A large set of soundings obtained in the Indian Ocean during three field campaigns is used to provide statistical characteristics of tropospheric turbulence and its link with gravity wave (GW) activity. The Thorpe method is used to diagnose turbulent regions of a few hundred meters depth. Above the mixed layer, turbulence frequency varies from ~10% in the lower troposphere up to ~30% around 12-km height. GWs are captured by their signature in horizontal wind, normalized temperature, and balloon vertical ascent rate. These parameters emphasize different parts of the wave spectrum from longer to shorter vertical wavelengths. Composites are constructed in order to reveal the vertical structure of the waves and their link with turbulence. The relatively longer-wavelength GWs described by their signature in temperature (GWTs) are more active in the lower troposphere, where they are associated with clear variations in moisture. Turbulence is then associated with minimum static stability and vertical shear, stressing the importance of the former and the possibility of convective instability. Conversely, the short waves described by their signature in balloon ascent rate (GWws) are detected primarily in the upper troposphere, and their turbulence is associated with a vertical shear maximum, suggesting the importance of dynamic instability. Furthermore, GWws appear to be linked with local convection, whereas GWTs are more active in suppressed and dry phases in particular of the Madden–Julian oscillation. These waves may be associated with remote sources, such as organized convection or local fronts, such as those associated with dry-air intrusions.

The cutaneous venoarteriolar response (CVAR) is a local non-adrenergic vasoconstrictor reflex that is engaged via increases in local transmural pressure. The purpose of this study was to determine if local temperature alters the vasoconstrictor ability of the CVAR. Twelve (5 male, 7 female) subjects performed a CVAR maneuver at local temperatures of 30+/-1, 34, 38, and 42 degrees C. CVAR was also engaged after vasodilation via intradermal perfusion of sodium nitroprusside or the attenuation of local heating-induced vasodilation via intradermal perfusion of N(G)-nitro-L: -arginine methyl ester (L: -NAME) in five subjects (2 male, 3 female). CVAR was elicited by rapid cuff inflation to 45mmHg proximal to two dorsal forearm sites for 2 min in both protocols. Local heating caused a progressive increase in skin blood flow (8+/-1, 18+/-4, 43+/-11, and 78+/-2% maximal skin blood flow for 30+/-1, 34, 38, and 42 degrees C, respectively). Engagement of the CVAR decreased skin blood flow by 53+/-2, 57+/-3, and 51+/-4%, for 30+/-1, 34, and 38 degrees C, respectively. In contrast, local heating to 42 degrees C significantly attenuated the CVAR (16+/-11 %). Local administration of sodium nitroprusside during neutral temperature and L: -NAME during local heating also significantly attenuated the vasoconstrictor response of the CVAR by 27+/-8 and 38+/-4%, respectively. These data indicate that CVAR is attenuated at high (42 degrees C) local skin temperatures and that this attenuation is likely due to an effect of both local heating-induced vasodilation and a direct temperature effect.

Persistent layers of enhanced equivalent radar reflectivity factor and reduced spectral width were commonly observed within cloud-free regions of the tropical marine boundary layer (TMBL) with the National Center for Atmospheric Research S-Pol radar during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign. Bragg scattering is shown to be the primary source of these layers. Two mechanisms are proposed to explain the Bragg scattering layers (BSLs), the first involving turbulent mixing and the second involving detrainment and evaporation of cloudy air. These mechanisms imply that BSLs should exist in layers with tops (bases) defined by local relative humidity (RH) minima (maxima). The relationship between BSLs and RH is explored.An equation for the vertical gradient of radio refractivity N is derived, and a scale analysis is used to demonstrate the close relationship between vertical RH and N gradients. This is tested using the derived radar BSL boundary altitudes, 131 surface-based soundings, and 34 sets of about six near-coincident, aircraftreleased dropsondes. First, dropsonde data are used to quantify the finescale variability of the RH field. Then, within limits imposed by this variability, altitudes of tops (bases) of radar BSLs are shown to agree with altitudes of RH minima (maxima). These findings imply that S-band radars can be used to track the vertical profile of RH variations as a function of time and height, that the vertical RH profile of the TMBL is highly variable over horizontal scales as small as 60 km, and that BSLs are a persistent, coherent feature that delineate aspects of TMBL mesoscale structure.

The Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign carried out a wide array of educational activities, including a major first in a field project—a complete mission, including research flights, planned and executed entirely by students. This article describes the educational opportunities provided to the 24 graduate and 9 undergraduate students who participated in RICO.

This paper investigates wintertime tropical marine boundary layer (TMBL) statistical characteristics over the western North Atlantic using the complete set of island-launched soundings from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) experiment. The soundings are subdivided into undisturbed and disturbed classifications using two discriminators: 1) dates chosen by Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Cloud System Studies (GCSS) investigators to construct the mean RICO sounding and 2) daily average rain rates.A wide range of relative humidity (RH) values was observed between the surface and 8.0 km. At 2.0 km, half the RH values were within 56%-89%; at 4.0 km, half were within 13%-61%. The rain-rate method of separating disturbed and undisturbed soundings appears more meaningful than the GCSS method. The median RH for disturbed conditions using the rain-rate method showed moister conditions from the surface to 8.0 km, with maximum RH differences of 30%-40%. Moist air generally extended higher on disturbed than undisturbed days.Based on equivalent potential temperature, wind direction, and RH analyses, the most common altitude marking the TMBL top was about 4.0 km. Temperature inversions (over both 50-and 350-m intervals) were observed at every altitude above 1.2 km; there were no dominant inversion heights and most of the inversions were weak. Wind direction analyses indicated that winds within the TMBL originated from more tropical latitudes on disturbed days.The analyses herein suggest that the RICO profile used to initialize many model simulations of this environment represents only a small subset of the broad range of possible conditions characterizing the wintertime trades.