International Cloud Experiment (formally known as "Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment" - TWP-ICE) was a scientific mission to gather information on tropical storm formation.[1] It involved seven airplanes, a ship anchored off Darwin in Australia, RV Southern Surveyor, and over 250 scientists and researchers.[2]
The I.C.E. took place from 21 January to 23 February 2006,[3] and had been in the planning stages since September 2003.[4]
The experiment was a collaboration between the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program,[5] the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia),[6] NASA[7] the European Commission DG RTD-1.2 and several United States, Australian, Canadian and European Universities.[8]
During the experiment, a record-breaking tropical typhoon arose, then spent seven days as a "landphoon" over the Australian desert.[9]
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation released in 2007 Thunderheads, a 47-minute program which has shown on the Smithsonian Channel.