Research activities at the national hurricane and experimental meteorology laboratory

Abstract

NHEML is the primary NOAA element responsible for research covering a broad spectrum of problems in tropical meteorology. Particular emphasis is placed upon basic studies of hurricanes and tropical cyclones. This research is directed towards better predictions of hurricane genesis, intensification, and motion to improve warnings to the public. NHEML is also responsible for basic studies to determine the extent to which hurricanes can be beneficially modified by man (Project STORMFURY). Furthermore, NHEML conducts field programs and basic studies of tropical cumulus clouds to advance the knowledge of convective storm processes and to understand interactions between the convective scale, the mesoscale, and the synoptic scale in the tropics. The purpose of this work is to improve prediction of convective and mesoscale events in the tropics and to determine the effectiveness of precipitation enhancement on an area-wide basis at low latitudes. The laboratory, therefore, is also the focal point of NOAA's mission in the beneficial modification of tropical storms and in convective precipitation management from tropical clouds. NHEML conducts field programs with sophisticated instrumented aircraft to gather specialized high resolution data in support of the research programs described. The NOAA RFC research aircraft, as well as DoD and NASA aircraft, are used in hurricane field programs. Lighter, leased aircraft, together with the NOAA aircraft, are used in field programs related to tropical cumulus clouds and precipitation enhancement studies (Florida Area Cumulus Experiment). The planning and execution of these field programs, as well as the analysis and evaluation of the resulting data, are major efforts of the laboratory and require a wide variety of scientific and technical skills. A second major activity of NHEML is mathematical simulation modeling to advance understanding of tropical cyclones, convective and mesoscale processes, and scale interactions. This work supports and provides insight to interpretation of the data obtained in the laboratory's field programs and is a critical part of the NHEML effort.