HR: 08:00h
AN: A21F-01    [Abstracts]
TI: An Overview of the Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling Experiment
AU: * Toon, O B
EM: toon@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: University of Colorado, Campus Box 392, Boulder, Co 80309, United States
AB: The Tropical Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC4) took place in July and August of 2007 primarily in Costa Rica and Panama. Three research aircraft, the NASA ER-2, NASA WB-57f and NASA/University of North Dakota DC-8, participated in the mission. In addition to test flights and transit flights, we were able to conduct 4 research missions with three aircraft on coordinated flight paths, 5 missions with 2 aircraft on coordinated flight paths, and 5 missions using 1 aircraft. In the 23 flight days available during the primary deployment we conducted 13 separate missions involving 26 individual aircraft flights, a feat that was only possible due to the hard work of the flight crews, logistical teams and scientists involved in TC4. In addition to the aircraft, the University of Oklahoma SMART research radar was positioned in Costa Rica and the NASA NPOL radar was located in Panama. The Pennsylvania State University NATIVE research trailer facility was located in Panama. The Ticosonde balloon launch facilities were utilized in Costa Rica. Additional balloon launches took place from Panama and from the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. TC4 had numerous research goals as summarized in this talk. Among other topics, flights addressed: the radiative and microphysical properties of marine stratus clouds, cirrus anvils, cumulus towers, and subvisible cirrus; the distribution of upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric water vapor and its isotopes; atmospheric chemistry from the marine and continental boundary layers through the troposphere and into the lower stratosphere; and the validation of numerous satellite instruments including many on the Aura, CloudSat, Calipso, Aqua and Terra platforms.
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 0321 Cloud/radiation interaction
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting