Laserfiche WebLink
<br />top or cloud top. Studies in the field and laboratory have indicated that in <br />rugged mountainous terrain one can expect as fast a rise in plume top as in <br />the Pasquill-Gifford neutral plume even though the air is stable (Cermak et. <br />03.1., 1969). In the unstable upslope mode dispersjon aloft is more rapid, and <br />apparently highest mass concentration also skips aloft. <br /> <br />In the upslope mode, particularly with a strong wind and a stable air <br />mass, an individual plume may be stretched out longitudinally with its breadth <br />narrowed so that the plumes from different generators may not overlap. How- <br />ever, over a period of time their various horizontal meanderings should result <br />in a rather uniform time averaged concentration of nucleant over the target <br />area. Unfortunately, the time averaged seeding effect of an instantaneous <br />meandering plume containing an overseeding concentration of nucleant may be <br />the opposite of the calculated effect from the time averaged value of the same <br />plume. The overall impression given by Figures 6 and 8 is that of overseed- <br />ing concentrated in the Wolf Creek Pass area. A funneling of nuclei plumes <br />could occur over the Wolf Creek Pass region in which plumes from different <br />sources tend to converge, thus, enhancing the tendency for overseeding there. <br />The sharp angle in the crest orientation at Wolf Creek Pass favors funneling, <br />particularly of stable air. Anemometer records near Wolf Creek Pass are <br />rather incomplete, presumably due to icing, so support for this idea cannot <br />be found in them. In the extreme case of a stretched plume the plume top may <br />not reach cloud top, thus having the opposite effect of limiting nucleating <br />power to a marked degree. <br /> <br />4. SYNOPTIC CLIMATOLOGY <br /> <br />The determination of the cloud top from a sounding can be made as follows. <br />On proceeding upward along the sounding plot on a thermodynamic diagram to <br />the level where the temperature and dew point curve, which had been together <br />start to spread, one reaches a level which can be reasonably termed the top <br />of the water cloud. At a still higher level the spreading curves may be just <br />at ice saturation, and this level can be called the top of a mixing ice-water <br />cloud. In some cases, the two curves hover near ice saturation on further <br />ascen t, then begin to spread abruptly at some still higher level. This level <br />can be called the top of the ice cloud. In still other cases, there is a <br />rapid spreading of the curves aloft so there is only a water cloud and a thin <br />mixed cloud present. In the evaluation a system closely fitting the mixed <br />top has been used to represent effective cloud top from the nuclei supply <br />viewpoint. In the case of multiple layers, the question of ice falling from <br />the upper deck and seeding the lower deck arises. It has been assumed that <br />two layers are microphysically connected in this sense if the distance between <br />them is under 50 mb. With a larger separation complete evaporation of the <br />falling ice particles is assumed to occur. A correction is applied to the <br />cloud top to allow for its being lifted over the barrier. All preceding <br />references to cloud top include this correct~on. <br />! <br />/ <br />Figure 10 shows for unseeded cases thElaverage water top, mixed top, and <br />ice top arranged by hours before and after/a system passage. System passage <br />is here defined as a definite peak in clotid depth that is associated with a <br />synoptic scale front or trough passage., For comparison purposes, the average <br />height of the -27 C level is shown. Quite clearly at system passage there is <br />a period of several hours during which the mixed top and ice top height exceed <br />the height of the critical temperature (here assumed to be -27 C). There is <br /> <br />17 <br />