Doppler radar has proven to be an invaluable tool for the study of many meteorological phenomena. The Principal Investigator will use a combination of Doppler radar data, theoretical studies and numerical modelling to attack a broad range of meteorological research problems including: (1) Simple numerical models and previously collected Doppler radar data from two NSF sponsored field projects will be used to study the role of drop breakup in the intensification and formation of severe downdrafts (microbursts); (2) New techniques for determining Doppler radar derived turbulent kinetic energy and momentum fluxes in the boundary layer will be verified with high resolution aircraft data; (3) Theoretical studies and actual data will be used to develop and test new estimators of the width of Doppler velocity spectrum. This last goal will utilize data collected with a unique, state-of-the-art processor which has only recently been installed on the CHILL National Radar Facility
