Sim Aberson

Small features in the eyewalls of very intense tropical cyclones have been hypothesized to increase the amount of energy available for hurricane intensification, or to be responsible for damaging surface wind at landfall or intense turbulence features impacting flight operations. However, the structures of these features, especially the temperature and humidity structures, have never been documented.

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Jun Zhang (PI) and David Nolan (co-PI)

Hurricane convection produces gravity waves that propagate both upward and outward. The observational data collected from this module will be analyzed to quantify the characteristics of the gravity waves in early-stage hurricanes and their relationship with storm intensity and intensity change. These data would also provide valuable information for model evaluation and physics improvement.

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Paul Chang (PI, NOAA/NESDIS/STAR), Zorana Jelenak (NOAA/NESDIS/STAR), Joe Sapp (NOAA/NESDIS/STAR)

To improve our understanding of microwave retrievals of the ocean surface and atmospheric wind fields, and to evaluate new remote sensing techniques/technologies. To help validate satellite-based sensors of the ocean surface in extreme conditions and reduce risk for future satellite missions.

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Rob Rogers (PI), Michael Fischer, Anthony Didlake (PSU), Michael Bell (CSU), Anthony Wimmers (UWisc), Jim Doyle (NRL), Dan Stern (NRL)

This module will sample the structure of long, spiral bands of rainfall (rainbands) that often extend outward from the eyewall of strong hurricanes out to very large distances from the center. These rainbands, often containing mixtures of strong thunderstorms and lighter rainfall that can cover huge areas, are thought to affect the structure and intensity of the hurricane within which they are embedded. The data from this module will seek to explore these structures and their potential relationship with hurricane structure and evolution.

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Joseph Cione, Jun Zhang, George Bryan (NCAR), Ron Dobosy (NOAA/ARLret), Altug Aksoy, Frank Marks, Kelly Ryan, Brittany Dahl, Josh Wadler, Xiaomin Chen, Josh Alland (NCAR), Rosimar Rios-Berrios (NCAR), Gijs deBoer (NOAA/PSL), Evan Kalina (NOAA/DTC), Don Lenschow (NCAR), Chris Rozoff (NCAR), Eric Hendricks (NCAR), Falko Judt (NCAR), Jonathan Vigh (NCAR)

This experiment uses small drones, instead of crewed aircraft, to sample the lowest and most dangerous regions of the tropical cyclone. It is believed that observations from these unique platforms will improve basic understanding and enhance forecaster situational awareness. Detailed analyses of data collected from these small drones also have the potential to improve the physics of computer models that predict changes in storm intensity.

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Heather Holbach, Ivan PopStefanija (ProSensing Inc.), Tony Wimmers (UWSSEC), Jim Doyle (NRL), Sue Chen (NRL), James Cummings (NRL), and Ralph Foster (UWAPL)

This module will collect data in mature hurricanes to continue improving surface wind speed and rain rate estimates from the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) and aid the development of surface wind products from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. It will also verify surface wave observations and identify the extent of 8 ft significant wave height waves. Improved measurements from the SFMR and knowledge of the surface wave field have numerous implications for forecasting and research efforts, such as providing more accurate observations to estimate tropical cyclone (TC) intensity and size along with improved estimates of marine hazards and comparisons for satellite observations. These improvements allow for better watches and warnings for a TC’s potential impacts to be provided to emergency managers and the general public and leads to more accurate research results.

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Jason Dunion (Co-PI), Morgan O’Neill, (Co-PI, Stanford Univ.), Daniel Chavas (Purdue Univ.), and Allison Wing (Florida State University), Dave Raymond (New Mexico Tech), Zeljka Fuchs-Stone (New Mexico Tech)

This experiment aims to collect observations that improve the understanding of how day-night fluctuations in radiation affect the intensity and structure of hurricanes. One component of these oscillations is a phenomenon called the tropical cyclone diurnal cycle where the cloud fields of storms are seen to expand and contract each day. These daily expansions are associated with a pulse of thunderstorms and rain that travel hundreds of kilometers away from the storm center and will be observed using aircraft observations.

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John Kaplan, Peter Dodge, Ghassan Alaka, Heather Holbach, Jun Zhang, Frank Marks, Michael Biggerstaff (University of Oklahoma), John Schroeder (Texas Tech University), Forrest Masters (University of Florida), Kevin Knupp (University of Alabama at Huntsville), David Nolan (University of Miami)

Landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) can produce a variety of high impact over land weather including tornadoes and damaging winds (particularly gusts) for which there exists limited objective forecast guidance. Thus, our experiment seeks to utilize P-3 aircraft and land-based mobile research team instruments to collect data in landfalling TCs to improve both our understanding and capability to predict such dangerous phenomena that are often associated with these landfalling systems.

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Jun Zhang (PI), Joseph Cione, Nick Shay (RSMAS), Benjamin Jaimes (RSMAS), Joshua Wadler, Sue Chen (NRL), James Doyle (NRL), James Cummings (NRL), Johna Rudzin (NRL), Yi Jin (NRL), Elizabeth Sanabia (USNA), Luca Centurioni (SIO), Theresa Paluszkiewicz, (OOC, LLC), Steven Jayne (WHOI), Rick Lumpkin, Gustavo Goni, Gregory Foltz, Francis Bringas, Matthieu Le Hénaff, and Lew Gramer

Physical representation of how the atmosphere and ocean interact in tropical cyclone (TC) forecast models has not been evaluated in great detail. Near simultaneous measurements of the ocean and the atmosphere just above the ocean surface, the energy exchanges that occur between them, and how they change over time will provide a unique opportunity to evaluate how well models represent these lowest regions of storms. The observations that are collected should help improve how forecast models represent interactions between the ocean and atmosphere in hurricanes.

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Cheyenne Stienbarger (NOAA GOMO), Emily A. Smith (NOAA GOMO), Gustavo Goni (NOAA AOML), Scott Glenn (Rutgers University), Travis Miles (Rutgers University), Frank Marks (NOAA AOML), Jun Zhang (NOAA AOML), Joe Cione (NOAA AOML), Luca Centurioni (Scripps Institute of Oceanography), Rick Lumpkin (NOAA AOML), Terri Paluszkiewicz (Global Drifter Program), Sidney Thurston (NOAA GOMO), Andy Chiodi (NOAA PMEL), Chidong Zhang (NOAA PMEL), Dongxiao Zhang (NOAA PMEL), Chris Meinig (NOAA PMEL), Greg Foltz (NOAA AOML), Steve Jayne (WHOI), Joaquin Trinanes (NOAA AOML and NESDIS CoastWatch), Hyun-Sook Kim (NOAA AOML), Juilio Morell (CARICOOS), Patricia Chardon (UPRM), Robert Todd (WHOI), Patricia Chardon (UPRM), Catherine Edwards (SECORA), Andrew Chiodi (NOAA PMEL), Dawn Petraitis (NOAA NDBC), Avichal Mehra (NOAA EMC), Kathleen Bailey (NOAA IOOS), Kerri Whilden (TAMU), Kevin Martin (USM), Francis Bringas (NOAA AOML), Ulises Rivero (NOAA AOML), Grant Rawson (NOAA AOML), CAPT Elizabeth Sanabia, (NRL)

The goal of this module is to provide ocean observations to improve how the ocean component is represented in hurricane forecast models. Ocean observations will be provided in sustained mode, when they are focused on the sustained monitoring of specific ocean water mass properties or features (e.g., ocean currents, gyres, global ocean heat content) and in targeted mode, when they are dedicated to assessing features known to be linked to hurricane intensity changes.

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Lisa Bucci (Co-PI), Jason Dunion (Co-PI), Lidia Cucurull (Co-PI), Mike Hardesty (Co-PI, Univ. of Colorado – NOAA/CIRES), Ralph Foster (Univ. of Washington)

This experiment seeks to use aircraft observations to validate satellite measurements of winds in the environment of tropical cyclones. This will be accomplished by coordinating NOAA’s P-3s and G-IV high altitude jet with overpasses of the ADM-Aeolus satellite.

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Jason Dunion (Co-PI), Jon Zawislak (Co-PI), Rebekah Esmaili (Co-PI, STC), Chris Barnet (Co-PI, NESDIS/JPSS-NASA), Michael Folmer (Co-PI, NWS/OPC), Nadia Smith (Co-PI, STC), Tony Wimmers (UW/CIMSS)

This experiment seeks to use aircraft observations to validate satellite measurements of temperature and moisture in a variety of environments that can affect tropical cyclone intensity and structure. This will be accomplished by coordinating NOAA’s GIV jet to fly below the NOAA-20 and Suomi-NPP satellites when they are passing overhead.

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Brittany Dahl (co-PI), Jason Dunion (co-PI), Rob Rogers (co-PI), Jon Zawislak (co-PI), Kelly Ryan, William Blackwell (MIT, Lincoln Laboratory)

This experiment is designed to calibrate and validate temperature, moisture, and precipitation measurements obtained from the new TROPICS Pathfinder satellite. These profiles will be compared to NOAA P-3 and NOAA G-IV aircraft observations, whose flight patterns will be coordinated in space and time with overpasses from the satellite.

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