Spatiotemporal Variability in Cold Pool Properties and Processes

Cold pools are regions of cool, dense, gusty air that are produced at the earth’s surface by thunderstorms and are important to many aspects of the earth system. For example, cold pools can initiate new thunderstorms, enhance the intensity and lifetime of thunderstorms, loft dust and pollen, and impact aircraft operations. The objective of this project is to examine the variability in cold pool properties and physical processes.

In particular, the research focuses on the turbulent characteristics of cold pools and how cold pools are impacted by spatial variations in land surface properties such as the amount of water in the soil or the type of vegetation present. The project results will inform weather and forecast models’ simulations of cold pools and their impacts on new storm formation, intensity, and longevity.

The results could also be used to improve climate model representations of cold pools and land-atmosphere interactions. A graduate student thesis will be supported by the project, and the research findings will be incorporated into graduate-level courses and education and outreach activities to underrepresented groups in STEM fields.

The overarching objective of this research is to investigate the spatiotemporal variability in midlatitude deep convective cold pool properties and processes, particularly their turbulent characteristics and their interactions with heterogeneities in the land surface and the boundary layer. The research will fill a critical knowledge gap regarding dominant spatial and temporal scales of variability in cold pools and their interactions with land surface heterogeneities, which may play important roles in cold pool impacts such as convective initiation and structure, and localized heavy rainfall and surface winds.

The project will include a characterization of spatiotemporal variability in midlatitude cold pool properties using observations collected during the CSU Convective CLoud Outflows and UpDrafts Experiment (C3LOUD-Ex). Additionally, idealized and case study simulations will be used to explore how heterogeneities in land surface characteristics impact cold pool variability both directly (through variations in surface fluxes) and indirectly (through impacts on boundary layer circulations) at a physical process level.

Better knowledge of these physical processes will improve the understanding and predictions of convective initiation and behavior, storm organization and longevity, land-atmosphere interactions, and the role of cold pools in changing climates.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.