1. The Barbados Cloud Observatory: a first outlook
Louise Nuijens
Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie Hamburg
Bjorn Stevens, Lutz Hirsch, Friedhelm Jansen, Ilya Serikov, Holger Linne, Bjorn Bruegman and Clara Herer

2. The Barbados Cloud Observatory
Goal:
to measure statistical properties of clouds, precipitation, aerosol and meteorology within the trades, to help improve our understanding of the behavior of shallow cumulus clouds and their link to our changing climate.
Initiative:
a joint project of the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH)
Partners:
Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute for Technology
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Physics, Dr. Holger Siebert
Remote sensing group of Prof. Susanne Crewell (Univ. of Cologne)
Aerosol group of Prof. Joseph Prospero (Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School)

3. Outline Location of the site Measurement strategy and questions
Instrumentation and data products
A first look at data
Outlook and links
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

4. Location of the site Ragged Point Deebles Point
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

5. Measurement strategy and questions
Starting April 2010, the Barbados Cloud Observatory measures 24/7 and will be in operation for two years (at least) with:
Scanning cloud radar:
that scans (horizontally) an area upstream of the island at least once each 10 minutes, alternated with periods of vertical profiling.
Vertically pointing lidar, ceilometer, microrain radar:
that help characterize the vertical structure of clouds, rain, the aerosol and the atmosphere.
Major questions:
What (meteorological) conditions favor certain types of cloudiness?
For days that are meteorologically the same, what is the impact of the aerosol?
At what depth do clouds start to rain?
How does cloudiness change with organization (in the presence of precipitation)?
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

6. Instrumentation Ceilometer Ka-band cloud radar (KIT)
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

7. Instrumentation Rain gauge, aircraft safety radar Raman lidar
All-sky imager cloud camera
Micro rain radar
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

8. Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

9. What do we get (data products)?
Ceilometer (1064 nm, Dr = 15 m):
Height of cloud ‘bases’, aerosol layers (?)
KIT Ka-band cloud radar (37 GHz – 8 mm, Dr = 15 m, rmax = 7.5 km):
Cloud (horizontal/vertical extent, areal coverage)
Vertical profiles of reflectivity, LWC and fall speed (radial velocity), drizzle
Micro rain radar (10 GHz – 3 cm, Dr = 100 m):
Vertical profile of rain (reflectivity) and LWC
Raman “monster” lidar (1064, 532, 255 nm, Dr = 60 m):
Vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud backscatter, extinction
Vertical profiles of water vapor and temperature during night
All-sky imager and camera (Ragged Point)
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

10. A first look at data May 9 August 12
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

11. A first look at data August 12 May 9
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

12. What is coming? A quick outlook
Instrumentation & data (end of this year *wishful thinking*):
DIAL (differential absorption) water vapor lidar
Ka-band cloud radar with greater scanning abilities, to replace the KIT radar that is on loan
Scanning microwave radiometer (HATPRO - SUNHAT from Univ. Of Cologne)
S-Band precipitation data from CIMH
Wish-list:
A wind lidar: vertical profile of wind speed
A pyrheliometer and pyrgeometer: down-welling SW and LW radiation
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

13. What is coming? A quick outlook
Intensive campaigns and collaborations:
August: collecting dust on Ragged Point (Joe Prospero - Univ. of Miami)
November and Spring: measuring turbulence, aerosol and cloud droplet number concentrations using ACTOS (Holger Siebert – IfT)
Start 2011: involve students at CIMH with the data analysis …
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links

14. Links Websites: MPI – Atmosphaere im Erdsystem – Barbados Initiative:
The Barbados Worldpress Site – a first ‘Wiki’ on instrument and data status with links to images and quicklooks:
Location • Strategy and questions • Instrumentation • Data • Outlook and links