PRiDE
The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was a field study of the radiative, microphysical, and transport properties of Saharan dust, conducted in June-July 2000 (Reid, 2000). A group of Navy, NASA, and university scientists conducted a combined surface, airborne, satellite and modeling campaign out of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, Puerto Rico in an effort to measure the properties of African dust transported into the Caribbean. There were two principal thrusts: 1) Determine the extent to which the properties of dust particles and the spectral surface reflectance of the ocean surface need to be known before remote sensing systems can accurately determine optical depth and flux. 2) Evaluate/validate the skill in which the Naval Research Laboratory's Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) predicts the long-range transport and vertical distribution of African dust. The results of these efforts supported Navy and NASA applied science objectives on satellite validation and the prediction of dust-induced visibility degradation. In addition, secondary thrusts of PRIDE addressed in situ issues of coarse mode particles and basic research issues on climate forcing, geochemical cycles, and meteorology.
June 25 - July 27, 2000