Timelapse footage of deep convective clouds in New Mexico produced during the DCMEX field campaign

Timelapse footage of clouds taken during the Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment (DCMEX) research project, funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council.

Cameras were pointed towards the Magdalena mountains. The main camera location was Socorro airport, a secondary location was Econolodge, Socorro, and a third location was Magdalena airport.

These are a subset of the footage collected. 20s interval photographs from a number of days are available from another archive.

During these timelapses the FAAM aircraft was flying through the clouds collecting thermodynamic, dynamics, microphysics and aerosol measurements. Radars were also sometimes operational.

The full campaign and data is decribed in detail in Finney et al. (2024) ESSD.

Video descriptions

19th July - A number of convective cloud bursts, but no anvil formed over the Magdalena mountains during this footage.

23rd July - Cumulus are present and growing from the start of the footage. Cloud bases stay rooted to the mountain. Shear appears low until a detrainment layer is reached.

27th July - Footage begins with clear skies. Strong low levels winds carry clouds northward. Deep convective clouds form and are detrained south westward. Later in the footage scene becomes overcast with high cloud, and this suppresses the earlier deep convection. Late in the camera 1 footage a gust front cloud passes across the scene.

29th July - Footage taken from the Magdalena airport and begins with fast moving cumulus cloud. The cloud grows and moves over the camera.

31st July - Cumulus clouds form almost immediately over the Magdalena mountains and steadily grow from multiple thermals. Cloud bases stay rooted to the mountain, but shear aloft carries cloud northward from a detrainment layer. The cloud takes a structure similar to anvil but winds are strong and cloud in the detrainment layer appears to be fairly long-lived, warping the anvil shape somewhat.

2nd August - Footage begins overcast but clears. Cumulus clouds and congestus begin to form, with strong low level winds carrying them southward.

Related datasets

Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements; Finney, D.; Blyth, A.; Gallagher, M.; Wu, H.; Nott, G.J.; Biggerstaff, M.; Sonnenfeld, R.G.; Daily, M.; Walker, D.; Dufton, D.; Bower, K.N.; Boeing, S.; Choularton, T.W.; Crosier, J.; Groves, J.; Field, P.; Coe, H.; Murray, B.J.; Lloyd, G.; Marsden, N.A.; Flynn, M.; Hu, K.; Thamban, N.M.; Williams, P.I.; Connolly, P.J.; McQuaid, J.B.; Robinson, J.; Cui, Z.; Burton, R.R.; Carrie, G.; Moore, R.; Abel, S.J.; Tiddeman, D.; Aulich, G.; Bennecke, D.; Kelsey, V.; Reger, R.S.; Nowakowska, K.; Bassford, J.; Morris, F.; Hampton, J. (2022): DCMEX: Collection of in-situ airborne observations, ground-based meteorological and aerosol measurements and cloud imagery for the Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment. NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, 30 April 2024. https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/B1211AD185E24B488D41DD98F957506C

Individual image archive for camera 1 - Finney, D.; Groves, J.; Walker, D.; Dufton, D.; Moore, R.; Bennecke, D.; Kelsey, V.; Reger, R.S.; Nowakowska, K.; Bassford, J.; Blyth, A. (2023): DCMEX: cloud images from the NCAS Camera 11 from the New Mexico field campaign 2022. NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, 15 December 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/b839ae53abf94e23b0f61560349ccda1

Individual image archive for camera 2 - Finney, D.; Groves, J.; Walker, D.; Dufton, D.; Moore, R.; Bennecke, D.; Kelsey, V.; Reger, R.S.; Nowakowska, K.; Bassford, J.; Blyth, A. (2023): DCMEX: cloud images from the NCAS Camera 12 from the New Mexico field campaign 2022. NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis, 15 December 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/d1c61edc4f554ee09ad370f6b52f82ce 

Oklahoma University radar data - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8051426