A Break in the Clouds

摘要

During the 2004-2005 academic winter break, I was one of 32 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world who gathered on the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda. Our goal was not to work on our tans, but to join scientists and technicians in a complex, two-month international research project called RICO (Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean), a field research program focusing on trade winds. Even though RICO gave us a chance to escape the winter cold, our break was far from a vacation. While tourists lounged on the beaches, we cruised the skies: soaring through clouds, taking measurements, and analyzing data.