Project Grant 2231229

This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050), provides $562,097 to Northwest Research Associates, Inc. to advance understanding of atmospheric energetics and the vertical variation of energy dissipation near the surface. Specifically, the awardee will conduct field experiments to directly observe non-hydrostatic energy transfer and dissipation processes. They will also investigate hydrostatic imbalance in environmental energy partitioning between kinetic and thermal energy, as well as dissipation, as a function of height and stability. Finally, the awardee will continue developing a one-dimensional model to validate theoretical understanding of atmospheric energetics and momentum/mass conservation compared to observations. Results will improve weather and climate models and severe weather forecasting by resolving the mystery of the observed surface energy imbalance. The award period is January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025.