Building on prior development and laboratory tests of acoustic rain sensing technology, field-deployable acoustic rain gages will be constructed and tested under operational conditions. The acoustic gages will be mounted on two TAO moorings in the tropical Pacific. Data from the acoustic instruments will be compared with data from capacitance rain gages located on the same moorings and with rainfall estimates deduced from satellite observations. The rainfall observations will be combined with upper ocean salinity measurements from the moorings to examine the fresh water budget of the upper ocean.
