Evolution of Meteorology and Ozone in the Mexico City Outflow

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In this project, newly developed Controlled Meteorological (COMET) balloons will be deployed during the MIRAGE/MILAGRO project in the Mexico City region in 2006. The COMET balloons are small altitude-controlled platforms that make in situ measurements of wind velocity, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and ozone, and communicate these data in real time via satellite. The balloons can remain airborne for multiple days, perform repeat soundings, follow trajectories, and respond to commands from operators on the ground.The objective of this project is to determine how pollution is transported and dispersed into the regional background, how the outflow is impacted by synoptic conditions, how ozone concentrations change with time within the outflow, and how well 3-dimensional models reproduce the observed ozone and meteorological fields. COMET balloons will provide real-time trajectory data that can be used to guide Lagrangian experiments of the aircraft or better understand the relationship between airmasses detected at the various ground sites during the field project. The modeling work will be performed in collaboration with scientists from DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The research will provide educational opportunities for several undergraduate students.