[NLRS] Skew - T data for over Lake Superior

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer]

There might be some data for other large fresh water bodies in the
world. And there might be room for some learning.

I'd suggest watching for winds and the lack of winds. Low level
inversions on land come from radiant cooling of the surface and low
levels of the atmosphere. Lack of wind prevents that radiant cooled
layer from being broken up. The old weather saw that cold air sinks into
the hollows on a calm night is being proven wrong. Fact is (according to
my research into such weather phenomena as surface frost) that there's
no detectable air motion to account for the sinking. Just that with
least air motion at a few hundred feet there's least circulation to mix
the warmer air with that cooled by earth contact. That should apply to
air over the lake too. Calm, probably under a high pressure dome should
be most effective. Its possible that the presence of the cool water will
cause those low level inversions more often.

Here on the prairie, morning inversions are often quite visible, marked
by rising smoke or steam from power plants. Rising often is capped by
the inversion layer. That inversion layer is often visible with flying
up through it in an airplane too. For sure its detectable with the wing
thermometer in a small aircraft. It might be possible to add temperature
telemetry to a RC model aircraft to probe for ducts or inversions
independent of NWS weather data which probably doesn't have the
resolution you wish.

73, Jerry, K0CQ
-- 
Entire content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer.
Reproduction by permission only.