Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the active collaboration of many people and institutions in Mexico and the United States. We have to be specially thankful to the following institutions in Mexico: the Civil Defense Unit in Sonora, the National Water Commission (CNA), the Mexican Navy (SMAM), the Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans (CEDO), the Institute of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Sonora (IMADES), the Center for Scientific Research and Superior Education of Ensenada (CICESE), the University of Sonora (UNISON) and the gas company INFRA, among others. We particularly wanted to offer our more sincere gratefulness to all the people who supported us actively in the NAME field campaign, those who we will mention here region by region. We beforehand apologize to the people whose names we have forgotten at the time this document was written; we know that there were many individuals involved in NAME in addition to those we are able to mention in a few pages.

Sonora

Many thanks to Ing. Carlos Jesus Arias and to all the staff of the Civil Defense Unit in Sonora who collaborated with the experiment. Their support was instrumental in establishing all the observing networks in Sonora. Also, we thank Dr. Chris Watts at the University of Sonora (UNISON), Julio Rodriguez from IMADES and specially Juan Carlos Leal for his help in importing all the equipment into Mexico and for solving numerous problems related to the logistics of the experiment.

Our most sincere thankfulness to Adalberto Rodriguez Clark and his family for hosting and helping us in Tesopaco and for offering their constant support in an active way during the intense observing period in the municipality of Rosario de Tesopaco, Sonora. The enthusiasm, caring and family environment that surrounded us were the motor for our work.

Very many thanks to Elias Lopez Valenzuela, Myriam Meraz Villegas, Yusif Nava Assad, Boris Isauro Hernandez and Francisco Meraz Villegas; also, to many other individuals who somehow supported directly or indirectly the observations made in Tesopaco. We recognize their effort, dedication and professionalism in spite of sometimes adverse conditions.

We also want to thank the personnel of the Technological Institute of Huatabampo, especially to the students who made the pilot balloon observations under high temperatures and intense sun. One thousand thanks to Elizabeth and Ana Luisa Encinas Yocupicio, Maria Luisa Huipas Yocupicio, Alma Huipas Garcia, Paz Mirelia Lopez Moyoroqui and Ramon Alfredo Villegas Cota.

Many thanks also to Alfonso Iribe Lozoya and Idolina Nunez Mendoza in Hermosillo; to Oliver Robles Luis, Sergio Rubio Martinez, Jose Fidencio Alvarez Muñoz, Catalina Cervantes Sandoval, Maria Dolores Cazares Borbon and Pedro Arispuro Vazquez in Empalme, and finally to 3er Maestre SCN Federico Vargas Andrade and 3er Maestre SCN Arsenio Juarez Ramirez in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) for their work and dedication in making the pilot balloon and radiosonde observations at these locations.

Many thanks to the municipalities of southern Sonora: Guaymas, Empalme, Cajeme, Bacum, San Ignacio Rio Muerto, Villa Juarez, Etchojoa, Huatabampo, Navojoa, Alamos, Quiriego and Rosario; and to all the people who supported us in each one of these locations in the training, deployment and data collection activities related to the raingauge networks installed in the southern part of the state.

Sinaloa

We want to thank Mario Alfonso Nuñez Leyva, Hector Wilfrido Alvarez Camargo and Sofia Fierro Soto from the Seguridad Publica (police department) in Choix, Sinaloa; Francisco Javier Heras Heredia, Azael Niebla Portillo, Pedro Alejandro Martinez Soto and Joel Francisco Cruz Moreno at the Preparatoria (High School) U.A.S. in Choix, for their effort and dedication in collecting pilot balloon measurements. Many thanks to Angelica Estrada who coordinated the work of the students at the high school in Choix.

Thanks to the personnel of the Mexican Navy’s Oceanographic Research Station in Topolobampo: TTE. FRAG. SMAM L. Biol. Gregorio Cano Ibarra, TTE. FRAG. SMAM L. Ocean. Daniel R. Martínez Ponce, TTE. CORB. SMAM L. Biol. Hilario Gonzalez Arévalo, TTE. CORB. SMAM L. Biol. Gabriel Vazquez Lopez, TTE. CORB. SMAM L. Ocean. Jeronimo H. Martinez Rivero, TTE. CORB. SMAM L. Biol. Carlos Gabriel Caballero Garcia, TTE. CORB. SIA I.Q. Joaquin Reyes Chavez, TTE. CORB. SIA Brenda A. Luque Alcaraz and 3er. MTRE. SAIN Ofta. Martin Adan Valdez Felix for the pilot balloon observations.

Baja California

Many thanks to the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur campus La Paz, and in particular to the following persons who helped with the pilot balloon observations: Cuauhtemoc Turrent Thompson, Adan Garcia Montiel, Dante Zarate Villalba, Claudia Delia Castillo Hernandez, Oscar Uriel Mendoza Vargas, Andrea Garcia Gaertner, Jose Francisco Dominguez Contreras, Juan Salvador Yanez Ocampo, Marcela Garay Villavicencio, Rita Lopez Greene and Hiula Rodriguez Santiago.

We want also to thank José Manuel Nepomuceno Cabrera and Federico Bañaga Barrera at the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Los Cabos (ITES); Adan Gilberto Guzman Andrade, Adrian Efren Guzman Andrade, Violeta Ibarra Hernandez and Olga Ibarra Hernandez at the Centro de Estudios Tecnologicos (CETIS #81) in Ciudad Constitución; Professor José Santos Murillo Aguilar and Héctor Murillo Meza in Bahia Tortugas; Isabel Peralta Sanchez, Maria Luisa Pucci, Juana Ines Atilano y Selene Maclish in Cataviña; Eric Ussiel Barraza Anguiano, Paola Esmeralda Ruiz Molina, Adlemy Salazar Davis, Juan Jose Aguirre Gonzalez, Orlando Jesus Davis, Moises Higuera Quintana and Lic. Samuel Joseph Salinas Christiansen at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur campus Loreto; Ing. Isidro Flores Amarillas, Ing Luis Alfonso Armenta Bareño, Lic. Reynaldo Esquer Barreras and Tec. Luis Gonzalez Aguilar at the CBTIS #69 in Santa Rosalia for the numerous pilot balloon observations carried out with responsibility during the field campaign.

Thank you very much to Civil Defense of Loreto and Santa Rosalía for their support in the installation of the raingauge network. Finally, we are thankful to the members of the cruises of the CISESE and in particular to Emilio Beier for his great support during the activities carried out in La Paz, Baja California. Thanks also to Ana Ramirez Manguilar, who helped with the pilot balloon and radiosonde observations during both of the CICESE cruises.

Mexican Navy

Many thanks to the Secretaria de Marina Armada de México (Mexican Navy), especially to Research and Development General Director, Vicealmirante SIA IN Edgar F. Navarro y Quezada, Naval Meteorology Director, Cap. Frag. C.G. Juan M. Aguilar Morales; the Naval Sector in San Blas, Nayarit, and in particular to: Tte. Navio I.M. Arturo Bolaños Cruz, Tte. Corbeta I.M. Ramiro Murguia Aguayo, 1er. Maestre I.M. Jose L. Lagos Pio, 3er. Maestre I.M. Javier Regalado Muñoz, Cabo I.M. Francisco R. Hernandez Mercado, Cabo I.M. Jose L. Salazar Oropeza, Cabo I.M. Silverio Plantillas Guzman, Cabo I.M. Santos Ramos Contreras, Cabo I.M. Jose A. Avalos Espinoza, Cabo I.M. Emilio Corona Davalos, Cabo I.M. Enrique Valderrama Tamayo, Marinero I.M. Jesus A. Perez Campuzano, and Marinero I.M. Alfonso Ordoñez Zuñiga

Thanks as well to the Naval Sector at Isla Socorro in Colima, specially to the personnel who participated in the pilot balloon training in Manzanillo, Colima: 3er. Mtre. Maq. Felipe De Jesus Puentes Oceguera, 1er. Contram. Everardo Rosas Mijangos, 3er. Mtre. CG Contram. Gilberto Perez Sanchez, 3er. Mtre. Contram. CG Jose Ramos Garcia, 3er. Mtre. CG Cond. Pedro Velazquez Santiago, Mro. CG Contram. Jose Antonio Rosas Sanchez, Mro. CG Alejandro Carvajal Nava, Mro. CG I.M. Jesus M. Flores Rueda, Mro. CG Maqs. Ulices Chavez Moreno
Cabo de Cañon Marco A. Meza Gallardo, Cabo SIA Tec. Mec. Ricardo Ponce L.

Other states

We want to thank the following persons for the pilot balloon observations made with dedication and responsibility in several states in central northern Mexico. In particular we thank Professor Ismael Rangel Loera, Professor Alejandro Hernandez Reyna, Professor Jorge Luis Lopez Chavez, Juan Jose Lopez Ortega and Hugo Isabel Reyes Guevara at the CONALEP #1 in Matehuala; M.C. Daniel Medina Espinoza, Ing. Javel Cervantes Sosa, Ing. Marisol Flores Ibarra and Ing. Mayra Delgado Salas at the Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Jimenez; Dr. Joaquin Pinto Espinoza, Jesus Alfonso Granados Duarte, Jose Alfredo Hernandez Vasquez and Carlos Guillermo Campos Vargas at the Instituto Tecnologico de Durango; Juan Ariel Avila Acevedo, Francisco Javier Andrade Perez, Victor Manuel Garza Perez, Mario Efren Perales Ramirez, Karla Maria Frayre Lopez, Cesar Perez Rendon and Ing. Silvia Jaquez at the Instituto Tecnologico Superior de Lerdo.

United States of America

Many thanks to the following institutions, faculty members and staff who participated in the pilot balloon network within the United States: Western New Mexico University in Siver City, NM, the Mojave Community College in Lake Havasu City, AZ and the Unified School District in Gila Bend, AZ.