70 years of Atmospheric research flying timeline ... - Met Office

1978C130 Hercules participated in the Joint Air-Sea Interaction (JASIN) experiment,investigating the radiative properties of stratocumulus.This experiment was one of the first collaborative airborne campaigns looking at detailedphysical processes in stratocumulus cloud (large dark masses of cloud at low level). TheMeteorological Research Flight’s C-130 aircraft flew together with the German DLRFalcon from Machrihanish in Scotland. Examining Stratocumulus clouds in theNorthwest Approaches.Stratocumulus cloud plays an important role in both weather and climate, by reflectingsunlight back out to space the cloud can produce a cooling effect, and can also make forgrey and miserable days for those living under it. MRF has been researching thestructure of stratocumulus clouds since the 1970’s and their work has been used toimprove the forecasting of such clouds in weather and climate models. This allowsforecasters to better determine when stratocumulus cloud will form, and when it willbreak up and let the sun shine down on us. This work is also used in climate predictions,allowing scientists to asses the impact that an increase or decrease in this cloud type,could have in a changing climate.Stratocumulus cloud remains a challenge for numerical weather prediction models andwe still study the clouds now with the international VOCALS field campaign in Chile in2008 and the COALESCE field campaign around the UK in 2010/11 utilising the FAAMBAe146 aircraft. Further discussion of the JASIN experiment can be found in the 1982paper ‘’Aircraft observations of marine stratocumulus during JASIN’ by Slingo, Nichollsand Schmetz..Link(1982_Slingo_et_al_Aircraft_observations_of_marine_stratocumulus.pdf)© Crown copyright 201220