The Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) was a NASA field investigation that examined convective processes over tropical waters to improve understanding of the life cycle of tropical storms. CPEX involved a single deployment over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea from May to June 2017. NASA's DC-8 aircraft gathered profile data on wind, temperature, and water vapor and also provided dual-frequency radar imagery. CPEX was funded by NASA's Atmospheric Dynamics Program.
2017-05-25 — 2017-06-25
North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Oceanic region
The Microwave Atmospheric Sounder for Cubesat (MASC) is an airborne cross-track scanning microwave sounder developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It measures microwave radiances across eight channels near the 118 GHz oxygen and 183 GHz water vapor lines. These measurements are used to derive atmospheric temperature and humidity. It has a spatial resolution of 15 km at 183 GHz and 20 km at 118 GHz. MASC scans at 30 revolutions per minute. MASC was designed as a 6U CubeSat and as a prototype for the TEMPEST-D EVI-2 technology demonstrator.
The High Altitude Monolithic Microwave integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) is an airborne microwave sounder developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory through NASA's Instrument Incubator Program. HAMSR measures brightness temperature, which can be used to derive three-dimensional profiles of atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and cloud liquid water. It operates across 25 spectral channels in three microwave bands (50-60 GHz, 118 GHz, 183 GHz) and has a sampling frequency of 5 seconds. HAMSR has a horizontal spatial resolution of 2 km at nadir and a field of view of approximately 40 km at an altitude of 20 km.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Absolute Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Relative Humidity
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Total Precipitable Water
Dropsondes, also called dropwindsondes, are instruments deployed from aircraft. They are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and sensors that record vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Dropsondes enable researchers to gather vertical profiles in remote areas and during severe weather. Typically, dropsondes have a vertical resolution of 5 meters and measure wind speed and direction every 0.25 seconds, while temperature, pressure, and humidity are recorded every 0.5 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Microwave Temperature and Humidity Profiler (MTHP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was designed as an improved version of the Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP), adding a frequency band to measure humidity. MTHP collects measurements ahead of the flight path and above and below the aircraft to generate vertical temperature and humidity profiles. It measures temperature in the 60 GHz channel and humidity in the 183 GHz channel. MTHP has a scan rate of 1.5 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature > Vertical Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN) is an airborne lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center. DAWN uses a pulsed, solid-state laser operating at 2 micrometers to detect atmospheric aerosol backscatter. It also provides vertical profiles of horizontal winds below the aircraft and line-of-sight winds at each azimuth angle. Typically, DAWN delivers profiles with a 60-meter resolution and emits pulses at 10 Hz.
The Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3) is an airborne Doppler dual-polarization radar. It measures Doppler velocity and radar reflectivity at three frequencies: 13.4 GHz, 35.6 GHz, and 94 GHz to determine the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation. APR-3 has a horizontal resolution of 700-800 meters at an altitude of 10 km and a vertical resolution of 60 meters. It was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and replaced the APR-2.
