Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites — NC

CICS-NC

Scott Stevens

Scott Stevens

CICS-NC
NOAA's National Climatic Data Center
Veach-Baley Federal Building
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
 Telephone: +1 828.257.3019
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Mr. Stevens received his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and his Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University. His master's thesis was centered around the transition from warm cloud to rain and its relationship to several meteorological variables, using data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's station on Nauru Island. Using statistical techniques, Mr. Stevens studied the correlation between these variables and the onset of rain, in the hopes of improving satellite algorithms, which detect rainfall. As an undergraduate, Mr. Stevens also completed an internship with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, in which he investigated decadal warming trends using the Oklahoma Mesonet, and he presented these findings at the 2006 AMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Mr. Stevens joined CICS-NC as a research associate on March 8, 2010.

2012
Stevens, S.E. , B. Nelson, C. Langston, and Y. Qi: Steps toward a CONUS-wide reanalysis with archived NEXRAD data using National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ/Q2) algorithms. 2012, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
2011
Stevens, S.E., B. Nelson, C. Langston, and R. Boyles: National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ/Q2) reanalysis in the Carolinas region and directions toward a Con-US wide implementation. 2011, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
 
Stevens, S.E. , B.R. Nelson, and C.L. Langston, National Mosaic and Multi-sensor QPE (NMQ) reanalysis in the southeastern United States. 2011, American Meteorological Society 19th Conference on Applied Climatology, Asheville, NC.
2009
Stevens, S., 2009: A ground-based analysis of the transition from warm cloud to rain. M.S. Thesis, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 72 pp.
2006
Stevens, S., B. Illston, and J. Basara, 2006: Analysis of surface heating trends from 1994 to 2004 using Oklahoma Mesonet data. 18th Conf. on Climate Variability and Change. Amer. Met. Soc., Atlanta, GA.

Precipitation Re-analysis using NMQ/Q2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This project involves the development of a re-analyzed, homogenous precipitation record for the continental United States, using radar-based software developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, OK.

BACKGROUND

This task is part of an effort to create a homogenous precipitation record based on existing data collected from NOAA’s array of NEXRAD radars, distributed throughout the United States. With nearly universal coverage over the United States and very high temporal frequency (5-10 minutes), radar offers the ability to see at a much higher resolution than gauge networks or satellites alone.

The development of a high-resolution precipitation dataset will allow those in both research and operations to have access to information which can increase our understanding of the role of environment on rain and snowfall, allow for small-scale studies of topographical effects on storm systems, as well as provide for more precise hydrological warnings in advance of flooding events.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Using the NMQ/Q2 software from Norman, OK, the reanalysis has been completed over a pilot domain covering nine radars in North and South Carolina. This has resulted in the process being adapted from its current real-time use at NSSL to a re-analysis mode that can be run in parallel supercomputing systems, using archived NEXRAD data as input.

The resulting five-minute rainrates obtained from this process can be quickly accumulated into precipitation totals over any desirable time period. Figure 1 shows the radar-only precipitation estimate for September 7, 2004, over the Carolinas region, as the remnants of Hurricane Frances inundated the area. While this image shows estimates using radar alone, the process, in its full capacity, allows for the integration of gauge networks, lightning data, and eventually satellite overpasses.

This work has been presented in an invited talk to the NC State Climate Office (Jun 2011), at the AMS Conference on Applied Climatology (Jul 2011, Asheville, NC), and at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (Dec 2011, San Francisco, CA).

Figure 1. 24-hour precipitation accumulation over the Carolinas region for September 7, 2004, during the rainfall associated with Hurricane Frances

PLANNED WORK

  • Expand reanalysis to cover first an expanded pilot domain, spanning 30 radars throughout the SE United States, then further expand to cover all of the continental United States.
  • Incorporate rain gauge networks for calibration and correction in poorly covered areas, especially those in high terrain and sparsely covered regions
  • Provide output to outside users for assessment and evaluation

PUBLICATIONS

PRESENTATIONS

  • Stevens, S. “NMQ/Q2 Reanalysis in the Southeastern United States”. Invited talk for Dr. Ryan Boyles, NC State Climate Office, Raleigh, NC. Jun 2011
  • Stevens, S., B. Nelson, C. Langston. “National Mosaic and Multi-Sensor QPE (NMQ) reanalysis in the southeastern United States” 19th AMS Conference on Applied Climatology, Asheville, NC. Jul 2011.
  • Stevens, S., B. Nelson, C. Langston, and R. Boyles. “National Mosaic and Multi-sensor QPE (NMQ/Q2) reanalysis in the Carolinas region and directions toward a ConUS-wide implementation” 2011 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. Dec 2011.

OTHER

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