Overview:

KWAJEX occurred in the Marshall Islands (7°– 10°N, 166°–169°E) 
from 24 July to 15 September 1999 with the purpose of studying 
convective processes over the open tropical ocean and how these 
processes relate to TRMM satellite retrievals (Yuter et al.
2005). The Kwajalein atoll is composed of very small islands 
with negligible land surface such that the diurnal cycle of 
rainfall is weak (Schumacher and Houze 2000) and atmospheric 
waves appear to play a more important role in convective 
organization (Sobel et al. 2004; Cetrone and Houze 2006). 
Thus, synoptic-scale forcing would be assumed to cause the most 
distinct domain averaged temporal variations in Q1 profiles 
over Kwajalein.  

Dates for data: 24 July to 15 September 1999

KWAJEX sounding locations:

Enhanced sites      period of operation          lat        lon       elev  # of
                                                                            sondes

Ron Brown          990725 03Z - 990819 11Z      8.3596 N, 167.7319 E   4m   132  
Ron Brown          990824 05Z - 990911 19Z      8.4648 N, 167.4749 E   4m   159
Kwajalein  (91366) 990722 23Z - 990915 01Z      8.7189 N, 167.7319 E   6m   219
Meck (sporadic)    990724 13Z - 990909 20Z      8.9953 N, 167.7271 E   2m    24
Roi                990722 23Z - 990914 05Z      9.3903 N, 167.4680 E   4m   232
Lae                990727 05Z - 990911 05Z      8.9200 N, 166.2700 E   4m   226
Wotja              990722 23Z - 990812 00Z      7.4519 N, 168.5722 E   6m   194

Operational sites

Majuro  (91376)    990724 00Z - 990915 12Z      7.08 N,   171.38 E
Pohnpei (91348)    990724 00Z - 990915 12Z      6.97 N,   158.22 E

Note: the operational soundings have undergone minimal, if any, QC

ncep.kwajex.tar  - ncep model analysis data used as background and constraints for 
                   constrained variational analysis

Reference:

Schumacher, C., M.H. Zhang, and P.E. Ciesielski, 2007: Heating 
structures of the TRMM field campaigns. J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 2593-2610.