Scaling cascades in complex systems.

Atmospheric convection is a key process in the formation of certain atmospheric hazards such as extreme precipitation, hail and lightning. Convection is controlled by the interaction of various spatial and temporal scales: the synoptic scale, the mesoscale and the convective scale. In this project, the interaction between fronts and convection on different scales will be empirically investigated. Differences in convective life cycles with respect to the position relative to a front will be statistically characterized. Sensitivity experiments with an NWP model will be used to investigate the influence of convection on the
development of the front in case studies. Based on these empirical results and mathematical methods of multiscale asymptotics, a theoretical model for the interactions between fronts and convection will be developed.