In March, while conducting research aboard the NOAA Ronald H. Brown, Dr. Morris, along with Dr. Renellys Perez, shared a POSTCARD FROM THE FIELD. Check it out below!
PNE/AEROSE team near Praia, Cape Verde
Hello from the dusty sea, just off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde! We just completed servicing the 11.5N, 23W PIRATA mooring. The hazy atmosphere is due to a recent Saharan dust storm for which the team is also investigating the chemistry and atmospheric microbiome.
The primary goal of the PIRATA Northeast Extension (PNE) project is to recover and redeploy the PNE moorings and to sample oceanic and atmospheric variables along the cruise track. The purpose of the PNE moorings is to provide real-time data of the upper ocean temperature, salinity, current structure and heat fluxes between the ocean and atmosphere in the tropical Atlantic. These data are used for climate research and weather forecasting. Shipboard observations collected during the cruise, as well surface drifters and Argo and profiling floats deployed during this cruise, will provide an improved picture of seasonal-to-interannual oceanic and atmospheric variability in the tropical Atlantic. The PNE team included two student volunteers.
The Aerosols and Ocean Science Expeditions (AEROSE) constitute a longitudinal measurement-based study of the impacts and evolution mineral dust during long-range transport over the tropical Atlantic. During the 2019 cruise, a comprehensive suite of in situ, ground truth data were collected in the remote, tropical Atlantic Ocean for the purpose of validating satellite sensors and model forecasts under the conditions of the SAL, wind-blown mineral dust, and biomass burning outflows. Another objective of this project is to test and evaluate decision support materials from the NUCAPS suite for scientific field campaigns. In particular, these satellite data products will be used to strategically inform rawinsonde and ozonesonde deployments during the AEROSE 2019 campaign. In fulfillment of a longstanding obligation to student training and the development of the future STEM workforce, the AEROSE team included five students, who assisted in all scientific endeavors.
This cruise brought together scientists from NOAA/AOML, HU/NCAS, NOAA/NESDIS, NOAA/PMEL, UMBC, VUU, and the Brazilian Navy.
– Drs. Renellys C. Perez & Vernon Morris
