The destructive power of tornadoes is well known, but the exact dynamical processes that cause the formation and maintenance of tornadoes is not yet completely understood. The Principal Investigator will use a numerical model to study the dynamics of the air flow in and around a tornado vortex with a concentration on the region that would be below cloud base in an actual thunderstorm. The Principal Investigator will utilize, for the first time in a study of this type, advanced numerical techniques that allow the model to adjust its resolution as the model runs. This provides fine resolution only in the areas where it is most needed. Additionally, most previous studies of vortices, whether laboratory, numerical or theoretical, have assumed symmetry of the environmental flow. The Principal Investigator will be able to relax this assumption which will provide the ability to study these vortices under a variety of environmental conditions.
