Evolution of shallow cumulus clouds at the ARM SGP site during the MC3E

Documenting cloud elements as they transit through different stages of their lifetime (e.g., formation, precipitation onset, dissipation) may provide an improved understanding of the physical processes controlling cloud lifecycle and the scales over which such processes operate. This study capitalizes on the heterogeneous distributed radar network and collocated surface/sounding platforms, deployed during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), to detect and monitor different stages of cloud lifecycle. Emphasis is on the ARM multi-frequency, multi-radar scanning radar facility located at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) facility that provides a unique dataset for documenting cloud evolution at spatial and temporal scales sufficient for continuous tracking of cloud entities. This network of precipitation and cloud radars provides an opportunity to bridge gaps between detailed cloud processes and insight as detected by scanning millimeter cloud radar, and larger scale properties as captured by scanning X-Band radars. Here, examples of the evolution of shallow cumulus that transit over the SGP site are analyzed applying a cloud identification and tracking algorithm.