Laserfiche WebLink
<br />WINTER OROGRAPHIC STORM <br /> <br />plume position changed with time. Its center was 6.6 km south of the DOT at 1319 <br />but almost over the DOT by 1512. <br /> <br />Aircraft Sampling over the Wasatch Plateau: All aircraft sampling was at an altitude <br />of 3750 m or 900 m above the average upwind highway elevation. Turrets were seen <br />rising about 500 m above the aircraft and no clouds existed at higher altitudes. <br />Aircraft-mllasured winds ranged between 275-310 degrees with speeds between 11-19 <br />m S-I. Pass average liquid water contents were between 0.2-0.3 g m-3. With a single <br />exception, both AgI and SF6 were found on each pass edge. Table 2 summarizes the <br />measurements of the N-S aircraft passes. Plume width is the N-S extent of each <br />plume. The 1334 and 1342 passes were over the east edge of the Plateau, all others <br />were over the west edge. <br /> <br />Time <br />(MST) <br />1302 <br />1316 <br />1334 <br />1342 <br />1357 <br />1411 <br />1418 <br /> <br />Table 2. Summary of aircraft measurements of AgI and SF6. <br /> <br />mean SF6 <br />JJ?mL <br />20 <br />60 <br />45 <br />20 <br />45 <br />10 <br />o <br /> <br />max. SF6 <br />J1m!L <br />60 <br />185 <br />90 <br />55 <br />125 <br />45 <br />o <br /> <br />SF6 plume <br />width (km) <br />7.7 <br />5.5 <br />4.1 <br />7.2 <br />4.8 <br />2.0 <br />0.0 <br /> <br />Plume dist. <br />south of DOT <br />10.7 <br />6.6 <br />11.4 <br />13.9 <br />6.1 <br />6.1 <br />N.A. <br /> <br />Total IN <br />~ <br />61 <br />40 <br />11 <br />32 <br />24 <br />11 <br />15 <br />AvL z..8 <br />The SF6 plumes were centered from about 6 to 13 km south of the DOT on all <br />passes. Widths over the windward Plateau edge were between 4.8 and 7.7 km except <br />for the last 2 passes. Widths over the lee edge were similar suggesting little additional <br />cross-wind dispersion during passage over the Plateau. It is possible that the plume <br />diminished during the final passes because convective intensity was decreasing as the ~ <br />storrn ended. 1,1 l(\O-IG ~ t-l <br />An effective IN concentration is estimated assuming an operational seeding .;; <br />generator ~ad been run ~t,~e SF6_ release site. .Table 2 shows a typical SF6 value. of ~ l!A, <br />40 ppt which represents 1.8 X 10 10 g 1"1 of arr. The eqUIvalent IN concentratIon ~ ~ <br />at -120C and 640 mb, the temperature and pressure at the aircraft sampling level, \.-r "" <br />would be ab04tf'!N r1. This estimate assumes equal dilutions of SF6 and All plumes ~ ~ <br />and ignores i~cloud scavenging losses of the AgI. A concentration of! IN 1"1 is "'- <br />considered marginal for effective cloud seeding.' ij <br />Temperatures at turret tops are estimated as -160C where IN concentrations, <br />estimated from the SF6 data, would be about 30 IN r1. This should be high enough <br />for effective cloud seeding. However, Table 2 shows the total IN counts per pass were <br />very limited, especially when one considers that 8 AgI generators were releasing AgI. <br />Possibly the valley floor releases had less vertical transport than the canyon mouth <br />release of SF6. A fraction of the sampled AgI should have nucleated ice, but most of <br />the total AgI population should have been sampled by the acoustical counter, operated <br />goC colder than the cloud outside the aircraft. The main AgI "sink" was probably <br />scavenging by cloud droplets and ice crystals. Scavenging could significantly reduce <br /> <br />557 <br /> <br />~ <br />. <br />~ <br />"- <br />\.\ <br /> <br />l <br />~ <br />"--.J <br /> <br />--r- <br />t <br />+- <br />,. <br />Q' <br /> <br />/I'LMl <br />.Iff.. <br />Ii; <br />lID <br />S <br />S <br />8 <br />S- <br />17' <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />q) <br /> <br />1 <br />~ <br /> <br />~ <br />.,., <br />,.. <br />... <br />I <br />~ <br />- <br />x <br />Jlo <br />I't\dII <br /> <br />~ <br />TI <br />