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SN Monthly 6-96

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Volume 31, Number 6 -- June 1996

In this issueNCAR chemists and physicists are sampling storms in STERAO

Sparring with the WB-57 Science Briefing Egg drop celebrates ten years of ker-splat: a photo albumen Spring Fling: Bash makes splash, cash New Hires

Other issues of Staff Notes

Just One Look

Alternative transportation took on new meaning at the Foothills Lab Spring Fling on 14 May. These refugees from the COMET programgrooved to the Who's "Magic Bus" as they demonstrated the power of peace, love, and tie-dye by winning the lip-synch competition. Fromleft to right are Woody Wang, Wendy Abshire, Kay Miloshevich, Heidi Lindenlaub, and Kristi Gomez. Also on the bus were GayleMunson and Tim Spangler, partially obscured in this shot. More photos from the Spring Fling are elsewhere in this issue.

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SN Monthly 6-96

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Staff Notes Monthly is published by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder,Colorado 80307-3000. UCAR operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research, UCAR Office of Programs, andWalter Orr Roberts Institute with support from the National Science Foundation and other sponsors.

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NCAR chemists and physicists are sampling storms in STERAO

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NCAR chemists and physicists are sampling storms inSTERAOWhat feature in the sky could be more solid-looking than a wall of cumulonimbus clouds? Actually, a thunderstorm isless a solid body than it is a process--a continuous up-and-out flow of air, moisture, chemicals, and particles.

A new field program will be sampling that flow in detail this summer. Scientists from the Atmospheric ChemistryDivision, Atmospheric Technology Division, and Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division are joining theNOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, Colorado State University (CSU), University of North Dakota (UND), and severalother institutions to mount the first of three experiments in STERAO, the Stratosphere-Troposphere Experiment:Radiation, Aerosols, and Ozone.

STERAO will range over several years and several sites. Its aim is to profile the chemical and dynamical interchangebetween the atmosphere's lowest two layers. This summer the focus is on STERAO's first field program, subtitledDeep Convection and the Composition of the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere. The site is northeastColorado; the period is late June to late July. The tools include three aircraft, a Doppler radar, NCAR's mobilesounding unit, and some specialized equipment for lightning detection and chemical analysis.

Jim Dye, MMMPhoto: Carlye Calvin

Much as hurricanes bring heat and moisture from the tropics to more polar latitudes,thunderstorms pull huge volumes of mass from the boundary layer (the atmosphere'slowest kilometer) to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (heights of 10-20kilometers). According to Jim Dye, MMM senior scientist and co-principal investigator ofthis summer's project with Brian Ridley (ACD), the convection has multiple effects:

• Storms redistribute water vapor by transporting it directly and by forming rain and hail.

• Lightning produces large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOX)--perhaps 10-15% of theglobal budget--to be distributed by the storms' circulation.

• Ice particles in storm anvils play a major role in the earth's radiation balance.

• Thunderstorms help maintain the global electric circuit.







Until now, the interests of chemists and physicists in studying thunderstorms hadn't converged to produce a unifiedfield program. "This is the first major project that includes comprehensive, coordinated chemical, electrical, anddynamic measurements," says Jim.

One of the main goals of STERAO is to cast an observational net in three dimensions around cumulonimbus. To dothis, the project will rely on three aircraft circulating in and near storms: a NOAA P-3 "hurricane hunter," a Citationfrom UND, and the NSF-owned WB-57 in its first NCAR research expedition. The first two planes are now on hand,while the WB-57 should be ready to join the project in July (see sidebar).

As they make their rounds, the aircraft will make in-place measurements and take samples for later chemical analysis,while obtaining remote measurements, such as wind fields from the P-3's Doppler radar. A ground-basedmultiparameter radar operated by CSU will work in concert with the P-3 to provide remote microphysicalmeasurements while allowing for multiple Doppler analyses later on.

Brian Ridley, ACDPhoto: Carlye Calvin

Lightning is high on the list of phenomena targeted by STERAO. The nitrogen oxides itgenerates are an important precursor for ozone formation in the lower atmosphere, saysSTERAO investigator Brian Ridley (ACD). "Not only is it important to measure thetotal production of nitrogen oxides by lightning activity, it is equally important tounderstand how this production varies with altitude in the troposphere."

Dye and colleagues plan to use data from a French ground-based lightninginterferometer to map three-dimensional lightning channels and obtain counts ofintracloud and cloud-to-ground flashes. The interferometer readings will be

supplemented by three electric-field-change meters, one mobile and two fixed, that also can detect intracloud andcloud-to-ground flashes. The lightning measurements will be correlated with chemical measurements to see how theproduction of nitric oxide varies with electric activity.

The operations center will be based at the CSU radar site near Greeley to coordinate the airborne and ground-basedteams. The latter include ATD's mobile cross-chain Loran atmospheric sounding system (CLASS) and a van to shuttlethe mobile electric-field sensor.

Among the other institutions participating in STERAO are the National Severe Storms Laboratory, NASA/MarshallSpace Flight Center, the Universities of Washington and Maryland, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. •BH



Sparring with the WB-57

The X-rays were in, and the news was not good. From the WB-57's point of view, it was the equivalent of going in fora routine checkup and having the doctor say, "Uh-oh."

The NSF-owned aircraft had sprouted a serious set of cracks along two of the spars that support its right wing. Theproblem was discovered earlier this spring, forcing a speedy repair and the postponement of the WB-57's use inSTERAO (its NCAR debut) from June until July.

"We knew that the cracks were there in the wing," says Bruce Gandrud, a scientist in ATD's Research AviationFacility. "What we didn't know was that they'd grow. We'd X-rayed the wings when we got the plane [in 1994] as partof the routine purchase inspection." Although the tiny cracks along the spar were noted then, their extent fell below thethreshhold that mandated immediate repair or replacement. The next X-rays were taken in March, revealing the badnews.

RAF lucked out by finding one spar in the aviation warehouse at Kelly Air Force Base, near San Antonio, Texas. Theother had to be manufactured at McClelland AFB, near Sacramento, California. "It had to be made of a certainaircraft-grade aluminum," says Bruce, "and it had to be 167 inches long. Most chunks of aluminum are in 12-footbillets, or 144 inches. Once they had the material in hand, the machining was relatively straightforward."

Still, the timeline was tight, and the relief was palpable around RAF as the repair neared completion. Bruce reports--understatedly--"It's nice to see this problem solved." •BH

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Science Briefing

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Science BriefingThis summer promises to be a dangerous one in the tinder-dry forests of the southwest United States and Alaska.Winds play a critical role in fire spread, but a fire itself can modify local winds, helping it grow even more quickly.Now MMM senior scientist Terry Clark has adapted his mesoscale model to trace the interplay over timebetween fire behavior and winds. First results were published in the May 1996 issue of the Journal of AppliedMeteorology.

"A Coupled Atmosphere-Fire Model: Convective Feedback on Fire-Line Dynamics" was written by Terry, JaniceCoen (also of MMM), Mary Ann Jenkins (York University, Canada), and David Packham (Monash University,Australia).

Fingers of flame about a kilometer apart are evident in this photo of the Owens Valley, California, sagebrush fire of July 1987. (Photo byCharles George, courtesy International Fire Science Laboratory.)

For this study, Terry coupled a version of his mesoscale model with a model of dry eucalyptus forest fires, a majorthreat in Australia. Although forests vary in how they burn, the authors expect that their main findings will translate toa variety of settings. They were able to examine a variety of wind speeds and observe--at resolutions as fine as 20meters--how a fire's development can alter the circulation around it. Among their findings:

• A fire's pattern of growth depends not only on large-scale winds but on the balance between those winds and a fire'sheat output. If the winds relative to an advancing fire line are weak, and the heating is particularly strong, a fire canforce its own circulations, possibly resulting in unstable, "blow-up" fire conditions. (It was a sudden blow-up thatkilled 14 firefighters near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in 1994.) On the other hand, strong winds relative to the fireline--though literally fanning the flames--tend to produce a more stable regime in which the fire is less likely to createits own circulation pattern. Thus, the fire's spread may be more predictable.

• Air temperatures near a fire are lower than one might normally think. In the first several minutes of a new fire, themodel shows surface temperatures soaring, which creates a chimney-like plume of rising air. Shortly thereafter, theatmosphere establishes a balance between the updraft (blowing at speeds as high as 30 meters per second) and the heatprovided by the fire. In the model, the updraft strengthens and pulls in surrounding cooler air as a fire's heat outputincreases. This keeps air temperatures near the fire in the range of 60 to 100 degrees C, even as the fire itself burns at





Science Briefing

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more than 800 degrees C.

• The model helps to explain a commonly observed trait of wind-driven fires: the growth of fingers of flame, spacedabout a kilometer apart, that form the main fire line. Previous researchers had proposed that the fingering was due tovariations in either the fire's fuel or the local geography. However, the coupled model suggests that, when winds areweak, a fire line several kilometers or more in length is inherently unstable and very likely to break up into fingers.

Terry and colleagues are now investigating a second, smaller-scale type of fire fingering that occurs through a processroughly similar to the one that causes supercell thunderstorms to rotate. Preliminary model results show thedevelopment of a tornado-like vortex within a fire, much like the vortices sometimes observed in actual fires.

Two UOP programs have been combined to form a single office that will provide full technical and logistical supportfor field programs worldwide, as well as continuing previous international support for climate research. The JointInternational Climate Program/Planning Office and the Office of Field Project Support were merged on 17 Juneinto a new office (yet to be named) with Karyn Sawyer as director and Dick Dirks and Gus Emmanuel as associatedirectors.

In announcing the move, UOP director Bill Pennell said, "I believe that this action will significantly improve UOP'sability to serve its university and agency constituents by eliminating unnecessary confusion regarding the roles andmissions of two closely related organizations; by improving the efficiency by which we maintain, plan, develop, anddeliver present and future field project support to our constituents; and by simplifying the problem of oordinatingUOP's and NCAR's field project support services."

A transition team drawn from the managers of both previous groups will guide the integration efforts this summer.

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Egg drop celebrates ten years of ker-splat: a photo albumen<p>

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Egg drop celebrates ten years of ker-splat: a photoalbumen

As surely as the swallows return to Capistrano, there comes a day each spring when egg-bearing contraptions descendfrom the Mesa Lab to the pavement. It's the NCAR-Bixby Egg Drop, launched in 1987. This year's contest betweenstaff and Bixby School students drew 50 entries.

Returning as statisticians for the event were Bixby's Keely Rew and Graham Andrews. Also returning--in honor of thedrop's tenth anniversary--were a number of favorite entries from over the years, reconstructegged specially for 1996,including:

• "Speggnik" (resembling a watermelon with fins), first submitted by Leonard Sitongia in 1989

• "LASER (Launched Aerodynamic Spherical Egg Recorder)," a Hula-hoop entry recreated by Chris Cantrell and RickShetter

Once the yolk had settled, NCAR's first-ever victory in 1995 was eclipsed by a smashing comeback for Bixby, whoseentries survived the drop at a rate of 75%, compared to NCAR's paltry (poultry?) 28%. Call it shell shock. •BH

Most Eggsploded

Bixby: Landon Spear, 4th grade, "U-Fed"NCAR: Rudy Montoya, NCAR Food Services, "Eggs to Go"

Most Eggological

Bixby: Mira Estin, 5th grade, "The Eggsect"NCAR: Lawrence Buja and team, CGD Climate Modeling Section, "CGD-CMS-CCM-CSM" (the fifth yearthis entry has been dropped!)

Most Eggscellent

Bixby: Graham Andrews, 5th grade, entry unnamedNCAR: Dennis Ward, COMET/UOP, "Comet Hy-egg-ku-ta-ke"

1996 Egg Drop photos: Peter BockentheinOther Photos: Carlye Calvin







William Bradley (ACD), pictured above, joined Tim Barnes (Education and Tour Program) for this year's launch duty.

This year's judges were Hillary Keyes and David Warner. David, the college-age son of UCAR's Lucy Warner, participated in the 1988and 1989 egg drops as a Bixby student.

Bixby students let their sentiments be known with signs and yells of eggcouragement.



Graham Andrews, one of the egg drop's statisticians, doubled as the winner of the Most Eggscellent award for Bixby.

Can pigs fly? This one did, launched by William Bradley (ACD) in 1995 and again this year as a golden oldie.

From 1989 through 1994, crowds thrilled to see what amazing entry the SCD Pit Crew had concocted. Whether it was the "EggzonValdez," the "Whirl-egg-bird Helicopter," the "Dreggster," or the "Categgpillar", it was always a fitting grand finale for the contest.



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Spring Fling: Bash makes splash, cash

http://www.ucar.edu/communications/staffnotes/9606/fling.html[4/18/2013 2:42:47 PM]


Spring Fling: Bash makes splash, cashSomeone once observed that spring in Boulder is the day between winter and summer. If so, the Employee ActivitiesCommittee was right on the money with the timing of its all-staff Spring Fling. The afternoon weather on 15 Mayproved picture-perfect for a beach-themed get-together. Those on hand at the Foothills Lab patio tossed water balloons(often randomly), lip-synched, Hula-hooped, and stood around drinking beer and pop when all else failed. This year'sT-shirt, designed by Wil Garcia, made its debut at the party. (Check the EAC home page or write to [email protected] tobuy shirts.) Photographer Carlye Calvin captured some of the action for posterity. •BH

All photos: Carlye Calvin

Wendy Abshire is undeterred by the ever-lowering limbo stick.







Hula-hoops were one of the period pieces that made a comeback at the Fling.

This gang from Finance and Administration gave Wayne and Garth a run for their money as they lip-synched to Queen's "BohemianRhapsody." From left to right are David Failing, Kim McLaughlin, Dee Huddle, and Anita Monk. Behind them are Janet Evans andChris Smith.



Flipper races kept partygoers entertained.

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New Hires

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New Hires

(front row, left to right)Jennifer Price, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 22, ext. 1425.Melvin Schultz, maintenance mechanic with FSS. ML room 02A, ext. 1135.Mary Babin, student assistant II with RAP. FL2 room 2113, ext. 8432.Paneen Petersen, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 299, ext. 1392.Karen Mozealous, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 380, ext. 1884.

(middle row, left to right)Kiesha Stevens, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 20, ext. 1399.Lacey Holland, student visitor with SOARS. FL2 room 3110, ext. 1549.Richard Powers, student visitor with ACD. UN suite 275, ext. 2916.Jazmin Diaz-Lopez, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 390, ext. 1433.Carl Etsitty, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 590, ext. 5626.Adrienne Calhoun, administrative assistant III with UOP. 301-427-2089, ext. 511.

(back row, left to right)David Glass, DIS computer operator. FL1 room 2043, ext. 8889.Christopher Castro, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 411, ext. 1306.Christopher Wikle, scientific visitor with CGD. ML room 602, ext. 1722.Quindi Franco, student visitor with SOARS. FL2 room 2021, ext. 8110.Stephanie Rivale, student visitor with SOARS. ML room 569, ext. 1874.Jennifer Zabel, student visitor with SOARS. FL2 room 3099, ext. 1521.Preston Heard, student visitor with SOARS. FL2 room 2113, ext. 8432.





New Hires


Matthew Park, student assistant II with HAO. FL2 room 3047, ext. 1551.Heather Gallien, administrative assistant with Unidata. UN suite 170, ext. 8678.

Other New Hires

Adrienne Calhoun, administrative assistant III with UOP. 301-427-2089, ext. 511.Regina Cannon, postdoctoral researcher with ASP. ML room 288A, ext. 1645.Jon Frudeger, computer operator II with SCD. ML room 29, ext. 1200.Zhaoxia Pu, student visitor with VSP. 301-763-8407.Scot Rafkin, postdoctoral fellow with COMET. 970-491-8587.Aaron Ridley, graduate research assistant with HAO. FL2 room 2070, ext. 1548.Lynn Russell, postdoctoral I with ASP. Jeffco room 144, ext. 1079.David Soule, maintenance planner with FSS. ML room 2, ext. 1121.John Streete, scientific visitor with ACD. ML room 360, ext. 1428.David Yates, postdoctoral researcher with ASP. FL2 room 2110, ext. 8394.

Departures

Joost Businger, 4 JuneSue Chen, 31 MayMark Cieslar, 17 MaySteven Davis, 22 MayMichael Dey, 17 MayGregory Dubois-Felsmann, 20 MaySarah Gibson, 30 AprilRobert Gunning, 31 MayJoel Harris, 13 JuneMichael Jones, 10 MaySusanne Jordan, 15 MayMichael Kosenski, 10 MayKathy Kramer, 7 JuneShawn Montoya, 26 AprilScott Norris, 10 MayBarbara Odbert, 22 MayDaniel Peters, 10 MayLaura Peterson, 16 MayMichael Reetz, 30 April

New Hires


Steven Smith, 31 MayScott Springer, 12 JuneAndrew Stamp, 24 MayJulia Volk, 12 JuneZhongwei Zhu, 25 May

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