Obstacles to flight
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Obstacles to flight

Obstacles to the flight: wind shear, squall, tornado, storm, lightning, rain

 

Windshear - a change its speed and (or) the directions in space. This change may either horizontally (horizontal CB) and vertical (SV vertical) directions. The term "wind shear" describes a wide range of state of the atmosphere.

Wind shear generate different weather events: thunderstorm, rain, virga (rain stream that evaporates before reaching the ground), downdrafts of cold air updrafts, temperature inversion shift of jet streams, squalls, etc. Rain, rain and virga causing micro -poryvy wind - the main cause of the SW [60].

Observations show that approximately 5% of thunderstorms accompanied by micro-impulses. The related descending air currents are distributed in the zone ranging in size from 500 meters to several kilometers. When this flow reaches the ground, it spreads in the surface layer of air in the horizontal plane, sometimes with the formation of vortex rings on the Limits of the zone spreading. The formation of micro-impulse vertical downdraft (symmetrical microburst).

The zone of vortex rings reaches a height of 500 m above the ground and covers an area of ​​up to 2 4 km in diameter. Micro-impulses can arise and reach the surface of the earth without rain in the case of Virga. The resulting adjustment to rain will evaporate, thereby causing the cooling air and, as a consequence, the downward flow of the wind.

Storm clouds are on the move, and a micro-impulse caused them to become asymmetrical shape. The life cycle of the micro-impulse - 15-20 min. The maximum intensity of wind shear reaches approximately 5 minutes after contact with the ground downstream.

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Strong HR (especially at low altitude) can be caused by a flurry of a few kilometers from the area of ​​NE. Its mechanism - lateral spreading of horizontal flow speed reaches 150-185 km / h. It is often a flurry of thunderstorm that develops, accompanied by other types of cloud that prevents identification.

The temperature inversion wind shear often causes a change in the velocity and / or direction of the wind in a small surface layer, if a warm mass of air moves above the cold air mass, mainly in coastal or foothill airports. Here, the ascending stream cools when it is rising, but it heats with the same speed when it flows from the top down. As a result of heating, the inversion over the cold air of the foothill valley increases. In this case, the temperature gradient is extremely increased. Such CB is due to the friction of slowly moving surface flows and warm air, which quickly moves above them.

Summer storm near the windy slopes also create significant CB under appropriate conditions. These thunderstorms are characterized by relatively high cloud-based, often at altitudes 2500-3000 m (sometimes - a) above the ground, in the air masses that generate high temperatures on the surface of the earth (38.40 ° C), but a relatively low dew point (on-6 up + 3 ° C). Rain falling from cumulonimbus clouds at high altitude can completely evaporate before it reaches the ground.

Cumulonimbus clouds depending on their development are divided into vnutrimassovye and front and rain and hail. Clouds are not only the intensity and types of precipitation, but the mechanism of occurrence and development.

In the case of mass-averaged weak cumulonimbus multiple drops resulting from condensation and coagulation, reaching a maximum critical dimensions begin to fall from the clouds to meet the rising air currents. When the effect of the falling drops of exceeds the effect of lifting the air, the storm subsides.

The strong front cumulonimbus clouds under the influence of NE in the middle and upper atmosphere can bend upward flow. In that case the inhibiting effect of precipitation decreases, since they are outside of inclination of the rising air stream. In the formation of tilted upward flow of relatively flat terrain sometimes there are rotational movements, resulting in dramatically increased vertical speed, and with it the speed of rotation.

Studies of severe thunderstorms in 1990-2005. Showed that they are associated with the thermodynamic instability caused by overheating of the surface air layer, or the unequal distribution of heat and cold advection along the height, as well as convergence and divergence of air flows. In this case, cumulonimbus clouds with hail, squalls and tornadoes (tornadoes) arise and develop when stream currents are observed in the upper part of the troposphere. In general, the conducted studies indicate that instead of the general picture of the distribution of air currents under cumulonimbus clouds, we have only a description of its individual fragments, and quite contradictory.

Flurry - A sharp increase in short-term wind change its direction. Squalls associated with cumulonimbus clouds, and often occur during storms. For flurry characteristic swirling movement of the air with a horizontal axis in the clouds or below them. The wind speed during a flurry of often more than 20 m / s; the duration of the phenomenon is usually several minutes; Sometimes there are repeated gusts of the squall.

Tornado - a strong vortex of small size under clouds with an almost vertical axis of rotation. It has the form of a dark cloud column (diameter up to several hundred meters), one part of which descends with a funnel-like narrowing from the low base of the cumulonimbus cloud, and a second part of the spray and dust that connects to the first can come up out of the earth's surface. The narrowest part of the pillar is in the middle. The wind speed in the tornado reaches 50-100 m / s with a strong ascending component. The air in the tornado rotates both to the right and to the left. A tornado can cause catastrophic destruction and human sacrifice in the path of its movement, although near it there will be almost complete calm. A tornado over the land is sometimes called a thrombus, and in the United States a tornado.

 

Thunderstorms and electric discharges

Storm - A complex atmospheric phenomenon, which is characterized by the appearance of intense convective clouds and is accompanied by considerable turbulence, gusts, tornadoes, wind shear, precipitation as rain, snow, hail, frequent electrical discharges and thunder.

Thunderstorms are divided into 6 levels. Thunderstorms level 1 (weak) and level 2 (mild) characterized by weak or moderate atmospheric turbulence and lightning; Thunderstorm level 3 and 4 (strong and very strong) - considerable turbulence, lightning, precipitation in the form of heavy rain; Thunderstorm level 5 - severe turbulence, lightning, sharp gusts of wind, hail possible; Thunderstorm level 6 - considerable turbulence, heavy hail, lightning and numerous lengthy wind. The main sign of a thunderstorm - lightning.

At any given time in the world at the same time there are about 180 individual thunderstorms when lightning strikes on average every 20 with.

Lightning - A giant spark atmospheric electricity between clouds between clouds and the ground, as well as intra-cloud several times.

If the ground facilities represent the main danger level of cloud land, the objects in the atmosphere, dangerous lightning all kinds.

There are several types of lightning. Lantern (thermal lightning) is a lightning or glow of a cloud caused by lightning, not accompanied by thunder (due to the distance to the observer). Banded lightning is characterized by banded illumination of the cloud. A rocket-like lightning is called a long discharge in the atmosphere, which creates the impression of a slow development of the discharge along the channel. Belt lightning is formed in the event that during a time between pulses the cloud-earth discharge channel is displaced (possibly by wind). The pulses in such a flash are separated in the horizontal direction, although the eye fixes all the tapes simultaneously. Inaccurate lightning has a shape, the channel of which is broken (or seems broken) into luminous fragments, their length is several tens of meters. Ball lightning is a luminous mobile sphere with a diameter of up to 20 cm, the duration of its life is several seconds.

 

Linear lightning - It refers to the so-called no electrode discharge. Its length is several kilometers and can reach even 20 km. From the main channel has several branches in length 2-3 km. which increases the probability of hitting the plane. The average speed of lightning - 150 km / s, the current strength in its channel reaches 200 000 A and the temperature of the plasma in the channel exceeds the 10 000 ° C.

The source of the lightning storm clouds are (usually cumulonimbus) and electric charges in them. Power storm clouds are usually small, which is typical of the subtropics, but can reach large sizes in a huge thunderstorm clouds extending to a height of more than 20 km. The height of a typical storm clouds - 8-12 km (upper limit) and 0,5-2 km (lower limit). Their height is determined only by geographical area.

The development of lightning in the atmosphere begins under certain conditions. In particular, it is necessary for the electric field strength to exceed a certain limit value. For thunderstorm zones 0,4 MV / m <Ecr <1 MV / m.

The length of the individual storm centers horizontally no more than 10 km, so the size of the main areas in which the charges do not exceed a few kilometers. Volumes with a maximum density of charges, which are initiated by lightning, should be even less so on. E. Their linear dimensions are a few hundred meters.

Thus, we can calculate the density of the space charge, sufficient for the formation of breakdown voltage: E = 106 V / m. It is about 45 C / m3 that one or two orders of magnitude higher than the average charge density in cumulonimbus clouds and thunderstorms.

The energy of the electric field generated by lightning tolerated by warm air, which rises up in a cloud.

In a typical storm cloud chaotic wind, water and ice are in a gravitational field, and the field gradient of temperatures and pressures.

These driving force distribution and accumulation of electric charge ultimately leads to the formation of the electrically active region of the atmosphere.

The mechanism of formation of electrical charges in the clouds is not completely clear, but it is believed that it is related to the strong upward movement of air in the center of the cloud formation and collisions with supercooled droplets of water with ice crystals.

Climbing up, the moist air cools and at the dew point its excess water vapor condenses into water droplets, forming a cloud. With further upward movement (up to 20 km), the air temperature decreases to -40 ° C. Water vapor in it turns into ice crystals, which grow together into small, rather heavy hailstones. The latter, falling through the cloud, collect supercooled water drops. Small light pieces of ice fly upward, carrying a positive charge and leaving heavier hailstones with a negative charge. Vertical air currents carry pieces of ice to the top of the cloud where positive charges accumulate, and a negative charge center is created at the base of the cloud.

As shown by the analysis of the physical processes associated with electrical breakdown of air and the formation of lightning in the atmosphere, sources of lightning can be only zones atmospheric heterogeneity (in particular, clouds), which contain excess electrical charge and create a pretty intense and extended electric field. Such zones are the lightning-hazardous. Such atmospheric formations have their own sources and dynamic characteristics.

The most likely source of the lightning-prone areas - intense convective motion of air currents in thunderstorm cells. This leads to the distribution and makes similarly charged droplets. Other sources Lightning danger zone - dust storms, active volcanoes emissions and nuclear explosions.

Analysis of the mechanisms of distribution and removal of the charge in the atmosphere is quite complex. So far there is no generally accepted theory of such processes to these sources. Such a theory would allow to calculate some of the characteristics of lightning-hazardous area - the maximum electric field intensity distribution of the electric field in the space, the rate of generation of electric charges and a zone of their localization.

The electric charge of an airplane can be formed in cumulonimbus, powerful cumulus, high-layered and layered-rain clouds. For this it is necessary that an inhomogeneous electric field exists in the cloud. The more inhomogeneous the cloud is over the phase composition, the less homogeneous is the electric field in it. The charge Q of the aircraft, which is very small in the zone of precipitation (under the cloud), increases sharply when entering the cloud. The main reason for the accumulation of the electric charge of the aircraft is its interaction with cloud particles. The greatest electrification of the aircraft occurs in the area of ​​sub-zero temperatures (up to -15 ° C). This significantly affects the likelihood of a lightning strike. According to NASA, the zone of aircraft damage by lightning in the clouds is concentrated mainly in the region limited by 0 isotherms, -10 ° C. The electrization of the aircraft affects the trajectories of the lightning that has arisen and the probability of their generation.

The electrostatic charge of the aircraft affects the safety of the flight not only in connection with the increased likelihood of its being struck by lightning. It also causes effects that impair the quality of the radio reception on board, reduces the accuracy of the radio compass and the quality of the on-board REO operation as a whole. The electric charge of the aircraft sometimes affects even the aerodynamics of flight. In addition, the charge can cause an explosion when refueling the aircraft with fuel in flight. It is important that in clouds of all types (except for high-layer clouds) the airplane becomes more electrified when icing occurs. In particular, in layered rain clouds, the value of the charge Q of a frozen plane is twice as high as that of a clean airplane. To ensure flight safety in the event of significant electrification of the airplane, it is recommended, in agreement with the controller, to change the altitude of the flight.

 

Storm rainfall

Intense rainfalls (PLD) vnutrimassovyh and fall out of the front of cumulonimbus clouds.

Cumulonimbus clouds are one of the 10 cloud types according to international classification. Their international name is Cumulonimbus (Cb). In temperate latitudes, СH reach altitudes of 12-14 km, and in the tropics - 15-16 km. One cloud can cover up to 50-100 km2. These clouds often form frontal stripes long in several thousand kilometers. They are characterized by pronounced vertical air flow, turbulence, electric field. However zones, dangerous to fly in GL, relatively small in size, and in the frontal clouds almost always exist intervals sufficient for the safe flight of aircraft.

There are three stages in the life of CL. In the first stage of development (cumulus) prevails updraft (10-15 minutes from the time when the cloud detected by radar). The second stage - the period of maturity (15-30 min), which is characterized by the presence of ascending and descending air currents, precipitation, occurrence of lightning. In the third stage (over 30 min) cloud breaks, reduced the intensity of precipitation, decreasing the electrical activity and turbulence.

In meteorology, precipitation intensity taken to determine the height of the water column, which fell on a horizontal surface for some time. For example, the intensity of rain 100 mm / h is pretty strong, but the water content in the air in this case is 2-3 g / m3. Measurements for one hour, allowed substantially averaged values.

In Yukonville (North Dakota, USA) on July 4, 1956, the world's highest precipitation rate of 1870 mm / h was recorded when measured for 1 min. In 1962, measurements of the water content in the air during a thunderstorm were carried out on a specially equipped F-100 aircraft. Although ground-based measurements gave moderate values ​​of precipitation intensity (37 mm / h) and water content (1,1 g / m3), measurements taken from an airplane showed an average water level of 8,4 g / m3 and a maximum of up to 44 g / m3. On the territory of the former USSR, the maximum recorded intensity of precipitation was about 1000 mm / h.

Regarding the influence of PLD on the aerodynamic characteristics of the Armed Forces of interest such numerical characteristics, the intensity of rainfall, water availability.

 

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