This Scientific Program Overview describes plans for a field campaign as part of THORPEX (THe Observing-system Research and Predictability EXperiment) called the Pacific-Asian Regional Campaign (PARC) during the last half of 2008. THORPEX scientists will work to advance knowledge, improve prediction, and study society's response to high-impact weather events over North America, whose dynamical roots and source of forecast errors occur upstream over East Asia and the western Pacific Ocean. A primary focus of PARC is on the evolution of tropical cyclones from genesis to decay or extratropical transition (the later affecting weather over North America). PARC activities range from basic research by the academic community to the applied activities of the operational centers, with a focus on the extratropical transition of tropical cyclones and their downstream impacts. This includes the impact of improved data gathering for initialization of weather forecasts for North America. This award provides funding for planning activities related to PARC. In addition to United States scientists, PARC will include researchers from China, Japan, Korea, Canada and countries of the European Union.
