EDUCT 1

Education in Complex Terrain Meteorology | EDUCT

Principal Investigator: Dr. Stephan F.J. De Wekker
Facility: Mobile Integrated Sounding System (MISS)

EDUcation in Complex Terrain Meteorology (EDUCT) was a joint project between the University of Virginia and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL).  The EDUCT experiment was conducted in Shenandoah National Park from 6 to 11 April 2009.

NSF funded the deployment of EOL's Mobile Integrated Sounding System (MISS) to the University of Virginia to support two meteorology classes. The Mountain Meteorology class, which is an upper-level undergraduate course, included an observational section based at the Shenandoah Park meteorological station Pinnacles, where the university operates a lidar, an instrumented tower and other facilities.

Together with the students, MISS staff made a series of measurements and collected data to be used in a number of student projects related to boundary layer evolution over complex terrain and other features related to the mountain climate of the Appalachian Mountain Range. MISS also visited the main campus in Charlottesville and gave a demonstration to the Weather and Atmosphere class.

The project included the participation of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Virginia, as well as about 70 earth science students from Luray High School. Students viewed and learned about the instruments on-site, which included a radar wind profiler, a ceilometer, and a tripod weather station to measure a suite of meteorological variables. In addition, the students helped launch a radiosonde with a weather balloon.