Archive of Spotlight Feature Articles

North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME)

By John Kermond, Ph.D., Communications, NOAA/OGP

The North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) is an internationally coordinated research program aimed at determining the sources and limits of predictability of summertime precipitation over North America. It focuses on observing and understanding the key components of the North American monsoon system and their variability within the context of the evolving land surface-atmosphere-ocean annual cycle. NAME seeks improved understanding of the key physical processes that must be parameterized for improved simulations and predictions with climate models.

The primary objectives of the field experiment in the Summer of 2004 are to (1) resolve the wind, temperature, and moisture fields at sufficient spatial and temporal resolutions to define the mean structure of the troposphere and its variability on monthly to weekly to diurnal (daily) time scales around the Gulf of California, across the Sierra Madre mountain range in northwestern Mexico, and into the desert Southwest of the US and (2) describe and understand the convective organization, dynamics, microphysics and life cycle of precipitation systems in the core region of the monsoon. NOAA has joined with NASA and the National Science Foundation in the US and several institutions in Mexico, including the Mexican Weather Service, universities and research centers to establish an improved network of radars, rain gauges, surface meteorological stations, balloon sounding sites, ships and aircraft throughout the regional domain of the experiment.

The ultimate goal of this effort is to better document, understand, model, and predict the variability of convection and precipitation during July-August over northwestern Mexico and its linkages to precipitation in the southwestern U.S.

The NOAA Office of Global Programs is a major sponsor of NAME. As well, OGP is sponsoring a Teacher at Sea to participate in the experiment. The teacher selected is Rhonda Feher who teaches science at Kayenta Intermediate School in Kayenta, Arizona. This is a Navajo reservation and the gateway to Monument Valley in the four-corners area of Arizona. Rhonda participated in the science meeting held in Tucson earlier this year. There she met with the scientists involved, including Principal Investigator Wayne Higgins (NOAA/NCEP), aircraft lead investigator Mike Douglas (NOAA/NSSL), Michel Rosengaus, the director of the Mexican Weather Service, and many many more. In Tucson, she also had the good fortune to meet Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and U.S Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ).

In mid-July Rhonda will join with researchers at the Forecast Operations Center in Tucson. She will later travel to the Aircraft Operations Center in Mazatlan, Mexico where she will fly on the NOAA P-3 aircraft. She will then go on board the Mexican Navy ship Altair and participate in the intensive operations period in the Gulf of California. During her time on the ship she will write daily logs, interview scientists, answer email, take digital pictures and host web broadcasts from the ship.

To find out more about this adventure go to http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/name. To learn more about NAME go to http://www.joss.ucar.edu/name/.

Links:

North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME)
NAME Teacher in the Field Videos (OGP-Sponsored)
NAME Teacher in the Field Website (OGP-Sponsored)
NOAA Teacher at Sea Program

For information on the NAME Teacher at Sea program, go to http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/name/. For more details on this program, contact:

John Kermond, Ph.D.
Communications
NOAA/Office of Global Programs
john.kermond@noaa.gov
301-472-2089 ext. 13

[6/28/04]

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