Platforms & Instruments

DYNAMO Facilities
Deployment Schedule

: Click to enlarge

During DYNAMO, scientists plan to operate six radars; several balloon-borne sounding systems; a suite of surface radiation measurements; two research aircraft; three international research vesels; and buoy and mooring systems. Instruments will be based on various islands throughout the greater Indian Ocean region including: Addu Atoll, Maldives; Malé, Maldives; Diego Gracia, BIOT; Sri Lanka; Manus Island, Papua New Guinea; as well as aboard ocean-bound ships and research aircraft.

One of the most important types of instruments to be operated during DYNAMO are meteorological radars, which provide information about what is happening inside of the clouds and rainstorms that lead to the development of the MJO. Radars using different wavelengths are needed to observe clouds that are raining, clouds that are not raining, and moisture in the surrounding clear air. Weather balloons also need to be launched to observe the vertical structure of the atmosphere in a constant fashion over long periods of time. The surface radiation budget is another critical factor in the Earth’s climate that needs to be observed. Detailed physics within clouds are to be measured by instrumented research aircraft.

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Radars: 7 different radar frequencies will be used during DYNAMO, which allows researchers to collect data on cloud population and evolution during the initiation phase of the MJO. Properties such as cloud configuration, microphysics, height, depth, internal wind circulation, and latent heat will be monitored.
S-PolKa Radar :: S-band & Ka-band Agency :: NSF/NCAR Location :: Addu Atoll, Wharf Site Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 15 January 2012 More information on the S-PolKa Radar Image courtesy of NCAR	Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research & Teaching Radar (SMART-R) :: C-band Agencies :: The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, & The University of Oklahoma Location :: Addu Atoll, Spit Site Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 31 March 2012 More information on the SMART-R Image courtesy of SMART-R
Ka-band & X-band Radars Agency :: DOE/ARM Climate Research Facility Location :: Addu Atoll, Wharf Site & Manus Island, Papua New Guinea Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 - 30 March 2012 More information on the SACR-AMF2 Image courtesy of DOE/ARM	C-band Radar Agency :: NASA/CSU Location :: R/V Revelle Operational Period :: 23 August 2011 – 16 February 2012 More information on the C-band Radar Image courtesy of NOAA
W-band Radar Agency :: NOAA Location :: R/V Revelle Operational Period :: 23 August 2011 – 16 February 2012	Ka-band ARM Zenith Radar (KAZR) Agency :: US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Location :: Addu Atoll, Gan Airport & Manus Island, Papua New Guinea Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 - 30 March 2012 More information on the KAZR Image courtesy of DOE/ARM
Research Ships: Research ships play a key role in data collection for DYNAMO as they allow for measurements to be taken in remote locations. The ships are fitted with instruments that monitor both the ocean and atmosphere providing researcers with key data sets of how the air and sea interact with one another.
R/V Revelle Agency :: U.S. University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Location :: Indian Ocean Operational Period :: 23 August 2011 – 16 February 2012 More information on the R/V Revelle Image courtesy of Scripps Institution of Oceanography	R/V Sagar Kanya Agency :: Indian National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR) Location :: Indian Ocean Operational Period :: 20 September – 10 October 2011 More information on the R/V Sagar Kanya Image courtesy of NCAOR
JAMSTEC R/V Mirai Agency :: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) Location :: Indian Ocean Operational Period :: 23 September – 2 December 2011 More information on the R/V Mirai Image courtesy of JAMSTEC	R/V Baruna Jaya 1 Agency :: Fugro Survey Private Limited, Singapore Location :: Indian Ocean Operational Period :: 23 September – 2 December 2011 More information on the R/V Baruna Jaya 1 Image courtesy of Fugro
Aircraft: The aircraft contain a suite of instruments that collect data as it flies near targeted areas during each research flight, with some instrumentation able to collect data as far away as several kilometers from the aircraft. Research aircraft have the ability to quickly fly to remote, targeted locations that would otherwise be difficult to research by research ships.
Lockheed P-3 Orion Agency :: NOAA Location :: based at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory Operational Period :: 8 November – 10 December 2011 More information on the NOAA P-3 Image courtesy of NOAA	Falcon-20 Agency :: French Service des Avions Français Instrumentés pour la Recherche en Environnement (SAFIRE) Location :: based at Addu Atoll, Gan Airport Operational Period :: 15 November – 17 December 2011 More information on the SAFIRE Falcon-20 Image courtesy of SAFIRE
Atmospheric Sensors: Soundings collect the physical properties of a "column" of the atmosphere as the instrument ascends or descends, collecting data such as temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, & wind direction.
P-3 Dropsondes Agency :: NOAA Location :: dropped from NOAA P-3 aircraft Operational Period :: 8 November – 10 December 2011 Learn more about dropsondes Image courtesy of NOAA	CSU Soundings Agency :: Colorado State University (CSU) Location :: Hulhulé Island, Malé International Airport Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 - 15 January 2012 More information on CSU Soundings CSU sounding launch near Malé International Airport
International Atmospheric Observations Agencies :: International collaboration Location :: Global Operational Period :: Ongoing Click to enlarge	Integrated Sounding System (ISS) :: Shipboard Agency :: National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Location :: based on R/V Revelle Operational Period :: 23 August 2011 – 16 February 2012 More information on ISS Shipboard Operations Image courtesy of NCAR
ARM Balloon Borne Sounding Systems Agency :: DOE/ARM Climate Research Facility Location :: Addu Atoll, Gan Airport & Manus Island, Papua New Guinea Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 31 March 2012 More information on the ARM Sounding Systems ARM Sounding Preparation	Integrated Sounding System (ISS) Agency :: NCAR Location :: Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 15 January 2012 Learn more about NCAR's Integrated Sounding System ISS Site on Diego Garcia
Surface Sensors: An array of surface sensors, both on land and ship, make measurements of the environment in the lower 30 feet of the atmosphere.
ARM Mobile Facility 2 :: Ceilometer, lidars, microwave, visible, and infrared radiometers; surface meteorology Agency :: US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Location :: Addu Atoll, Gan Airport Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 31 March 2012 More information on the ARM Mobile Facility 2 AMF-2 Site :: Addu Atoll	Lidar, radiometers, surface meterology, ocean surface, chemistry Agency :: Several Location :: R/V Revelle Operational Period :: 23 August 2011 – 16 February 2012
Radiometer Agency :: University of Miami Location :: Addu Atoll, Wharf Site Operational Period :: 1 October 2011 – 15 January 2012 Learn more about the Scanning Microwave Radiometer Image courtesy of Paquita Zuidema
Ocean Sensors: Due to a shallow thermocline in the Indian Ocean, sea surface temperatures fluctuate more easily, which in turn have a greater impact on ocean-atmosphere interactions. The physical properties of the ocean, such as temperature and salinity (conductivity) are equally important as the physical properties of the atmosphere.
P-3 Airborne eXpendable Conductivity, Temperature, Depths Sensor (AXCTD) Agency :: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Location :: dropped from NOAA P-3 aircraft Operational Period :: 8 November – 10 December 2011 More Information on the Airborne eXpendable CTD (AXCTD) Image courtesy of T.S.K.	Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) Moorings Agency :: NOAA Location :: Moored buoys in Indian Ocean Operational Period :: ~5 September 2011 – 20 January 2012 More information on RAMA Moorings Image courtesy of NOAA
Conductivity, Temperature, & Depth (CTD) Agency :: NOAA Location :: dropped from R/V Revelle Operational Period :: 8 November – 10 December 2011 More information on CTDs Image courtesy of NOAA	Upper Ocean/Surface Flux Moorings Agency :: NOAA Location :: Array locations in the Indian Ocean Operational Period :: ~5 September 2011 – 20 January 2012 More Information on Surface Flux Moorings Image courtesy of NOAA