A 9‐year summary of radar characteristics of mesocyclonic storms and of deep convection in southern Québec
Abstract Nine summers of reflectivity and Doppler data, (1993–2001), archived by the Marshall Radar Observatory of McGill University have been processed for the purpose of identifying the location, strength and frequency of occurrence of severe weather events associated with convective activity. A mesocyclone detection and tracking algorithm has identified 329 features with a lifetime of at least 10 minutes. The distribution of their duration, path length, diameter, depth, rotational velocity and shear are provided, as well as their hourly and monthly frequency. Their geographical distribution reveals an increased relative probability of occurrence over the western area of the McGill radar coverage as well as to the north, near Mirabel, and a reduced probability of occurrence near the metropolitan area of Montréal. The analysis of deep convection has been performed in terms of upper level Vertically Integrated Liquid water content maps (UVIL) where the vertical integration of reflectivity begins at a height of 5 km. UVIL maps are preferred among other types of reflectivity‐based radar products because they are the least affected by radar artefacts such as bright band, ground echoes, anomalous propagation and beam blocking. An inherent bias, present in the standard generation of UVIL maps, and due to an oxygen attenuation overcorrection and to the vertical profile of reflectivity of thunderstorms as sampled by a broadening beamwidth, has been identified and corrected. The geographical distribution of UVIL measurements in terms of the time that a UVIL threshold of 10 and 15 kg m−2 is exceeded has been obtained for both the individual years and for the entire 9‐year period. Areas of preferred convection have been identified in the latter, particularly along the flatlands of the St. Lawrence River Basin. A relative minimum is quite noticeable along a broad corridor running north and south of the radar over heavily forested mountainous regions. This combination results in a non‐negligible correlation of the order of ‐0.2 between the height of the topography (m) and deep convection. Curves revealing the relative severity of the nine years in terms of a continuous UVIL threshold have also been derived. The years 1994, 1998 and 1999 emerged as the most active years while 1996 and 2000 were clearly very quiet.
5 year radar-based rainfall statistics: disturbances analysis and development of a post-correction scheme for the German radar composite
A radar-based rainfall statistic demands high quality data that provide realistic precipitation amounts in space and time. Instead of correcting single radar images, we developed a post-correction scheme for long-term composite radar data that corrects corrupted areas, but preserves the original precipitation patterns. The post-correction scheme is based on a 5 year statistical analysis of radar composite data and its constituents. The accumulation of radar images reveals artificial effects that are not visible in the individual radar images. Some of them are already inherent to single radar data such as the effect of increasing beam height, beam blockage or clutter remnants. More artificial effects are introduced in the process of compositing such as sharp gradients at the boundaries of overlapping areas due to different beam heights and resolution. The cause of these disturbances, their behaviour with respect to reflectivity level, season or altitude is analysed based on time-series of two radar products: the single radar reflectivity product PX for each of the 16 radar systems of the German Meteorological Service (DWD) for the time span 2000 to 2006 and the radar composite product RX of DWD from 2005 through to 2009. These statistics result in additional quality information on radar data that is not available elsewhere. The resulting robust characteristics of disturbances, e.g. the dependency of the frequencies of occurrence of radar reflectivities on beam height, are then used as a basis for the post-correction algorithm. The scheme comprises corrections for shading effects and speckles, such as clutter remnants or overfiltering, as well as for systematic differences in frequencies of occurrence of radar reflectivities between the near and the far ranges of individual radar sites. An adjustment to rain gauges is also included. Applying this correction, the Root-Mean-Square-Error for the comparison of radar derived annual rain amounts with rain gauge data decreases from 1181 to 171 mm a −1 (application period: 2005, 2006 and 2009) and from 317 to 178 mm a −1 (validation period: 2007, 2008). The entire correction scheme is applicable on an annual scale. The correction of mean annual rain amounts derived from radar composite data for the whole period leads to an almost undisturbed and homogeneous distribution of rain amounts for Germany.
Geographic And Environmental Influence On Maya Settlement Patterns Of The Northwest Yucatan: An Explanation For The Sparsely Settled Western Cenote Zone
Most settlement pattern research and GIS analysis of the ancient Maya of the Northern Yucatan have focused on water availability in a dry landscape where cenotes are often the only water source. While water is of paramount importance, permanent settlement secondarily requires farmable soil, a resource often as precious as water in many parts of the Yucatan. The dynamics between these resources reveal areas of ideal settlement and more challenging landscapes for which the Maya developed strategies to overcome environmental conditions. A region of the southwest "Cenote Zone", however, appears to have presented the ancient Maya with insurmountably poor environmental conditions despite abundant water resources. The lack of dense population and stone architecture in this area emphasizes the lack of a simple correlation between cenotes and settlement. This thesis uses GIS analysis to identify and explore such problematic settlement areas to better understand the factors and complexities involved in the more successful settlements of neighboring regions. iv This work is dedicated to my late father, who first introduced me to the Mundo Maya through a visit to the ruins of Tikal at the age of nine, and who instilled in me strength, curiosity, and a love for exploring the world. v ACKLOWLEDGEMENTS I'd like to acknowledge Dr. Arlen Chase and Dr. Diane Chase for providing such outstanding opportunities and instruction, and for leading by example both in the field and in the classroom. Dr. John Walker for his eye-opening perspectives, GIS instruction, inspiring hard-working attitude, and patience in the field. Dr. Clifford Brown and Dr. Walter Witschey for their invaluable correspondence and for their contributions to mapping and GIS data of Maya sites.