The frontlines of research this summer will take AOML scientists thousands of miles across the Atlantic to study the earliest beginnings of how tropical cyclones form. In partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NOAA will deploy the NOAA G-IV jet to the Cape Verde islands, the "nursery grounds" for some of the Atlantic's largest, fiercest storms.

This first-ever deployment for the NOAA Hurricane Hunters will enable AOML scientists to study how thunderstorms that drift off the west African coast develop into tropical waves, the "seedlings" for many tropical cyclones.

The groundbreaking research supports the Advancing the Prediction of Hurricanes Experiment, or APHEX, the main component of AOML's Hurricane Field Program. Research to address additional science questions will be conducted in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research and NASA.

1. Available Aircraft and Deployment Locations

The NOAA WP-3D (P-3) (N42RF and N43RF) aircraft will be available with 1 flight crew each to support back-to-back missions during the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane season. N42RF will be available as early as 1 June and N43RF is expected to be available on 1 August. The Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) (N49RF) aircraft will be available 1 June with two flight crews available for back-to-back missions. Operations for all aircraft will primarily base out of the NOAA/OMAO/Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) in Lakeland, FL with deployments to U.S. coastal locations in the western Gulf of Mexico for suitable Gulf storms, as well as other locations along the U.S. East Coast, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix). International deployment sites include Aruba, Barbados, Cabo Verde, and Bermuda. Occasionally, post-mission recovery may be accomplished elsewhere. APPENDIX D shows deployment locations and operating range rings (for 2 h on-station time) for the P-3s (Fig. D-1) and the G-IV (Fig. D-2).

2. Field Program Duration

The HFP-APHEX will be conducted from approximately 1 July through 31 October 2022.