EAGER: Deploying the Colorado State University (CSU) SEA-POL Radar to SPURS-2

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to support the deployment of the newly developed C-band Doppler, polarization radar on the research vessel (R/V) Roger Revelle to support the SPURS-2 cruise, to be conducted in the eastern tropical Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) near 10N-125W from mid-October to mid-November 2017. SEA-POL will mark the first deployment of a polarimetric Doppler radar to study tropical convection from a ship platform. The project seeks to gain new insights into tropical deep cloud formations including how these deep clouds (called "convection") respond to sea surface temperature (SST) changes and the modulation of ITCZ convection by Easterly Waves. Soundings launched from the ship will be used to characterize the environmental convective available potential energy (CAPE) and shear to provide important context for the radar measurements. New ideas will be explored on spectral processing of the received radar signals to suppress sea clutter. The most important features of this EAGER project are that: (i) it provides a seaborne polarimetric radar platform (previously tested on land) deployed on an ocean field campaign (SPURS-2), (ii) will provide unprecedented observations of cloud microphysical processes in both tropical convection and stratiform cloud structures, and (iii) the field study will verify stated goals of the previously funded NSF MRI project to develop the SEA-POL radar. This project supports the creation of rain maps to support the science team during the SPURS-2 deployment at sea. Rainfall data will be used in conjunction with other onboard experiments from the same research vessel and to validate satellite estimates of ocean salinity. The results of this field campaign will be of interest to the radar community and, more broadly, to those interested in the microphysical processes of clouds and rainfall at sea ? particularly associated with the ITCZ. This project will also fund the training of one postdoctoral research scientist and a graduate student.