The Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX) has been designed under Indian Climate Research Program (ICRP) by Department of Science and Technology (DST). The main purpose of this experiment is to study off-shore trough and vortex that play important roles in modulating monsoon activity over the West Coast of India. Under this experiment surface meso-scale and upper air observations within 200 Km off the west coast as well as 200 Km in land from the West Coast were collected. A large number of conventional, non-conventional, surface as well as upper air observations were collected for a period of 3 months (June-August 2002). Several academic institutes/universities/operational centers are participating in the experiment. 

• Scientific Objectives
• Participating Organisations
• Observational Platforms And Observations

A. Study of the Arabian sea convection associated with intense rainfall events on the west coast of

• Genesis, intensification and propagation of convective systems (of synoptic and mesoscale) over the eastern Arabian  sea leading to very heavy rainfall events along the west coast.
• Variation of air-sea fluxes, vertical stability and wind shear in association with these systems. 
• Impact of the SST field including wind-induced upwelling on convective systems. 
• Spatial and temporal variation of offshore trough and its relationship with the convection on the eastern Arabian 

B. Study of the evolution, maintenance and the collapse of the Arabian Sea Warm Pool and pre-onset phases of the monsoon

• Life cycle of the Indian Ocean Warm Pool and Lakshdweep SST high and its spatiotemporal structure,  vis-à-vis the India Ocean warm Pool.
• Natural and strength of inversion in the atmosphere over southeast Arabian Sea during the growing,mature and collapsing phases of warm pool.
• Components of surface fluxes and air-sea interaction processes in the Lakshdweep Sea during the studyperiod.
• The role of warm pool in southeastern Arabian Sea in the process of onset of monsoon over Karla.

                                                                                                                                              

PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS

Sl.No	Organisation	Area of Support
1	Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi	Nodal Agency for overall coordination and funding support
2	National Centre for Antarctic and Oceanic Research, Department of Ocean development, Goa	ORV Sagar Kanya observational and research support
3	India Meteorological Department, New Delhi & Mumbai	Convectional observing Systems with their up-gradation along the west coast, INSAT,Past Data, Expertise of human resources and Hosting of ARMEX Operation Coordination Centre at New Delhi,sub-centre at RMC, Mumbai with all facilities and ARMEX data archival.
4	Indian Institute of Science, Banglore	Organizational support, scientific & data processing effort for the Atmosphere and Coupled Ocean-land-Atmosphere parts of ARMEX.
5	Directorate of Meterology, Indian Air Force, New Delhi	Aircraft observational support, upper air data and observers over the coast guard ships, weather advisories etc.
6	Directorate of Naval Oceanography and Meterology, Indian Navy, New Delhi	Organizational support for data collection in the Hydrographic Ship, Upper air observations from Goa and Cochin, Weather advisories etc.
7	National Hydrographic School, Dehradun	Hydrographic Ship observational support
8	Indian Institute Of Technology, New Delhi	Data management, Research and weather advisory support
9	Indian Institute of Tropical Meterology, Pune	Observational and research support
10	National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai	Met-Ocean Buoys and their data
11	National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, New Delhi	Data management, archival, weather advisories and Analysis, forecast and diagnostics from their operational / experimental models & research support
12	National Institute of Oceanography, Goa	Observational and research support
13	National Remote Sensing Agency, Hydra bad	Observational and research support
14	Satellite Application Centre	Satellite data and research support
15	Andhra University, Visakhapatnam	Observational and research support
16	Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin	Observational and research support
17	Mangalore University, Mangalore	Observational and research support
18	Babha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai	Observational and research support
19	Indian national Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hydrabad	Observational, data Archival and Research
20	Indian Coast Guard, Mumbai	Observational support
21	Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Mumbai	Observational support
22	Naval physical Oceanographic Laboratories, Kochi	Observational and research support
23	Mumbai port, Mumbai	Observational support
24	LBS Marine College, Mumbai	Observational support
25	State Agricultural Universities / Research Institutions	Observational support

                                                                                                                                              

OBSERVATIONAL PLATFORMS AND OBSERVATIONS

• Two Ships (ORV Sagar Kanya and Hydrographic Vessel of Indian Navy) in the ARMEX operation area made measurements of atmospheric, oceanic and coupled ocean-atmosphere  components.ORV Sagar Kanya also measured atmospheric-vertical profiles and also air-sea fluxes by specialised instruments mounted on a tower/boom erected on the ship for the purpose.
  
  >> Track of ORV Sagar Kanya
  
  
  
• Met-Ocean Buoys of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, has provided data for the near-surface meteorological and oceanographic measurements.
  
  >> Buoys Observational Stations
  
  
  
• Two Coast Guard Ships provided surface meteorological and oceanographic observations. 
  
  
• One Aircraft of Indian Air Force flied on designated tracts and provided flight level meteorological data. Also provided data on cloud pictures, atmospheric chemistry and aerosols.
  
  >> Observational Tracks
  
  
• Existing station network of IMD provided conventional upper air and surface meteorological measurements. Some of the stations, in the Upper Air Observatory network (not more than three per day) along the west coast launched additional upper air soundings at 06Z and 18Z hrs during IOPs. The total additional launches were not  exceeded 150.
  
  >> Surface Observational Stations
  
  >> RS/RW Observational Stations
  
  
• Radar observations (in the form of hard copies) from the IMD network along the west coast at Tiruvanantapuram, Cochin, Goa and Mumbai. 
  
  
• Daily 1^o by 1^o OLR and OLR derived rainfall on operational basis and during IOPs, 8-times a day INSAT OLR data INDIA-MERSEC (pixel scale) and 06Z and 12Z hrs visible channel imagery were taken. 
  
  
• Indian OCEANSAT data from SAC, Ahmedabad. 
  
  
• Micrometeorological flux measurements at Mangalore, Goa, and (if possible) Kalpakam/Trombay.
  
  
• Automatic weather stations at 9 locations along the west coast and about 10 agrometeorological stations maintained by state agricultural Universities.
  
  
• XBT surveys (monthly) on the Mumbai-Colombo shipping lane by NIO, Goa and Cochin-Lakshdweep at 15 days interval by Cochin University.
  
  
• IITM Lidar and Wind profiler at Pune.
  
  >> Micrometerological Tower at NCAOR,Goa
  
  >> RAS System at Pune
• Sodar at Kalpakam/Trombay, Mumbai
• >> Observational Network