thejet2000projectaircraftobservationsoftheafrican.docVIP

The JET2000 project: Aircraft observations of the African easterly jet and African easterly waves. Thorncroft, C. D.1, Parker, D. J.2, Burton, R.R.2, Diop, M.2, Ayers, J. H.3, Barjat, H.4, Devereau, S., Diongue, A.2, Dumelow, R.5, Kindred, D.R.4, Price, N.M.4, Saloum, M.6, Taylor, C.M.7, Tompkins, A.M.8 1 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA 2 Institute for Atmospheric Science, School of the Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 3 HATS (MRF), DERA, Boscombe Down, UK 4 The Met Office, DERA, Farnborough, UK 5 The Met Office, Bracknell, UK 6 The Niger Met Service, Niamey, Niger 7 Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK 8 ECMWF, Reading, UK Submitted to Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Corresponding author: Chris Thorncroft e-mail: Chris@ Abstract Scientific background and motivation for the JET2000 aircraft observing campaign that took place in West Africa during the last week of August 2000 is presented. The Met Research Flight C130 aircraft made two flights along the African easterly jet (AEJ) between Sal, Cape Verde and Niamey, Niger and two ‘box’ flights that twice crossed the AEJ at longitudes near Niamey. Dropsondes were released at approximately 0.5-10o intervals. The two ‘box’ flights also included low-level flights that sampled north-south variations in boundary layer properties in the baroclinic zone beneath the AEJ. Preliminary results and analysis of the JET2000 period including some of the aircraft data are presented. The JET2000 campaign occurred during a relatively dry period in the Niamey region and, perhaps consistent with this, was also associated with less coherent easterly wave activity compared to other periods in the season. Meridional cross-sections of the African easterly jet (AEJ) on the 28th and the 29th (after the passage of a mesoscale system) are presented and discussed. Analysis of dropsonde data on the 28th, in