The University of Maryland aircraft is currently scheduled to fly this Thursday (May 3) and Friday (May 4). The objectives of these flights will be to:
1. Evaluate MM5 forecasts produced here at METO/UMCP
2. Characterize pollutant transport aloft into the lower troposphere over MD and VA
3. Evaluate data from the air quality surface site at Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and MDE profiler/RASS at Fort Meade, MD

Identical patterns will be flown on each day, with AM and PM research flights tentatively scheduled as follows:
AM Flight: take off at 0800 EDT/1200 UT from College Park, MD (CGS) and spirals performed over Luray, VA (W45); Winchester, VA (OKV); and Cumberland, MD (CBE) where we will stop for refueling. This pattern should characterize early/mid-morning conditions within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and lower free troposphere and quantify any remnant overnight and synoptic-scale transport aloft.
PM Flight: take off at 1330/1730 from CBE and spirals performed over Fort Meade, MD (FME); Harford Co., MD (0W3) and Easton, MD (ESN). This pattern should characterize the developing PBL, provide direct in situ information over FME to compare with the profiler, and quantify any photochemical ozone and haze formation and transport across the State.

Preliminary results should be posted on this web site over the weekend.

Doddridge