The field project CLEOPATRA, May-July 1992 in Southern Germany

CLEOPATRA (Cloud Experiment Oberpfaffenhofen and Transports) is described. This field program was performed in southern Germany 50 km north of the Alpine foothills, an area of known enhanced thunderstorm activity. The general goal is to quantify elements of the hydrological cycle on a regional scale in dependence upon precipitation events and the vegetation state. Embedded goals are to describe the mechanisms that force organizations of deep convective systems, to compare theories and observations of atmospheric depositions, and to test and compare observational methods from ground, aircraft, and space. The observational setup, including 10 research aircraft, four radar systems, and different ground-based networks, was operational from 11 May until 31 July 1992 to cover an essential period of the growing season.