VERIFICATION OF COASTAL LIGHTNING EVENT TYPES USING SOUNDING DATA ALONG COASTAL CALIFORNIA
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Authors
Quinnett, Joshua
Subjects
coastal
CAPE
CIN
jet
cold core
composite
CAPE
CIN
jet
cold core
composite
Advisors
Peters, John M.
Date of Issue
2020-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Predicting coastal lightning events in California is tough to do and has been an issue in the forecasting community for some time. In a 2018 study for the Naval Postgraduate School, Schlosberg found three characteristic event types using model analysis that could help to identify potential coastal lightning events. The problem with data from model analyses is that they have inherent biases in their diagnosis of convective parameters such as convective available potential energy (CAPE) because of low-level temperature and moisture uncertainties in gridded analyses. The work in this paper uses sounding data taken across coastal California to verify the findings of the three characteristic event types found in Schlosberg’s 2018 study. The goal was to confirm the event type characteristics in the soundings as well as CAPE and convective inhibition (CIN) profiles for lightning events along coastal California from 2005 to 2011. This study verified the majority of Schlosberg’s results across all event types. However, a difference in our results was that cold-core low events generally had larger CAPE values than jet-type events.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Meteorology (MR)
Organization
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NPS Report Number
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Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. distribution is unlimited
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.