Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective
Vortex Experiment (BAMEX)

Located at Mid America Airport, Mascoutah, IL
Dates: 20 May to 6 July 2003

The focus of my BAMEX-related research is the structure and life-cycle of the long-lived mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) of 10-14 June 2003.  This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants ATM-0233172 and ATM-0646907.  The results of this study are found in my Master's thesis which was completed in May 2007:

Galarneau, T. J., Jr., 2007: A multiscale examination of the long-lived mesoscale convective vortex of 10-13 June 2003. M. S. Thesis, The University at Albany, State University of New York, 168 pp.

A list of refereed publications related to this work:

Galarneau, T. J., Jr., L. F. Bosart, C. A. Davis, and R. McTaggart-Cowan, 2009: Baroclinic transition of a long-lived mesoscale convective vortex.  Mon. Wea. Rev., 137, 562-584.

Davis, C. A., and T. J. Galarneau, Jr., 2009: The vertical structure of mesoscale convective vortices. J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 686-704.

Click here for list of all publications by T. Galarneau.

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Subset of Analyses and diagnostic calculations:

Active subtropical jet period of 5-14 June 2003:

Conventional analyses:
1. Sea-level pressure (hPa), 1000-500 thickness (dam) and 200 hPa isotachs (m s-1) [Loop]

2. 300 hPa height (dam) and absolute vorticity (x10-5 s-1) and coupling index* (K) [Loop]

3. 300 and 850 hPa wind
(half barb=2.5 m s-1, full barb=5.0 m s-1, pennant=25 m s-1) and 850 hPa relative vorticity (x10-5 s-1) [Loop]

Dynamic Tropopause* analyses:
1. Dynamic tropopause pressure (hPa) and wind (half barb=2.5 m s-1, full barb=5.0 m s-1, pennant=25 m s-1) [Loop]
             - Northern Hemisphere view
2. Dynamic tropopause
pressure (hPa) and wind (half barb=2.5 m s-1, full barb=5.0 m s-1, pennant=25 m s-1) [Loop]

Long-lived MCV of 10-15 June 2003:

MCV-centered azimuthally averaged time series.  Wind shear is averaged over a radius of *500 km* while all other fields are averaged over a radius of *200 km*.
*Notes:

1. The dynamic tropopause (DT) is defined at the 1.5 potential vorticity unit (PVU) surface

2. The coupling index (CI) is a measure of atmospheric stability and is defined as CI=(THETA)DT-(THETA-E)@850 hPa
    - CI < 4 K (< 0 K) considered conditionally (convectively) unstable (see Bosart and Lackmann 1995)