The Correlation between Tornado Formation, Intensification, and Decay and Ground Features using Rapid-Scan Mobile Radar Observations, Damage Surveys, and GIS

Ohio University, Athens OH

Investigators

Abstract

It has long been theorized that land surface and elevation changes play a role in tornado formation and intensity changes. However, most studies have either been idealized modeling efforts or case studies on a particular event. This award will provide funding to develop a climatology of tornado interactions with the surface with a goal of answering several pressing questions about how tornadoes are impacted by surface characteristics. The main societal impact of the project is the potential for improving tornado warning accuracy, which is a significant public safety issue. The project also involves outreach and training activities to improve public understanding of science and develop the next generation of researchers. This overarching goal of the study is to determine if statistical relationships can be retrieved that correlate tornado formation/decay and intensity to non-atmospheric surface features such as land cover and topography. The researcher plans to combine a large database of radar and damage survey data with GIS-based digital elevation maps and national land cover data sets to answer the following questions: 1) What is the statistical relationship between topographic characteristics or changes in topography and tornado intensity? 2) What is the statistical relationship between land cover characteristics changes in land cover and changes in tornado intensity? 3) Are relationships in (1) and (2) sensitive to a tornado's intensity? 4) What is the spatial relationship between tornadogenesis/decay locations and land cover type or topography? 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.