9521759 Fiedler Tornadoes are recognized as one of the most violent, localized weather phenomena. Much progress has been made over the last several years in understanding both the structure of tornadic thunderstorms and the dynamics of tornado vortices. There still, however, are unanswered questions as to the dynamics of substructures contained within a tornadic vortex and the relationship between the tornado s characteristics and the local environment. In this research, tornadoes will be simulated using a very advanced three-dimensional numerical model. The model to be used is capable of continuous dynamic grid adaptation and is ideally suited for resolving moving entities requiring enhanced resolution in a relatively small region of the modeled domain. The project goal is to determine how the maximum wind speed in a tornado is related to environmental conditions, such as convective available potential energy and radial inflow at the base of the tornado. The planned numerical simulations also will allow a study of asymmetric vortex breakdown, instabilities, turbulent transport and multiple vortices. The results of this research should lead to a better understanding of the especially violent substructures of tornadoes (e.g. satellite vortices) and eventually enhance the ability to predict such phenomena. ***

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS)
Application #
9521759
Program Officer
Stephan P. Nelson
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1996-02-01
Budget End
1998-03-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
$152,298
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Oklahoma
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Norman
State
OK
Country
United States
Zip Code
73019