GATE: A Personal Decision in the Making

Like mapping evolution, it is only done looking back in time. A career path, like evolution, is marked by major decisions such as course of study, major professors, unplanned distractions, opportunities, failures, successes, people you meet by chance and in my case, lots of good fortune.

My participation in GATE and the well funded data analysis phase involved all of the above elements. As I look back, GATE set my career course characterized by lots of tacking. Fifty years later, I remain challenged to explore the Earth’s atmospheric planetary boundary layer, especially the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer. The last 25 years of my career have focused upon airborne Doppler wind lidar investigations of the MABL. As I look back, I am quite sure that flying tether balloons off the pitching and rolling deck of a Coast Guard cutter repurposed as a research ship for GATE began the persistent quest to find another way to conduct such research.

I will share some of my GATE experiences and personal interactions along with pictures that have not faded from memory nor photographs.