Collaborative Research: Ship-based Measurements of Cloud Microphysics and PBL Properties in Precipitating Trade Cumulus Clouds During Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO)

Investigator(s):

C. Fairall (PI) ; Graham Feingold (Co-PI) ; Reginald Hill (Co-PI)

Sponsor:

NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, CO 80303

Start Date/Expiration Date

2004-08-15 to 2006-07-31 (amended 2005-07-14)

Awarded Amount to Date:

$308,129

Abstract: This collaborative project among three institutions (the University of Miami, the University of Colorado, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Environmental Technology Laboratory) is part of the "Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean" (RICO) experiment, a coordinated study of precipitation development in trade-wind Cumulus clouds that will involve more than 20 institutions and four countries. In this project, the investigators will use the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) ship Seward Johnson, equipped with two short wavelength radars and a scanning Doppler lidar as well as instrumentation to measure fluxes from the ocean surface. These sensors will be used to measure the kinematic and microphysical structures of trade-wind Cumuli, the surrounding air motions, and the boundary-layer fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum. A complementary modeling effort will use large eddy simulation, constrained to match observed characteristics of the clouds, to study cloud-scale processes including entrainment and the roles of cloud condensation nuclei in cloud development. The radars will be positioned near other land-based radars and under the region studied by research aircraft so that the measurements can complement and be compared to those from the other observing systems. The primary science objectives include documenting the lifecycles of tropical cumulus clouds, determining how large drops and precipitation are formed, and learning how precipitation alters the marine boundary layer in the vicinity of trade-wind Cumuli. The expected result of this research will be better understanding of how precipitation is formed in trade-wind cumulus clouds and improved ability to represent the effects of such clouds in climate and other large-scale models. The project includes a substantial educational component. Graduate students involved directly in the research project will gain valuable field experience, and research experience will also be provided through special programs for graduate and undergraduate students not in the field. A K-12 component will include development of middle and high school curricula components suitable for use in classrooms, an onboard research experience for a K-12 teacher, career awareness presentations, and visits by scientists to classrooms. Web-based tools will be used to connect scientists on the cruise to classrooms for interactions with students and teachers, and this connection will continue after the cruise through the analysis phase. An objective will be the development of educational modules that allow students, educators and researchers to contribute to and interact with data related to the Earth system.

NSF Org:

ATM - Division of Atmospheric Sciences

Award Number:

0342647

Award Instrument:

Interagency Agreement

Program Manager:

Johannes Verlinde
ATM Division of Atmospheric Sciences
GEO Directorate for Geosciences

NSF Program(s):

PHYSICAL & DYNAMIC METEOROLOGY, PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY

Field Application(s):

Cloud & Precipitatn Process, Other nsf.applications NEC

Program Reference Code(s):

PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY, 1522
UNASSIGNED, 0000

Program Element Code(s):

1525
PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY, 1522