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Hurricane and Monsoon Tracking with Driftsondes

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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology

Definition of the Subject

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are a typical weather threat. The threat can apply to humans, their properties, and activities. Their prediction, particularly their trajectory and intensity, remains difficult. In addition, TCs develop above the tropical oceans where the coverage by in situ observations is poor and within cloud clusters (mesoscale convective systems, MCSs) that limit the ability of numerical weather prediction (NWP) models to assimilate satellite data [18]. Improved forecast of TC trajectories is a huge benefit in terms of material costs of evacuations and damage, not being able to quantify saved life.

The deployment of additional observations to improve understanding and forecasting TCs started very early in the USA, from the early 1980s. This approach is called adaptive observation and was initiated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The philosophy of adaptive observation is the adjustment of the usual (so-called routine)...

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Abbreviations

African easterly jet (AEJ):

Wind jet developing at about 600-hPa pressure level (about 4,200 m) and 5°N latitude over the African continent.

African easterly waves (AEWs):

Synoptic-scale, westward-propagating waves embedded in the AEJ.

AMMA:

African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) program, initiated in 2002 with an intensive field campaign in 2006 and focusing on the physical changes in the environment of the West African monsoon and their impacts on the society.

Boundary layer pressurized balloon (BLPB):

Balloon drifting in the atmospheric boundary layer and carrying an instrumented gondola which collects measurements of the typical meteorological variables.

Concordiasi:

International project of the THORPEX-International Polar Year aiming at a better understanding of the climate of Antarctica.

Driftsonde:

Stratospheric drifting balloon launching dropsondes over high-impact weather, providing vertical profiles of meteorological data.

Hurricane:

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone, occurring in the North Atlantic Ocean or the Northeast Pacific Ocean. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain.

HyMeX:

Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX) program aiming at improving the understanding of running-water cycle in the Mediterranean region with a particular focus on the evolution and predictability of hydrometeorological extreme events in the perspective of climate change.

Mesoscale convective system (MCS):

Complex of thunderstorms normally persisting for several hours or more.

Saharan air layer (SAL):

Surges of hot, dry air that cascade into the Atlantic from the Sahel region of Africa.

THORPEX:

Global program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) aiming at accelerating improvements in the prediction of high-impact weather.

T-NAWDEX:

THORPEX-North Atlantic Waveguide and Downstream Impact Experiment.

T-PARC:

THORPEX Pacific Asian Regional Campaign.

West African monsoon:

Rainy phase of a seasonal change in atmospheric circulation over West Africa. The other major monsoon systems are the Asia-Australian monsoons in the sampled environment.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to J. Fox, K. Romberg, J. VanAndel, H. Cole, C. Martin, G. Granger, D. Flanigan, and D. Lauritsen (NCAR) for the assistance in operation of the driftsonde system. Based on French initiative, AMMA was built by an international scientific group and is currently funded by a large number of agencies, especially from France, UK, Germany, USA, and Africa. It has been the beneficiary of a major financial contribution from the European Community’s Sixth Framework Research Program. Detailed information on scientific coordination and funding is available on the AMMA International website http://www.amma-international.org.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Pierre Simon Laplace/Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, École Polytechnique/UPMC/ENS/CNRS, 91128, Palaiseau, France

    P. Drobinski & C. Lavaysse

  2. Sous-direction Ballon, Centre National d’Études Spatiales, Toulouse, France

    Philippe Cocquerez & Stéphanie Vénel

  3. Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, Météo-France/CNRS, Toulouse, France

    A. Doerenbecher & J. L. Redelsperger

  4. Atmospheric Technology Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Lane, 80307, Boulder, CO, USA

    T. Hock & D. Parsons

Authors
  1. P. Drobinski
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  2. Philippe Cocquerez
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  3. A. Doerenbecher
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  4. T. Hock
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  5. C. Lavaysse
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  6. D. Parsons
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  7. J. L. Redelsperger
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  8. Stéphanie Vénel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Drobinski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ramtech Ltd., Larkspur, California, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Drobinski, P. et al. (2013). Hurricane and Monsoon Tracking with Driftsondes. In: Meyers, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_897-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_897-3

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