Description:

Airborne reconnaissance flights in and around atmospheric rivers (ARs) over the North Pacific are conducted annually from November – March, within the framework of a Research and Operations Partnership. Atmospheric river reconnaissance (AR Recon) includes multiple aircraft outfitted to make direct and remote measurements of the storms, alongside observations of the ocean surface and mixed layer. A variety of different innovative technologies are regularly explored. Much of these datasets are operationally assimilated into numerical weather prediction systems.  These missions are resulting in significant improvements to West Coast and global forecasts and supporting decision making information needs. They also provide significant opportunities for research into all aspects of ARs.
This session will highlight results from work using AR Recon observations, including data assimilation techniques, model diagnostics, data impact, and physical process studies.  We seek contributions that also highlight the applications of AR Recon informed forecasts on decision making, and explore strategies for expanding the scale and utility of these observations in coming years.

Conveners: Anna M. Wilson, F.Martin Ralph, Vijay Tallapragada, Jason Cordeira