Meteorological context for fall experiments including distributions of water vapor, ozone, and carbon monoxide

Meteorological contexts for the NASA GTE/CITE 1 fall 1983 flight series are presented and discussed. The large‐scale wind, cold cloud, and moisture patterns are illustrated by composite diagrams based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 700‐, 500‐, and 250‐mbar analyses and the GOES‐West broadband and 6.7‐μm (water vapor) infrared photographs. Detailed flight path diagrams are included for seven maritime flights and one continental flight in the free troposphere and boundary layer. For three flights from Hickam Field, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to the Intertropical Convergence Zone, vertical profiles of temperature, dew/frost point departures, wind velocity, and ozone, and carbon monoxide mixing ratios also are presented and discussed. Excellent agreement is demonstrated between the in situ and remote measurements. In particular, the predictive and diagnostic value of the 6.7‐μm water vapor photographs is demonstrated.