Dr. Gabor Vali
Department of Atmospheric Sciences,
University of Wyoming
Observations during July 2001 over the subtropical,
east-central Pacific Ocean yielded excellent data on the characteristics of the
marine boundary layer and on the structure of the associated stratus clouds. These
clouds play a major role in determining the Earth's albedo and hence its
climate. One of the main goals of the observations was to evaluate the
rate of entrainment of air from above the boundary layer. This goal was
addressed with airflow and tracer measurement, following
new strategies. Another set of objectives focussed on drizzle. Issues related
to drizzle are: the role of drizzle on the water budget within the boundary
layer, the processes of drizzle formation and the ways drizzle participates in
the maintenance of the boundary layer structure. A third set of measurement
objectives relate to cloud chemistry and condensation nuclei.
The observations were carried out with the C-130 aircraft of NCAR. The Wyoming
Cloud Radar was mounted on the aircraft in a dual-antenna mode. Early analyses
of DYCOMS data will be presented.