Shipboard Radar Observations of Precipitating Convection in EPIC2001

东太平洋海气耦合系统气候过程调查(EPIC)是美国气候可变性和可预测性计划(CLIVAR)的一项活动。EPIC 2001由四个部分组成，重点是(I)热带辐合带暖池现象；(Ii)跨赤道流入热带辐合带；(Iii)上层海洋结构和混合；以及(Iv)东南信风区边界层云特性的探索性研究。EPIC 2001的实地阶段定于2001年9月1日至10月15日期间进行，为期6周。除了大气科学部颁发的八项奖项外，这项合作研究还获得了NSF海洋科学部和NOAA全球方案办公室的奖项。在现场阶段，PI将收集R/V罗恩·布朗号上的数据，包括舰载测深和C波段多普勒雷达。这些将被用来研究降雨和ITCZ对流的垂直和水平结构及其随天气条件的变化。将收集必要的数据来研究对流和降水的日循环。个人资料调查亦会研究边界层透过潜热通量和感热通量补给与对流组织的关系。这项工作很重要，因为它将为采样不足的东热带太平洋的对流提供新的见解。

EPIC (Eastern Pacific Investigation of Climate processes in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system) is an activity of the US Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Program. EPIC 2001 consists of four components focussing on (i) intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) warm pool phenomena; (ii) cross-equatorial inflow into the ITCZ; (iii) upper ocean structure and mixing; and (iv) an exploratory study of boundary layer cloud properties in the southeasterly tradewind regime. The field phase of EPIC 2001 is scheduled for a 6-week period during the interval Sept 1 to Oct 15, 2001. In addition to the eight awards made by the Division of Atmospheric Sciences, this collaborative research has awards by NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences and NOAA's Office of Global Programs.During the field phase, the PIs will collect data aboard R/V Ron Brown, both ship-based soundings and C-Band Doppler radar. These will be used to examine the vertical and horizontal structure of rainfall and ITCZ convection and its variability as a function of synoptic conditions. The requisite data will be collected to examine the diurnal cycle of convection and precipitation. The PIs will also examine the relationship between the boundary layer recharging through latent and sensible heat fluxes as a function of convective organization. The work is important because it will provide new insights about convection in the undersampled eastern tropical Pacific.