The instrumentation of a new MMS on the NASA DC-8 aircraft is briefly described.A methodto computethe turbulent dissipationrate, e, is discussedin light of some apparentinconsistencies betweenhigh and medium altitude aircraft data and available theory. Examples of turbulence measurements during encountersof a wake vortex, a field of wave clouds,and persistentcontrailsare illustrated. 1. DC-8 MMS: Instrumentation and Accuracy The MeteorologicalMeasurementSystem(MMS), developedspecificallyfor the DC-8 aircraft,was a new instrument duringthe SubsonicContrailand CloudEffect SpecialStudy (SUCCESS)campaignin 1996. The DC-8 MMS is verysimilar to an instrumentdevelopedfor the ER-2 aircraft(Chanet al., 1989). In additionto pressure(p), temperature(T), and wind vector(u, v, w), we computeda dissipationrate, e, basedon ity by spectralanalysis. The calibrationconsistsof eliminating inducedperturbationsin the wind componentsduring aircraftmaneuvers.
Turbulence measurementsby the DC-8 meteorological measurement system
Chanl, K.R., J. Dean_Day, T.P. Bui, and S.W. Bowen (1998), Turbulence measurementsby the DC-8 meteorological measurement system, Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1355-1358.
Abstract
Research Program
Tropospheric Composition Program (TCP)
Mission
SUCCESS