Volumetric Atmospheric Modeling from Point Measurements or a Single Profile

The Navys atmospheric modeling capabilities do not accurately predict the atmosphere at the sea-air marine boundary layer, creating anomalous visual/electro-optical/infrared propagation conditions, which can be deceiving. The Navys observational capabilities rely on locally-collected point measurements at the sea surface. However, single point collections cannot accurately estimate the atmospheric conditions beyond that specific point. Furthermore, collecting volumetric atmospheric measurements from a submarine or a vessel is neither feasible, nor practical.The project team will develop and define a concept for a model to estimate the atmospheric conditions in a volume around a point of measurement, potentially to cover an area up to 100km wide and up to 2 or 3km from sea surface. We will use the combination of the surface in-situ measurements with the Navys model forecast data, and apply advanced data assimilation to generate 3-dimensional weather data with enhanced accuracy and reliability. We have assembled a stellar project team of STAR, LLC; the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). NCAR will provide modeling expertise, STAR will develop the model, and NPS will provide software code, documentation, and support for the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) model and data from the CASPER field campaign.