Kevin Kloesel | University of Oklahoma (original) (raw)
Papers by Kevin Kloesel
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 1992
On 10 September 1923, the first research aircraft flight to investigate marine stratocumulus clou... more On 10 September 1923, the first research aircraft flight to investigate marine stratocumulus clouds took place. As we approach the 70th anniversary of this historic flight, it is important to look back at what we have learned from the field experiments designed to study these clouds, both in cloud-data analysis and in field-experiment methodology. In this note, marine stratus and stratocumulus field experiments conducted off the coast of California are reviewed.
The Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), a National Science Founda... more The Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, is creating a new type of weather observation system featuring networks of low-power, low-cost radars that adaptively and collaboratively collect high resolution data in the lowest 3 km of the atmosphere, a region which is under sampled by current technology. These radar networks have the potential to improve our ability to observe, understand, forecast, and respond to weather hazards. Called Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks, these systems will map wind, rain, and thermodynamic variables in the lower troposphere, supplying real-time, dynamic data to decision makers, such as National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters and emergency managers, based on their information needs. Unlike current radar systems that “push” the same data out to all users, DCAS systems feature a data “pull” where user needs drive the operation of the radar ...
2005 Annual Conference Proceedings
During the summer of 2004, twenty-two science teachers from four states and Puerto Rico came to t... more During the summer of 2004, twenty-two science teachers from four states and Puerto Rico came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a weeklong content institute to learn about an innovative new approach to severe weather tracking and prediction. Over the course of the week, the teachers learned about electronics, networking, radar, meteorology, and complex engineered systems. They also learned about diversity and grant writing, and gained familiarity with the Massachusetts science frameworks, one of the first state frameworks in the country to include engineering as a core focus. The summer content institute was sponsored by CASA, the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere. CASA is developing a distributed network of small, low-cost radars and other sensors designed to observe weather phenomena in the lower part of the atmosphere. This new sensing system will allow for better observation, tracking, and prediction of severe weather events than current weather radar systems. CASA is a complex, multidisciplinary project involving engineering, meteorology, computer science, and sociology. This complexity was reflected in the challenges of teaching content from all of these disciplines in a weeklong summer workshop designed for middle school science teachers. Participants in CASA include four core academic institutions along with dozens of educational and industry partners. Nine people from the four core universities taught the course, which presented another set of challenges. Pre/Post tests and course evaluations indicated that despite the breadth of the course, the participating teachers were able to understand the content and had many ideas how to use the knowledge that they acquired in the content institute in their elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Collaboration among teachers from different states was encouraged during the week that the teachers were together, and the end of the course saw several exciting plans for cooperative projects in the future. Follow-up activities included developing a CD and web-based archive of the course, and the teachers returning to the University of Massachusetts to present on the projects they developed.
2008 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
He has many years of experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer, and assistant professor. Since... more He has many years of experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer, and assistant professor. Since January of 1993, he has taught many students in various laboratories and lecture courses, culminating in approximately 13 years of teaching experience. For the 1999-00 academic year, he received the Outstanding Professor Award, given by the Texas A&M student chapters of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu, and IBM in Austin. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of customized embedded DSP systems and digital signal processing as applied to radar signal processing, image processing, adaptive filter design, and real-time systems. His applied signal processing contributions are many, and include the design an all-digital system-on-a-chip scheme for a Ka band radar and various target tracking algorithm developments for phased array systems.
Long-range water planning is complicated by factors that are rapidly changing in the 21 st centur... more Long-range water planning is complicated by factors that are rapidly changing in the 21 st century, including climate, population, and water use. Here, we analyze climate factors and drought projections for Texas as an example of a diverse society straddling an aridity gradient to examine how the projections can best serve water stakeholder needs. We find that climate models are robust in projecting drying of summer-season soil moisture and decreasing reservoir supplies for both the eastern and western portions of Texas during the 21 st century. Further, projections indicate drier conditions during the latter half of the 21 st century than even the most arid centuries of the last 1,000 years that included megadroughts. To illustrate how accounting for drought non-stationarity may increase water resiliency, we consider generalized case studies involving four key stakeholder groups: agricultural producers, large surface water suppliers, small groundwater management districts, and regional water planning districts. We also examine an example of customized climate information being used as input to long-range water planning. We find that while stakeholders value the quantitative capability of climate model outputs, more specific climate-related information better supports resilience planning across multiple stakeholder groups. New suites of tools could provide necessary capacity for both short and long-term, stakeholder-specific adaptive planning.
ABSTRACT The mean and turbulent structure of marine stratocumulus clouds is defined from data tha... more ABSTRACT The mean and turbulent structure of marine stratocumulus clouds is defined from data that were collected from 10 flights made with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Electra during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE). The number of cases sampled is sufficiently large that researchers can compare the boundary layer structure obtained (1) for solid and broken cloud conditions, (2) for light and strong surface wind conditions, (3) for different sea-surface temperatures, and (4) on day and night flights. Researchers will describe the cloud and synoptic conditions present at the time of the Electra flights and show how those flights were coordinated with the operations of other aircraft and with satellite overpasses. Mean thermodynamic and wind profiles and the heat, moisture, and momentum fluxes obtained from data collected during these flights will be compared. Variations in the cloud-top structure will be quantified using LIDAR data collected during several of the Electra flights. The spatial structure of cloud-top height and the cloud-base height will be compared with the turbulent structure in the boundary layer as defined by spectra and cospectra of the wind, temperature, and moisture.
Every day in the news it seems like there are more and more stories about record-breaking weather... more Every day in the news it seems like there are more and more stories about record-breaking weather. Kevin Kloesel is a Texas Ex and Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, working right in the heart of Tornado Alley. He will talk about the science behind extreme weather events such as tornadoes and super storms, and how meteorologists deal with uncertainty in their forecasts. His talk will include demonstrations of extreme weather phenomena, and comparisons between shooting three-point baskets and climate change.
Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University. Library holds archival microfiche negative and serv... more Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University. Library holds archival microfiche negative and service copy,
Data from the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment... more Data from the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) were combined with NOAA synoptic products, a trajectory analysis scheme, and satellite imagery to document the existence and causes of layers of air characterized by high ozone concentrations and low specific humidity values, and layers of air characterized by high specific humidity values and low ozone concentrations, above the marine stratocumulus cloud regime off the coast of California. The ozone concentrations and specific humidity values observed were larger than those expected in the region just above the subsidence inversion off the California coast. In addition, the data mentioned above were used to study the periodic clearing of large regions of marine stratocumulus observed during FIRE. The layers with high ozone concentrations appear to be extruded from the lower stratosphere in regions where the tropopause is folded. The layers with high specific humidity values resu...
Currently the National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking proposals to communicate NSF- funded r... more Currently the National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking proposals to communicate NSF- funded research programs to public audiences. The American public generally supports government funded scientific research. However, despite their favorable attitude, Americans are scientifically illiterate. Weather radar is one of the most important tools for both forecasting and meteorological research. It is also a useful tool for the public. It is crucial the public understands at least some of what is being accomplished in regards to weather radar research because one informed decision during a hazardous weather event may mean the difference between life and death. A proposal was written to use video and web-based material to teach the public about weather radar research, past and present. A literature review was conducted across multiple disciplines prior to constructing the proposal in order to determine the most effective way to teach the public about weather radar. In addition, a survey...
When was the last time you visited a K-12 classroom? For most scientists, the answer is within th... more When was the last time you visited a K-12 classroom? For most scientists, the answer is within the last year. The reason -your child drags you out for show-and-tell during the annual career fair day or oral report on, "My mom is a meteorologist." While these isolated events help to provide students the opportunity to ask about different careers, these rarely impact student learning.
Monthly Weather Review, 1989
... Kevin A. Kloesel and Bruce A. Albrecht The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteo... more ... Kevin A. Kloesel and Bruce A. Albrecht The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteorology, University Park, Pennsylvania. Abstract. ... CrossRef. David J. Raymond, GB Raga, Christopher S. Bretherton, John Molinari, Carlos López-Carrillo, Željka Fuchs. ...
Many of the techniques that have been developed for lake-effect snow forecasting have been design... more Many of the techniques that have been developed for lake-effect snow forecasting have been designed for regions where lake-effect snow is common, such as western Michigan and upstate New York. In this paper forecasting parameters developed by the NWS forecast offices in Buffalo and Detroit are applied to lake-effect snow cases on the west side of Lake Michigan to see if the parameters accurately depict conditions that are favorable for lake-effect snow development. North American Mesoscale (NAM) and Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model data at two points near Chicago and Milwaukee are used in the evaluation. Northeast and north-northeast 850 mb and 925 mb winds are found to be common to lake-effect snow events in this region. In addition, the minimum -13°C temperature difference between 850 mb and the lake surface is present during most of the lake-effect snow cases. Low directional wind shear between the surface and 850 mb is also present, but is not an absolute requirement for lake-effe...
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 1992
On 10 September 1923, the first research aircraft flight to investigate marine stratocumulus clou... more On 10 September 1923, the first research aircraft flight to investigate marine stratocumulus clouds took place. As we approach the 70th anniversary of this historic flight, it is important to look back at what we have learned from the field experiments designed to study these clouds, both in cloud-data analysis and in field-experiment methodology. In this note, marine stratus and stratocumulus field experiments conducted off the coast of California are reviewed.
The Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), a National Science Founda... more The Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, is creating a new type of weather observation system featuring networks of low-power, low-cost radars that adaptively and collaboratively collect high resolution data in the lowest 3 km of the atmosphere, a region which is under sampled by current technology. These radar networks have the potential to improve our ability to observe, understand, forecast, and respond to weather hazards. Called Distributed Collaborative Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) networks, these systems will map wind, rain, and thermodynamic variables in the lower troposphere, supplying real-time, dynamic data to decision makers, such as National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters and emergency managers, based on their information needs. Unlike current radar systems that “push” the same data out to all users, DCAS systems feature a data “pull” where user needs drive the operation of the radar ...
2005 Annual Conference Proceedings
During the summer of 2004, twenty-two science teachers from four states and Puerto Rico came to t... more During the summer of 2004, twenty-two science teachers from four states and Puerto Rico came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a weeklong content institute to learn about an innovative new approach to severe weather tracking and prediction. Over the course of the week, the teachers learned about electronics, networking, radar, meteorology, and complex engineered systems. They also learned about diversity and grant writing, and gained familiarity with the Massachusetts science frameworks, one of the first state frameworks in the country to include engineering as a core focus. The summer content institute was sponsored by CASA, the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere. CASA is developing a distributed network of small, low-cost radars and other sensors designed to observe weather phenomena in the lower part of the atmosphere. This new sensing system will allow for better observation, tracking, and prediction of severe weather events than current weather radar systems. CASA is a complex, multidisciplinary project involving engineering, meteorology, computer science, and sociology. This complexity was reflected in the challenges of teaching content from all of these disciplines in a weeklong summer workshop designed for middle school science teachers. Participants in CASA include four core academic institutions along with dozens of educational and industry partners. Nine people from the four core universities taught the course, which presented another set of challenges. Pre/Post tests and course evaluations indicated that despite the breadth of the course, the participating teachers were able to understand the content and had many ideas how to use the knowledge that they acquired in the content institute in their elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Collaboration among teachers from different states was encouraged during the week that the teachers were together, and the end of the course saw several exciting plans for cooperative projects in the future. Follow-up activities included developing a CD and web-based archive of the course, and the teachers returning to the University of Massachusetts to present on the projects they developed.
2008 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
He has many years of experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer, and assistant professor. Since... more He has many years of experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer, and assistant professor. Since January of 1993, he has taught many students in various laboratories and lecture courses, culminating in approximately 13 years of teaching experience. For the 1999-00 academic year, he received the Outstanding Professor Award, given by the Texas A&M student chapters of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu, and IBM in Austin. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of customized embedded DSP systems and digital signal processing as applied to radar signal processing, image processing, adaptive filter design, and real-time systems. His applied signal processing contributions are many, and include the design an all-digital system-on-a-chip scheme for a Ka band radar and various target tracking algorithm developments for phased array systems.
Long-range water planning is complicated by factors that are rapidly changing in the 21 st centur... more Long-range water planning is complicated by factors that are rapidly changing in the 21 st century, including climate, population, and water use. Here, we analyze climate factors and drought projections for Texas as an example of a diverse society straddling an aridity gradient to examine how the projections can best serve water stakeholder needs. We find that climate models are robust in projecting drying of summer-season soil moisture and decreasing reservoir supplies for both the eastern and western portions of Texas during the 21 st century. Further, projections indicate drier conditions during the latter half of the 21 st century than even the most arid centuries of the last 1,000 years that included megadroughts. To illustrate how accounting for drought non-stationarity may increase water resiliency, we consider generalized case studies involving four key stakeholder groups: agricultural producers, large surface water suppliers, small groundwater management districts, and regional water planning districts. We also examine an example of customized climate information being used as input to long-range water planning. We find that while stakeholders value the quantitative capability of climate model outputs, more specific climate-related information better supports resilience planning across multiple stakeholder groups. New suites of tools could provide necessary capacity for both short and long-term, stakeholder-specific adaptive planning.
ABSTRACT The mean and turbulent structure of marine stratocumulus clouds is defined from data tha... more ABSTRACT The mean and turbulent structure of marine stratocumulus clouds is defined from data that were collected from 10 flights made with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Electra during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE). The number of cases sampled is sufficiently large that researchers can compare the boundary layer structure obtained (1) for solid and broken cloud conditions, (2) for light and strong surface wind conditions, (3) for different sea-surface temperatures, and (4) on day and night flights. Researchers will describe the cloud and synoptic conditions present at the time of the Electra flights and show how those flights were coordinated with the operations of other aircraft and with satellite overpasses. Mean thermodynamic and wind profiles and the heat, moisture, and momentum fluxes obtained from data collected during these flights will be compared. Variations in the cloud-top structure will be quantified using LIDAR data collected during several of the Electra flights. The spatial structure of cloud-top height and the cloud-base height will be compared with the turbulent structure in the boundary layer as defined by spectra and cospectra of the wind, temperature, and moisture.
Every day in the news it seems like there are more and more stories about record-breaking weather... more Every day in the news it seems like there are more and more stories about record-breaking weather. Kevin Kloesel is a Texas Ex and Director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, working right in the heart of Tornado Alley. He will talk about the science behind extreme weather events such as tornadoes and super storms, and how meteorologists deal with uncertainty in their forecasts. His talk will include demonstrations of extreme weather phenomena, and comparisons between shooting three-point baskets and climate change.
Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University. Library holds archival microfiche negative and serv... more Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University. Library holds archival microfiche negative and service copy,
Data from the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment... more Data from the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment (FIRE) were combined with NOAA synoptic products, a trajectory analysis scheme, and satellite imagery to document the existence and causes of layers of air characterized by high ozone concentrations and low specific humidity values, and layers of air characterized by high specific humidity values and low ozone concentrations, above the marine stratocumulus cloud regime off the coast of California. The ozone concentrations and specific humidity values observed were larger than those expected in the region just above the subsidence inversion off the California coast. In addition, the data mentioned above were used to study the periodic clearing of large regions of marine stratocumulus observed during FIRE. The layers with high ozone concentrations appear to be extruded from the lower stratosphere in regions where the tropopause is folded. The layers with high specific humidity values resu...
Currently the National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking proposals to communicate NSF- funded r... more Currently the National Science Foundation (NSF) is seeking proposals to communicate NSF- funded research programs to public audiences. The American public generally supports government funded scientific research. However, despite their favorable attitude, Americans are scientifically illiterate. Weather radar is one of the most important tools for both forecasting and meteorological research. It is also a useful tool for the public. It is crucial the public understands at least some of what is being accomplished in regards to weather radar research because one informed decision during a hazardous weather event may mean the difference between life and death. A proposal was written to use video and web-based material to teach the public about weather radar research, past and present. A literature review was conducted across multiple disciplines prior to constructing the proposal in order to determine the most effective way to teach the public about weather radar. In addition, a survey...
When was the last time you visited a K-12 classroom? For most scientists, the answer is within th... more When was the last time you visited a K-12 classroom? For most scientists, the answer is within the last year. The reason -your child drags you out for show-and-tell during the annual career fair day or oral report on, "My mom is a meteorologist." While these isolated events help to provide students the opportunity to ask about different careers, these rarely impact student learning.
Monthly Weather Review, 1989
... Kevin A. Kloesel and Bruce A. Albrecht The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteo... more ... Kevin A. Kloesel and Bruce A. Albrecht The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Meteorology, University Park, Pennsylvania. Abstract. ... CrossRef. David J. Raymond, GB Raga, Christopher S. Bretherton, John Molinari, Carlos López-Carrillo, Željka Fuchs. ...
Many of the techniques that have been developed for lake-effect snow forecasting have been design... more Many of the techniques that have been developed for lake-effect snow forecasting have been designed for regions where lake-effect snow is common, such as western Michigan and upstate New York. In this paper forecasting parameters developed by the NWS forecast offices in Buffalo and Detroit are applied to lake-effect snow cases on the west side of Lake Michigan to see if the parameters accurately depict conditions that are favorable for lake-effect snow development. North American Mesoscale (NAM) and Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model data at two points near Chicago and Milwaukee are used in the evaluation. Northeast and north-northeast 850 mb and 925 mb winds are found to be common to lake-effect snow events in this region. In addition, the minimum -13°C temperature difference between 850 mb and the lake surface is present during most of the lake-effect snow cases. Low directional wind shear between the surface and 850 mb is also present, but is not an absolute requirement for lake-effe...