The VTMX program

The U.S. Department of Energy, as part of its Environmental Meteorology Program, is undertaking a research program in the area of vertical transport and mixing (VTMX). The goals of the program are to increase our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for VTMX, to improve our ability to measure quantities required for this understanding, and to develop improved treatments of VTMX for use in conceptual and numerical models. The program will concentrate on VTMX processes in stably stratified conditions, in conditions of weak or intermittent turbulence, and during morning and evening periods that mark transitions between stable and convective conditions. There is particular interest in realizing these objectives in urban regions affected by adjacent elevated terrain (e.g., urban basins or valleys); accordingly, the first major VTMX field campaign will take place in the Salt Lake City area in October of 2000. This presentation will provide an overview of the major components of that field program, outline the scientific issues that will be addressed by the participants, and describe opportunities for future collaboration.