Feb-Mar 2011, 55 (+40) flying hours, 11 dropsondes

Cloud physics and radiation studies

To conduct case-study measurements of the evolution of stratocumulus cloud layers over the UK. Aircraft measurements will be coordinated with (and may also be co-located with) ground-based measurements from a number of sites including Cardington (Beds.), Camborne (Cornwall), Weybourne (Norfolk) and Chilbolton (Hants.).

Aircraft measurements will be focussed on examining the links between sub-cloud aerosols and drizzle and their impacts on the evolution of boundary-layer structure over land. Additionally, the aircraft may observe vertical profiles of the turbulent fluxes of heat and moisture for comparison with the output of the Unified Model boundary layer parametrization scheme.

Meteorological Conditions:

Stratocumulus cloud sheets forming over sea areas in the SW Approaches or N.Sea and being advected over land. Likely conditions for this are:

- warm sector of an open-wave depression with westerly or south-westerly flow over S.England,

- anticyclone centred to the west of the UK, with northerly or north-easterly flow over the N.Sea onto the E.coast of England

Single cloud layers with no overlying medium or upper cloud are strongly preferred so as to simplify the interpretation of surface-based microwave radiometric data.

Instrumentation:

Core Consoles, Core Chemistry, AVAPS, mini-LIDAR, AMS, CPC, PSAP/Filters, Weather Radar, ARIES, SWS, CVI,PCASP, CDP, CAPS, 2D-C, CIP25, CIP100