ASTEX

Contact: Dr. Shelby Frisch

The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment is an international research Photo of ASTEX crew. project which conducted a field experiment in the eastern sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean in June 1992 to examine the structure and dynamics of marine stratocumulus clouds. These clouds cover a large fraction of the Earth's surface and have a significant impact on global climate through their effect on the radiation budget of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. ETL's NOAA/K radar, microwave radiometer , and a lidar system operated on Portugal's Puerto Santo Island to observe the marine stratocumulus and other clouds. Techniques were developed which combine the radar and microwave radiometer measurements to estimate the sizes and liquid water content of cloud droplets and drizzle drops.