Overview of the field phase of the Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Track EXperiment (FASTEX) project

Abstract

The field phase of the Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Track Experiment (FASTEX) project took place between 5 January and 27 February 1997 with the deployment of a unique set of observing facilities across the North Atlantic. the major objective was to document the life cycle of a representative set of mid-latitude cyclones. Other objectives were to test the practical feasibility of ‘adaptive’ observations with a view to improving the prediction of these same cyclones and to document the internal structure of the associated cloud systems using combined airborne Doppler radars and dropsondes. Another goal of FASTEX was to measure air-sea exchange parameters under conditions of strong winds with high seas. These objectives were successfully achieved. Intensive Observation Periods were conducted on 19 occasions. High-resolution vertical profiles through the same cyclones at three different stages of their life cycle have been obtained on more than 10 occasions. the calculation of critical areas where further observations were needed to limit the growth of forecast error, was undertaken using different techniques, and flights were planned and executed in these areas in time to achieve this. Combined dropsonde and Doppler radar observations of cloud systems are available for 10 cases. A unique air-sea turbulent exchange dataset has been obtained.