The Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX)

The Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) took place during the 2015/16 fall-winter season in the vicinity of the mountainous Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The goals of OLYMPEX were to provide physical and hydrologic ground validation for the U.S.-Japan Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite mission and, more specifically, to study how precipitation in Pacific frontal systems is modified by passage over coastal mountains. Four transportable scanning dual-polarization Doppler radars of various wavelengths were installed. Surface stations were placed at various altitudes to measure precipitation rates, particle size distributions, and fall velocities. Autonomous recording cameras monitored and recorded snow accumulation. Four research aircraft supplied by NASA investigated precipitation processes and snow cover, and supplemental rawinsondes and dropsondes were deployed during precipitation events. Numerous Pacific frontal systems were sampled, including several reaching atmospheric river status, warm- and cold-frontal systems, and postfrontal convection.

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Author Houze, Robert A.
McMurdie, Lynn A.
Petersen, Walter A.
Schwaller, Mathew R.
Baccus, William
Lundquist, Jessica D.
Mass, Clifford F.
Nijssen, Bart
Rutledge, Steven A.
Hudak, David R.
Tanelli, Simone
Mace, Gerald G.
Poellot, Michael R.
Lettenmaier, Dennis P.
Zagrodnik, Joseph P.
Rowe, Angela K.
DeHart, Jennifer C.
Madaus, Luke E.
Barnes, Hannah C.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2017-10-01T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2023-08-18T19:15:45.131519
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:21161
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Houze, Robert A., McMurdie, Lynn A., Petersen, Walter A., Schwaller, Mathew R., Baccus, William, Lundquist, Jessica D., Mass, Clifford F., Nijssen, Bart, Rutledge, Steven A., Hudak, David R., Tanelli, Simone, Mace, Gerald G., Poellot, Michael R., Lettenmaier, Dennis P., Zagrodnik, Joseph P., Rowe, Angela K., DeHart, Jennifer C., Madaus, Luke E., Barnes, Hannah C.. (2017). The Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX). UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7028v40. Accessed 19 June 2025.

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