Highlights Inside

· Intercomparison Update · New Telephone Numbers - The RV’s of your dreams! · Weekend Weather Report · Restaurant Review - The Aquarium · Today’s and Tomorrow’s Flight Plans · Thought for the Day

The TexAQS 2000 Field Study Newsletter Issue 12 The Daily Plan-it August 26, 2000

Hot, Hot, Hot! Like ozone? Great weekend for it! that he’d have to read the “pulp,” to Telephone Numbers which Fred replied, “oh, that would be NASA Open House Today pulp fiction then.” Fred, we must The RV’s on the ramp just outside admit, has wonderful timing. Balloons, traffic, cotton candy and the Southwest Services Hangar now plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic have telephones. You can reach them Just as predicted yesterday, today’s beverages. Most of the southeast at: weather is just the ticket for interesting secondary pollution production and corner of Houston is having a big time · Baylor RV - 281 922-6533 today at the Ballunar Festival. while a accumulation. A high pressure system few of us are in the office slaving away · DOE RV (Chez Springston) - 281 over Louisiana continues to produce (the few, the proud, the morons – no, 922-7698 favorable pollution conditions for wait, that’s Marines, isn’t it?). NASA is today, tomorrow and Monday. having an open house, today, too. Media Day TV Coverage Macroscale circulation aloft continues light and from the southeast. Aircraft Intercomparison For those of you who missed the These light upper level winds allow the actual event, the TexAQS is being formation of a surface level land The intercomparison effort played and replayed on the local access breeze - off the land and towards the concluded at least in part successfully. TV channel - it’s channel 65 on the Bay and Gulf - at night and enhance Unfortunately, as I understand it, the TownPlace Suites TV’s anyway. The the formation of the bay breeze - off G-1 had some battery problems and title they gave it is “Mayor’s Press the Gulf/Galveston Bay to the land - had to break off about half-way (5- Conference - Texas Air Quality at midday. minutes into the second leg) through Study.” This morning, Debby was just a the intercomparison flight. Michael I thought that all the speakers - shell of her former self, a tropical Trainer suggested that he hoped the particularly our own Pete Daum - did wave bringing squally thunderstorms amount of time they did have would a commendable job of explaining why and heavy rains to Cuba. Models, be sufficient - ah, confidence. we are here and why this study is which to date have not performed Fortunately, given the truncated needed. well with Debby, show the wave intercomparison, the remainder of the continuing to move west and emerging TexAQS Houston airforce made the Weekend Weather Forecast over the open Gulf in a day or two. If best of their remaining flight time by enough remains, the system could taking a long, hard look at the high John Nielsen-Gammon provided possibly regenerate then, perhaps, ozone conditions in the boundary layer the weather forecast today but Fred threaten the Yucatan and the western over downtown and the western part Fehsenfeld provided the entertainment Gulf. of the ship channel. All of the aircraft when he asked John to “read the encountered ozone levels in excess of meteorological tea leaves” several days 200 ppbv and these high levels were ahead. John indicated that he was mirrored at the surface stations. having orange juice today, not tea, and and forth across the high hourly ozone data provided to EPA Electra N308D ozone/precursor rich I-10 corridor “missed” the maximum running hourly Yesterday, after the Houston. Maximum ozone levels of ozone concentrations encountered by intercomparison, the Electra more than 200 ppbv were the Houston surface sites. According conducted a bay breeze/urban area encountered. Before returning to to the “preliminary” official data characterization flight from the Gulf Ellington the Twin Otter also flew the yesterday did not show an exceedence through the north side of Houston. a refinery plume and measured over of the 1-hour ozone standard. 60 ppbv of SO2. TNRCC’s Dan White says he’s not Today the Electra is having a hard surprised at the incongruities and that Two land breeze/sea breeze down day. the “peaky” nature of ozone characterization flights are planned for production in Houston often leads to Tomorrow the Electra will conduct today. The early flight left Ellington at such apparent differences. a midday sea breeze/urban 7:15 AM with a later flight planned for characterization flight from the Gulf 12:00 noon. and following a standard ladder or Tomorrow, the Twin Otter will stack pattern across the Houston Upcoming Events metro area. conduct two (9:30 AM & 12:30 PM) transition model validation flights Aerosol Group Meeting - Tuesday at G-1 N701BN consisting of multiple legs and spirals 2:00 PM (29th Meeting at Place to be over Galveston Bay, La Porte, and determined) The G-1 left the intercomparison Ellington. party early yesterday but, fortunately LaPorte Team Meeting - Every for us all, the indicated Tuesday at 3:00 PM (29th problems have been Meeting at Place to be resolved. determined) The G-1 is conducting TNRCC/EPA Region 6 two 2.5 hour flights today - Data Analysis Meeting one at 9:30 AM and the Tuesday, August 29th - 10:00 other at 2:00 PM. AM to 4:00 PM (Ellington, CapRock Conference Room) The G-1 plans a hard down day tomorrow. VIP Day - Wednesday, August 30th (Ellington, DC-3 N56KS Southwest Services)

Bob Banta’s Big Day!! Restaurant Review - Following the Aquarium intercomparison flight yesterday, the DC-3 By Mohammed Ayoub attacked targets of NASA Road One East opportunity while dancing to 146 South, go over the between the clouds. Kemah Bridge at turn left Today and tomorrow at first light, go to 4-way the DC-3 will conduct stop, turn left and follow midday urban/sea breeze the signs. characterization flights. The Aquarium - on the Mostly clear conditions are forecast. Interesting Conundrum Kemah Boardwalk is one of the most beautiful and interesting theme Twin Otter N153BU According to the EPA AIRNOW restaurants that I have been to in a long website, the Figure depicts the time. The entrance to the restaurant is Yesterday, after the intercomparison maximum 1-hour ozone concentration flight, the Twin Otter conducted a adorned with a three-story high for the Houston area yesterday. It is aquarium, that runs up the revolving urban area characterization flight back interesting to note that the “official” stairs. Inside they have a number of The Farmer replied, “Well, first I kick tanks, the largest - a 50,000 gallon tank Thought for the Day you three times and then you kick me - houses a variety of incredibly A big-city lawyer went duck hunting in three times, and so on, back and forth, beautiful fish, a couple of rays and rural Texas. He shot and dropped a until someone gives up.” several sharks. They also have several bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on The attorney quickly thought about the side tanks with exotic fish from Japan the other side of a fence. As the proposed contest and decided that he and Hawaii among other places. Be lawyer climbed over the fence, an could easily take the old codger. He sure to mention that this is your first elderly farmer drove up on his tractor agreed to abide by the local custom. visit to your host, so you can benefit and asked him what he was doing. from the “full treatment.” The old farmer slowly climbed down The litigator responded, “I shot a duck from the tractor and walked up to the As visually stimulating as the setting and it fell into this field, and now I'm lawyer. His first kick planted the toe is, the food matched it in every way going to retrieve it.” of his heavy work boot into the and was absolutely incredible. I had lawyer's groin and dropped him to his the daily house special. The meal The old farmer replied, “This is my knees. His second kick nearly wiped consisted of stuffed blackened redfish property, and you are not coming over the man's nose off his face and the topped with shrimp and crawfish in a here.” barrister was flat on his belly when the creamy white wine sauce served with The indignant lawyer said, “I am one farmer's third kick to a kidney nearly squash, carrots, boc-choy and Spanish of the best trial attorneys in the U.S. caused him to give up. rice. It was all EXCELLENT. and, if you don't let me get that duck, The lawyer summoned every bit of his The Kemah Boardwalk also offers I'll sue you and take everything you will and managed to get to his feet and several boat rides and has a large own.” said, “Okay, you old coot! Now, it's number of theme restaurants and bars. The old farmer smiled and said, my turn!” All in all I would rate Aquarium as an “Apparently, you don't know how we astounding four stars. It is a MUST do things in Texas. We settle small The old farmer just smiled and said, EAT establishment for special disagreements like this with the Texas “Naw, I give up. You can have the occasions!! Three-Kick Rule.” duck!” Note: It is a little heavy on the The lawyer asked, “What is the Texas wallet, but it is well worth the money Three-Kick Rule?” so you won’t mind.