From: Steven Rutledge[SMTP:rutledge@atmos.colostate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 9:43 AM To: d.james.baker@noaa.gov; hall@ogp.noaa.gov Cc: esbensen@ats.orst.edu; rweller@whoi.edu; pjw@oz.colorado.edu; raymond@kestrel.nmt.edu; gregg@apl.washington.edu; houze@atmos.washington.edu; yuter@atmos.washington.edu; rlukas@iniki.soest.hawaii.edu; cfairall@etl.noaa.gov; jmoyers@nsf.gov; jfein@nsf.gov; pstephens@nsf.gov; snelson@nsf.gov; jhuning@nsf.gov; steve.piotrowicz@noaa.gov; mike.patterson@ogp.noaa.gov; Walt Petersen; Rob Cifelli; Steve Rutledge; mpost@etl.noaa.gov; keenan@ogp.noaa.gov Subject: Radar on the R/V Brown <> Dr. Baker and Dr. Hall: Yesterday I was informed that a proposal is being considered to remove the C-band Doppler radar from the R/V Brown on a permanent basis. Such a move would be a devastating loss to both the atmospheric and oceanographic research communities. The C-band Doppler radar is an essential component of the R/V Brown's atmospheric sampling instrumentation. This radar has played a central role in characterizing oceanic convection and its accompanying effects on the oceanic mixed layer in a number of recent field programs including TEPPS, JASMINE, NAURU99, and KWAJEX. Earlier field campaigns, ranging from GATE to TOGA COARE, have clearly demonstrated the unique capabilities of ship based radar for addressing a fundamental issue in climate dynamics, that is, atmospheric-oceanographic coupling. Moreover, future field programs such as the upcoming EPIC2001 will attempt to close the ocean heat budget in the tropical east Pacific with measurements of freshwater flux variability (from the Brown's radar). Other projects depending on the Brown's radar are planned beyond EPIC2001. As stated by Secretary of Commerce Daley during commissioning of the Brown, the Brown is a key component of NOAA's air sea interaction and climate research because of its unique capability to simultaneously monitor both oceanic and atmospheric phenomena. The research community cannot loose this unique capability! The Brown's radar provides accurate measurements of rainfall and its variability (e.g., diurnal cycle) for quantifying the freshwater flux into the ocean over large areas. These measurements cannot be obtained from moorings because of their low sampling density. Moorings are fixed, unlike the ship radar platform. Additionally, these measurements cannot be obtained from existing satellite platforms because of poor temporal sampling and other issues. Moorings can say nothing about the 3-D structure of convection, critical information to understanding atmospheric-oceanographic coupling. In summary, the ship based radar has underpinned and motivated a wide variety of studies including descriptions of the temporal and spatial variability of convection as related to the diurnal cycle; feedbacks between oceanic cloud systems and large-scale forcing including intraseasonal oscillations; and coupling between convection and forcing of the oceanic mixed. Removal of the C-band radar from the Brown would relegate this "advanced", globally mobile platform to the "ordinary", severely compromising or eliminating future programs designed to study the coupled ocean-atmosphere system. We cannot place "blinders" on these important findings and needs by taking the radar off the Brown. There is nothing unique about the Brown's radar that makes it essential for the mobile radar deployment. This proposal may be driven by selfish concerns. The financial argument is weak. It does not make sense from a scientific perspective. I respectfully ask that you intercede and decline this proposal. Respectfully, Steven A. Rutledge Professor and Head Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University