CAMEX-3 MACAWS

The Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) is an airborne, pulsed, scanning, coherent Doppler laser radar (lidar) that remotely senses the distribution of wind velocity and aerosol backscatter within three-dimensional volumes in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. MACAWS, presently configured to fly on the NASA DC-8 research aircraft, was developed jointly by the atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of NASA Global Hydrology and Climate Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Nearly all of the MACAWS hardware components were developed for previous atmospheric research programs. The re-use of these field-tested components has resulted in considerable cost savings to the Government. Interagency cooperation among the atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups also ensures that research activities are both scientifically synergistic and cost-effective. For example, the MACAWS laser transmitter is that of the highly successful mobile ground-based Doppler lidar ("Windvan") developed by NOAA ETL and deployed for a number of experiments.

The Third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3) was based at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida from 6 August - 23 September, 1998, and successfully studied Hurricanes Bonnie, Danielle, Earl and Georges. CAMEX-3 collected data for research in tropical cyclone development, tracking, intensification, and landfalling impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. Flights were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

Browse imagery is available on the MACAWS page at MACAWS home page. Data are available by request via E-mail from ghrc@eos.nasa.gov.

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(START DATE: 1998-08-06 STOP DATE: 1998-09-23)

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