ER-2 Flight Summary for 07/16/2005
Sortie Number: 05-9029
Take off: 0600
Landing: 1255
Mission Description:
Mission Scientist's Report TCSP Sortie #05-9029 July 15-16, 2005
Mission Scientists: Jeff Halverson, Gerry Heymsfield
Mission Description
The NASA ER-2 and NOAA P3 flew a second night of coordinated investigative missions into the eastern Pacific tropical cyclone genesis region west of Costa Rica. Mission Scientists Gerry Heymsfield and Jeff Halverson flew as guests on board the NOAA P3, where they worked with Lead Scientist Michael Black to fly the coordinated mission.
Mission Objectives:
The mission objective was to fly a broad diamond pattern of intersecting legs between 85 and 93 W, and 5-10 N. The axis of the diamond was oriented west-east along the ITCZ, and the center point was positioned in the vicinity of 89 W, 7.5 N. This was the general location of a loosely organized, mid-level circulation observed during the NOAA-P3 mission on the previous morning. This general region of the ITCZ was being monitored on successive missions for the emergence of a circulation undergoing tropical cyclogenesis. Large-scale parameters such as SST and shear appeared to be favorable for genesis in this region.
Mission Notes:
The P3 launched at 0530 UTC on July 16, and the ER-2 followed at 0600 UTC. The P3 headed southwest out of MROC to an Initial Point (IP) located at 9N, 85W. From there, the P3 flew a leg due south to 5.5N, 85W to start the diamond pattern. On the return leg to the northwest, the ER-2 joined up and began a series of coordinated legs that gradually extended the diamond to the west. Both offset and coincident P3/ER-2 legs were flown. Dropsondes were released about every one degree along each of the diamond legs, and AXBTs at the endpoints of the legs. SSTs ranged from 27.7 ∞C over the south, to 28.2 ∞C over the northern portion of the pattern.
Based on flight level winds and real time analyses of dropsonde data, the P3 scientists found evidence of cyclonic turning within a strongly sheared zone of the ITCZ. There was a probable meso-vortex center located near 8.5N, 88W. Satellite analyses revealed a small and persistent MCS at this location, which was largely stratiform with embedded isolated deep convective cells and a few short line segments. Maximum updrafts observed during penetrations of convective cells at 14,000 feet were on the order of 6 m/s. During the middle 2-3 hours of the mission, the morphology of the P3 surveillance radar echoes suggested parallel feeder bands on the south side of the hypothesized vortex.
The planned diamond pattern was truncated west of 91W to focus additional legs back east near the hypothesized vortex center.
Both aircraft recovered around 13 UTC at MROC. All instruments on the ER-2 recorded data from the mission.
Other Mission Assets:
Ticosondes were launched.
Flight Track:
Navigation Data
Instrument Status:
| Instrument Acronym | Status during sortie | Full Report | Quicklooks |
| AMPR | Yellow |
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| CRS | Green |
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| EDOP | Green |
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| HAMSR | Green |
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| LIP | Green |
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| MAS | Green |
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| MTP | Green |
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| REVEAL | Green |
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