U.S. Climate Scientists Join Collaborators in Australia to Begin Tropical Cloud Experiment

 
Published: 12 January 2006

Media Advisory

Media Contact: Lynne Roeder, 509.372.4331

More than 100 researchers from around the world are gathering in Darwin, Australia, as they prepare to launch simultaneous ground, sea and sky operations during the Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment. The experiment, organized jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, begins on January 21, 2006. To kick off this major experiment, members of the media are invited to a Media Day on Thursday, January 19, to meet agency officials and scientists leading the experiment, and to tour the various experiment components.

Darwin Map

WHAT: Media Day, Hosted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology
WHEN: January 19, 2006
WHERE: Royal Australian Air Force Base

This experiment involves the use of atmospheric sensing equipment located at multiple ground stations, on a ship operating off the coast, and on an instrumented fleet of aircraft. Data collected during the month-long experiment will provide scientists with insight into the inner workings of monsoon cloud systems and improve their ability to model future climate.

U.S. scientists from three DOE national laboratories, NOAA, NASA and numerous universities are taking part in the experiment. International partners include scientists from Australia, Canada, Europe and Japan; university students from these countries will also assist the researchers throughout the campaign.

Reporters interested in speaking with the scientists via telephone may contact lynne.roeder@pnl.gov (509-372-4331) to arrange an interview. In addition, press releases will be issued by the ARM Program during the experiment as scientific results become available.

More information is available at the TWP-ICE website: http://science.arm.gov/twpice/

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The ARM Program—the Department of Energy’s largest global change research program—was created to help resolve scientific uncertainties related to global climate change. Its specific focus is on the crucial role of clouds and their influence on radiative feedback processes in the atmosphere.

For more information about the ARM Program, visit www.arm.gov.