Hurricane Emily

Operational Synoptic Flow Experiment
(930829I Aircraft 43RF)

Scientific Crew

Chief Scientist -- R. Burpee

Doppler Scientist -- F. Marks

Dropwindsonde Scientist -- J. Franklin

Workstation -- J. Griffin

This document is divided into 3 sections (Each section is written by the Chief Scientist):

Mission Briefing

Synoptic flow with 42RF TO from Miami to cover S half of storm with fig 4 in center, recovering in Miami; 43RF TO from Bermuda to cover N half of storm, recover in MIA. Missions require the highest altitude possible.

Mission Synopsis

43RF took off from Bermuda at 1800Z and 42RF took off around 1830Z from MIA. 43RF headed N of center making drops to define strength of ridge to N or Emily. Talked to 42RF at 2107Z during their fig 4 in the eye. 42RF did fix from 6 km altitude at 2050Z . All the radars were working fine. 43RF passed within 200 nm NE of center at 2140Z before turning N to continue track.

43RF completed N run dropping 22 sondes (4 of which couldn't be recovered). Three LOD2 sondes were also dropped for intercomparison. Sondes show ridge building rapidly to N of Emily and slight troughing to NNE of center. Emily is still tracking 340 deg at 10 kts, but may start tracking more W.

42RF reported that after ~2130Z they had problems baselining CH 1 and 2 sondes and were using only CH 3 sondes. To maintain sonde spacing they descended to 500 mb to shorten the fall time.

Mission Evaluation and Problems

If Emily actually recurves back to the W, this mission will be a great success (I think). ODWs worked good enough to define the ridge building on the E coast. Radars were fine and the workstation performed excellently (taking alot of the work load off t he ODW scientists. Our best effort to date.

Problems:

  1. MGOC needs to keep participants families better informed about mission status. No MGOC people available this morning and people planning mission are not supposed to have to handle queries. Problem appears to be people calling operations phone # (66 5-7551) for information. The message machine is not useful for this activity either because operations people don't have time to keep it up to date. We need MGOC to have another information line with a person or an updated information message about crew status, TO and land times, etc. for spouses to get information. This needs some major attention or I will have a divorce on my hands.

  2. The ODW system worked as well as it needed to and no better. Al Goldstein changed antennas before the flight and the omega signal was better, but not great. Many sondes had problems baselining (probably because they came from the bottom of the barr el). 42RF had similar baselining problems with CH 1 and 3 sondes. Al noticed some interference with the HF transmissions as well.