Field Deployments

Current & Upcoming Field Deployments

DYNAMO 2011: Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)

The overarching goal of DYNAMO is to expedite our understanding of processes key to MJO initiation over the Indian Ocean and our efforts to improve simulation and prediction of the MJO. DYNAMO consists of four integrated components: a field campaign, data analysis, modeling, and forecasting.

DYNAMO is a US research program motivated by two outstanding problems:

1. 1) Current prediction skill for the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is very limited; particularly, it is the lowest for the MJO initiation phase over the Indian Ocean.

1. 2) The inability of state-of-the-art global models to produce the MJO degrades their seasonal to interannual prediction and lessens our confidence in their ability to project future climate.

• Dates: 1 October 2011 - 31 March 2012
• Location: Indian Ocean
• Facility: S-PolKa Radar

TORERO 2012: Tropical Ocean Troposphere Exchange of reactive halogen species and oxygenated VOC
TORERO will investigate the presence of oxygenated VOC and reactive halogen species in the free troposphere over the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the role of deep convective clouds to transport VOC and RSH from the marine boundary layer into the upper most free troposphere at tropical latitudes, the possible role of OVOC and RHS to form and grow Aitken mode sized particles to CCN active sizes and map the horizontal and vertical distribution of OVOC and RHS over biologically active upwelling areas.

• Dates: 15 January - 26 February 2012
• Location: Costa Rica & Chile
• Facility: NSF/NCAR GV

PREAMBLE 2012: Precision Atmospheric Marine Boundary Layer Experiment
The purpose of this study is to examine in detail the atmospheric dynamics associated with the summertime marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) near Point Conception using an airborne measurement platform.

• Dates: May - June 2012
• Location: Point Conception, California
• Facilities: University of Wyoming King Air, WCR, WCL

DC3 2012: Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry

The DC3 field project makes use of two instrumented aircraft platforms and ground based observations to characterize the impact of deep convective systems on the composition and chemistry of the mid latitude troposphere and lower stratosphere.  The observations are conducted in three locations -- northeastern Colorado, central Oklahoma and northern Alabama -- in order to gather data on different types of storms with different boundary layer compositions and convective environments, and to improve the odds for suitable storms for the study. Significant ground based observations infrastructure already exists in these areas. The infrastructure will be used to characterize the physical and dynamical characteristics of the storms, and to provide information used to guide the research aircraft as storms evolve.

Specifically, the DC3 field program intends to:

1. 1) Quantify and characterize the convective transport of fresh emissions and water vapor to the upper troposphere within a few hours of active convection, investigating storm dynamics and physics, lightning and its production of nitrogen oxides, cloud hydrometeor effects on scavenging of species, surface emission variability, and chemistry in the anvil.
2. 2)  Quantify the changes in chemistry and composition in the upper troposphere (UT) after active convection, focusing on the 12-48 hours after convection and the seasonal transition of the chemical composition of the UT.

The results are intended to allow for testing and improvements of parameterization schemes in large-scale models. The aircraft observations will be combined with ground-based radars, lightning networks and sounding systems to further characterize the storms and their environments.

• Dates: 2 May - 30 June 2012
• Location: Colorado, Oklahoma, Alabama
• Facility: NSF/NCAR GV; either the C-130 or NASA DC8; CHILL and Pawnee radar; and a Mobile ISS

Recent Field Deployments

IDEAS 2011: Instrument Development and Education in Airborne Science
The Instrument Development and Education in Airborne Sciences (IDEAS) is designed to offer scheduled opportunities to for airborne tests of instrumentation that has a high likelihood for future deployment in NSF field programs.  These tests offer an ideal opportunity for students to participate in these tests, to learn about the technology involved and to obtain first hand experience with new instrumentation.

• Dates: as available during December 2010 & December 2013
• Location: JeffCo, Laramie, WY and two off site locations

• Facilities: NSF/NCAR C-130 and/or NSF/NCAR GV and/or University of Wyoming King Air

CAMPS 2011: Colorado Airborne Multi-Phase Cloud Study

The Colorado Airborne Multi-Phase Cloud Study (CAMPS) project will focus on in situ and remote sensing measurements of wintertime clouds over the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado. These clouds are generally mixed-phase; the combination of ice, liquid and water vapor presents challenges both to measurements and modeling, and consequently, to understanding their impact on atmospheric radiation and on precipitation. CAMPS will use the Wyoming King Air instrumented with both remote (cloud radar and cloud lidar) and in situ sensors (cloud and particle probes, total water hygrometer) to elucidate the vertical and horizontal structure of cold mixed-phase clouds.

• Dates: January 3 - March 15, 2011
• Location: Park Range, Northern Colorado
• Facilities: Wyoming King Air, Wyoming Cloud Radar & Wyoming Cloud Lidar

DOMEX 2011: Dominica Experiment
The overall science objective of the Dominica Experiment (DOMEX) is to understand the physics of convective initiation and precipitation in a simple steady tropical environment.

The triggering of convection and the physics of precipitating clouds remain two of the most challenging problems in atmospheric science. Even for “simple” orographic precipitation, the relationship between forced ascent and embedded convection remains unclear. In the full tropics, where convection may be slightly simpler, little work has been done on orographic precipitation. Progress will require the study of the simplest possible natural system, as a bridge to more complex systems. To pursue this reductionist strategy, the island of Dominica (15N) has recently been identified as an accessible “natural laboratory” for orographically forced moist convection.

• Dates: April - May, 2011
• Location:Commonwealth of Dominica
• Facilities: Wyoming King Air, Wyoming Cloud Radar & Wyoming Cloud Lidar

ICE-T 2011: Ice in Clouds Experiment
More than 50% of the earth’s precipitation originates in the ice phase. Ice nucleation, therefore, is one of the most basic processes that lead to precipitation.  ICE-T will study the tropical convective clouds, where both primary and secondary ice formation processes may play significant roles in the ice formation process.

• Dates: July 2011
• Location: St Croix, Virgin Islands
• Facilities: NSF/NCAR C-130, Dropsondes, WCR, WCL

HIPPO III, IV, & V: HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations
The HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations (HIPPO) project is investigating the Carbon Cycle and greenhouse gases throughout various altitudes of the western hemisphere through the annual cycle. The main goal of this program is to determine the global distribution of carbon dioxide and other trace atmospheric gases by sampling at various altitudes and latitudes in the Pacific Basin.

• Dates:
• HIPPO III :: 24 March - 16 April, 2010
• HIPPO IV :: 14 June - 10 July, 2011
• HIPPO V :: 9 August - 9 September, 2011
• Location: Pole to Pole
• Facility: NSF/NCAR GV

PREDICT 2010 :: PRE-Depression Investigation of Cloud-systems in the Tropics
Prediction and understanding of tropical cyclogenesis remains one of the most challenging aspects of atmospheric science. A multitude of tropical disturbances emerge from the West African coast every year near the Cape Verde islands, but only a few of these develop into tropical depressions, storms, or hurricanes.

The PREDICT field experiment explored multi-scale interactions in tropical wave-like disturbances that promote or hinder the development of a tropical depression vortex.

• Dates: 15 August - 30 September, 2010
• Location: Aircraft base - St. Croix, USVI, Research Area - Atlantic basin
• Facilities: NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V