FASTEX

(Chantal Claud, LMD)

The FASTEX (Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Track EXperiment) has been conducted in January-February 1997 over the North Atlantic Ocean to study the cyclones which form over this area. Among the 19 Intensive Observing Periods (IOP), three might be of interest to PL scientists: - IOP 4 (16-17 January 1977), which corresponds to a cold air comma cloud system (1000 km approximate diameter in imagery). - IOP 8 (29 January 1997), where a major downslope wave phenomenon to the lee of Greenland was observed. - IOP 18 (21-24 February 1997), which is characterized by an explosive cyclonic development, probably analogous to a polar low.