About the CPEX Aerosols & Winds Campaign

The Convective Processes Experiment -- Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign is a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in Sal, Cabo Verde. CPEX-AW is a follow-on to the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign which took place in the summer of 2017. In addition to joint calibration/validation of ADM-AEOLUS, CPEX-AW will study the dynamics and microphysics related to the Saharan Air Layer, African Easterly Waves and Jets, Tropical Easterly Jet, and deep convection in the InterTropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Science Objectives

• Better understanding of the interactions of convective cloud systems and tropospheric winds as part of the joint NASA-ESA Aeolus Cal/Val effort over the tropical Atlantic;
• Observing the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer in relation to initiation and lifecycle of the convective cloud systems, convective processes (e.g., cold pools), and environmental conditions within and across the ITCZ;
• Investigating how the African easterly waves and dry air and dust associated with the Sahara Air Layer control the convectively suppressed and active periods of the ITCZ;
• Investigating interactions of wind, aerosol, clouds, and precipitation and effects on long range dust transport and air quality over the western Atlantic.

Science Team

• Shuyi Chen (University of Washington) and Ed Zipser (University of Utah), Co-Lead Principal Investigators
• Shu-Hua Chen (University of California-Davis), Principal Investigator
• Svetla Histova-Veleva (JPL/CalTech), Principal Investigator
• Edward Nowottnick (NASA GSFC), Principal Investigator
• Angela Rowe (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Principal Investigator
• Zhaoxia Pu (University of Utah), Principal Investigator
• Naoko Sakaeda (University of Oklahoma), Principal Investigator
• Jonathan Zawislak (University of Miami), Principal Investigator
• Amin Nehrir (NASA LaRC), Airborne Instrument Team
• Kris Bedka (NASA LaRC), Airborne Instrument Team
• Michael Kavaya (NASA LaRC), Airborne Instrument Team
• Bjorn Lambrightsen (JPL/CalTech), Airborne Instrument Team
• Simone Tanelli (JPL/CalTech), Airborne Instrument Team
• Lee Thornhill (SSAI and LaRC), Airborne Instrument Team