NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses 2006

Tropical cyclones pose a serious, imminent, and ongoing hazard to citizens of the United States. In recent years, NASA has investigated these storms using airborne sensors, numerical models and satellite data. NAMMA-2006 continues these efforts and will provide new insight into the processes that govern hurricane growth and evolution. It is a component of African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA), an international project aimed at improving knowledge and understanding of the West African Monsoon and its variability.

The NAMMA 2006 campaign will employ extensive surface observation networks, research aircraft, and satellite data, including that from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), QuikSCAT, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E), Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The measurements gathered will help characterize the evolution and structure of African easterly waves and mesoscale convective systems over continental western Africa, how and why these systems develop into tropical cyclones, and assess their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets.

NASA's DC-8 research aircraft will serve as a primary research tool and will be flown in coordination with one or more NOAA Hurricane Research Division aircraft operating in the eastern Atlantic basin. The DC-8 contains a comprehensive suite of sophisticated remote sensing and in situ measurement sensors, allowing scientists to target specific areas within a developing tropical cyclone. Ground-based scientific measurements will be made with NASA's polarimetric weather research radar and C-band Doppler weather radar.

Detailed observations from NAMMA 2006 will be used in part to study decadal variations in Atlantic hurricane activity. These cycles are thought to be tied to regional variations in rainfall over West Africa and the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. The potential for changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme events remains a major element of uncertainty in future climate change predictions.

The NAMMA mission is under the direction of Ramesh Kakar, Weather Focus Area Lead in the Science Mission Directorate of NASA Headquarters.

Contacts:

Edward Zipser
University of Utah

Ramesh Kakar
NASA Headquarters
ramesh.k.kakar@nasa.gov

Science Goals:

• Characterize precipitation processes in the West African region and adjacent eastern Atlantic, with specific focus on the transition of convective systems from the continental to maritime environment
• Examine tropical cyclone development in the eastern and central Atlantic, particularly the manner in which African easterly waves evolve into strong (category 3, 4, and 5) hurricanes that impact the United States
• Study the composition and vertical structure of the Saharan Air Layer with regard to the manner in which aerosols impact the efficiency of cloud precipitation processes and its influences on cyclone development
• Obtain detailed information on cloud and hydrometeor microphysics and the vertical structure of water vapor, aerosols, and precipitation in tropical convection

Partners:

NASA scientists will collaborate with researchers from other government agencies, research institutions, and universities, including the NOAA Hurricane Research Division.

When:

August - September 2006

Where:

Research will be performed over a wide area in the eastern Atlantic and West Africa with several ground-based instrumentation sites in the Cape Verde Islands and in Senegalesearch will be performed over a wide area in the eastern Atlantic and West Africa with several ground-based instrumentation sites in the Cape Verde Islands and in Senegal.

Links:

Mission Site:

http://namma.msfc.nasa.gov/index.html

For information about the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA):

http://amma.mediasfrance.org/

For more information about NASA's DC-8 Research Aircraft:

http://trc.dfrc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/FactSheets/FS-050-DFRC.html

For more information about the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM):

http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For more information about the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS):

http://www-airs.jpl.nasa.gov/

For more information about the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS):

http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For more information about the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E):

http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/AMSR/

For more information about QuikSCAT:

http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/