Lake effect snow study at Seneca Meadows

In its continuing efforts to be a valued partner in the community, Seneca Meadows, Inc. is participating in a lake effect study conducted by the Center for Severe Weather Research and eight academic institutions. The study, which is entitled, Our Lake Effect Snowband project, (OWLeS), is designed to examine the formation mechanisms, cloud microphysics, boundary layer processes and dynamics of lake-effect systems in unprecedented detail. In December, the DOW, (Doplar radar On Wheels), made its first appearance on the Seneca Meadows site, and was again deployed on January 6, 2014 to collect data. The study is expected to continue throughout the month of January.The OWLeS study is not the first academic study to be performed at the Seneca Meadows facilities. In 2012, a SUNY ESF (college of environmental science and forestry) student conducted honors research on the richness of bee and wasp diversity at the Seneca Meadows Wetlands Preserve on Black Brook Road. Don Gentilcore, Area Manager for Seneca Meadows, said this about the study, “we are committed to enriching our community with the resources we have available; whether it’s environmental research or working with community groups to further their initiatives. Seneca Meadows plans to continue pursuing valuable partnerships with local colleges and universities, and the many civic, charitable and service organizations that make this community great.”To discover more environmental initiatives at Seneca Meadows, log onto senecameadows.com or visit them on Facebook.OWLeS ProjectAs described in the OWLeS website, lake-effect systems form through surface-air interactions as a cold air mass is advected over relatively warm, (at least partially), ice-free mesoscale bodies of water. The OWLeS project focuses on Lake Ontario because of its size and orientation, the frequency of lake-effect systems events (especially intense single bands), its nearby moderate orography, the impact of Lake Ontario lake-effect systems hazards in particular on public safety and commerce, and the proximity of several universities with large atmospheric science programs.The OWLeS study will incorporate X-band and S-band dual-polarization radars, an aircraft instrumented with particle probes and profiling cloud radar and lidar, a mobile integrated sounding system, a network of radiosondes, and a surface network of snow characterization instrumentsThe study is funded, primarily, by the National Science Foundation. To learn more about OWLeS, visit their website at http://owles.org.