NSF Org:	AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient:	UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
Initial Amendment Date:	May 5, 2023
Latest Amendment Date:	May 5, 2023
Award Number:	2312090
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Nicholas Anderson nanderso@nsf.gov  (703)292-4715 AGS  Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	June 1, 2023
End Date:	May 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$678,911.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$678,911.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2023 = $678,911.00
History of Investigator:	Michael Coniglio (Principal Investigator) Michael.Coniglio@noaa.gov Erik Rasmussen (Co-Principal Investigator) Patrick Skinner (Co-Principal Investigator) Daniel Stechman (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of Oklahoma Norman Campus 660 PARRINGTON OVAL RM 301 NORMAN OK  US  73019-3003 (405)325-4757
Sponsor Congressional District:	04
Primary Place of Performance:	University of Oklahoma Norman Campus 1000 ASP AVE RM 105 NORMAN OK  US  73019-4039
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	04
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	EVTSTTLCEWS5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Physical & Dynamic Meteorology
Primary Program Source:	01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	9150
Program Element Code(s):	152500
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.050

ABSTRACT

The question of why some supercell thunderstorms develop tornadoes while others do not is an ongoing area of study in the severe weather research community. Prior research has suggested that certain near-storm environmental conditions may play a large role in determining whether a supercell will become tornadic. In 2019 and 2022, NSF and NOAA supported an observational campaign to make fine-scale measurements of the conditions around supercells. This award will apply advanced data analysis and modeling techniques to the observational data collected in that campaign to answer questions about the relationship between near-storm environmental conditions and tornadogenesis. The societal impact of this project will be found through the increased understanding of the conditions that form tornadoes and the dissemination of findings to the operational meteorological community. Three early-career researchers will be trained under this award, assuring the development of the next generation of scientists.

This award is for analysis of data collected during the Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) campaign that conducted field seasons in 2019 and 2022. The TORUS project sought to improve understanding of small-scale processes in supercells by elucidating the relationship of storm-generated boundaries and coherent structures within storm outflow to the generation/amplification of near-surface rotation. Under the TORUS umbrella, this award has the overarching goal of improving understanding of why some supercells produce tornadoes and others do not. The research team plans to synthesize TORUS observations via multi-Doppler wind syntheses, diabatic Lagrangian analyses, and ensemble data assimilation methods to address three main research foci:

1. Understanding streamwise vorticity currents (SVCs) and storm-internal boundaries and their relationship to amplification of near-ground rotation in supercells.
2. Understanding observed relationships between supercell updraft and inflow properties.
3. Understanding supercell inflow evolution and its relationship to storm properties.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.