CAPAC is a series of three instruments: the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe model 300 (FSSP-300), the Two Dimensional Optical Array Probes [Cloud and Precipitation Probes (2D-P)] and the CAPAC video. These instruments flew during CAMEX-3 upon the NASA DC-8 mounted on the left wing. Cloud and aerosol particles were exposed to laser light to measure particle size from 0.3 micrometer to 6.4 millimeter, and both size and shape between 40 micrometer and 6.4 millimeter particle diameter as function of particle size. The size distributions thus determined were integrated to yield particle surface area, and ice and liquid water contents in clouds and precipitation. CAPAC videos are a visual record of the particles and hydrometeors passing through the instrument housing. The purpose of the CAMEX-3 mission was to study hurricanes over land and ocean in the U.S. Gulf of America, Caribbean, and Western Atlantic Ocean in coordination with multiple aircraft and research-quality radar, lightning, radiosonde and rain gauge sites. For further information and to obtain this data, please contact GHRC at support-ghrc@earthdata.nasa.gov

CAPAC is a series of three instruments: the Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe model 300 (FSSP-300), the Two Dimensional Optical Array Probes [Cloud and Precipitation Probes (2D-P)] and the CAPAC video. These instruments flew during CAMEX-3 upon the NASA DC-8 mounted on the left wing. Cloud and aerosol particles were exposed to laser light to measure particle size from 0.3 micrometer to 6.4 millimeter, and both size and shape between 40 micrometer and 6.4 millimeter particle diameter as function of particle size. The size distributions thus determined were integrated to yield particle surface area, and ice and liquid water contents in clouds and precipitation. The purpose of the CAMEX-3 mission was to study hurricanes over land and ocean in the U.S. Gulf of America, Caribbean, and Western Atlantic Ocean in coordination with multiple aircraft and research-quality radar, lightning, radiosonde and rain gauge sites.

The Cloud Microphysics dataset consists of particle size distributions from three instruments, the 2D-P (two dimensional precipitation probe), the 2D-C (two dimensional cloud probe) and the FSSP (Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe). These three instruments yield precipitation, hydrometeor and aerosol sizes ranging from 0.3-6400 micrometers. Data is in the form of images and ascii tables.

The CAMEX-4 NOAA WP-3D Cloud Physics dataset used the NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft, which has multiple meteorological and microphysical sensors. These include, for example, cloud particle imagers and temperature and dewpoint probes. CAMEX-4 focused on the study of tropical cyclone (hurricane) development, tracking, intensification, and landfalling impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. This dataset includes navigation data as well as the meteorological and microphysical data. For further information and to obtain this data, please contact GHRC at support-ghrc@earthdata.nasa.gov

CPEXCV_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data is the in-situ cloud data collected during the Convective Processes Experiment - Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) onboard the DC-8 aircraft. Data from the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) instrument is featured in this collection. Data collection for this product is complete.Seeking to better understand atmospheric processes in regions with little data, the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) campaign conducted by NASA is a continuation of the CPEX – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign that took place between August to September 2021. The campaign will take place between 1-30 September 2022 and will operate out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde with the primary goal of investigating atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. CPEX-CV will work towards its goal by addressing four main science objectives. The first goal is to improve understanding of the interaction between large-scale environmental forcings such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Saharan Air Layer, African easterly waves, and mid-level African easterly jet, and the lifecycle and properties of convective cloud systems, including tropical cyclone precursors, in the tropical East Atlantic region. Next, observations will be made about how local kinematic and thermodynamic conditions, including the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer, relate to the initiation and lifecycle of convective cloud systems and their processes. Third, CPEX-CV will investigate how dynamical and convective processes affect size dependent Saharan dust vertical structure, long-range Saharan dust transport, and boundary layer exchange pathways. The last objective will be to assess the impact of CPEX-CV observations of atmospheric winds, thermodynamics, clouds, and aerosols on the prediction of tropical Atlantic weather systems and validate and interpret spaceborne remote sensors that provide similar measurements. To achieve these objectives, the NASA DC-8 aircraft will be deployed with remote sensing instruments and dropsondes that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. Instruments onboard the aircraft include the Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3), lidars such as the Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN), High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsonde system, Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS), and the Airborne In-situ and Radio Occultation (AIRO) instrument. Measurements taken by CPEX-CV will assist in moving science forward from previous CPEX and CPEX-AW missions, the calibration and validation of satellite measurements, and the development of airborne sensors, especially those with potential for satellite deployment.

The CAMEX-4 Aerosonde dataset contains temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure measurements collected to study the boundary layer below levels where traditional hurricane reconnasissance aircaft fly. The Aerosonde is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a wingspan of 2.9 meters (~9 feet) weighing approximately 14 kg (~31 lbs). Carrying a payload of air pressure, temperature and humidity probes, the aircraft can fly at altitudes from near the surface to 21,000 feet at speeds of 50-95 mph for periods of up to 30 hours. Controlled by dual computers and navigated by GPS, the Aerosonde is designed to economically collect meteorological data over a wide area.