The NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program: Status and Activities

Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) Experiment The NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program:Status and Activities Gary Wick Robbie Hood, Program Director Gary Wick, Terry Hock, Ryan Spackman, and Michael Black

WISPAR Overview • Funded by the NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program • Primary objective to evaluate the capabilities of the Global Hawk aircraft and NCAR/NOAA dropsonde system for NOAA operations and research • 3 Science flights targeting: • Atmospheric Rivers • Winter Storms Reconnaissance • Arctic Weather • January – March 2011 from NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility • 177 dropsondes deployed in just under 70 flight hours

Atmospheric Rivers Flight • Objective: Observe and characterize an atmospheric river with a strong tropical connection near Hawaii • 11-12 February 2011, 20:25 flight • HMT IOP 3, 14-17 February • Planned flight elements: • Core transit • 4 transects • Water vapor budget box • Flight terminated at start of third transect due to engine fault • 37 sondes deployed

Initial Flight Plan Atmospheric river flight: 11 – 12 February 2011 Flight plan shown in Waypoint Planning Tool overlaid on GFS forecast of precipitable water valid midway through flight

Actual Flight From RTMM with HAMSR

Dropsonde Location and Status 00 Z Analysis, 12 February 2011 SSMIS F18, 12 Feb 2011, ~0530 UTC GH Position GH Position

AR Width – First Transect 0336Z 0306Z 0217Z

AR Core – Second Transect 0622Z 0630Z 0646Z Surface to ~550 mb also available from incomplete sounding in middle of core

Winter Storms Flight • Primary Objective: WSR targeted observations in support of forecasted cyclogenesis in the Midwest on 6 March • Secondary objective: Additional transect of a weak AR event (low IWV but strong winds) • 3-4 March 2011, 24:08 flight • HMT IOP 6, 1-4 March • HMT IOP 7, 6-7 March • 70 sondes deployed • Flight conducted in coordination with G-IV WSR flight • G-IV conducted AR transect and water vapor budget box

Synoptic Conditions • Screen shot at 0245 UTC from NASA RTMM • Background is GOES-West IR imagery • G-IV flight plan visible at bottom left Intensifying Low Pressure System GH

Winter Storms Objective Sensitivity Forecast Valid 00Z Mar 4 (colors) Valid 12Z Mar 4 (contours)

AR Crossings - Dropsonde Status SSMIS F18, 04 March 2011, ~0500 UTC SSMIS F16-17, 04 Mar2011, ~1600 UTC GH Position GH Position

Arctic Flight • Objectives: • Operational demonstration of Arctic weather sampling • Comparison with ground observations from Barrow site • Sampling within the Arctic vortex • 2 high-density transects of an atmospheric river • 9-10 March 2011, 25:03 flight • Due to longer required lead times, GloPac flight plan utilized • Aircraft forced to descend to 45,000 ft at 78 N due to cold ambient temperatures • 70 sondes deployed • 35 in Arctic north of Alaska • 27 in 2 AR transects

AR Crossings – Dropsonde Status Northbound AR Segment 00 Z Analysis, 10 March 2011 SSMIS F17 10 Mar 2011, ~0200 UTC GH Position GH Position

AR Crossings – Dropsonde Status Southbound AR Segment 18 Z Analysis, 10 March 2011 SSMIS F16, 10 Mar 2011, ~1600 UTC GH Position GH Position

Northbound AR Transect 2315Z SSMIS F17 10 Mar 2011, ~0200 UTC 2310Z 2305Z

Southbound AR Transect 1839Z SSMIS F16, 10 Mar 2011, ~1600 UTC 1843Z 1906Z

Arctic Observations Drop locations superimposed on 70 mb temperatures from the NCAR/NCEP V2 reanalysis data Courtesy of Leslie Lait, Paul Newman (NASA GSFC)

Summary • Overall an excellent engineering test and operational demonstration • Dropsonde system performed extremely well • Significant mission flexibility observed • Two flights corresponded to conditions in advance of CalWater IOPs • Results will be available to interested CalWater investigators • Good science expected

The NOAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program: Status and Activities