The Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX) is a series of
field research investigations sponsored by Dr. Ramesh Kakar, Program Manager
for Atmospheric Dynamics and Remote Sensing at the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters. The overall goal of CAMEX
is to study atmospheric water vapor and precipitation processes using a
unique array of aircraft, balloon, and land-based remote sensors. The first
two CAMEX field studies were conducted at Wallops Island, Virginia, during
1993 and 1995.
The third in the series of CAMEX field studies (CAMEX-3) is planned
for August - September, 1998. This field campaign will be devoted to the
study of hurricane tracking and intensification using NASA-funded aircraft
remote sensing instrumentation. The NASA ER-2 and DC-8 are the primary
aircraft platforms currently planned for the deployment; however, collaborations
with the National Weather Service/Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane
Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Hurricane Research
Division are being developed so that actual mission sorties may involve
as many as five to six aircraft.
The remote sensing instrumentation to be utilized by NASA during CAMEX-3
will yield high spatial and temporal information of hurricane structure,
dynamics, and motion. These data, when analyzed within the context of more
traditional aircraft, satellite, and ground-based radar observations, should
provide additional insight to hurricane modelers and forecasters who continually
strive to improve hurricane predictions. The ultimate goal of CAMEX-3 is
to provide information which could someday assist in decreasing the size
of coastal evacuation areas and increasing the warning time for those areas.
Image courtesy of Dr. Wallace McMillan/UMBC
|