Review status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal ESSD.
High-resolution in situ observations of atmospheric thermodynamics
using dropsondes during the Organization of Tropical East Pacific
Convection (OTREC) field campaign
Holger Vömel1,Mack Goodstein1,Laura Tudor1,Jacquelyn Witte1,Željka Fuchs-Stone2,Stipo Sentić2,David Raymond2,Jose Martinez-Claros2,Ana Juračić2,Vijit Maithel3,and Justin W. Whitaker4Holger Vömel et al.Holger Vömel1,Mack Goodstein1,Laura Tudor1,Jacquelyn Witte1,Željka Fuchs-Stone2,Stipo Sentić2,David Raymond2,Jose Martinez-Claros2,Ana Juračić2,Vijit Maithel3,and Justin W. Whitaker4
Received: 31 Oct 2020 – Accepted for review: 04 Dec 2020 – Discussion started: 07 Dec 2020
Abstract. The Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign investigated the dynamical structure of convection in the tropical east Pacific and Caribbean. One of central data sets for this field campaign is the thermodynamic structure of the atmosphere measured by dropsondes released from the NSF/NCAR G V research aircraft. Between 7 August and 2 October 2019, 648 dropsonde were successfully released from twenty-two research flights. Soundings were launched in a grid pattern with a typical spacing of 1° longitude and 1.2° latitude and provide profiles of pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds between the surface and on average 13.3 km. Of these soundings, 636 provided complete vertical profiles of all parameters with a nominal vertical resolution between 6 to 12 m from the surface to almost flight altitude. OTREC deployed the new NRD41 dropsonde, which is the most advanced model that has been developed at NCAR. Here, we describe the data set, the processing of the measurements, and general statistics of all dropsonde observations. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.26023/EHRT-TN96-9W04 (UCAR/NCAR, 2019).
We provide an extensive data set of in situ vertical profile observations for pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds from 648 NCAR NRD41 dropsondes during the Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign. The measurements were taken during 22 flights of the NSF/NCAR GV research aircraft in August and September 2019 over the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The data allow a detailed study of atmospheric dynamics and convection over the tropical ocean.
We provide an extensive data set of in situ vertical profile observations for pressure,...