NARVAL-II umbrella proposal

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What role does convection play in cloud feedbacks within a changing climate? What role does the self-organization of convective clouds play in the climate system? The NARVAL-II campaign will contribute to answers to these key questions in climate science by targeted observations of trade wind convection in the vicinity of Barbados. For this purpose, the German research aircraft HALO will be equipped with a comprehensive suite of cloud remote sensing instruments: a cloud radar detects the vertical cloud structure, a lidar system provides information about the water vapor distribution and aerosols, microwave radiometers allow quantitative estimates of water content in all phases and sensors in the solar frequency range detect cloud geometry and the types of hydrometeors. HALO will be stationed at Barbados in August 2016 for three weeks and will fly research missions for about 95 hours in total. The measurements and derived data products will be provided to the scientific community via the HALO data base. NARVAL-II observations will complement the data record obtained during the NARVAL-I campaign in winter 2013/14 and the measurements during the NAWDEX campaign, which will take place in September 2016 over the high North Atlantic.