# Presentation: 181174

## NOAA HRD's Saharan Air Layer Experiment (SALEX)

**SALEX Missions (2005 & 2006)**

**SALEX Objectives**

**Mission 060825n (G-IV)**

**SALEX: 2006 Hurricane Helene**

**Mission 060915n (G-IV)**

*Jason P. Dunion*
*NOAA/AOML/Hurricane Research Division*

*NOAA HRD's Saharan Air Layer Experiment (SALEX)*
*Aircraft Missions During NAMMA*

**SALEX: 2006 Tropical Storm Debby**

**Mission 060826n (G-IV)**

**Two types of satellite imagery were utilized to track the SAL and plan the SALEX aircraft flight patterns:**
**1) GOES/Meteosat SAL Imagery (left panel): uses the ****	****	****split window channels to track a combination of the ****	****	****SAL’s dry and dusty air;**
**2) Total precipitable water (TPW) imagery (right panel): ****	****	****uses the constellation of SSM/I satellites and AMSR-E ****	****	****on the Aqua satellite to track the SAL’s dry air. Regions ****	****of <45 mm TPW (greens to blues) indicate dry air in the ****	****low to mid-levels of the atmosphere;**

**Missions 060918h (P-3 Orion) & 060918n (G-IV)**

**Improve the understanding and prediction of how the ****	****SAL’s dry air, mid-level easterly jet, and suspended ****	****mineral dust affect Atlantic TC intensity change; **
**Include the moisture information from GPS dropsondes in operational parallel runs of the NOAA GFS model.  Assess the impact of this data on GFS (and GFDL) humidity fields and its forecasts of TC track and intensity;**
**Coordinate missions with coincident A-Train overpasses when feasible.  Compare GPS dropsonde data collected in the SAL with retrievals from AIRS (Aqua) and Calipso.**

_**2005 SALEX Missions:**_
**Tropical Storm Irene **
**	****-07 August 2005 (NOAA G-IV)**
**	****-08 August 2006 (NOAA G-IV)**
**2) Pre-Tropical Depression #19**
**	****-27 Sept 2005 (NOAA G-IV)**
**	****-28 Sept 2005 (NOAA G-IV)**

_**2006 SALEX Missions**_
**Tropical Storm Debby**
**	****-25 August 2006 (NOAA G-IV)**
**	****-26 August 2006 (NOAA G-IV)**
**2) Hurricane Helene**
**	****-15 Sept 2006 (NOAA G-IV)**
**	****-16 Sept 2006 (NOAA G-IV)**
**	****-18 Sept 2006 (NOAA G-IV & P-3 Orion)**
**	****-20 Sept 2006 (NOAA G-IV & P-3 Orion)**

**SAL-Tracking Satellite Imagery**

**Missions 060920h (P-3 Orion) & 060920n (G-IV)**

****Several SAL outbreaks (*****SAL X*****), mid-latitude dry air intrusions (*****Polar X*****), African easterly waves (*****AEW X*****), Hurricane Gordon, and Pre-Hurricane Helene are indicated in the images** **

**G-IV flight crew in Barbados after the 26 Aug 2006 TS Debby SALEX mission.  From left to right are: Chuck Rasco, Mission flight director, Jeff Hawkins, Jeff Smith, Sim Aberson, Michele Finn, Dale Carpenter, John Longenecker, P.I. Jason Dunion, and Gordon Kitson.**

**G-IV SALEX mission 060825n flight track (black line), GPS dropsonde points (black circles), and location of TS Debby overlaid on the 25 Aug 1800 UTC GFS analysis of 700 hPa RH. The GFS was overestimating the mid-level moisture in some regions of the SAL by a factor of 2-3 times.**

**G-IV SALEX mission 060825n flight track and GPS dropsonde points overlaid on TPW imagery.  GPS dropsonde profiles from drops #9 (red circle), #14 (blue circle), and #20 (green circle) are also shown and indicate dry SAL air from ~500-850 hPa.  **

**G-IV SALEX mission 060826n flight track and GPS dropsonde points overlaid on TPW imagery.**

- _Vertical Wind Shear (200-850 hPa)_
- GPS dropsonde: 25 kt
- GFS: 5 kt
- SHIPS: 2 kt

- _Vertical Wind Shear (200-750 hPa)_
- GPS dropsonde: 36 kt
- GFS: 7 kt
- SHIPS: na

**G-IV SALEX mission 060915n flight track and GPS dropsonde points overlaid on TPW imagery.  GPS dropsonde profiles from drops #23 (red circle) and #25 (green circle) and a photo taken at 45,000 ft from the G-IV near drop #24 (blue circle) showing the SAL’s suspended mineral dust are indicated. **

**Drop #23 (red circle) shows the SAL’s dry air & temp inversion and corresponding GFS analyses.  Drop #25 (green circle) shows the SAL’s dry air and mid-level easterly jet (~35-40 kt); The GFS was significantly overestimating the jet and shear in the SAL.  **

**Mission 060916n (G-IV)**

**(Left) G-IV SALEX mission 060916n flight track, GPS dropsonde points, and A-Train coordination overlaid on large scale and zoomed TPW imagery.  (Right) Photo taken at 45,000 ft from the G-IV west of drop #32 (red circle) showing the SAL’s suspended mineral dust.**

**(Left) SALEX P-3 mission 060918h (white circles) & **
**G-IV mission 060918n (black circles) flight tracks and GPS dropsonde points overlaid on large scale and zoomed TPW imagery.  (Lower right) Photo taken at 20,000 ft from the P-3 ~200 km NE of Barbados showing the SAL’s suspended mineral dust (orange circle).**

**(Left) Drops #16 (red circle), #17 (blue circle), and #22 (green circle) show a dry SAL intrusion wrapping cyclonically around Helene from the SW quadrant around to the NE quadrant.  The corresponding GFS analyses show that the model was significantly overestimating the dryness of this dry SAL intrusion.**

**SALEX P-3 mission 060920h (white circles) & G-IV mission 060920n (black circles) flight tracks, GPS dropsonde points, and G-IV A-Train coordination overlaid on large scale and zoomed TPW imagery.  **