Airborne Instruments & Campaigns

LASP built a leveling platform for an airborne radiometer as part of NASA’s AITT to increase the accuracy of airborne irradiance measurements; it was tested during NASA PODEX (Polarimeter Definition Experiment).

Principal Investigator:

• Sebastian Schmidt; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Jeffrey Deems at the National Snow and Ice Data Center is very involved in both NASA missions, designed to improve measurement and understanding of snow dynamics, especially in areas where snow is critical to the region’s water resources. The team is also using the remote-sensing missions to pioneer new instruments that may eventually be used on a snow-sensing satellite.

Co-investigator:

• Jeffrey Deems; National Snow & Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)

September 2014 mission to reconcile the Arctic surface radiation budget as derived from space-, aircraft-, and ground-based measurements. The ARISE campaign included 16 C-130 aircraft flights between Sept. 21 and Oct. 2, 2014. Data from ARISE will help scientists understand the relationship between ocean and ice surfaces and clouds and the role that relationship plays in the overall climate system. LASP and ATOC scientists and engineers will contribute measurements of solar spectral irradiance.

Principal Investigator:

• Sebastian Schmidt; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

The NASA GlobalHawk Unmanned Airborne Vehicle was used during ATTREX to measure the heating rate and water vapor absorption in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere. CIRES Fellow David Fahey was one of five lead project scientists on this mission (the rest are NASA) and Fahey’s team included four CIRES scientists.

Principal Investigator:

• Peter Pilewskie; Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Co-investigators:

• Bruce Kindel; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
• Sebastian Schmidt; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

CIRES Scientists:

• David Fahey
• Steve Ciciora
• Rich McLaughlin
• Troy Thornberry
• Laurel Watts

Based out of Langley, DISCOVER-AQ was an aircraft campaign focused on understanding the chemistry and physics behind air quality challenges in three broad regions in Texas, California and the Washington, DC area.

During the Colorado mission (Summer 2014), many CU Boulder and CIRES researchers were involved, including Rainer Volkamer and several students: Jeff Peischl, Owen Cooper, Jon Koefler and Gabrielle Petron.

Ongoing series of airborne campaigns to measure changes in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, topography of the underlying bedrock, as well as changes in Arctic sea ice thickness.

Co-investigators:

• Ted Scambos; National Snow & Ice Data Center
• Lora Koenig; National Snow & Ice Data Center

CU Boulder’s Brian Toon was the science lead on this major effort to improve our understanding of pollutant emissions, how they are transported in the atmosphere and affect clouds, air quality and climate change. LASP’s Sebastian Schmidt and CIRES’ Jose-Luis Jimenez and Josh Schwarz served as instrument leads on the mission, which involved two research aircraft, ground stations, satellite measurements and dozens of researchers around the country.

Principal Investigator: 

• Sebastian Schmidt; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Instrument Leads:

• Jose-Luis Jimenez; CIRES, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
• Josh Schwarz; CIRES

LASP provided new instruments for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) Airborne Observation Program (AOP) to aid in so-called “atmospheric correction”. They measure hyperspectral reflectance from aircraft to determine surface reflectance properties. That requires correcting the measured signal for attenuation from the atmosphere. This was a two-year proof-of-concept program. Will host an improved solar spectral radiometer system designed to minimize weight, uncertainty and cost. (This work was completed in June 2013.)

Principal Investigator:

• Peter Pilewskie; Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

Co-investigators:

• Sebastian Schmidt; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
• Bruce Kindel; LASP, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences