Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Andrew McGann]

More on streamline maps...

I'm not sure if this site has been advertised on this list, but since
streamlines have popped up in this conversation, my favorite analysis site
for these produces is coolwx.com.

Here's a link to the site's section on surface streamlines.
http://coolwx.com/cgi-bin/getanalysis.cgi?region=na=current=stream
The site doesn't have archives, but you can get hourly models for the
preceding 24 hours. Also, if you check out the panel on the left side, you
can get streamlines for North America, the Lower 48, and any individual
state. Clicking on the generated images produces an much larger image, which
greatly help to read the "busier" maps. e.g.
http://coolwx.com/analysis/surface/current/stream.us-large.png

Lastly & perhaps most significantly, surface wind velocity is displayed
as colored-shaded areas underlaying the streamlines. (Bryan, was this what
you were imagining in adding wind speeds to your streamline maps?)

I greatly enjoy the meteorological threads on this list; this stuff is
really not my forte and I'm trying to be a sponge and soak it up!

Andy


On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 1:09 PM, David La Puma  wrote:

> Bryan et al-
>
> Thanks for the links!
>
> Has anyone seen this yet? http://soar.ou.edu
> Jeff Buler at U Del is doing some great radar ornithology work and passed
> this link onto me. It's great to see the atmospheric folks getting into the
> biological side of things; what started out as just "noise" has turned into
> something much more interesting, I think. Anyway, the SOAR website is great
> for screening nights for migration and looking at things at the national
> scale (although you can zoom in locally too!). Give it a whirl- and with
> that, I will refrain from further hijacking of the NFC list with radar posts
> ;)
>
> Cheers
>
> David
>
> On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Bryan Guarente wrote:
>
>> David and others,
>> You were asking about where to get archived soundings/wind data.  There is
>> a lovely archive at the University of Wyoming's website here:
>>
>> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html
>>
>> and equivalent archived upper-air maps here:
>>
>> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/uamap.html
>>
>> and real-time profiler data here (only found over the Great Plains):
>>
>> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/profiler/
>>
>> From there you can select an image type (stuve or skew-t is likely
>> preferred, but hodographs are available as well if that is what you know how
>> to read).  Then select the date and time (remember it is all in UTC) and
>> then a location.  There are soundings here for all over the globe, so this
>> isn't a bad site to have on hand for investigating other sites outside the
>> US.  You don't need to know the number of the sounding station, you can just
>> click on it on the map.  If you select stuve or skew-t the winds will be up
>> the right side and those correspond to the heights and pressures listed on
>> the left side of the chart.
>>
>> Here are the soundings from Omaha, NE and North Platte, NE for the closest
>> times to Bill's original observations.  Note the significant difference in
>> winds in the low levels.  Omaha shows a strong north-northwest wind, while
>> North Platte shows a highly variable wind direction and light winds at low
>> levels.  This suggests exactly what David and others have theorized about.
>>
>> Omaha: *http://tinyurl.com/3nbtoyv*
>> North Platte: *http://tinyurl.com/3gwtu48*
>>
>> Another way to look at this, although not observations is to look at the
>> streamlines from recent model output.  I plot streamlines on my website
>> here:
>>
>> http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/~guarente/birdweather/stream.htm
>>
>> I unfortunately have not set up an archive yet for my site due to space
>> limitations, but I might be able to rerun that date to show the effects seen
>> in the soundings and on radar if anyone wants to see it.  This kind of
>> pattern often happens with the passage of weak fronts.  The winds start to
>> either turn around quickly due to local effects or the winds are so weak
>> behind the front that migration can easily occur even in the face of a
>> northwest wind albeit light.
>>
>> (opinion) I personally think that most bird migration discussions focus a
>> lot on long distance migration nights more than they focus on those
>> localized events that can sweep out all the recent migrants from a small
>> area or those that bring in a small push of birds very close behind a front
>> despite the winds being out of the wrong direction.
>>
>> For this reason, I am contemplating adding winds speeds to my streamlines
>> maps, but it is currently unclear to me the best way to visualize this from
>> model data because the winds are so variable that the map gets way too
>> complicated for most individuals to read.  I might do some averaging to get
>> a broader look at the winds, but there are some hits taken by doing that.
>> We'll see 

ADMIN: RE: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Chris Tessaglia-Hymes]

David, and others,

 

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From: bounce-24911446-9327...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-24911446-9327...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of David La Puma
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 1:10 PM
To: NFC-L
Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

 

Bryan et al-

Thanks for the links!

Has anyone seen this yet? http://soar.ou.edu <http://soar.ou.edu/> 
Jeff Buler at U Del is doing some great radar ornithology work and passed
this link onto me. It's great to see the atmospheric folks getting into the
biological side of things; what started out as just "noise" has turned into
something much more interesting, I think. Anyway, the SOAR website is great
for screening nights for migration and looking at things at the national
scale (although you can zoom in locally too!). Give it a whirl- and with
that, I will refrain from further hijacking of the NFC list with radar posts
;)

Cheers

David 

On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Bryan Guarente  wrote:

David and others,
You were asking about where to get archived soundings/wind data.  There is a
lovely archive at the University of Wyoming's website here: 

http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html

and equivalent archived upper-air maps here:

http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/uamap.html

and real-time profiler data here (only found over the Great Plains):

http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/profiler/

>From there you can select an image type (stuve or skew-t is likely
preferred, but hodographs are available as well if that is what you know how
to read).  Then select the date and time (remember it is all in UTC) and
then a location.  There are soundings here for all over the globe, so this
isn't a bad site to have on hand for investigating other sites outside the
US.  You don't need to know the number of the sounding station, you can just
click on it on the map.  If you select stuve or skew-t the winds will be up
the right side and those correspond to the heights and pressures listed on
the left side of the chart.

Here are the soundings from Omaha, NE and North Platte, NE for the closest
times to Bill's original observations.  Note the significant difference in
winds in the low levels.  Omaha shows a strong north-northwest wind, while
North Platte shows a highly variable wind direction and light winds at low
levels.  This suggests exactly what David and others have theorized about.  

Omaha: http://tinyurl.com/3nbtoyv
North Platte: http://tinyurl.com/3gwtu48

Another way to look at this, although not observations is to look at the
streamlines from recent model output.  I plot streamlines on my website
here:

http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/~guarente/birdweather/stream.htm
<http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/%7Eguarente/birdweather/stream.htm> 

I unfortunately have not set up an archive yet for my site due to space
limitations, but I might be able to rerun that date to show the effects seen
in the soundings and on radar if anyone wants to see it.  This kind of
pattern often happens with the passage of weak fronts.  The winds start to
either turn around quickly due to local effects or the winds are so weak
behind the front that migration can easily occur even in the face of a
northwest wind albeit light.

(opinion) I personally think that mo

Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[David La Puma]

Bryan et al-

Thanks for the links!

Has anyone seen this yet? http://soar.ou.edu
Jeff Buler at U Del is doing some great radar ornithology work and passed
this link onto me. It's great to see the atmospheric folks getting into the
biological side of things; what started out as just "noise" has turned into
something much more interesting, I think. Anyway, the SOAR website is great
for screening nights for migration and looking at things at the national
scale (although you can zoom in locally too!). Give it a whirl- and with
that, I will refrain from further hijacking of the NFC list with radar posts
;)

Cheers

David

On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Bryan Guarente  wrote:

> David and others,
> You were asking about where to get archived soundings/wind data.  There is
> a lovely archive at the University of Wyoming's website here:
>
> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html
>
> and equivalent archived upper-air maps here:
>
> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/uamap.html
>
> and real-time profiler data here (only found over the Great Plains):
>
> http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/profiler/
>
> From there you can select an image type (stuve or skew-t is likely
> preferred, but hodographs are available as well if that is what you know how
> to read).  Then select the date and time (remember it is all in UTC) and
> then a location.  There are soundings here for all over the globe, so this
> isn't a bad site to have on hand for investigating other sites outside the
> US.  You don't need to know the number of the sounding station, you can just
> click on it on the map.  If you select stuve or skew-t the winds will be up
> the right side and those correspond to the heights and pressures listed on
> the left side of the chart.
>
> Here are the soundings from Omaha, NE and North Platte, NE for the closest
> times to Bill's original observations.  Note the significant difference in
> winds in the low levels.  Omaha shows a strong north-northwest wind, while
> North Platte shows a highly variable wind direction and light winds at low
> levels.  This suggests exactly what David and others have theorized about.
>
> Omaha: *http://tinyurl.com/3nbtoyv*
> North Platte: *http://tinyurl.com/3gwtu48*
>
> Another way to look at this, although not observations is to look at the
> streamlines from recent model output.  I plot streamlines on my website
> here:
>
> http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/~guarente/birdweather/stream.htm
>
> I unfortunately have not set up an archive yet for my site due to space
> limitations, but I might be able to rerun that date to show the effects seen
> in the soundings and on radar if anyone wants to see it.  This kind of
> pattern often happens with the passage of weak fronts.  The winds start to
> either turn around quickly due to local effects or the winds are so weak
> behind the front that migration can easily occur even in the face of a
> northwest wind albeit light.
>
> (opinion) I personally think that most bird migration discussions focus a
> lot on long distance migration nights more than they focus on those
> localized events that can sweep out all the recent migrants from a small
> area or those that bring in a small push of birds very close behind a front
> despite the winds being out of the wrong direction.
>
> For this reason, I am contemplating adding winds speeds to my streamlines
> maps, but it is currently unclear to me the best way to visualize this from
> model data because the winds are so variable that the map gets way too
> complicated for most individuals to read.  I might do some averaging to get
> a broader look at the winds, but there are some hits taken by doing that.
> We'll see what I can pull off sometime with my extra time.
>
> Bryan Guarente
> Instructional Designer
> The COMET Program
> University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
> Boulder, CO
> --
> *NFC-L List Info:*
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Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Bryan Guarente]

David and others,
You were asking about where to get archived soundings/wind data.  There is a 
lovely archive at the University of Wyoming's website here: 


http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html

and equivalent archived upper-air maps here:

http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/uamap.html

and real-time profiler data here (only found over the Great Plains):

http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/profiler/

>From there you can select an image type (stuve or skew-t is likely preferred, 
but hodographs are available as well if that is what you know how to read).  
Then select the date and time (remember it is all in UTC) and then a location.  
There are soundings here for all over the globe, so this isn't a bad site to 
have on hand for investigating other sites outside the US.  You don't need to 
know the number of the sounding station, you can just click on it on the map.  
If you select stuve or skew-t the winds will be up the right side and those 
correspond to the heights and pressures listed on the left side of the chart.

Here are the soundings from Omaha, NE and North Platte, NE for the closest 
times 
to Bill's original observations.  Note the significant difference in winds in 
the low levels.  Omaha shows a strong north-northwest wind, while North Platte 
shows a highly variable wind direction and light winds at low levels.  This 
suggests exactly what David and others have theorized about.  


Omaha: http://tinyurl.com/3nbtoyv
North Platte: http://tinyurl.com/3gwtu48

Another way to look at this, although not observations is to look at the 
streamlines from recent model output.  I plot streamlines on my website here:

http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/~guarente/birdweather/stream.htm

I unfortunately have not set up an archive yet for my site due to space 
limitations, but I might be able to rerun that date to show the effects seen in 
the soundings and on radar if anyone wants to see it.  This kind of pattern 
often happens with the passage of weak fronts.  The winds start to either turn 
around quickly due to local effects or the winds are so weak behind the front 
that migration can easily occur even in the face of a northwest wind albeit 
light.

(opinion) I personally think that most bird migration discussions focus a lot 
on 
long distance migration nights more than they focus on those localized events 
that can sweep out all the recent migrants from a small area or those that 
bring 
in a small push of birds very close behind a front despite the winds being out 
of the wrong direction.  


For this reason, I am contemplating adding winds speeds to my streamlines maps, 
but it is currently unclear to me the best way to visualize this from model 
data 
because the winds are so variable that the map gets way too complicated for 
most 
individuals to read.  I might do some averaging to get a broader look at the 
winds, but there are some hits taken by doing that.  We'll see what I can pull 
off sometime with my extra time.

Bryan Guarente
Instructional Designer
The COMET Program
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, CO
--

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ARCHIVES:
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/

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Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[David La Puma]

First of all, thanks to Bill for bringing this event to our attention. I
have an east coast bias so I may have overlooked it altogether had he not
mentioned it. So my thoughts after looking at the wind plots for the various
stations in the midwest was that the atmosphere over Nebraska (and to a
lesser extent, Kansas and Colorado) was more suitable for migration than the
surrounding areas. Winds over Nebraska were light (< 5kts?) and northerly,
which is a headwind that most nocturnal migrants can overcome. These
conditions were consistent from the surface to several thousand feet
(according to the radiosonde data from that evening) above ground height. In
contrast, the winds further east toward the frontal boundary were stronger
(15-20kts+) and out of the north (NW, If I remember correctly) which
precluded any migration activity over Iowa, Wisconsin, etc. To the north,
too, the conditions deteriorated quickly with strong westerly winds over SD.
To the south the winds were strong and northerly, as was the case over
Oklahoma and Texas. So in my opinion, the large reflectance values were due
to the local atmospheric conditions combined with the time of year. From our
(David Mizrahi and myself) analysis of New York State data we found tailwind
to be the best explanatory variable in predicting large nocturnal migration
events. We also found that >70% of all birds migrated over the radar between
April 20 and May 28. Furthermore, as we move deeper and deeper into this
date range we see more and more migration occurring on nights that we might
consider "less optimal". This is to be expected, since birds are on a time
budget to reach the breeding grounds. Last year I saw something similar
after several nights of poor migration conditions. Winds were still out of
the southwest, but birds over PA took off anyway and drifted southeast over
NJ before putting down early in the night (apparently not wanting to
continue under these conditions).

Whether the NE birds were small terrestrial birds, larger shorebirds, or
ducks and geese is anyone's guess. Surely the size of the target will affect
the reflectance measured by the radar such that many more small birds will
be required to reach the reflectance value of fewer large ones. That said, I
think we're most likely seeing landbird migration in this image simply based
on timing and the migration history of the central flyway over the last few
weeks (lots of birds in the pipe!)... but without being familiar with birds
of Nebraska, this could be an entirely wrong assumption. Any thoughts?

Thanks again to Bill for the interesting topic!

Cheers

David (a little worn out after staying up most of the night listening to the
flight calling overhead- Thrush-tastic!)

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 9:12 PM, Ethan Duke  wrote:

> I haven't seen the radar for central Missouri. I'm honestly still trying to
> understand how to use it well. We are west of Columbia and East of Kansas
> City on the Missouri River. A large wave of migrants reached our banding
> station today (Daily Total: 90 birds, 28 species). Half of the birds (n=43)
> were Yellow-rumped warblers (MYWA). Productivity increased throughout the
> morning. Preliminary NFC recording screening showed very little pre-sunrise
> activity.
>
> South winds over the weekend brought a smaller wave of migrants (with
> extremely low fat and muscle scores). This latest wave was in a little
> better condition.
>
> Ethan C. Duke, Assistant Director
> Missouri River Bird Observatory
> website: www.mrbo.org
> blog: http://mrbohappenings.blogspot.com/
> 660.886.8788
> 660.886.8788
>
>
>
> On 2 May 2011, at 7:47 PM, Andrew Albright wrote:
>
> > " I can theorize how it might happen,"
> >
> > I would be interested to hear the theories.  Does it have anything to
> > do with this area being the Rainwater Basin area?  It would be late
> > for sandhill cranes.Are the ducks all gone?How about
> > shorebirds? I could be wrong, but compared to back east these areas
> > aren't heavily birded and where they are birded 1,000+ shorebirds can
> > be reported in areas: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEBD.html.
> >
> > But if this is the case, then searching historical records from the
> > same time period should reveal similar findings?
> >
> >
> > On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:55 PM, Bill Evans 
> wrote:
> >> Thanks David, I misunderstood and thought you were talking about bird
> >> movment just after sunset previously.
> >>
> >> Nevertheless, I don't recall seeing such an isolated area of broad-scale
> >> movement before. I can theorize how it might happen, I've just never
> noticed
> >> it.
> >>
> >> Bill
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> - Original Message -
> >

Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Ethan Duke]

I haven't seen the radar for central Missouri. I'm honestly still trying to 
understand how to use it well. We are west of Columbia and East of Kansas City 
on the Missouri River. A large wave of migrants reached our banding station 
today (Daily Total: 90 birds, 28 species). Half of the birds (n=43) were 
Yellow-rumped warblers (MYWA). Productivity increased throughout the morning. 
Preliminary NFC recording screening showed very little pre-sunrise activity.

South winds over the weekend brought a smaller wave of migrants (with extremely 
low fat and muscle scores). This latest wave was in a little better condition.

Ethan C. Duke, Assistant Director
Missouri River Bird Observatory
website: www.mrbo.org
blog: http://mrbohappenings.blogspot.com/
660.886.8788
660.886.8788



On 2 May 2011, at 7:47 PM, Andrew Albright wrote:

> " I can theorize how it might happen,"
> 
> I would be interested to hear the theories.  Does it have anything to
> do with this area being the Rainwater Basin area?  It would be late
> for sandhill cranes.Are the ducks all gone?How about
> shorebirds? I could be wrong, but compared to back east these areas
> aren't heavily birded and where they are birded 1,000+ shorebirds can
> be reported in areas: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEBD.html.
> 
> But if this is the case, then searching historical records from the
> same time period should reveal similar findings?
> 
> 
> On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:55 PM, Bill Evans  wrote:
>> Thanks David, I misunderstood and thought you were talking about bird
>> movment just after sunset previously.
>> 
>> Nevertheless, I don't recall seeing such an isolated area of broad-scale
>> movement before. I can theorize how it might happen, I've just never noticed
>> it.
>> 
>> Bill
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> - Original Message -----
>> From: David La Puma
>> To: Bill Evans
>> Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu
>> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 4:45 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern
>> Bill
>> 
>> That was my point. Clear air isn't an issue. I think the combined
>> reflectivity and velocity suggest bird migration. You ask "what was going
>> on" and my response to that was that the wind conditions were such that
>> migration-ready birds did exactly what you'd expect in the absence of strong
>> opposing winds and precipitation... they migrated. The winds elsewhere
>> around KUEX were stronger and northerly.
>> 
>> cheers
>> 
>> D
>> 
>> On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Bill Evans 
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Chris, David,
>>> 
>>> Thanks for your responses -- but the fact that KUEX was in clear air mode
>>> doesn't solve the mystery for me. Many other midwestern NEXRAD stations were
>>> in clear air mode at 11PM last night. If the reflectivity shown was due to
>>> the clear air setting then one would expect other stations in the region
>>> operating in clear air mode would have shown similar activity. For me this
>>> appears like an unusually localized broad-scale region of biotargets in the
>>> atmosphere -- the NEXRAD stations at North Platte and Valley, NE appear to
>>> be on the periphery, showing less, of whatever activity this was.
>>> 
>>> Bill E
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> - Original Message -
>>> 
>>> From: David La Puma
>>> To: Bill Evans
>>> Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu
>>> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 3:25 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern
>>> After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on
>>> clear-air mode
>>> (here's the inventory color coded by mode:
>>> http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2)
>>> but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based
>>> on the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are
>>> most likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at
>>> 8pm last night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data)
>>> that the winds between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow
>>> migration to occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good
>>> migration conditions during the period when the highest densities of
>>> migrants are likely to fly.
>>> 
>>> If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that
>>> would be cool too!
>>> 
>>> Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar
>>> ornithology wor

Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Andrew Albright]

" I can theorize how it might happen,"

I would be interested to hear the theories.  Does it have anything to
do with this area being the Rainwater Basin area?  It would be late
for sandhill cranes.Are the ducks all gone?How about
shorebirds? I could be wrong, but compared to back east these areas
aren't heavily birded and where they are birded 1,000+ shorebirds can
be reported in areas: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEBD.html.

But if this is the case, then searching historical records from the
same time period should reveal similar findings?


On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:55 PM, Bill Evans  wrote:
> Thanks David, I misunderstood and thought you were talking about bird
> movment just after sunset previously.
>
> Nevertheless, I don't recall seeing such an isolated area of broad-scale
> movement before. I can theorize how it might happen, I've just never noticed
> it.
>
> Bill
>
>
>
> - Original Message -
> From: David La Puma
> To: Bill Evans
> Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu
> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 4:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern
> Bill
>
> That was my point. Clear air isn't an issue. I think the combined
> reflectivity and velocity suggest bird migration. You ask "what was going
> on" and my response to that was that the wind conditions were such that
> migration-ready birds did exactly what you'd expect in the absence of strong
> opposing winds and precipitation... they migrated. The winds elsewhere
> around KUEX were stronger and northerly.
>
> cheers
>
> D
>
> On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Bill Evans 
> wrote:
>>
>> Chris, David,
>>
>> Thanks for your responses -- but the fact that KUEX was in clear air mode
>> doesn't solve the mystery for me. Many other midwestern NEXRAD stations were
>> in clear air mode at 11PM last night. If the reflectivity shown was due to
>> the clear air setting then one would expect other stations in the region
>> operating in clear air mode would have shown similar activity. For me this
>> appears like an unusually localized broad-scale region of biotargets in the
>> atmosphere -- the NEXRAD stations at North Platte and Valley, NE appear to
>> be on the periphery, showing less, of whatever activity this was.
>>
>> Bill E
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> - Original Message -
>>
>> From: David La Puma
>> To: Bill Evans
>> Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu
>> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 3:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern
>> After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on
>> clear-air mode
>> (here's the inventory color coded by mode:
>> http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2)
>> but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based
>> on the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are
>> most likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at
>> 8pm last night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data)
>> that the winds between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow
>> migration to occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good
>> migration conditions during the period when the highest densities of
>> migrants are likely to fly.
>>
>> If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that
>> would be cool too!
>>
>> Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar
>> ornithology work) pointed me to this very cool website: http://soar.ou.edu/
>> where you  can view the unfiltered NEXRAD data back to 2008 (they are
>> working backwards from 2011 to fill in the missing years). Just make sure
>> you're viewing the non-QC'd mosaic to include biological targets.
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> David
>>
>> On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Bill Evans 
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of
>>> a front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one
>>> isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> NFC-L List Info:
>>>
>>> Welcome and Basics
>>>
>>> Rules and Information
>>>
>>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave
>>>
>>> Archives:
>>>
>>> 1) The Mail Archive
>>>
>>> 2) Surfbirds
>>>
>>> 3) BirdingOnThe.Net
>>>
>

Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Bill Evans]

Thanks David, I misunderstood and thought you were talking about bird movment 
just after sunset previously.  

Nevertheless, I don't recall seeing such an isolated area of broad-scale 
movement before. I can theorize how it might happen, I've just never noticed it.

Bill


  - Original Message - 
  From: David La Puma 
  To: Bill Evans 
  Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu 
  Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 4:45 PM
  Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern


  Bill

  That was my point. Clear air isn't an issue. I think the combined 
reflectivity and velocity suggest bird migration. You ask "what was going on" 
and my response to that was that the wind conditions were such that 
migration-ready birds did exactly what you'd expect in the absence of strong 
opposing winds and precipitation... they migrated. The winds elsewhere around 
KUEX were stronger and northerly. 

  cheers

  D


  On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Bill Evans  wrote:

Chris, David,

Thanks for your responses -- but the fact that KUEX was in clear air mode 
doesn't solve the mystery for me. Many other midwestern NEXRAD stations were in 
clear air mode at 11PM last night. If the reflectivity shown was due to the 
clear air setting then one would expect other stations in the region operating 
in clear air mode would have shown similar activity. For me this appears like 
an unusually localized broad-scale region of biotargets in the atmosphere -- 
the NEXRAD stations at North Platte and Valley, NE appear to be on the 
periphery, showing less, of whatever activity this was.

Bill E




- Original Message - 
  From: David La Puma 
  To: Bill Evans 
  Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu 
  Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 3:25 PM
  Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern


  After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on 
clear-air mode
  (here's the inventory color coded by mode: 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2)
  but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based 
on the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are most 
likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at 8pm last 
night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data) that the winds 
between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow migration to 
occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good migration conditions 
during the period when the highest densities of migrants are likely to fly.

  If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that 
would be cool too! 

  Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar 
ornithology work) pointed me to this very cool website: http://soar.ou.edu/  
where you  can view the unfiltered NEXRAD data back to 2008 (they are working 
backwards from 2011 to fill in the missing years). Just make sure you're 
viewing the non-QC'd mosaic to include biological targets.


  Cheers

  David


  On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Bill Evans  
wrote:

Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east 
of a front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one 
isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E


http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
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Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[David La Puma]

Bill

That was my point. Clear air isn't an issue. I think the combined
reflectivity and velocity suggest bird migration. You ask "what was going
on" and my response to that was that the wind conditions were such that
migration-ready birds did exactly what you'd expect in the absence of strong
opposing winds and precipitation... they migrated. The winds elsewhere
around KUEX were stronger and northerly.

cheers

D

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Bill Evans wrote:

>  Chris, David,
>
> Thanks for your responses -- but the fact that KUEX was in clear air mode
> doesn't solve the mystery for me. Many other midwestern NEXRAD stations were
> in clear air mode at 11PM last night. If the reflectivity shown was due to
> the clear air setting then one would expect other stations in the region
> operating in clear air mode would have shown similar activity. For me this
> appears like an unusually localized broad-scale region of biotargets in the
> atmosphere -- the NEXRAD stations at North Platte and Valley, NE appear to
> be on the periphery, showing less, of whatever activity this was.
>
> Bill E
>
>
>
>
> - Original Message -
>
> *From:* David La Puma 
> *To:* Bill Evans 
> *Cc:* NFC-L@cornell.edu
> *Sent:* Monday, May 02, 2011 3:25 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern
>
> After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on
> clear-air mode
> (here's the inventory color coded by mode:
> http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2
> )
> but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based
> on the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are
> most likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at
> 8pm last night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data)
> that the winds between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow
> migration to occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good
> migration conditions during the period when the highest densities of
> migrants are likely to fly.
>
> If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that
> would be cool too!
>
> Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar
> ornithology work) pointed me to this very cool website:
> http://soar.ou.edu/  where you  can view the unfiltered NEXRAD data back
> to 2008 (they are working backwards from 2011 to fill in the missing years).
> Just make sure you're viewing the non-QC'd mosaic to include biological
> targets.
>
>
> Cheers
>
> David
>
> On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Bill Evans wrote:
>
>>  Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of
>> a front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one
>> isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E
>>
>>
>> http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
>>
>> --
>>
>> *NFC-L List Info:*
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Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Bill Evans]

Chris, David,

Thanks for your responses -- but the fact that KUEX was in clear air mode 
doesn't solve the mystery for me. Many other midwestern NEXRAD stations were in 
clear air mode at 11PM last night. If the reflectivity shown was due to the 
clear air setting then one would expect other stations in the region operating 
in clear air mode would have shown similar activity. For me this appears like 
an unusually localized broad-scale region of biotargets in the atmosphere -- 
the NEXRAD stations at North Platte and Valley, NE appear to be on the 
periphery, showing less, of whatever activity this was.

Bill E




- Original Message - 
  From: David La Puma 
  To: Bill Evans 
  Cc: NFC-L@cornell.edu 
  Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 3:25 PM
  Subject: Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern


  After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on clear-air 
mode
  (here's the inventory color coded by mode: 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2)
  but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based on 
the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are most 
likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at 8pm last 
night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data) that the winds 
between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow migration to 
occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good migration conditions 
during the period when the highest densities of migrants are likely to fly.

  If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that 
would be cool too! 

  Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar ornithology 
work) pointed me to this very cool website: http://soar.ou.edu/  where you  can 
view the unfiltered NEXRAD data back to 2008 (they are working backwards from 
2011 to fill in the missing years). Just make sure you're viewing the non-QC'd 
mosaic to include biological targets.


  Cheers

  David


  On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Bill Evans  wrote:

Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of a 
front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one 
isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E


http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
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Re: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[David La Puma]

After reviewing the archive it looks like the KUEX radar was set on
clear-air mode
(here's the inventory color coded by mode:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/nexradinv/displaygraphs.jsp?=2011=05=01=KUEX=AAL2
)
but I don't think that explains the burst of activity after sunset. Based on
the velocity (20+ kts) and the direction of travel (SE->NW), those are most
likely birds. I can't pull an archived radiosonde map for the area at 8pm
last night, but I suspect (based on the more current radiosonde data) that
the winds between the surface and ~2-3k feet were light enough to allow
migration to occur... so I think this is just a case of locally good
migration conditions during the period when the highest densities of
migrants are likely to fly.

If the meteorologists want to chime in with some archived wind data, that
would be cool too!

Also, Jeff Buler at U Delaware (also doing some really cool radar
ornithology work) pointed me to this very cool website: http://soar.ou.edu/
where you  can view the unfiltered NEXRAD data back to 2008 (they are
working backwards from 2011 to fill in the missing years). Just make sure
you're viewing the non-QC'd mosaic to include biological targets.


Cheers

David

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 1:17 PM, Bill Evans wrote:

>  Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of
> a front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one
> isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E
>
>
> http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
>
> --
>
> *NFC-L List Info:*
>
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>
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>
> Subscribe, Configuration and 
> Leave
>
> *Archives:*
>
> 1) The Mail 
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>
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> --
>
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RE: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Chris Tessaglia-Hymes]

Perhaps an unintentional setting in clear air mode may have caused a NEXRAD
station to stand out among others that are set to precipitation mode?

 

--

Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes

TARU Product Line Manager and Field Applications Engineer

Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850

W: 607-254-2418   M: 607-351-5740   F: 607-254-1132

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp

 

 

From: bounce-24467440-9327...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-24467440-9327...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Evans
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 1:17 PM
To: NFC-L
Subject: [nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

 

Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of a
front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one
isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E

 

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA
<http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1
kgr=black=20110502=4=0>
=bref1=black=20110502=4=0

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[nfc-l] odd NEXRAD pattern

[Bill Evans]

Interesting NEXRAD image from last: substantial migration to the east of a 
front in the eastern US, nothing unusual about that, but strange is one 
isolated radar lighting up in south-central Nebraska.  -Bill E

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/displayRad.php?icao=KUSA=bref1=black=20110502=4=0
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