ELDORA Project Data

• MAP: Mesoscale Alpine Experiment (September to November 1999)

  MAP was a concerted, international effort to explore the effects of complex 3D topography on wind, precipitation, and flooding. The two major US MAP Research Program foci were in the area of terrain-induced airflow phenomena and orographically-generated heavy precipitation.

• IHOP 2002: International H20 Project (May to June 2002)

  The International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) is a field experiment that took place over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States from 13 May to 25 June 2002. The chief aim of IHOP_2002 was improved characterization of the four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection. The region was an optimal location due to existing experimental and operational facilities, strong variability in moisture, and active convection.

• CRYSTAL-FACE: Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers - Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (July 2002)

  Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities warm our climate. Two effects of this warming are the increase of clouds and the rise of water vapor in the atmosphere. Both of these in turn influence the impacts of the man-made gases on global warming. Clouds can reflect the sun rays away from the surface, cooling the climate, but they also act as 'blankets', trapping sun's radiative heat. These various interactions are complex and not fully understood. However, the processes are crucial in determining the eventual overall effect of manmade greenhouse gases on the earth?s climate. The detailed measurements from the Crystal-Face mission will assist in improving our climate models. Six aircraft were equipped with state-of-the-art instruments to measure characteristics of clouds and how clouds alter the atmosphere's temperature. These measurements will be compared with ground based radars, satellites, and the results of advanced atmospheric models, in order to improve our ability to forecast future climate change.

• BAMEX: Bow-Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (May to July 2003)

  BAMEX investigated bow echoes, principally those which produce damaging surface winds and last at least 4 hours and larger convective systems which produce long lived mesoscale convective vortices (MCVs). The main objectives regarding bow echoes were to understand and improve prediction of the mesoscale and cell-scale processes that produce severe winds. For MCV producing systems the objectives were to understand MCV formation within MCSs, the role of MCVs in initiating and modulating convection, the feedback of convection onto MCV intensity, and to improve the overall predictability of the vortex-convection coupled system.

Data from projects prior to 1999 is available through ATD's automated NCAR Mass-store data retrieval tool. All of the above listed data is available in DORADE sweepfile format from that location as well if the user prefers. Any problems, comments, or other data queries regarding ELDORA data should be sent to Michael Bell.