Descending Reflectivity Core (DRC) Research Page
Introduction
Welcome to the home of Aaron Kennedy's DRC research. While I am now a Ph.D student at the U. of North Dakota, much of the material on this page was the result of work completed for my M.S. thesis. This degree was obtained at the U. of Oklahoma under my advisors Drs. Jerry Straka and Erik Rasmussen. In my spare time, I am continuing this work to also include the general observations of the 3-D evolution of reflectivity in supercells.
The purpose of the page is to provide the latest and greatest results on this subject. Included on this page will be various papers (both submitted and accepted), enhanced resolution figures, and generalized findings for those short on time. Also provided will be additional cases of DRC and other 3-D reflectivity features associated with supercells. With the advent of affordable and visually pleasing 3-D radar viewing software (Gibson Ridge), it is hoped that some of the content contained on this page will help operational meteorologists and weather junkies alike to understand what they are viewing in real-time.
If you have any questions about the DRC, please feel free to contact me. My email is aaron.kennedy @ und.nodak.edu
All about the DRC
Presented on the following pages are nonformal essays about DRCs. This section is a constant work in progress and contains generalized findings from both completed and preliminary work.
Section 1: Background (ONLINE! 1/6/07)Section 2: Background - What is the DRC? (ONLINE! 1/16/07)
Section 3: Frequency in supercells and relationship to tornadoes(coming soon - summer)
Section 4: Hypotheses for formation(coming soon - summer)
Section 5: Visual Observations of DRCs(coming soon - summer)
Section 6: What remains unanswered and future work.(coming soon - summer)
Individual Cases
Coming Soon!
Completed Work
Published
December 2006 - Weather and Forecasting
A Preliminary Survey of Rear-Flank Descending Reflectivity Cores in Supercell Storms
By: Rassmussen, Straka, Gilmore, and Davies-Jones
Preprints, Submitted Papers, Posters, Etc.
November 2006 - 23rd Severe and Local Storm Conference
The Existence of Descending Reflectivity Cores in Rear-flank Appendages of Supercells (poster)
By: Kennedy, Straka, and Rasmussen
November 2006 - Submitted to EJSSM
A Visual Observation of the 6 June 2005 Descending Reflectivity Core
By: Kennedy, Rassmussen, and Straka
October 2006 - Submitted to WAF
A Characterization of Descending Reflectivity Cores in Supercells
By: Kennedy, Straka, and Rassmussen
Presentation 4/24/07 - 11th. Convective Workshop (Grand Forks, ND)
Are DRCs Operationally Feasible for Tornado Nowcasting?
By: Kennedy
Assorted figures
Additional cases: Coming soon!