FMA Staff have participated in numerous programs which investigate lightning, sprites, convective storms, and mesoscale analysis and prediction.

STEPS 2000-Characterizing Lightning Which Produces Stratospheric and Mesospheric Transient

Luminous Events, National Science Foundation

Coordinate optical and RF measurements of lightning and TLEs above the STEPS domain, with special emphasis on characterizing those discharges which do and do not produce TLEs. Coordination with the New Mexico Tech Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) is a primary goal.

Stratospheric Balloon Flights (1999), NASA Office of Space Sciences (University of Houston)

FMA staff will provide logistical and forecasting support for a series of stratospheric research balloon flights during the summer of 1998 in conjunction with ongoing sprite research efforts.

NUDET Discrimination- Characterizing Atmospheric Electrodynamic Emissions-Sprites, Elves and Jets U.S. Department of Energy(sub from Mission Research Corp.)

Synthesis and analysis of several season of sprite observation with special emphasis on discriminating unique optical and RF signatures

Meteorological Applications of Schumann Resonances, National Science Foundation (subcontract through Earle Williams, MIT)

Support for 1997 and 1998 field campaigns with special emphasis on coordinate optical and ELF measurements over the U.S. High Plains

SPRITES'97 Field Program Management, NSF/DTRA

A multi-national, interdisciplinary program to obtain optical, and passive and active RF measurements of transient luminous events in the mesosphere (sprites, blue jets, elves) associated with High Plains thunderstorms is conducted during the June-August time frame each summer from the Yucca Ridge Field Station

SPRITES’96 Field Program Management, U.S. Air Force /Phillips Laboratory

A multi-national, interdisciplinary program to obtain optical, and passive and active RF measurements of transient luminous events in the mesosphere (sprites, blue jets, elves) associated with High Plains thunderstorms was conducted during June-August, 1996 from the Yucca Ridge Field Station. Initiated ELF Schumann resonance transient monitoring.

SPRITES'93, '94 and '95 Field Program, NASA KSC

Provided logistical support for the annual summer SPRITES campaigns conducted at Yucca Ridge. The 1995 effort involved 17 science teams from four nations and instruments as diverse as spectrometers, interferometers, photometers, radars and active and passive RF systems.

Mesoscale Model Performance Evaluation, Coordinating Research Council

Served as member of team lead by Alpine Geophysics to evaluate the sensitivity of regional photochemical models being applied to the Lake Michigan airshed. Our particular emphasis was the impact of mesoscale numerical model simulations of coastal mesoscale circulations on predicted regional pollution patterns.

Numerical Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Prediction, NASA KSC

FMA staff designed and managed a ten-year research effort to improve the ability to predict sea breeze-generated thunderstorms at the Kennedy Space Center. These activities involved the design and testing of one of the world's first parallelized, workstation cluster-based, operational mesoscale prediction systems.

Real-Time Mesoscale Dispersion Predictions at CCAS/KSC, USAF

FMA staff designed and managed a multi-year effort to adapt a mesoscale numerical model to perform operational predictions of sea breezes in east central Florida and to provide input to a suite of sophisticated local dispersion models for emergency response planning.

Four-Dimensional Wind Field System for KSC, NASA

FMA and SSESCO staff enhanced the University of Oklahoma's ARPS Data Analysis System (ADAS) by incorporating a new objective analysis scheme (the Natural Neighbor method using the Voronoi Tesselation). This enables a data assimilation and analysis scheme that utilizes a wide variety of meteorological data sources (including mesonetworks and tropospheric and boundary layer profilers). A superior wind field analysis, both in the boundary layer and aloft, is achieved even in areas with highly heterogeneous data distribution both in the vertical and horizontal.

The Lake Michigan Ozone Study (LMOS), Lake Michigan Air Directors

FMA staff designed and managed the meteorological modeling and model evaluation programs for the multi-year LMOS effort in order to provide high quality input into regional photochemical grid modeling systems applied for emissions control planning for the greater Chicago region.

Rainfall Climatology Study, South Florida Water Management District

Conducted analyses of regional rainfall trends in relation to localized climate change induced by modification of land usage in southern Florida. Also provided peer review services. See Pielke et al. (2000).

NASA Soil Moisture Measurement Program

FMA staff conducted at YRFS field measurements and evaluations to test and evaluate time domain reflectometry technology for soil moisture profiles in the upper meter of the soil, aimed at their application to initialization of regional and mesoscale prognostic models used in air quality modeling.

Hurricane Lightning, NASA

Investigation of NLDN observations of lightning during certain phases of hurricanes lead to conclusion that lightning has a potential for predicting rapid intensification of some storms within the next 12-24 hours.

Time Lapse Video Air Quality Monitoring, City of Ft. Collins

Ongoing S-VHS time lapse video monitoring of convective storm, visibility and anthropogenic aerosol patterns over Ft. Collins and the Poudre Valley: continuous observations since 1992.

FMA Research , Inc. • 46050 Weld County Road 13 • Ft. Collins, CO 80524 • 970-568-7664