The North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) is an internationally coordinated, joint CLIVAR-GEWEX process study aimed at determining the sources and limits of predictability of warm season precipitation over North America, with emphasis on time scales ranging from seasonal-to-interannual. It focuses on observing and understanding the key components of the North American monsoon system and their variability within the context of the evolving land surface-atmosphere-ocean annual cycle. It seeks to improve understanding of the key physical processes that must be parameterized for improved simulation with dynamical models.

NAME employs a multi-scale (tiered) approach with focused monitoring, diagnostic and modeling activities in the core monsoon region, on the regional-scale and on the continental-scale.

NAME is part of the CLIVAR/VAMOS program, US CLIVAR Pan American research, and the Climate Prediction Project for the Americas (CPPA).

The scientific objectives of NAME are to promote a better understanding and more realistic simulation of: The evolution of the North American monsoon system and its variability; The response of the warm season atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns over North America to slowly varying, potentially predictable surface boundary conditions; Feedbacks between land surface processes and precipitation on seasonal-to-interannual time scales; The diurnal heating cycle and its relationship to the seasonally varying mean climate; and Intraseasonal aspects of the monsoon.

For more information about the NAME 2004 field activities see the following links:

• NAME Field Catalog
• NAME Field Observations
• NAME Field Operations Plan
• NAME Field Instrumentation Map Server
• NAME Short Range Forecasts
• NAME Seasonal Climate Prediction

All photos copyright University Corporation for Atmospheric Research unless otherwise noted.