe, Ismail
(Saint Louis Univ., MO; NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Rao, Gandikota V.
(Saint Louis Univ. MO, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Royal Meteorological Society, Quarterly Journal
Volume: 119
Issue: 513,
ISSN: 0035-9009
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Accession Number
93A56391
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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