Annotated plan-view reflectivity image from
the P-3's lower fuselage radar as transmitted to NWS forecasters
on 19 February 2001.
|
As highlighted in the previous issue of NSSL Briefings,
the PACific landfalling JETs experiment (PACJET) was successfully conducted
along and offshore of the West Coast of the U.S. during January-March
2001. One of PACJET's primary objectives was to improve short-term forecasts
and warnings of life-threatening floods and severe windstorms produced
by landfalling Pacific winter storms, which routinely originate well beyond
the reach of NOAA's coastal observing network. Scientists from NSSL worked
closely with NOAA's Environmental Technology Laboratory and the Naval
Postgraduate School (NPS) personnel to plan and conduct 17 highly productive
P-3 aircraft missions during PACJET. Both P-3 dropsonde data and flight-level
observations were transmitted to the National Weather Service for direct
assimilation into NCEP's operational model suite. A groundbreaking aspect
of PACJET was the real-time telemetry (via a satellite communications
system called INMARSAT) of the P-3's conventional and Doppler radar imagery
for examination by NWS forecasters across the Western Region. These radar
images, which require specialized interpretation, were annotated by NSSL
and NPS scientists for efficient examination by NWS forecasters. The images
were captured on board the P-3 with a television frame grabber, converted
to gif format, annotated, and sent out as a e-mail attachments to the
PACJET operations center Web site, where they were posted for viewing
using standard web browser technology. On at least one occasion, the P-3
radar imagery and associated discussions triggered issuance of an advisory
for waterspouts and rapidly deteriorating marine weather conditions as
a severe cold frontal rainband swept toward the populous California coast.
Analysis of PACJET data is ongoing. Further details on the PACJET dataset
and related accomplishments and plans are available at http://www.etl.noaa.gov/programs/pacjet/.
By
Brad Smull and Dave Jorgensen
|