Interdepartmental program in Mathematics/Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences webpage. Information and brochure describing the program.

Simulations of the Los Angeles area and beyond

Employing the MM5 and WRF mesoscale models

Real-time simulations

• Latest MM5 simulation for the Los Angeles area (daily, usually by noon Pacific time; uses MM5V373)
• Latest WRF simulation for the Los Angeles area (daily, usually by noon Pacific time; uses WRFV221) [Model configuration changed 1/2008]
• Los Angeles MM5/WRF forecast comparison page (daily, usually by noon Pacific time; watch dates)

Los Angeles and Southern California weather phenomena

• The summer sea/land breeze in the Los Angeles area
• The Santa Ana winds of Southern California

Selected Research Topics: last updated December, 2007

• Sea-breeze and convective initiation studies:
  • The sea-breeze and horizontal convective rolls. Part I: The perpendicular case.
    Dailey and Fovell - Monthly Weather Review - May, 1999.
  • The sea-breeze and horizontal convective rolls. Part II: The parallel case.
    Fovell and Dailey - Monthly Weather Review - August, 2001.
  • Mantle echoes associated with deep convection: Observations and numerical simulations.
    Wakimoto, Murphey, Fovell, and Lee - Monthly Weather Review - 2004 (PDF file).
  • Convective initiation ahead of the sea-breeze front.
    Fovell - Monthly Weather Review - 2005.
• Squall-lines and multicell storms:
  • Multicell storms and new cell generation.
    Fovell and Tan - Monthly Weather Review - March, 1998.
  • Multicellular behavior in a simplified squall-line model.
    Fovell and Tan - Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society - January, 2000 (part A).
  • Upstream influence of squall lines.
    Fovell - Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society - April, 2002 (part A). (Abstract only.)
  • Adjoint of a parameterized moisture convection model.
    Fovell - Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics - 2004.
  • Discrete propagation in numerically simulated nocturnal squall lines
    Fovell, Mullendore and Kim - Monthly Weather Review - December, 2006. (3.5 MB PDF)
• Hurricane tracks:
  • Impact of cloud microphysics on hurricane track forecasts.
    Fovell and Su - Geophysical Research Letters - 2007. (PDF file)
  • Cloud microphysics impact on hurricane track as revealed in idealized experiments.
    Fovell, Corbosiero and Kuo - Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences - 2009, in press. (PDF file)
• Some other research topics:
  • Public perceptions of climate change.
    Berk and Fovell - Climatic Change - April, 1999. (Abstract only.)
  • Approximation and inversion of a complex meteorological system via local linear filters.
    Schoenberg et al. - Journal of Applied Meteorology - March, 2001.
    Link goes off-site, opens a PDF file in new window; requires Acrobat.
  • Dynamical controls on the diurnal cycle of temperature in complex topography.
    Hughes et al. - Climate Dynamics - 2007.
    Link goes off-site, opens a PDF file in new window; requires Acrobat.

Dynamics and Thermodynamics Demonstration Model (DTDM):

The DTDM is a very simple, two-dimensional code that can be used to demonstrate concepts relating to gravity waves and buoyancy oscillations, circulations resulting from differential heating, heat and cold sources and cold pools, etc., with potential utility for classroom demonstrations and homeworks. The model is Fortran-based and produces GrADS output. Please read the disclaimer on the DTDM model home page, where the model, example applications and data files may be found.

A&OS C115/C228 - Mesometeorology (Spring, 2009):

Class meetings: Tu Th 11-12:15, in 7121 Math Sciences.

Class web page
Class syllabus (PDF format)
How to use DTDM (PDF document, geared to the rising thermal demonstration.)
Installing and running DTDM and GrADS on MS Windows (PDF document) Installing and running DTDM and GrADS on Mac OS X (PDF document)

A&OS 101 - Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and Thermodynamics (Fall, 2008):

Class meetings: MWF 11-1, in 7124B Math Sciences.

• Course information and syllabus for Winter, 2008
• Link to downloads directory (Look here for homeworks and solutions)
• Stuve thermodynamic diagram (PDF)

A&OS 180/229 - Numerical Modeling (Spring, 2008):

Class meetings: MWF 11-12 in MS 7124B; also F 12-2 in MS 7101.

• Online course information and syllabus (new for Spring 2008). (Click here for syllabus in PDF format.)
• VMO command summary document
• How to use VMO
• Model Task #4 - Dispersion error of the leapfrog scheme.
  The animation on this linked page is about 1.4 Mb, so be prepared for slow loading.
• Model Task #5 - Low resolution simulation of a rising thermal (demonstration animation).
  The figure on this linked page is about 330K.
• Example final modeling projects :
  • Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
    (link to image files and animated GIF)
  • Sea breeze and horizontal convective rolls (animated GIF)

AOS 3/3L - Atmospheric Environment (Last offered: Spring, 2004):

AOS 3 materials for/from class

• Hurricane Isabel radar animation   (WARNING: 3.9MB animated GIF)
• Supercell storm animations showing:
  • cloud mass   (1.7MB animated GIF)
  • core updraft   (1.3MB animated GIF)
  • apparent tornadic development   (WARNING: 5MB QuickTime movie)
  • click here for more convection animations
• CO2, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations over the last millennium   (20KB GIF, source: IPCC)
• The Antarctic ozone hole
• Notes on the standard atmosphere   (PDF file)
• Summertime sea- and land-breeze example 260 KB PDF
• Santa Ana winds example 28 KB GIF
• The green flash Link goes off-site, opens new window
• Theory of color perception   Link opens new window
• Response functions for human eye cones   (JPG image)
• Notes on lapse rates and air parcels   (PDF file)
• Notes on saturation   (PDF file)
• Notes on soundings and air parcel ascent   (1.6 MB PDF file)
• Mojave cloud time lapse movie   774 Kb QuickTime movie
• Radar animation of a severe cloud (squall) line   344 Kb QuickTime mo vie
• Slides from cloud presentation   (WARNING - 5.2 MB PDF)
• Notes on fogs   64 KB PDF
• More moisture examples   42 KB PDF
• Coriolis force: notes from lecture   66 KB PDF
• Coriolis force: an alternate explanation   44 KB PDF
• NASA satellite picture
• Slides from polar front theory presentation   (776 KB PDF)

• Midwestern drought and flood
• Hurricane Andrew
• 10 April 2003 radar animation 1 Mb animated GIF
• Florida sea-breeze and convection movie 2 MB QuickTime movie

Some demonstration simulations and animations: last updated June, 2001

Some of these links are redundant

• Simulation of the summer sea/land breeze in the Los Angeles area Employs the MM5 mesoscale model
• Simulation of Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles area Employs the MM5 mesoscale model
• Simulations of hydraulic jumps Made with the University of Oklahoma ARPS model
• Kelvin-Helmholtz instability Uses the AS 180 compressible model
  
• Animation of convectively generated stratospheric gravity waves. Made with the ARPS model; 736K image file
• Some additional animations and simulations of storms and related phenomena

A Java-based Numerical Simulation Model last updated November, 2001

• A two-dimensional compressible numerical simulation of a rising, buoyant thermal, implemented as an interactive Java applet.
  Requires a Java-capable browser.
• A list of other interesting java animations/demonstrations I've found.

Tools: last updated 2007

• Running WRF versions 2 and 3 on Mac OS X
• WRF on Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Intel and Solaris - compiling and running notes obsolete
• My WRF demo/tutorial PPT file (For version 2.2)
• WRF notes for Linux (obsolete now)
• MM5 Version 3 on Mac OS X - code and instructions
• How to make animated GIFs from NCAR graphics images
• How to use SAS (Statistical Analysis System)
• NCAR Graphics (C/Fortran) contour plotting examples

Old stuff:

• AS C162/C213 - Statistics in Atmospheric Sciences (Fall, 1998)

Digital photographs of the night-blooming cereus, a spectacular cactus flower.

My UCLA index page.
Some recent media links

The banner picture at top shows Mt. Rainier, in Washington state.