An overview of ground-based remote sensing during AIRS-2 and WISP-04, using the NOAA GRIDS system

The NOAA Ground-based Remote Icing Detection System (GRIDS) was deployed to the Second Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS-2) and the 2004 Winter Icing and Storms Project (WISP-04) field projects. GRIDS combines a sensitive polarimetric Doppler Ka-band cloud radar with a dual channel microwave radiometer and Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model temperature information to profile cloud properties. In particular, GRIDS seeks to map out regions of clouds in which potentially hazardous in-flight icing conditions might exist.

Both AIRS-2 and WISP-04 were designed to improve our understanding of, and ability to predict conditions which produce in-flight icing conditions. Another objective of these projects was to improve our ability to remotely detect such conditions. AIRS-2 was conducted in Mirabel, Quebec from early November through mid December, 2003. WISP-04 was conducted near Denver, Colorado mid February through March, 2004. In this poster, an overview of observations made with GRIDS during AIRS-2 and WISP-04 will be provided, as well as some of the preliminary lessons that have been learned.