Research Project History
Mesoscale Model Development Projects *
Mesoscale Forecasting Systems Development
Cloud and Dispersion Model R & D
*High Resolution Climate Modeling
*Developing Applications from Model Data
*Education R & D
*Case Study Research
*Power Industry Research
* Mesoscale Model Development ProjectsProject Title : Implementation of Satellite Data Assimilation into OMEGA
Year:
2003Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Interface satellite sounding data to the OMEGA preprocessor and configure data assimilation scheme for Northeast Asia.
Project Title: Meteorological Data Ingest Maintenance
Year:
1999Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Maintain the existing meteorological data ingest routines in the OMEGA modeling system for PIDC operations.
Project Title: High Fidelity Weather Modeling
Year 1999-2003
Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Formulate, implement and test the ingestion of all types of gridded initialization and boundary condition data into the High Fidelity Weather Modeling System.
Project Title: Development of a Local-area Agricultural Weather Simulation System (LAWSS)
Year
1998-1999Customer: Cornell University Dept of Plant Pathology NY State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY
Description:
Create a single-layer model by simplifying the MASS model through the use of assumptions and approximations, applying the basic prognostic equations for temperature and wind at only one level at approximately 10 meters above the ground, yet maintaining a sophisticated PBL scheme to model turbulence, radiative transfer, the surface energy budget and soil hydrology to model the variations in canopy temperature and moisture conditions (frost and dew formation) for agricultural applications.
Project Title: Maintenance and Enhancement of the MASS Real-time Simulation Capability at the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, NC State University.
Year
1995-1996Customer: North Carolina State University Dept of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science, Raleigh, NC
Description: Maintain and upgrade the MASS model on a workstation at the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Project Title: Implementation of the MASS Real-time Simulation Capability at the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University
Year: 1994
Customer: North Carolina State University Dept of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science, Raleigh, NC
Description: Implement a capability to execute real-time mesoscale atmospheric simulations on a high performance computer workstation at the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences of NC State University with the Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation System (MASS) version 5.6 software.
Project Title: MASS Model Installation and Support at the Center for Supercomputing.
Year
Customer: University of Barcelona Center for Supercomputing, Barcelona, Spain
Description: MASS installation and customization on the Cray computer, execution of a sample simulation to verify that the software is working correctly on the Cray system, training of designated University of Barcelona staff members on the use of the software, assistance with the interfacing of the model output with local graphic software, and data support for operational runs.
Project Title: A Non-hydrostatic Unstructured Adaptive Grid Thunderstorm Forecast System
Year:
1994Customer: John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA SBIR
Description: The fundamental objective of this Phase I SBIR project was to demonstrate that there is a significant potential to improve the short-term forecasting of thunderstorm-related phenomena through the use of a non-hydrostatic model with an unstructured adaptive grid system. The unstructured adaptive grid system permits the resolution of the grid to vary in a smooth and continuous fashion so that high resolution (small gird cells) can be employed in the areas with moist convection or other phenomena of interest while low resolution (large grid cells) are used in quiescent areas in order to reduce the number of computations required to produce a simulation.
Project Title: Research and development of the MASS and CELSS models over the Kwajalein Atoll Region.
Year
1987-1990Customer: Aeromet, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Description: Development of the MASS and CELSS (TASS) models for use in meeting the operational prediction requirements for military missions in the Kwajalein Atoll region.
Project Title : A 3-dimensional atmospheric simulation system for use in various mobile battlefield environments- Phase II: Transition to an Operational Forecast System.
Year
1990-1993Customer: U.S. Army SBIR Program, White Sands Missile Range
Description: Development, optimization and validation of a minisupercomputer mesoscale simulation system based upon the MASS model.
Project Title: Development of a mesoscale statistical thunderstorm prediction system- Phase II.
Year
Customer: John F. Kennedy Space Center NASA SBIR
Description: Development and validation of a local statistical thunderstorm forecast system based on the output from daily mesoscale simulations from the MASS model and observational predictors.
Project Title: Mesoscale statistical thunderstorm prediction system
Year:
1989Customer: John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA SBIR
Description: Show the feasibility of a local statistical thunderstorm forecast system based on the output from the MASS model and observational predictors.
Project Title: A 3-dimensional atmospheric simulation system for use in various mobile battlefield environments.
Year
1988-1989Customer: U.S. Army SBIR Program, White Sands Missile Range, NM
Description: Development of a version of the MASS model for use on a minisupercomputer.
Project Title: A mesoscale numerical weather prediction system for use in shuttle operations.
Year:
Customer: NASA SBIR Program, Washington, DC
Description: Research and test the feasibility of utilizing some of the available satellite, radar, and surface data sets to initialize the MASS model and test the hypothesis that the introduction of this information into the model will result in improvements in the
accuracy of the prediction of an observed squall line which produces severe convection at the Kennedy Space Center.
Project Title: Analysis of the Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation System (MASS) for the real-time forecast support of the genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment (GALE).
Year:
1987Customer: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Description: Provide real-time simulations with the MASS model to assist in the field operations of the GALE project. Use the MASS mesoscale simulations to analyze the physics of the major storm events which occurred during the field program period.
Project Title: A Production Version of the HCRM Exhaust Cloud Modeling System
Year:
Customer: SECA, Inc., Huntsville, AL
Description: Phase III SBIR contract to develop a production version of the HCRM Exhaust Cloud Model which was developed under the Phase II SBIR contract.
Project Title: Implementation of Advanced Atmospheric Simulation Capabilities for ARPA Operations
Year
1996-1998Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Provide assistance to SAIC in the implementation of a real-time version of OMEGA atmospheric model at the ARPA operations center and develop methods to incorporate data from high volume remote sensing systems (i.e. satellite, radar) into the OMEGA model initialization procedure. This is a subcontract under a prime contract with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).
Project Title:
Hazard Prediction and Assessment Capability - Weather.
Year
1995-1998Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Provide support to SAIC in the maintenance and enhancement of the OMEGA modeling system for the needs of the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA). This is a subcontract under SAIC's prime contract with the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA).
Project Title: Heated Cloud Rise Model
Year
1995-1996Customer: SECA, Inc., Huntsville, AL
Description: Develop an atmospheric simulation model that can be used to estimate the vertical and horizontal movement of exhaust clouds generated by rocket launches at the Kennedy Space Center and Vandenburgh AFB. This is a subcontract under a Phase II SBIR contract with the United States Air Force.
Project Title : Application of the TASS code to Cloud Rise from Rocket Plumes
Year
1993-1994Customer: SECA, Inc., Huntsville, AL
Description: To assist in developing a heated cloud rise model for assessing environmental issues associated with rocket engine/vehicle testing. This is a subcontract under SECA's Phase I SBIR prime contract with the United States Air Force.
Project Title: TASS study
Year 1989-1991
Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Research with the TASS cloud model in support of late time nuclear cloud research.
Project Title :
Multiple nuclear cloud prediction methods
Year
Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Scientific support for the development of multiple nuclear cloud prediction methods.
Project Title:
Cloud scale convective initiated wind shear model
Year
1989-1993Customer: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
Description: Apply the TASS cloud model to the problem of better defining hazardous convective scale wind shear events such as convective microbursts.
Project Title: Dispersal Hazards Definition Program.
Year 1992-1995
Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Development of the Operational Mesoscale Environment Model with Grid Adaptivity (OMEGA) in conjunction with SAIC for the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) for the purpose of simulating the dispersion of hazardous substances in the atmosphere. A significant innovation incorporated into the design of the modeling system is the use of an unstructured adaptive grid of triangular prisms rather than the customary fixed and structured grid of rectangular boxes used in most atmospheric models.
Project Title: Model studies on the role of moist convection as a mechanism for interaction between the mesoscales.
Year
1987-1991Customer: University Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL
Description: Simulation studies with the MASS and TASS models of convective meso/cloud scale interactions.
Project Title :
Provide technical support for continued TASS code development.
Year
1987-1990Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: Nuclear fireball simulation studies with the 3-dimensional TASS model.
Project Title :
Mesoscale Acid Deposition Studies (MADS)
Year
1986-1988Customer: Environmental Protection Agency, Raleigh, NC
Description: A joint project among MESO, the NASA Langley Research Center, and the EPA. MESO's numerical models were used to diagnose the meso-beta scale transport of atmospheric constituents in the vicinity of urban areas for cases in which extensive field measurements of rain water chemistry were made as part of the MADS field program. The winds generated by MESO's models were used as input into an atmospheric chemistry model which was used to understand the measurements made in the field program.
Project Title :
Shuttle exhaust cloud numerical analyses.
Year
1986-1987Customer: STX Systems Corporation, Hampton, VA
Description: Application of the CELSS (TASS) non-hydrostatic cloud model to the simulation of the diffusion and transport of the space shuttle exhaust cloud.
Project Title :ACMES support at the Air Force Combat Climatology Center (AFCCC)
Year:
2001-2004Customer: RS Information Systems, Inc. (RSIS), McLean, VA
Description: Investigate, identify and incorporate algorithms or parameterization schemes into the existing ACMES system. Also provide general consultation and support to AFCCC on issues pertaining to operating ACMES and NWP.
Project Title:
Development of Methods to Generate High Resolution Climatological Databases to Support DoD Modeling and Simulation Programs
Year
1997-2000Customer: DOD Modeling and Simulation Organization through Phillips Lab USAF-Hanscom AFB
Description: Development of a method for the Air Force Combat Climatology Center (AFCCC) to generate high resolution gridded climate statistics from long-term simulations generated by a mesoscale atmospheric simulation model. The method will be further refined, evaluated and developed as a tool that can be used in a production environment.
Project Title :
Development of Methods to Generate High Resolution Climatological Databases to Support DoD Modeling and Simulation Programs
Year
1995-1997Customer: Saint Louis University Office of Research Service, St. Louis, MO
Description: Development of a method to generate high resolution gridded climate statistics from long-term simulations generated by a mesoscale atmospheric simulation model. This is a subcontract under a prime contract the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) of the United States Air Force.
Project Title : Expanded NASA Turbulence Investigation
Year:
1999Customer: North Carolina State University Dept of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science, Raleigh, NC
Description: Provide modeling support in turbulence and aircraft icing studies.
Project Title: A Canopy Weather Forecast System to Support Crop Management
Year:
1997Customer: USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, Washington, DC
Description: Development of a Canopy Weather Forecast System (CWFS) based on a site-specific 1-D soil-canopy-atmospheric boundary layer numerical model which is coupled to a 3-D mesoscale atmospheric numerical model. The output from the CWFS will be designed for input into a variety of models that provide direct information for crop management decision-making.
Project Title: Hierarchical Weather Information for Cropping Systems: The Grape Model
Year
Customer: Cornell University Dept of Plant Pathology
NY State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY
Description: Development and operational (i.e. real-time) implementation of a high resolution model of the grape canopy-atmosphere system linked to a 3-D mesoscale atmospheric model for the purpose of providing detailed real-time weather data to a grape disease model. This is a subcontract under a prime contract with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Project Title: Simulation of Tobacco Blue Mold Spore Transport with the MASS Model at the Department of Plant Pathology, NC State University.
Year
1995-1996Customer: North Carolina State University Dept of Plant Pathology, Raleigh, NC
Description: Use of the MASS Model to simulate the transport of tobacco blue mold spore into western North Carolina from various source regions, including the effects of transport over complex terrain.
Project Title: Virtual Atmospheric Laboratory
Year:
Customer: National Science Foundation SBIR Program, Arlington, VA
Description: The major objectives of this Phase I SBIR project were to build a working conceptual prototype of the Virtual Atmospheric Laboratory (VAL) on a university UNIX workstation, then, after evaluating it as a teaching tool in an undergraduate meteorology course, determine the feasibility of hosting it on a low-cost consumer-oriented platform.
Case Study Research
Project Title :
Database Generations for Mesoscale Simulations of the Midwest Floods of 1993
Year:
Customer: Science Applications International Corporation, Inc. (SAIC), McLean, VA
Description: The MASS model is to be used to examine the impact of variations in soil moisture on local weather patterns over the central United States during the spring and summer of 1993. The impact of soil moisture variations will be investigated by executing a series of MASS simulations with a climatological soil moisture distribution and an otherwise identical series of simulations which will utilize the best estimate of the actual soil moisture distribution.
Project Title :
Numerical simulation and analysis of cold-season severe weather events
Year
Customer: U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA SBIR
Description: Execution and analysis of mesoscale and cloud scale numerical simulations of selected cold season severe weather events to develop a greater understanding of the dynamical processes associated with east coast cold season severe convective events in order to provide higher quality objective guidance to the forecaster.
Project Title The implementation of the MASS and CELSS models to simulate weather systems over the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
Year
1988-1990Customer: Aeromet, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma
Description: Continued modification of the MASS and CELSS (TASS) models for use on an array processor to simulate tropical convective cloud clusters over the South Pacific.
Project Title : Development of high resolution simulations of the atmospheric environment using the MASS model.
Year
1988-1989Customer: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Description: Simulation of the atmospheric conditions during the Shuttle Challenger disaster with the MASS 4.0 model, as well as implementing improvements in the GMASS (the Goddard Space Flight Center version of the MASS model) boundary layer formulation.
Project Title :
A numerical study of the role of meso-beta and meso-gamma scale vertical exchange
processes in the evolution of upper tropospheric frontal systems.
Year:
Customer: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Bolling AFB
Description: Simulation of upper tropospheric frontogenesis with the MASS model and comparison to profiler wind and temperature data.
Power Industry Research
Project Title :
Urban Heat Island Modeling for Short Term Electric Load Forecasting
Year:
Customer: National Science Foundation SBIR Program, Arlington, VA
Description: The major objectives of this Phase I SBIR project were (1) to determine the extent to which a high resolution atmospheric model could accurately simulate urban scale variations in meteorological variables attributable to variations in surface properties (e.g. thermal capacity of the surface materials, albedo, density of vegetation) and (2) to test the hypothesis that this urban-scale meteorological variability has a discernible and significant impact on short-term variations in electric load in a particular metropolitan area.