RACORO

Routine AAF CLOWD Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO)

22 January 2009 - 30 June 2009

Lead Scientist: Andrew Vogelmann

Observatory: AAF , SGP

The ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) supported the Routine AAF Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO) field campaign, led by principal investigator Andrew Vogelmann. During this long-term campaign, the AAF conducted routine flights at the ACRF Southern Great Plains site to sample low-altitude liquid-water clouds in the boundary layer. The purpose was to obtain representative statistics of cloud microphysical properties needed to validate retrieval algorithms and support process studies and model simulations of boundary layer clouds and, in particular, CLOWD-type clouds. See the RACORO Data Guide for a summary of contacts, aircraft instrumentation, instrument status per flight, and flight patterns used.

Steering Committee: Andrew Vogelmann, Greg McFarquhar, John Ogren, Dave Turner, Jennifer Comstock, Graham Feingold, and Chuck Long