VORTEX2 Research Results

STUDENTS PUBLISHED IN NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL

October 15, 2012

Two LSC students have co-authored a paper recently published in the American Meteorological Society’s peer-reviewed journal, “Monthly Weather Review.” Anthony McGee and Rachel Ducharme were the first two Lyndon students to work on LSC’s second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) project. The project was funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The article “The LaGrange Tornado during VORTEX2. Part II: Photogrammetric Analysis of the Tornado Combined with Dual-Doppler Radar Data,” summarizes VORTEX2 research results.

Dr. Nolan T. Atkins, Chairperson of LSC’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences pointed out that “Our undergraduate students often serve as co-authors on peer-reviewed journal articles. While it is common in our field for graduate students to publish in peer-reviewed literature, it is rare for undergraduates to serve as co-authors. It’s a unique aspect of the Lyndon ATM program.” Both students graduated from LSC in 2010.

The study presented the synthesis of dual-Doppler and cloud photography data of a 2009 tornado in Goshen County, Wyoming. Analyses focused on the hook region of the parent supercell. Atkins, Roger M. Wakimoto of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado and Joshua Wurman of Boulder’s Center for Severe Weather Research, were also contributing authors.