NSSL’s Dave Jorgensen arrived at Andersen AFB in Guam on Friday August 22, 2008 to participate in TCS08 and T-PARC experiments. Jorgensen was invited as one of the Chief Scientists on the Naval Research Lab P-3 aircraft. Jorgensen has extensive experience from P-3 research flights all over the world and will help plan and direct flight paths to gather data on the structures of developing typhoons.
The Tropical Cyclone Structure (TCS08) in cooperation with the THORPEX (The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment) Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC) is the most significant tropical cyclone-related field experiments in the western North Pacific since 1990. The multi-national field phase during August and September 2008 will study the entire life cycle of western North Pacific tropical cyclones from formation to extratropical transition and their downstream impacts.
The P-3 is one of several aircraft making tropical measurements, and is equipped with the NSF/NCAR Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA), an airborne, dual beam, meteorological research radar and a Doppler wind lidar.
Significance: The research outcomes of TCS08 and T-PARC will accelerate the current rate of improvement in forecast skill for high-impact weather, and to increase the utilization of weather products for the benefit of society, the economy, and environmental stewardship.
Background: The Congress of the World Meteorological Organization, representing approximately 180 nations, initiated THORPEX as part of the World Weather Research Program. The experiment includes the participation of researchers from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Germany, England, France and the U.S. The primary sponsors of TCS08 are the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the U.S. Air Force, who need to understand, observe, and predict the potential impacts of western North Pacific tropical cyclones. The primary U.S. sponsor of T-PARC is the National Science Foundation.
More information: http://met.nps.edu/~tparc/Operations.html
