AIRBORNE FIELD MILL PROJECT
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

SYNTHESIS FOR MAY 28, 2001 - ABFM

Flight Summary (Anvil Day)

Case 1 (Times: 1806 - 211120)
Type of case anvil
Complexity moderate
Convection small line of convection
Electric field
  kV/m
Min Em_m = 0.013
Max Em_m = 38.191
Mean Em_m = 1.906
Microphysics
  #/Liter
Max CON_FSSP = 36021.684
Mean CON_FSSP = 359.189
Max Tot_con_1DC = 1471.161
Mean Tot_con_1DC = 23.669
Max Tot_con_2DC = 3498.076
Mean Tot_con_2DC = 33.202
Max 2DC_100_400 = 1136.071
Mean 2DC_100_400 = 13.745
Max 2DC_400_1000 = 83.497
Mean 2DC_400_1000 = 2.444
Max 2DC_GT_1000 = 2.988
Mean 2DC_GT_1000 = 0.123
Location (x,y) ~ (20,50)
Storm Motion 6.0 m/s to the east, 3.0 m/s to the north gives 6.7 m/s NE

Brief Description

Anvil attached to core initially producing lightning then decaying with time.











SYNTHESIS FOR MAY 28, 2001 - ABFM

Investigator: Monte Bateman
[presented on unknown]


Research flight 1806 to 2201 UTC

One case: anvil attached to core initially producing lightning then decaying with time;

May be and excellent case but may be hampered by problems with drift in the Applanix data the last hour of the flight.

High priority

Several passes through an attached anvil cloud above KSC from a core near TCO. The anvil moved east over the ocean. Strong Efields were recorded between 19:20 and 19:27 UTC. Between 20:23 UTC and the end of flight passes were made through decaying anvil in roughly E-W directions. Cell was moving out to the ocean. Weak Efields were recorded between 19:35 UTC to 20:30, then intervals of stronger Efields between:

20:32 - 20:41 UTC and

20:45 - 20:55 UTC and

20:59 - 21:03 UTC and

21:06 - 21:11 UTC and

21:12 - 21:15 UTC and

21:23 - 21:26 UTC and

21:29 - 21:21:31 UTC)

due apparently to the plane being in the higher reflectivity remnants of the storm/anvil.

Monte Bateman's summary:

Several cells developed west of and then moved over KSC. We made several passes through the anvil cloud over the KSC FM network. We were able to follow the cloud out east over the ocean, and were able to get clearance to go high enough to get over the anvil and follow it down.