Dedicated to broadening participation in the geosciences · well as measurements of Doppler velocity, radar reflectivity, and a new radar-derived field called refractivity, which

$Page 1: Dedicated to broadening participation in the geosciences · well as measurements of Doppler velocity, radar reflectivity, and a new radar-derived field called refractivity, which$
Dedicated to

broadening participation

in the geosciences

“Understanding the complex, changing planet on which we live, how it supports life,

and how human activities affect its ability to do so in the future is one of the greatest

intellectual challenges facing humanity. It is also one of the most important for society

as it seeks to achieve prosperity and sustainability.”

– National Research Council

Kimberly Trent, SOARS protégé, and her science research mentor Warren Washington

A Message for 2006 1

S O A R S P R O T É G É A B S T R A C T S

Radar and surface measurements of boundary layer convergence zonesTheresa Abigail Aguilar 2

Ozone dependency of the background current in ozonesondesKaren A. Diaz 3

A comparison of large-scale influences on tropical cyclogenesis in the Eastern PacificAnthony C. Didlake, Jr. 4

Radar rainfall verification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A step toward improving short-term flash flood forecastingBraxton Edwards 5

Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) effect on the diurnal tide in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM)Alisha R. Fernandez 6

Developing a C++ interface for netCDF-4Shanna-Shaye Forbes 7

Characteristics of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 23ºC and 24ºC west of the Galápagos IslandsDouglas J. Gavin 8

Observations and assessment of outer rainband tornadoes spawned by Hurricane KatrinaKeith E. Goodman, Jr. 9

Statistical methods for quantifying uncertainty in El Niño/Southern Oscillation(ENSO) effects on wind power in the northern Great PlainsBret Harper 10

Comparison analysis of CHAMP radio occulations to the model forecasts: 2005 hurricane seasonMichael Kevin Hernandez 11

C O N T E N T S

ii

Earth, Wind, Sea, and Sky

The modification of a carbon monoxide instrument for improved sensitivityClarence Mann 12

Correlating atmospheric water vapor and hurricane developmentTalea L. Mayo 13

The impact of megacities on the emission of nitrogen dioxide using GOME and SCIAMACHY dataImani Morris 14

Assessing the prospects for employment in an expansion of U.S. aquacultureNicole Ngo 15

Sulfuric acid in the woods and a connection to aerosolsMarco Orozco 16

Meteorological conditions of extreme dust events in the Chihuahuan desert region of the United States and MexicoNancy I. Rivera Rivera 17

Assessing the precision of Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultationLuna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet 18

Understanding local wind circulations over White Sands Missile RangeArmand Silva 19

Effect of the Gulf of Mexico’s mixed layer depth on hurricane intensity in the warming environmentKimberly R. Trent 20

Analyzing tropospheric ozone formation sensitivities in the Mexico City metropolitan areaJulien Wang 21

R E S E S S P R O T É G É A B S T R A C T S

Modeling of vertical deformation associated with the 1931 Mach earthquake,PakistanMiriam Estela Garcia 22

Continental breakup on the East African RiftStephen Hernandez 23

A new approach to Global Positioning System (GPS) multipath visualizationLennox Thompson 24

C O N T E N T S ( C O N T .)

iii

A M E S S A G E F O R 2 0 0 6

T he next generation of scientificleaders will serve an increas-ingly diverse nation and be

part of an increasingly multiculturalsociety. Nowhere is this truer than inthe geosciences, where we face thechallenge of contributing to anequitable and sustainable future forall communities.

These challenges are profound anddemand the full scope of humaningenuity including a diversity ofpeople and approaches. Researchshows that diverse groups designmore innovative solutions to problemsand bring a higher level of criticalanalysis to decisions. In the contextof the geosciences, greater diversityalso means welcoming indigenousapproaches to learning and knowingabout Earth.

Greater diversity in the geosciences is necessary to ensure that allcommunities will benefit from newapproaches to dealing with a planetunder stress. This need is especiallycompelling for minority communitieswho often bear a disproportionateshare of the impacts of humaninteraction with the planet. Due tothe fact that scientific priorities aredetermined through the competitionof ideas in a peer-review process,consideration of every community’spriorities requires that qualifiedparticipants from each group areinvolved in the process.

Given the demographic changesunderway in the U.S. (by 2050, forexample, white and Euro-Americanswill make up less than 50% of the U.S.population) as well as the historic

homogeneity of the geosciences (only2% of the geoscience PhDs earnedbetween 1973 and 2002 went toLatinos or African Americans), theneed for greater diversity is self-evident: without a more inclusivegeoscience workforce, there simplywill not be enough geoscientists.

Significant Opportunities inAtmospheric Research and Science(SOARS) and Research Experience in Solid Earth Science for Students(RESESS) are dedicated to ensuringthat the next generation of geo-scientists both reflect and serve an increasingly diverse nation andmulticultural world.

SOARS has extended educationalopportunities to college and universitystudents from diverse backgrounds for 12 years. In 2005, the NationalScience Foundation’s program ofOpportunities for Enhancing Diversityin the Geosciences funded a newprogram to partner with the SOARSprogram. RESESS extends the SOARSmodel of research, multi-dimensionalmentoring, and a supportive learningcommunity into the fields ofgeophysics and geology.

It is an opportune time for SOARSand RESESS to partner. Driven by theoverarching need to envision asustainable future for our planet andits inhabitants, research in thegeosciences is becoming more inter-disciplinary and collaborative. Bycombining the SOARS and RESESSlearning communities, we will developa new generation of leaders who willthrive in an increasingly complexscientific culture that requires broadknowledge of the geosciences as wellas expertise in a specific discipline.

With support from multiple mentorsand peers, each year our protégésembark upon a summer of scientificinvestigation, personal growth andprofessional development. Ourcombination of hands-on research,practice in scientific communication,and leadership training prepares ourprotégés to contribute to futurescientific endeavors. SOARS andRESESS protégés can participate in

up to four summers of research,receive funding for professionalconference travel, and apply forsupplemental funding for under-graduate and graduate programs.Through these efforts, SOARS andRESESS seek to create the next gener-ation of leaders in the geoscienceswhose investigative expertise iscomplemented by strong leadershipand communication skills.

This edition of Earth, Wind, Sea, and Sky highlights the work of the talented SOARS and RESESSprotégés. Their research includesmany aspects of the Earth system,from understanding how hurricaneschange in a warming climate toexploring complex earthquake zonesin Pakistan. Their research addressesthe needs of a diverse and globalcommunity, from collaborations withAfrican scientists to study the EastAfrican Rift to understanding how El Niño influences wind-generatedpower on American Indian lands.Their commitment to serving societyinfluenced the choice of some othertopics including improving ourunderstanding of hurricanes, describ-ing the economic choices inherent infarmed fishing, examining thetemporal and spatial patterns ofurban air pollution, and improvingurban flood forecasting with radar-derived precipitation measurements.

We hope that in these abstracts youwill see both the dedication ourprotégés bring to serving allcommunities, as well as the strongscientific abilities and diverseperspectives they contribute to geo-science. To learn more about thesetalented students or the SOARS andRESESS programs, please visit bothweb sites: www.soars.ucar.edu andwww.unavco.org/resess.

Sincerely,

Dr. Susan C. ErikssonDirector, RESESS Director of Education and Outreach, UNAVCO

Dr. Rajul E. PandyaDirector and Principal Investigator, SOARSAssociate Director for Diversity in Education and Outreach, UCAR

1

Dr. Susan ErikssonRESESS Director andPrincipal Investigator;UNAVCO Education and Outreach Director

Dr. Rajul E. PandyaSOARS Director and Principal Investigator;Associate Director for Diversityin Education and Outreach,UCAR

Theresa Abigail Aguilar

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Tammy Weckwerth

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Bob Henson

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Marina LaGrave

PEER MENTOR: Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet

Junior, Geophysics, Texas Tech University

While boundary layer convergence zones(BLCZs), which are areas of low-levelconvergence of air at the surface, influence dailyweather, their specific effects on wind,temperature, moisture, and thunderstormformation are not well known. In order toaddress this problem, BLCZs that occurred inthe 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP)field campaign were documented and analyzedusing a variety of data sets consisting oftemperature, wind direction and speed, andmoisture values from nearby surface stations aswell as measurements of Doppler velocity, radarreflectivity, and a new radar-derived field calledrefractivity, which provided the horizontaldistribution of moisture at the surface. Thevelocity, reflectivity, and refractivity fields camefrom the S-band Dual Polarization DopplerRadar (S-Pol); the moisture, temperature, winddirection, and wind speed came from thesurface stations at Verles (VERL), Rustytank

(RUST), Lincolns (LINC), and Playhouse(PLAY). The objective of this study was toacquire a better characterization of BLCZs byanalyzing data from various sources. Thepreliminary results indicated similarities in thedata between radar fields and surface stations,similarities between the four surface stations,and both similarities and differences betweencases documented. With a better characteri-zation of BLCZs, environmental events such aschanges in temperature, wind, and moisture aswell as thunderstorm development may bebetter forecasted in the future.

Radar and surface measurements of boundary layerconvergence zones

2 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S

FIRST-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ

Karen A. Diaz

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Holger Vömel

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Dan Marsh

Senior, Environmental Engineering, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico

Ozone profiles obtained from the CentralEquatorial Pacific Experiment (CEPEX)campaign in 1993 show near-zero ozone levelsin the upper tropical troposphere. Ozonechemical destruction and undiluted verticaltransport into the upper troposphere werethought to be the causes of the low ozonevalues found. Questions surfaced as to whetherthe correct value for the background currentmeasurement was used in the ozoneconcentration calculations. In this study, threedifferent sensing solutions, including thesolution used during that campaign, weretested in the electrochemical cell of theozonesonde in order to determine the back-ground current generated by the cell as afunction of ozone concentration. Two sets oflaboratory experiments were performed: in thefirst set, ozonesondes were tested with purifiedair, and in the second set, ozonesondes wereexposed to a defined amount of ozone using an

ozone calibrator. Different ozone amountswere used to determine the background currentas a function of ozone concentration. Linearregression of the background currentmeasurements was used to determine a newbackground correction for the CEPEX rawdata. These reprocessed data no longershowed near-zero ozone levels in the uppertroposphere and no longer required significantchemical ozone loss in the upper troposphereor undiluted transport from the surface fortheir explanation.

Ozone dependency of the background current in ozonesondes

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 3

SECOND-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ

Anthony C. Didlake, Jr.

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Christopher A. Davis

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Douglas Wesley

Graduate student, Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington

In a given hurricane season, several tropicaldisturbances propagate across environmentsfavorable for development; however, only a fewdisturbances actually strengthen into tropicalcyclones. The lack of a consolidated theory ontropical cyclogenesis makes it difficult forforecasters to predict a storm’s development.Previous studies have approached this problemby comparing large-scale influences on stormsthat developed into tropical cyclones and onthose that did not. This study used a similarapproach to characterize the environmentalinfluences on cyclogenesis in the 2005 EasternPacific Hurricane season. Data for each stormwere taken from the NCEP/NCAR Final Analysismodel and analyzed over a 48-hour periodduring the development stage. The non-developing storms were selected based oncertain atmospheric parameters that resembledthe developing storms prior to cyclogenesis.Composites and spatial averaging were used

to compare 12 developing storms and 11 non-developing storms during this season. Theresults showed that the environments of thedeveloping storms had large regions ofincreased moisture above the boundary layerand greater temperatures in the uppertroposphere. Regions of increased potentialvorticity penetrated deeper into thetroposphere for the developing storms. Lastly, the storms that developed were inenvironments with relatively strong wind shearto the south of the vortex. The results suggestthat the moisture, temperature, and wind shearfields preceded development, while the vorticityfields were more of an indicator of development.Identifying these large-scale characteristics aspossible determining influences can lead to abetter understanding of tropical cyclogenesis.

A comparison of large-scale influences on tropical cyclogenesis inthe Eastern Pacific

4 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S

THIRD-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ

Braxton Edwards

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Olga Wilhelmi, David Yates

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Cindy Worster

Senior, Meteorology, University of Oklahoma

Hydrological models and flash flood warningsystems are largely dependent on accurateprecipitation inputs. In the Colorado FrontRange, estimation of rainfall has beenproblematic due to the varying intensity andspatial distribution of the precipitation fields.The goal of this project was to conduct aGeographic Information Systems-based spatialanalysis and verification of the radar-derivedprecipitation. Rain gauge measurements wereused for correcting radar rainfall estimatesover a 24-hour period for convective andstratiform precipitation events over the DenverUrban Drainage and Flood Control District.Two methods were tested for correcting radar-derived precipitation: 1) mean differencebetween recorded gauge values and the radarmeasurements and 2) mean difference of theinverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolatedgauge values and the radar measurements. Anoverall comparison of radar and gauge

measurements for the two rain events showedthat the radar produced more spatiallyaccurate precipitation estimates during aconvective event. The IDW interpolatedprecipitation method was found moreappropriate for regional scale verification. Themethodology developed in this study provides aframework for spatial rainfall verification, whichcan aid in automated correction of radarrainfall estimates. This can assist flood controland emergency managers in mitigating andresponding to flash flood events.

Radar rainfall verification in Geographic Information Systems(GIS): A step toward improving short-term flash flood forecasting

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 5

FOURTH-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ

Alisha R. Fernandez

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Maura Hagan, Hanli Liu, Astrid Maute

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Brian Bevirt

Senior, Mathematics, University of Colorado at Boulder

Solar tides are thermally driven perturbationsexcited throughout the atmosphere that varywith local time and season; however not allsources of tidal variability are known. TheQuasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) is anoscillation in the stratospheric zonal windsnear the equator with a 27.7-month cyclethrough which solar tides propagate. Thisresearch examined the QBO effects on diurnalsolar tides using a model of the entireatmosphere called the Whole AtmosphereCommunity Climate Model (WACCM).Representative observational data of the QBOwere inserted into WACCM to see if the QBOis a source of diurnal solar tidal variability.Hourly fields from three simulations for Aprilwere used to assess solar tidal variability withdistinct stratospheric winds over the equator:control (no QBO), QBO winds from the east,and QBO winds from the west. These resultswere sorted and binned according to local

time at each latitude and altitude. This processproduced monthly averaged meridional windsas a function of local time for April. Aharmonic decomposition was performed todetermine the diurnal means, amplitudes, andphases of the three simulations. A comparisonof the diurnal mean and amplitude revealedthat the diurnal mean was not measurablyaffected by the QBO, but the QBO produced a 20 meter second-1 difference in the diurnalamplitude. The latter result was highlysignificant, indicating that the QBO is a sourceof solar tidal variation in WACCM. In addition,this research further evaluates the performanceof WACCM and provides insight into theunderlying physical processes that govern tidalvariability in the upper atmosphere.

Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) effect on the diurnal tide in theWhole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM)

6 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Shanna-Shaye Forbes

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Russ Rew

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Catherine Shea

Senior, Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

The network Common Data Form (netCDF) was created by Unidata at the UniversityCorporation for Atmospheric Research tosimplify data access and sharing in theatmospheric science community. Even thoughthe current full release of netCDF known asnetCDF-3 has proven to be successful,increasing data complexity and user demandshave necessitated a new release of netCDF withimproved functionality and the ability to storeuser-defined data types. With this need in mind,Unidata created netCDF-4, which features allthe functionality of netCDF-3 as well as moreflexible ways to add data and better support forcustom data structures. This implementationadopts simplified aspects of another morecomplex data model known as HDF5. Atpresent netCDF-4 interfaces exist for C andFortran, however none exists for C++. Thisproject’s aim was to design and partiallyimplement a C++ interface for netCDF-4. The

netCDF-4 C++ interface was implemented as athin layer on top of the netCDF-4 C interface;its design allows all the functionality of a fullC++ implementation of the interface. Whenfully implemented, the netCDF-4 C++ interfacewill allow data providers and developers with apreference for C++ to take advantage of the newfeatures netCDF-4 offers for creating portable,self-describing datasets.

Developing a C++ interface for netCDF-4

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 7


Douglas J. Gavin

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Leslie Hartten

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Nicole Gordon

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Rob Markel

PEER MENTOR: Karen A. Diaz

Senior, Meteorology, Jackson State University

Previous research showed that low-level wind flow over the Galápagos Islands wasdecoupled from higher-level winds duringsome of the time periods used. By looking atwind profiler data, researchers noticed thatthe decoupling of the winds occurred whensea surface temperatures (SSTs) were coolerthan 23ºC, while during the coupled windflow cases SSTs were warmer than 24ºC. Thisresearch focused on six Tropical AtmosphereOcean project (TAO) buoys, which providedSSTs collected from January 1994 toSeptember 2003. The TAO buoys were usedto look at characteristics of SSTs that were in the range of 23ºC to 24ºC west of theGalápagos Islands. The total count of SSTmeasurements between 23ºC and 24ºCdepended on three conditions. The firstcondition was whether it was observed duringthe cold season, warm season or in between.The second condition that affected the range

of SSTs was whether it was during El Niño, La Niña, or normal periods. Finally, the locationof the TAO buoys affected whether the SSTvalues were in the range of 23°C to 24°C.SSTs between 23ºC and 24ºC were lessfrequent at the 2º N buoys, during strong ElNiño periods, and in the middle of cold andwarm seasons.

Characteristics of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 23ºCand 24ºC west of the Galápagos Islands

8 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Keith E. Goodman, Jr.

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Wen Chau Lee

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Jordan Powers

Junior, Physics, Norfolk State University

While it is common for tornadoes to occur in conjunction with land-falling tropicalcyclones (TCs), characteristics of the hurricane-spawned tornadoes themselves remain poorlydocumented. This study (i) documented anddescribed supercells embedded within theouter rainbands of Hurricane Katrina (2005)and (ii) compared Katrina’s supercell storms topast studies containing documented hurricane-spawned tornadoes. Radar reflectivity andvelocity data collected on 29 August 2005 byWSR-88D Next Generation Weather Radar(NEXRAD) instruments in Slidell, Louisiana,and Mobile, Alabama, were used to track thesupercells. Atmospheric soundings from 29August 2005 showed that environmentalconditions were comparable to those inprevious hurricane-spawned tornado studies.Twenty-three storms from 0300 UTC–0900UTC were tracked, and single-Doppler radaranalyses examined characteristics such as shear

and rotational velocity. Storms were initiallyclassified as mesocyclonic or non-mesocyclonic,and were then classified as tornadic if windsreached 18 meters second-1 (F0 intensity) atany time during their duration. Becausetornadoes are not resolvable several kilo-meters from the radar, the intensity of themesocyclone was used to infer the occurrenceof a tornado. Eighteen of Katrina’s supercellswere classified as tornadic, three reachedmesocyclone strength but never reached F0intensity, and two storms never reachedmesocyclone criteria. Remarkably, the majorityof the supercells formed over the Gulf ofMexico and not over land, which contrasts withprevious studies. Furthermore, the ground-relative speeds of these tornadic mesocyclonewinds in the outer rainbands can reach strongCategory 4 intensities despite sustained windsin Katrina only reaching Category 3 at landfall.

Observations and assessment of outer rainband tornadoesspawned by Hurricane Katrina

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 9


Bret Harper

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Rick Katz

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Gary Strand

Graduate student, Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is awell-known source of inter-annual climatevariability for both precipitation and temper-ature in the northern Great Plains. Thenorthern Great Plains also have the largestwind resource in the United States. With thecontinued growth of wind energy, ENSO’seffect on wind speed needs to be examinedbecause of our current lack of understandingabout how wind speeds are affected by inter-annual variability. After having previouslyestablished that a teleconnection to ENSOexists, we set out to quantify the uncertainty inthis relationship with this study. Our methodused the sign test and resampling of hourlyairport wind speed measurements for the pasthalf-century at four airports in both NorthDakota and South Dakota. Airport data wereuseful in this case because they have very longand continuous measurements of hourly wind

speed. With these data, we were able to showthat ENSO did have an effect on wind speedsas well as on wind power. The warm phase of ElNiño, in particular, was correlated with thelargest reductions in wind speed in SouthDakota. In North Dakota, it was the cold phasethat produced the largest reduction in windpower. The largest differences occurred inApril, while the smallest differences occurred inJuly. It is our hope that this method will also bea useful tool for wind farm developers acrossthe country to more accurately assess the valueof their site based on limited in situ data.

Statistical methods for quantifying uncertainty in El Niño/SouthernOscillation (ENSO) effects on wind power in the northern Great Plains

10 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Michael Kevin Hernandez

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Ying-Hwa (Bill) Kuo,Douglas Hunt

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Wendy Abshire

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Jeff Weber

PEER MENTOR: Anthony C. Didlake, Jr.

Junior, Meteorology and Applied Mathematics, University of Miami

This project uses a new data source, RadioOccultation (RO), to verify hurricane forecasts.RO uses Global Positioning System (GPS)receiving satellites to accurately measure verticalprofiles of the atmosphere with unprecedentedglobal coverage. This global coverage providesnew data in areas surrounding hurricanes, andthose data can be used to verify modelhurricane forecasts. This investigation primarilyfocused on the Global Forecasting System(GFS) model. To verify the GFS forecasts, theGFS output parameters of temperature,pressure, and water vapor pressure wereconverted into refractivity, which is the basicparameter measured by RO. A mean absolutevalue of the fractional errors was then used tocompare the RO-measured refractivity and theGFS refractivity. This specific type of meanallowed a comparison between grid domains ofdifferent resolutions and the vertical structure

of the atmosphere. The comparisons of thevertical structures from both the observed andmodeled datasets were calculated for the caseswith and without tropical cyclones. This studyfurther analyzed cases with tropical cyclonesand correlated the GFS output error to theerrors in the predicted track and intensity.Comparing the two refractivities for all thestorms for the 2005 Atlantic and East Pacifichurricane season showed consistent error inthe GFS output. The analysis revealed that theGFS error was larger closer to the cores of thetropical cyclones. Further analysis of individuallayers will allow a better understanding ofwhich layers have the most impact on theerrors found in the GFS model compared to theRO. These results suggest that including ROdata in GFS models may improve the GFSforecast output.

Comparison analysis of CHAMP radio occultations to the modelforecasts: 2005 hurricane season

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 11


Clarence Mann

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Teresa Campos

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Tim VanReken

Senior, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Morehouse College/University of Michigan

By measuring vertical fluxes of carbonmonoxide (CO), the amount of air pollutantsthat originate from local versus transportedanthropogenic and biogenic sources can betraced. This study focused on improving thesensitivity of a commonly used instrumentutilizing the fluorescence properties of COmolecules in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)range. The instrument can measure atmos-pheric CO mixing ratios and determine verticalfluxes of CO. To improve its performance, theinstrument’s flow cell was modified andapplied with a highly absorptive copper oxide(CuO) coating. After the coating of the flowcell, measurements of CO mixing ratios at dewpoints of 5°C, 10°C, and 15°C were madewith the modified instrument and compared to measurements made with the originalinstrument. Measurements at different dewpoints were made in order to check the effect of water interference on the instrument.

Comparative evaluations of the differentconfigurations of the instrument were based onits sensitivity to CO and on the signal-to-noiseratio. The sensitivity to CO of the modifiedinstrument was determined to be about twotimes higher than the sensitivity to CO of theoriginal instrument. However, large numbers ofnoise photons caused the signal-to-noise ratioof the modified instrument to be significantlylower than the signal-to-noise ratio of theoriginal instrument. To decrease the number ofnoise photons, future work will be completedin which another layer of CuO coating will beapplied to better absorb VUV light.

The modification of a carbon monoxide instrument for improvedsensitivity

12 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Talea L. Mayo

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: John Braun, Teresa Van Hove

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Juliana Rew

COMMUNITY MENTOR: LuAnna Sago

PEER MENTOR: Clarence Mann

Senior, Mathematics, Grambling State University

Research has indicated that there may be a relationship between water vapor andhurricane development; however, traditionalmethods of measuring water vapor lack theaccuracy necessary to make direct correlations.In this study, water vapor data was obtainedusing the Global Positioning System (GPS).GPS water vapor measurements from areasnear the point of landfall of hurricanes thatoccurred between 2003 and 2005 wereobtained and correlated to other hurricaneelements such as wind speed and pressure.Findings indicated a direct relationshipbetween the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere and hurricane intensity.Correlation coefficients for atmospheric watervapor and wind speed of tropical cyclones werecomputed. Coefficients for water vapor andcyclone pressure, and water vapor andatmospheric pressure, were also computed.The absolute values of all coefficients were

greater than 0.5. In addition, findings stronglysuggested that cyclone intensity decreasedwithout adequate water vapor in areassurrounding the storms. Only one hurricaneout of 21 increased in intensity after landfall,and the water vapor measurement from thisarea was the highest of all readings. Thecorrelation between cyclone intensity andwater vapor was not consistent throughout thestorm eye. The southeast and northwestquadrants had higher correlation coefficientsthan the other quadrants. Further under-standing of water vapor and its role in hurricanedevelopment would likely aid in improvingtropical cyclone models and forecasts.

Correlating atmospheric water vapor and hurricane development

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 13


Imani Morris

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Steven T. Massie

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTORS: Tim Barnes, Barry Lefer

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Anne Wilson

PEER MENTOR: Braxton Edwards

Junior, Meteorology, Jackson State University

Continuous satellite measurements now offerthe opportunity to compare nitrogen dioxide(NO2) concentrations to variables such asanthropogenic sources. Decadal populationand NO2 trends were analyzed for 14 regionsby use of population data records fromColumbia University and NO2 column datafrom the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment(GOME) and the Scanning Imaging AbsorptionSpectrometer for Atmospheric CHartography(SCIAMACHY) instruments. A number ofnoteworthy trends were present in the timeseries, the most important being that despitepopulation increases in many regions aroundthe world, NO2 decreases were present in allregions of study except for Beijing and aselected Pacific Ocean region. An increase inNO2 of 14.9% was present over the selectedPacific Ocean region. This increase may havebeen due to influences from surroundingregions. However, further research of this

region is essential to determine a definite cause.NO2 increased 72% per decade over China andthis change is likely related to increases inenergy consumption of 149% per decade andother industrial activities in China, at the sametime the population increased at 9.5% perdecade. These trends indicate that populationgrowth and increasing energy consumption andindustrial activity are correlated, and withouteffective limitations on energy consumption andindustrial activity, pollutants in the atmospherewill continue to increase.

The impact of megacities on the emission of nitrogen dioxideusing GOME and SCIAMACHY data

14 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Nicole Ngo

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Porter Hoagland, Di Jin, Hauke Kite-Powell

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Jo Hansen

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Kelly Rakow

Senior, Earth and Environmental Science and Economics, University of California, Irvine

The United States imports 60 percent of its seafood, leading to a $7 billion seafood trade deficit. To mitigate this deficit, theNational Oceanographic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA), a branch of the U.S.Department of Commerce, has promoted theexpansion of U.S. production of seafood byaquaculture. NOAA projects that the futureexpansion of a U.S. aquaculture industry couldproduce as much as $5 billion in annual sales.NOAA claims that one of the benefits of thisexpansion would be an increase in employmentfrom 180,000 to 600,000 people (100,000indirect jobs and 500,000 direct jobs). Sourcesof these estimates and the assumptions uponwhich they are based are unclear, however. TheMarine Aquaculture Task Force (MATF), anindependent scientific panel, has been skepticalof NOAA’s employment estimates, claimingthat its sources of information are weak andbased upon dubious assumptions. If NOAA

has exaggerated its employment projections,then the benefits from an expansion of U.S.aquaculture production would not be as largeas projected. My study examined publishedestimates of labor productivity from thedomestic and foreign aquaculture of a varietyof species, and projected the potential increasein employment associated with a $5 billionaquaculture industry, as proposed by NOAA.Results showed that employment estimatesrange from only 40,000 to 128,000 direct jobsby 2025 as a consequence of the proposedexpansion. Consequently, NOAA may haveoverestimated its employment projections—possibly by as much as 170 percent, implyingthat NOAA’s employment estimate requiresfurther research or adjustment.

Assessing the prospects for employment in an expansion ofU.S. aquaculture

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 15


Marco Orozco

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Lee Mauldin

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Anne Smith

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Larry Winter

Graduate student, Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Aerosols are particles in the atmosphere thatare responsible for many chemical reactions andplay a key role in light reflection. However, even though aerosols are well known, theformation of aerosols is still unclear. TheChemical Emission, Loss, Transformation andInteractions within Canopies second campaign(CELTIC-II) is looking at the different factorsthat go into the makeup of aerosols. One of thekey focuses of this study was to look at theconcentration of sulfuric acid and the hydroxylradical (OH) because of their involvement inaerosol formation. Sulfuric acid is one of the keycomponents to aerosol formation. Because ofits low vapor pressure, sulfuric acid in the gasphase rapidly condenses to form particles. Anygaseous sulfate that is found in the atmospheremust have been formed recently by chemicalreactions. OH is the atmosphere’s primaryoxidant and plays many roles in the chemistry of the environment, one being a necessary

chemical for sulfuric acid formation in the gasphase. This study looked at the concentrationof sulfuric acid and OH in the atmosphere atNiwot Ridge Colorado for four weeks duringthe summer of 2006 using Selected IonChemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry(SICIMS), a technique that is able to measureas low as 30 to 40 parts per quadrillionths byvolume (ppqv). During days of high sun,SICIMS measured concentrations of sulfuricacid from 5x106 to 25x106 molecule cm-3

and concentrations of OH around 0.6x106

molecule cm-3. These data will be used in a test model of aerosol formation.

Sulfuric acid in the woods and a connection to aerosols

16 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Nancy I. Rivera Rivera

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Jennifer L. Hand

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Lesley Smith

Graduate student, Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso

Extreme dust events can play a significant rolein altering Earth’s radiative balance by loftingconsiderable amounts of mineral aerosolsinto the atmosphere. This study investigatedthe meteorological conditions that have led to the initiation of mineral dust events in theChihuahuan desert region of the United Statesand Mexico. This research is a continuation ofwork by Rivera et al. (2005) that focused oncharacterizing dust sources in the Chihuahuandesert region by analyzing satellite remotesensing data. Back trajectory, residence timeanalyses, and weather map information wereused to investigate the conditions that led tothese events and to the potentially long-rangetransport of the dust across the U.S. Resultsfrom the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration’s Hybrid Single-ParticleLagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT)back-trajectory analyses suggested wind speedsnear 10 meters second-1 occurred during

events, which were higher than speedsobserved during calm periods. Weather mapsshowed patterns of low pressure systems overthe area of New Mexico and the TexasPanhandle suggesting that our dust eventscould be influenced by the formation ofcyclones and fronts. Residence timecalculations and source contribution functionsuggested similar large scale wind patternsfrom the southwest during dust events,consistent with dust transport as observedfrom satellite imagery and cyclonic windpatterns seen in the weather maps.

Meteorological conditions of extreme dust events in theChihuahuan desert region of the United States and Mexico

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 17

FOURTH-YEAR SOARS PROTÉGÉ

Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Ying-Hwa (Bill) Kuo, William Schreiner

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Scott Ellis

Graduate student, Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University

There have been previous theoretical,experimental, and comparison studies todetermine the precision of Global PositioningSystem (GPS) radio occultation (RO), but thecurrent stage of the Constellation ObservingSystem for Meteorology, Ionosphere, andClimate (COSMIC) satellites presents a uniqueopportunity to determine the precision usingcollocated soundings. The collocated soundingsfrom the COSMIC Data Analysis and ArchiveCenter (CCDAC) were constrained on latitudebands as well as local time and scintillationindex and the standard deviations of thesoundings were calculated for a specific heightgrid. This study showed the consistency of the tropopause in different regions andestablished that the occultations were notaffected by the tropopause. This wasconcluded by viewing the high precision of a

parameter, PPMT, which stands for “precisionparameter for middle troposphere” by region.Larger PPMT values (implying lower precision)were observed for the southern hemisphere forGPS RO soundings that were separated by 200 and 300 km and related to significantrefractivity variations due to active weathersystems on both the mesoscale and synopticscale. The precision of the refractivitydetermined in this study of collocated GPS RO less than 1 km apart is 0.02%, which fortemperature is approximately 0.05ºC. Theprecision of a typical radiosonde system is onthe order of 0.5ºC or higher, therefore, theGPS RO is one order of magnitude moreprecise than the radiosonde. With such aprecision and spatial coverage, GPS RO iscurrently the best technique for climateanalysis as well as weather prediction.

Assessing the precision of Global Positioning System (GPS)radio occultation

18 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Armand Silva

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Thomas T. Warner, Andrea Hahmann

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Thomas Hopson

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Lance Jones

PEER MENTOR: Alisha R. Fernandez

Junior, Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University

This study built a local wind-field climatologyand analyzed the resulting wind patterns atWhite Sands Missile Range (WSMR) insouthern New Mexico. Mesoscale circulationsin mountain-valley desert regions have beenpreviously studied in several regions of theIntermountain West, none of which includedWSMR. Hourly surface mesonet (SAMS) datawere collected at 13 stations across WSMRover five years from 2001 through 2005. Themonths and hours of approximate minimumand maximum temperature, along with a fewintermediate times, were selected to analyzelocal mesoscale wind behaviors. These datawere visualized in the form of wind roses,which plot wind speed, direction andfrequency. Wind roses were plotted on aterrain map at the data locations for theanalysis of topographic effects on wind

circulations. This analysis showed thatmesoscale patterns of upslope and downslopeflows, as well as up-valley and down-valleyflows occurred, depending on the season ofthe year and hour within the diurnal cycle.Additionally, the analysis showed thatsignificant variations occurred across thedifferent stations, depending on theirlocations on the valley floor or mountainslopes. The results of this study enhance theunderstanding of local wind patterns in desertvalley regions in general. This finding hasgreat importance because of today’s rapidgrowth of human population in these regions.

Understanding local wind circulations over White Sands Missile Range

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 19


Kimberly R. Trent

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Warren M. Washington,David A. Randall

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Andrew Gettelman

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Annette Lampert

PEER MENTOR: Nancy I. Rivera Rivera

Senior, Applied Physics, Yale University

Due to the effect of mixed layer ocean depth inthe Gulf of Mexico on hurricane intensity, it isimportant to understand how global warmingwill affect the ocean and how this change will in turn affect hurricane intensity. We ran the Advanced Research Workshop WeatherResearch and Forecast (ARW) model forHurricane Katrina with the Gulf of Mexico’smixed layer depth distribution specified, andwe compared the results to actual events todetermine the accuracy of the model for its usein future predictions; then we reran the model adjusted for projected sea surfacetemperatures (SSTs) for the year 2100 due toglobal warming. The analysis showed that, dueto the higher water temperature, the intensityof the hurricane started to increase morequickly in the beginning of the run whichaltered its track, causing it to cross over adeeper part of the mixed layer’s warm corerings (WCRs). This movement helped it to

maintain its peak intensity for a longer periodof time than in the present-day simulation.This preliminary analysis demonstrates theimportance of including the depth of the mixed layer when forecasting and simulatinghurricanes, and implies that global warmingmay increase the intensity of hurricanes in theGulf of Mexico.

Effect of the Gulf of Mexico’s mixed layer depth on hurricaneintensity in the warming environment

20 2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S


Julien Wang

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Xuexi Tie

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Daniel McKenna

Senior, Environmental Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University

One major pollutant of concern in the MexicoCity metropolitan area (MCMA) is tropo-spheric ozone. It is a secondary pollutant thatdamages local vegetation and the humanrespiratory system. Ozone is formed in theatmosphere by nitrogen oxides (NOx) andvolatile organic compounds (VOCs), but it isunclear which of these two is the limitingreactant. Finding the limiting reactant wouldallow legislators to take proper measures tocontrol ozone concentrations. The weekendeffects of ozone, NOx, and carbon monoxide(CO, which is an indicator for VOCs) wereanalyzed from 1986-2003. It was found thatthough there was a definite normal weekendeffect for NOx and CO, there was no consistentweekend effect for ozone. This finding made itdifficult to pinpoint the limiting reactant ofozone formation. The CO/NOx ratio was thencalculated to study possible correlations withozone concentration. There was a positive and

almost linear relationship between ozoneconcentration and the CO/NOx ratio. Thisrelationship means that as CO or VOCsincreased, ozone concentrations increased as well. Next, bivariate correlations wereperformed and they gave a good and positiverelationship for the CO/NOx ratio and ozoneconcentrations. However, there was no clearrelationship between ozone concentration andparticulate matter less than 10 micrometers insize, and ozone and sulfur dioxide. Finally, thecalculated ozone sensitivity coefficient showedthat in the MCMA, ozone concentrations wereusually VOC sensitive. This result clarifies thelimiting reactant of ozone formation andshows that limiting VOCs would cut down ontropospheric ozone concentrations.

Analyzing tropospheric ozone formation sensitivities in theMexico City metropolitan area

2 0 0 6 S O A R S A B S T R A C T S 21


Miriam Estela Garcia

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Walter Szeliga, Roger Bilham

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Fran Boler

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Francine Coloma

PEER MENTOR: Stephen Hernandez

Senior, Geophysics, University of Texas at El Paso

The Kirthar Range in western Pakistan is theresult of east-west compression caused by theindentation of the Indian Plate into theEurasian Plate. The 1931 Mw 7.3 Machearthquake resulted in 65 cm of local uplift ona leveling line through the Bolan Pass in thenorthern Kirthar Range. Previous studiesmodeled the fault as an east-dipping blindthrust with a top depth of 4 km and a bottomdepth of 35 km, yet geologic cross-sectionsillustrated a blind wedge thrust system vergingto the east with a horizontal décollement at 8 km. Extensive simulations of slip on thisinferred structure suggested that this sub-surface geometry could not be responsible forthe slip in the Mach earthquake. A west-dipping thrust was also considered a viablefault, as it was geologically capable ofproducing the anticlinal fold seen at the Bolan

Pass. Forward elastic-modeling methodsapplied to the west-dipping thrust showed thatthe earthquake could not have occurred on asimple fault of this form either. A newapproach, merging the wedge and west-dipping geometries may ultimately explainwhat happened in the 1931 earthquakesequence. Understanding fault constraints inBolan Pass will give insight into correlationsbetween the Mach earthquake and otherseismic events during the 1930s.

Modeling of vertical deformation associated with the 1931 Machearthquake, Pakistan

22 2 0 0 6 R E S E S S A B S T R A C T S

R E S E A R C H E X P E R I E N C E I N S O L I D E A R T H S C I E N C E F O R S T U D E N T S ( R E S E S S )

FIRST-YEAR RESESS PROTÉGÉ

23

Stephen Hernandez

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTORS: Eric Calais, David Phillips

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: Blaise Stephanus

Junior, Mathematics, University of Texas at El Paso

Although the East African Rift (EAR) is oftencited as the premier example of incipient rifting, the size and often times inaccessibility of the rift have limited the analysis andinterpretation for accurate determination of thephysical processes controlling the deformationof the Earth’s crust. Existing geodetic data arewholly inadequate to address the direction anddistribution of extensional strain along andacross this incipient plate boundary zone. Anew five-year project with three GlobalPositioning System (GPS) campaigns (in years1, 3, and 5) distributed across Tanzania willhelp us obtain interpretable results with a totalextension rate across the EAR on the order of 5millimeters year-1. GPS measurements in theEAR are critical to finally establish the kinematicframework of rifting. New GPS measurementsspanning the Western and Eastern rifts in

Tanzania, combined with the distant data onthe surrounding plates, will provide thekinematics of deformation across and along thelength of the EAR. In particular, they will allowus to test and further refine the counter-clockwise rotation model of the Tanzaniancraton suggested by the very scarce geodeticdata currently available. GPS measurements willalso provide strain distribution across andalong the Western and Eastern rifts. In additionto horizontal motions, GPS measurements willprovide vertical displacements, critical to testfor present-day uplift of the African plateaupredicted from the African Superplumeupwelling. Using the GAMIT/GLOBK suite ofGPS processing software, we present a new,preliminary determination of the horizontalvelocities in the EAR at Tanzanian latitudes.

Continental breakup on the East African Rift

SECOND-YEAR RESESS PROTÉGÉ

2 0 0 6 R E S E S S A B S T R A C T S


Lennox Thompson

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR: Penina Axelrad

WRITING & COMMUNICATION MENTOR: David Aragon

COMMUNITY MENTOR: Kim Cabbagestalk

PEER MENTOR: Keith E. Goodman, Jr.

Junior, Computer Science, Coppin State University

Multipath is a condition where the transmittedradio signal is reflected by physical features or structures, creating multiple reflections ofthe same signal arriving at the receiver atdifferent times. The result is degradation insignal strength of the transmitted signal fromthe satellite to the Global Positioning System(GPS) antenna. Multipath occurs whentransmitted signals do not go directly to theGPS antenna, but rather arrive from differentparts of the environment. These additionalreflected signals cause distortion of the directsignal to GPS antennas, but proper positioningcan minimize multipath error. Reception ofbounced signals at the antenna causeserroneous data from the GPS receiver, whichresults in inaccurate measurement of position.The GPS receiver has trouble distinguishingbetween reflected signals and direct signals,

and that is one of the problems multipathproduces. To minimize the multipath error,positioning the GPS antenna from a locationthat is less susceptible to multipath can help the receiver accept amplified signals.Furthermore, a MATLAB simulation wasdeveloped previously that predicts multipathbased on site analysis data to generate the plotof vectors on a Digital Terrain Model (DTM).This work produces a three-dimensional plot ofray paths when signals are being transmittedfrom a satellite. This ray path visualizationenables a user to properly position a GPSantenna to minimize the multipath error.

A new approach to Global Positioning System (GPS) multipathvisualization

24 2 0 0 6 R E S E S S A B S T R A C T S


FIRST-YEAR RESESS PROTÉGÉ

2 0 0 6 P R O T É G É S B O U L D E R , C O L O R A D O

Sitting (L to R): Marco Orozco, Luna Marie Rodriguez Manzanet

Front Row (L to R): Keith E. Goodman, Jr., Stephen Hernandez, Imani Morris, Nicole Ngo, Theresa Abigail Aguilar,

Miriam Estela Garcia, Julien Wang, Shanna-Shaye Forbes, Talea L. Mayo, Karen A. Diaz

Back Row (L to R): Douglas J. Gavin, Clarence Mann, Kimberly R. Trent, Lennox Thompson, Michael Kevin Hernandez,

Braxton Edwards, Armand Silva, Anthony C. Didlake, Jr., Alisha R. Fernandez, Nancy I. Rivera Rivera, Bret Harper

25

2 0 0 6 P R O T É G É S , R E S E A R C H T O P I C S , A N D M E N T O R S

SOARS PROTÉGÉ RESEARCH TOPIC

Theresa Abigail Aguilar Radar and surface measurements of boundary layer convergence zones

Karen A. Diaz Ozone dependency of the background current in ozonesondes

Anthony C. Didlake, Jr. A comparison of large-scale influences on tropical cyclogenesis in the Eastern Pacific

Braxton Edwards Radar rainfall verification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A step toward improving short-term flash flood forecasting

Alisha R. Fernandez Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) effect on the diurnal tide in the WholeAtmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM)

Shanna-Shaye Forbes Developing a C++ interface for netCDF-4

Douglas J. Gavin Characteristics of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) between 23ºC and 24ºCwest of the Galápagos Islands

Keith E. Goodman, Jr. Observations and assessment of outer rainband tornadoes spawned byHurricane Katrina

Bret Harper Statistical methods for quantifying uncertainty in El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on wind power in the northern Great Plains

Michael Kevin Hernandez Comparison analysis of CHAMP radio occulations to the model forecasts: 2005 hurricane season

Clarence Mann The modification of a carbon monoxide instrument for improved sensitivity

Talea L. Mayo Correlating atmospheric water vapor and hurricane development

Imani Morris The impact of megacities on the emission of nitrogen dioxide using GOMEand SCIAMACHY data

26

SCIENCE RESEARCH MENTOR WRITING & COMMUNICATION COMMUNITY MENTORMENTOR

Tammy Weckwerth, NCAR Bob Henson, UCAR Marina LaGrave, UCAR

Holger Vömel, CIRES Dan Marsh, NCAR

Christopher A. Davis, NCAR Douglas Wesley, UOP

Olga Wilhelmi, NCAR Cindy Worster, NCAR David Yates, NCAR

Maura Hagan, NCAR Brian Bevirt, NCAR Hanli Liu, NCARAstrid Maute, NCAR

Russ Rew, UOP Catherine Shea, NCAR

Leslie Hartten, CIRES/NOAA Nicole Gordon, NCAR Rob Markel, NCAR

Wen Chau Lee, NCAR Jordan Powers, NCAR

Rick Katz, NCAR Gary Strand, NCAR

Ying-Hwa (Bill) Kuo, NCAR/UOP Wendy Abshire, UOP Jeff Weber, UOP Douglas Hunt, UOP

Teresa Campos, NCAR Tim VanReken, NCAR

John Braun, UOP Juliana Rew, NCAR LuAnna Sago, UCAR Teresa Van Hove, UOP

Steven T. Massie, NCAR Tim Barnes, UCAR Anne Wilson, UOPBarry Lefer, University of Houston

CIRES – Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesNCAR – National Center for Atmospheric ResearchNOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationUCAR – University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchUOP – UCAR Office of ProgramsWHOI – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

27

SOARS PROTÉGÉ RESEARCH TOPIC

( C O N T I N U E D )

Nicole Ngo Assessing the prospects for employment in an expansion of U.S. aquaculture

Marco Orozco Sulfuric acid in the woods and a connection to aerosols

Nancy I. Rivera Rivera Meteorological conditions of extreme dust events in the Chihuahuandesert region of the United States and Mexico

Luna Marie Rodriguez Assessing the precision of Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultationManzanet

Armand Silva Understanding local wind circulations over White Sands Missile Range

Kimberly R. Trent Effect of the Gulf of Mexico’s mixed layer depth on hurricane intensity in the warming environment

Julien Wang Analyzing tropospheric ozone formation sensitivities in the Mexico City metropolitan area

Miriam Estela Garcia Modeling of vertical deformation associated with the 1931 Machearthquake, Pakistan

Stephen Hernandez Continental breakup on the East African Rift

Lennox Thompson A new approach to Global Positioning System (GPS) multipath visualization

RESESS PROTÉGÉ RESEARCH TOPIC

28


Porter Hoagland, WHOI Jo Hansen, UOP Kelly Rakow, WHOIDi Jin, WHOIHauke Kite-Powell, WHOI

Lee Mauldin, NCAR Anne Smith, NCAR Larry Winter, NCAR

Jennifer L. Hand, Lesley Smith, NCARColorado State University

Ying-Hwa (Bill) Kuo, NCAR/UOP Scott Ellis, NCAR William Schreiner, UOP

Thomas T. Warner, NCAR Thomas Hopson, NCAR Lance Jones, UOPAndrea Hahmann, NCAR

Warren M. Washington, NCAR Andrew Gettelman, NCAR Annette Lampert, UCARDavid A. Randall,Colorado State University

Xuexi Tie, NCAR Daniel McKenna, NCAR

Walter Szeliga, Fran Boler, UNAVCO Francine Coloma, CIRESUniversity of Colorado at Boulder Roger Bilham, University of Colorado at Boulder

Eric Calais, Purdue University Blaise Stephanus, UNAVCODavid Phillips, UNAVCO

Penina Axelrad, University of David Aragon, University of Kim Cabbagestalk,Colorado at Boulder Colorado at Boulder UNAVCO

CIRES – Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesNCAR – National Center for Atmospheric ResearchNOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationUCAR – University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchUOP – UCAR Office of ProgramsWHOI – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution


29

2 0 0 6 S P O N S O R S

SOARS

National Science Foundation

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Global Programs

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oceans and Human Health Initiative

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Earth Observing Laboratory

National Center for Atmospheric Research, The Institute for Integrative & Multidisciplinary Earth Studies

RESESS

National Science Foundation

UNAVCO

The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

The United States Geological Survey

Highline Community College

AUTHORS: SOARS protégés, RESESS protégés

EDITORS: SOARS mentors, RESESS mentors

MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Stevermer

REVIEW EDITOR: Brian Bevirt

PHOTOGRAPHY: Carlye Calvin

DESIGN: Nicole Brinn, Core Design Works, Inc.

PRINTING: Vision Graphics, Inc.

SOARS is a registered trademark of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

Opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any

SOARS or RESESS sponsors or managing organizations. UCAR is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

A joint publication brought to you by

SOARS • P.O. Box 3000 • Boulder, CO 80307-3000303-497-8622 • [email protected]

RESESS • 6350 Nautilus Drive • Boulder, CO 80301303-381-7466 • [email protected]

www.soars.ucar.eduwww.unavco.org/resess

Printed on recycled paper by an environmentally certified printer

www.unavco.org/resess

envisions a diverse community of atmosphericscientists, educators, and policy makers collaboratingto understand our atmosphere and to use thatunderstanding for the benefit of all

is dedicated to enhancing diversity within thescientific communities of the future by increasingthe number of students from historically under-represented groups who enroll and succeed inmaster’s and doctoral degree programs in theatmospheric and related sciences

is committed to diversity of thought, opinion,perspective and background; we value inclusivenessas we work together to strengthen the atmosphericand related scientific community

is a four-year program for undergraduate andgraduate students interested in pursuing careers inthe atmospheric and related sciences

includes a 10-week summer program at the NationalCenter for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), operatedby the University Corporation for AtmosphericResearch (UCAR); UCAR Office of Programs (UOP);or other national laboratories

provides educational and research opportunities,mentoring, career counseling and guidance, and thepossibility of financial support for graduate andundergraduate education

“Enhancing scientific communities of the future.”

RESESS combines structured mentoring, ongoingresearch internships, and a supported learningcommunity for undergraduate students fromunderrepresented groups in order to increase thediversity within solid earth sciences. RESESS will buildupon the knowledge and skills that make an existingprogram, SOARS®, so successful.

RESESS participants, called protégés, will follow theSOARS organizational, structural, and social model,centered on a series of 10-week summer internships inBoulder, Colorado. The internships will include aresearch project in collaboration with a solid earthscientist who is trained as a mentor, an experience of living and working with other students fromunderrepresented populations in science, andmultidimensional mentoring from writing andcommunication, community, and peer mentors.

Students who enter the program after theirsophomore or junior year can participate in theprogram for up to four years. This continuityprovides a bridge to graduate school with somefinancial support during their master’s program.

www.soars .ucar.edu

SOARS ProgramUniversity Corporation forAtmospheric Research (UCAR)P.O. Box 3000Boulder, CO 80307-3000

RESESS ProgramUNAVCO6350 Nautilus DriveBoulder, CO 80301

Documents

Dedicated to broadening participation in the geosciences · well as measurements of Doppler velocity, radar reflectivity, and a new radar-derived field called refractivity, which