East Pacific Investigation of Climate Processes in the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System (EPIC)
NOAA Profiler Observations in Support of EPIC 2001
The EPIC 2001 Field Program was a joint NSF/NOAA campaign that took place September 1 through October 15, 2001, in the cold-tongue/ITCZ region of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Among the goals of EPIC were to observe and understand the ocean-atmosphere processes responsible for large-scale atmospheric heating gradients, atmospheric boundary layer structure and evolution, deep convection processes, and the properties of boundary layer cloud decks.
The Aeronomy Lab operated a 2835-MHz vertically pointing precipitation profiling radar on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Research Vessel New Horizon. Collocated with the profiler was a Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer to measure raindrop size distributions. In addition, the Aeronomy Lab has been operating a 915-MHz wind profiler on San Cristóbal in the Galápagos Islands since 1994.
Related types of instruments that were operated by other groups during EPIC include a C-Band scanning radar operated by Colorado State University andthe Millimeter-wave Cloud Radar (MMCR) operated by NOAA's Environmental Technology Lab. Both of these instruments were locatedon the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown.
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| The Research Vessel New Horizon (image courtesy of Scripps Institution of Oceanography). | View of the NOAA AL S-Band Precipitation Profiler antenna dish inside its cylindrical clutter shield on the deck of the New Horizon. | |
The EPIC data archive for the entire program resides at the Joint Office for Science Support, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (JOSS/UCAR) .
Links to AL EPIC profiler archives:
- Browse archive of precipitation profiler images from S-Band profiler on R/V New Horizon (a new window will open).
- Wind Profile data files from UHF profiler on San Cristóbal, Galápagos.
- Positions of R/V New Horizon and R/V Ronald H. Brown.
- Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer data files.
- Profiler calibration -- description of the profiler calibration using the collocated surface Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer.
- Calibrated profiler data archive. Download files containing the calibrated profiler observations of reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and spectral width.