The Global Atmospheric Research Program

Abstract

While this report was in preparation an international force of about 40 ships, 13 aircraft, and 4000 scientists and technicians was engaged in measuring the atmosphere and ocean of the tropical Atlantic in unprecedented detail. This followed by a few months the efforts of a smaller armada in the China Sea which studied energy exchanges between the warm Kuroshio current and cold Asian air masses. These large field programs, Garp Atlantic Tropical Experiment (Gate) and Air Mass Transformation Experiment (Amtex), respectively, were visible manifestations of the Global Atmospheric Research Program (Garp), an international undertaking which has formed the unifying focus for a large fraction of the world's meteorological research during the past decade and a half. The primary objective of this report is to highlight the activities and accomplishments of Garp—and among these, primarily the United States' contributions—during the last 4 years. These and their supporting rationale are familiar to most meteorologists. For the broader audience of this report, however, it is appropriate to begin by outlining the genesis and conceptual framework of Garp.

The Political Construction of Space Satellite Technology

“…The rhetoric of &dquo;long-range forecasts,&dquo; or &dquo;extended prediction&dquo; became a banner under which developers and users could march (White 1982;Perry 1984). Evidence of technical success, for example hurricane warnings (Simpson and Riehl 1981 ), was dramatic and comprehensible to the public.…”

“…Scientists wished to initiate major research programs aimed at extending forecasts by using satellites. NASA, NOAA, and atmospheric scientists cooperated in the 1970s to develop and use meteorological satellites for research as well as for operational programs (White 1982;Perry 1984). This three-party coalition promoted the continuous improvement of meteorological satellites as a tool for multiple users.…”

Three Early Tropical Field Experiments

“…These three experiments were all purposeful preparations for the GARP and were early steps in carrying out the vision articulated by Jule Charney and many others. In the original "Charney report" (Perry 1975), this ambitious global effort would be required, and emphasized the need for parameterization of tropical convection if general circulation models were ever to approach their potential.…”

Relocation of GATE from the Pacific to the Atlantic

“…From the beginning of his administration, President John F. Kennedy was looking for ways that the United States and the USSR could reduce global tensions, and science was seen as a potential area of cooperation between the two superpowers. Kennedy made a speech to the UN General Assembly on 25 September 1961 that has been called "one of the roots of the Global Atmospheric Research Program" (e.g., Perry 1975). During this speech, Kennedy said, "The new horizons of outer space must not be driven by the old bitter concepts of imperialism and sovereign claims.…”