When we began this project our intent was to work on something in the field of lightning. However we quickly came across a paper entitled “A Cell Dynamical System Model for Thundercloud Electrification” by A. Mary Selvam. The paper specifically discussed the generation of electrical charges within a thunderstorm. The paper also explained the use of Penrose Tiling as a method of modeling the microscopic structure of a storm cloud. Being a dynamic system, the modeling on the microscopic level is directly related to the structure of the macroscopic level.
This led us to our problem: What is the process for modeling the structure of a storm cloud, and more importantly, how does it work. By defining these particular topics we hope to be able to better understand the workings of a storm cloud, and, by virtue of this micro to macro relationship, perhaps better understand the development of whole storm systems, not simply one cloud. By contacting the above author, and using in state resources such as the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research in Socorro, we will have an excellent resource base for our research.
Team Members:
DiAngelo Conant
Heather Elwood
Shawn McLelland
Trace Norris
Jaron Ollis
Teacher: Joseph Vertrees