NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will fly two instruments as part of the NAMMA campaign. The Airborne Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar, or APR-2, is a next-generation rain radar that will be used to better characterize precipitation processes in the West African region and the adjacent eastern Atlantic. The High-Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer, or HAMSR, measures the temperature and moisture content in the atmosphere below the aircraft, all the way to the surface, using the same approach that weather satellite instruments do. It is the only instrument in NAMMA that measures the distribution of temperature and all phases of water--vapor, liquid, ice--in the atmosphere in and around these systems. Scientists hope to use instruments like APR-2 and HAMSR to improve hurricane forecasts and to investigate trends in storm activity due to possible climate changes.

JPL Public Affairs Contact:
Alan Buis
818.354.0474
Alan.D.Buis@jpl.nasa.gov
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/news/