AIRBORNE FIELD MILL
PROJECT
KENNEDY SPACE
CENTER
SYNTHESIS FOR MAY 22, 2001 - ABFM
Flight Summary (Non-Anvil Day)
Case 1 (Times: 2133 - 2427)
|
Type of case | cumulus |
| Complexity | moderate |
| Convection | line of convection |
Electric field
kV/m | Min Em_m = 0.012
Max Em_m = 37.269
Mean Em_m = 4.232 |
Microphysics
#/Liter |
Max CON_FSSP = 244065.312
Mean CON_FSSP = 11268.683
|
Max Tot_con_1DC = 537.015
Mean Tot_con_1DC = 55.571
|
Max Tot_con_2DC = 693.361
Mean Tot_con_2DC = 61.369
|
Max 2DC_100_400 = 405.800
Mean 2DC_100_400 = 25.582
|
Max 2DC_400_1000 = 67.677
Mean 2DC_400_1000 = 10.186
|
Max 2DC_GT_1000 = 6.440
Mean 2DC_GT_1000 = 0.861
|
|
| Location | (x,y) ~ (25,-75) |
| Storm Motion |
5.9 m/s to the east, 3.6 m/s to the north gives 6.9 m/s NE |
Brief Description |
There was a moderate amount of lightning before the aircraft arrived and
the last lightning occurred in the early part of the flight.
|
SYNTHESIS FOR MAY 22, 2001 - ABFM
Investigator: Jim Dye
[presented on Oct 16, 2002]
NOTE: The Electric Field measurements were extremely noisy and
unuseable from ~2158 to 2225 and briefly from 2309 to ~2311.
They are not shown on MER or E field plots currently on the Web.
The Citation took off at 2128 and flew to an area of weak, but
organized convection about 50 km to the SE of PAFB. This band of
convection was moving from the WSW to ENE at 15 to 20 m/s and had been
producing lightning for at least the last 2 hours. New, stronger cells tended
to form on the NW end of this band. The convection was
stratiform in character with several cells of embedded convection.
The highest reflectivity was at 4 km, decreasing
at 7 and then again at 10 km. Radar tops on the cells were 12 to 13 km.
For an example go to:
CAPPI with lightning 2142 to 2145 and the corresponding
MER plot for 2140 to 2150 During this period and for
approximately the next hour the Citation flew near the top of the 20
dBZ radar return.
CAPPI w lightning 2227 to 2230
MER 2220-2230 For times with electric field data
available (before 2158 and after 2225) the Emag had values up to 30 to
40 kV/m. After about 2300 the E field seems to be weakening.
DOES this qualify as a thick cloud case?
Although lightning continued to occur 50 km or more away on the NW
end of this band, the last CG flash in the region in which the A/C
flew occurred at ~2145 (See previous CAPPI)
and the last LDAR sources at ~2150. The
Citation continued to go back and forth through pretty much the
same area of convection until ~2350 as it drifted to the NE. During
this period the electric fields gradually decreased so that
they were < 3 kV/m by the time the Citation left.
CAPPI w lightning 2320-2322
MER 2320-2330
CAPPI w lightning 2346-2349
MER 2340- 2350
SUMMARY: The Citation following a band of stratiform convection as
convection and reflectivity decayed. The electric fields decayed
from ~40 kV/m to <3 kV/m
The scatter plot for both 5 and 10 km boxes both have no points
within the zone of >5 dBZ and E field > 3kV/m.
scatter plot for 5 km box
scatter plot for 10 km box
