The NCAR Microwave Temperature Profiler: Data Applications from Recent Deployments Julie Haggerty, Kelly Schick, Chris Davis National Center for Atmospheric Research M.J. Mahoney and Boon Lim Jet Propulsion Lab, California Institute of Technology

 History of airborne Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP)  Sensor Specifications  Data Products  Verification against independent data sets  Research applications of MTP data products  Ongoing work

 Upgraded version of previous MTPs built at JPL  Components reconfigured to fit in wing-mounted canister  Improved mixer allows baseband frequency sampling  Heated target vs. ambient  Custom fairing with transparent window  Available to NSF investigators who request the NCAR Gulfstream V

 Samples at three oxygen absorption lines (56.363, , GHz)  Samples at 10 viewing angles between nadir and zenith  Two-point calibration uses heated blackbody target and ambient air temperature  Profile available every 17 seconds (~4 km horizontal spacing)  ~150 m vertical resolution near aircraft  Measurement uncertainty ~0.5 to 1.5 K within +/- 6km of flight level

Real-time Vertical temperature profiles Tropopause height and temp Vertical temperature structure as a function of time along the GV flight track. Color scale represents temperature; gray line near the bottom is a data quality metric. HIPPO-3 flight on 4/10/10 American Samoa to Kona, HI tropopause height aircraft altitude Post-Processed Temperature curtain plots Isentrope plots

Tropical Oceanic ConditionsContinental Convective Conditions

 2010 Atlantic hurricane season  Observations of cyclogenesis with repeated flights into developing hurricanes  MTP provided horizontal and vertical structure of temperature field above and below flight

Davis et al., 2014, J. Atmos. Sci

Davis et al., 2014, J. Atmos. Sci.

 2012, Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean  Study the release, transport and fate of reactive halogen gases and oxidized VOCs during the season of high biological ocean productivity.  MTP provided meteorological context for trace gas observations in the tropopause

Stratospheric intrusion

Regional air quality model shows evidence of extensive stratospheric intrusion Isentrope spacing consistent with stratosphere- troposphere transition

 2013 Mesoscale Predicability Experiment  Investigate the ability of sub- synoptic scale observations to enhance skill in regional numerical weather prediction over a 6 to 24 hour time span  MTP profiles provided high horizontal resolution observations of temperature structure for assimilation into numerical models

 Processing software upgrades  JPL, NCAR, DLR collaboration  Consideration of alternate retrieval methods  Upcoming deployment  gravity wave observations in New Zealand (June 2014)  Exploration of companion water vapor profile measurement