In April, CIMMS researchers Jeff Snyder and Alexander Ryzhkov traveled to the United Kingdom to meet with representatives from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) in Leeds. During their visit, which took place on Tuesday, April 12 at the University of Leeds, Snyder gave a 45-minute seminar before the group met to discuss possibilities for future collaborations.
While overseas, Ryzhkov and Snyder also attended a workshop hosted by the Aerosols, Clouds, Precipitation, and Climate (ACPC) group at the University of Oxford. The workshop ran from Wednesday, April 13 to Friday, April 15, and focused primarily on examining the effect of aerosols on convective clouds and deep moist convection (i.e., thunderstorms). At the workshop, Snyder presented an overview of the benefits of polarimetric weather radars and discussed his work on polarimetric forward operators. These tools are allowing scientists to make comparisons between numerical model predictions and polarimetric radar measurements. Ryzhkov also spoke during the workshop, discussing work on dropsize distribution retrievals using polarimetric radars. Both presentations highlighted how the new tools can be used to assess potential differences between clouds and convective storms ingesting “clean” vs. “polluted” air (upstream vs. downstream from major cities, for example). As with the visit to NCAS, the goal of attending the ACPC workshop was to determine the potential for future collaborative projects.
The UK visit signifies another step forward for CIMMS partnerships abroad. In late February, the Advanced Radar Techniques team with CIMMS/NSSL traveled to the UK Met Office in Exeter to share discoveries in radar innovation. CIMMS scientists continue to pursue opportunities to promote their research in Oklahoma and beyond.