The Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) was a NASA-led campaign designed to investigate stratospheric water vapor and its effect on the Earth’s energy budget and climate. Measurements of atmospheric chemical composition and processes occurring in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) were collected using NASA’s Global Hawk UAV from 2011-2015. The first 2 deployments occurred from California in 2011 and 2013, while the remaining 2 took place from Guam during 2014 and 2015. Instruments onboard the Global Hawk aircraft included chemical sensors such as the UAS Chromatograph for Tracers (UCATS), the Harvard Picarro Cavity Ringdown Spectrometer, and a suite of meteorological instruments. ATTREX was primarily supported by the NASA EVS-1 program.
GHOST and AIITS instruments were only used on the 2015 flights. The NW instrument was added to the payload in 2013 and was not used during the 2011 flights
The Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later modified by NCAR. It measures thermal emissions from oxygen molecules in the atmosphere to prove temperature profiles above, below, and at flight level. It operates between 55 to 59 GHz and provides profiles every 17 seconds with 4 km horizontal spacing. MTP has a vertical resolution of 150 m near the aircraft.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) is a style of instrument used for measuring trace gases in the atmosphere. The DOAS technique is used to identify and quantify trace gases using their narrow band absorptions. DOAS is a remote sensing spectrometer. It has a high temporal resolution. The DOAS technique has been in use since the 1980’s.
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Droplet Distribution
This description will be added in a future version
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The NOAA Water instrument is a two-channel, closed-path, tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer developed to measure both water vapor and enhanced total water content (sum of water vapor and inertially enhanced condensed phase) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. It was originally designed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, but it can fly on any high-altitude aircraft. The detection cells within the instrument are operated at a constant temperature, pressure, and flow conditions to maintain a constant sensitivity to ingested water regardless of the environment that is being sampled. Calibration of the instrument can also be completed periodically on-board to ensure the instrument remains stable during flight.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
The Picarro gas concentration analyzer is an in situ airborne or ground-based sensor manufactured by Picarro, Inc. It uses Wavelength-Scanned-Cavity Ring Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) to measure trace gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapor. For carbon dioxide measurements, the laser within Picarro operates at 1603 nm wavelength and 1651 nm wavelength for methane and water vapor measurements. Picarro has a typical sampling time of 2.5 seconds. Depending on the model, Picarro can also provide measurements of carbon isotopes for gas concentrations.
The Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) is an airborne radiometer developed by the Ames Atmospheric Radiation Group. It provides remotely sensed measurements of solar spectral irradiance in the troposphere. SSFR operates across the 300-2150 nm wavelength range and has a spectral resolution of 8-12 nm. It has a typical data collection rate of 1 Hz and has a radiometric accuracy of 3%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
The Whole Air Sampler (WAS) is an airborne in-situ instrument that collects samples of air for analysis of trace gases, such as nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), Halocarbons, Alkyl Nitrates, and various sulfur compounds that are present in the troposphere. Air samples collected via the WAS then undergo gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine which gasses are present in the sample. The WAS collects samples every minute, which enables scientists to get a clear picture of the chemical composition of the environment as research aircraft pass through.
The NOAA Dual-Beam UV-Absorption Ozone Photometer (NOAA-O3) is an in situ optical balloon-borne and airborne instrument that measures ozone concentrations in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. It operates at the 254 nm wavelength allowing it to calculate the ozone number density due to the accurate ozone absorption cross section at that wavelength. It has a sampling rate of 2 Hz and a horizontal resolution of 100 to 200 meters at typical research flight speeds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) is an in situ airborne hygrometer developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses tunable diode laser absorption to measure water vapor in the atmosphere. DLH operates in the near-infrared region at around 1.4 μm and has a measurement frequency of 100 Hz. It can provide accurate measurements of water vapor even while flying through clouds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Relative Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter across three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to derive cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m.
The Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) is an in-situ airborne cloud probe manufactured by SPEC Inc. FCDP measures the concentration and size of cloud droplets by detecting the amount of light scattered by the particles. It measures particles within the diameter size range of 1.5-50 microns and has a typical measurement frequency of 1 Hz.
The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is an in situ airborne instrument used for measuring atmospheric state parameters. MMS provides high-resolution and accurate measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and wind direction/speed immediately around the plane. Additional parameters can be derived such as potential temperature, true airspeed, turbulence dissipation rate, and Reynolds number. Measurements of all parameters are typically collected at a rate of 20 Hz.
The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (UCATS) is an in situ airborne instrument suite that measures trace gases in the atmosphere. It consists of three separate instruments: a three-channel gas chromatograph (GC), a dual-beam ozone photometer (OZ), and a tunable diode laser (TDL) spectrometer. The GC measures nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) every 70 s and measures hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) every 140 s. The OZ sensor operates at 254 nm and provides ozone measurements every 10 seconds. The TDL spectrometer operates at 1370 nm and provides water vapor measurements every 1 s. UCATS was designed to be operated on UAS, but it has been deployed on piloted aircraft as well.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later modified by NCAR. It measures thermal emissions from oxygen molecules in the atmosphere to prove temperature profiles above, below, and at flight level. It operates between 55 to 59 GHz and provides profiles every 17 seconds with 4 km horizontal spacing. MTP has a vertical resolution of 150 m near the aircraft.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter across three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to derive cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m.
The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is an in situ airborne instrument used for measuring atmospheric state parameters. MMS provides high-resolution and accurate measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and wind direction/speed immediately around the plane. Additional parameters can be derived such as potential temperature, true airspeed, turbulence dissipation rate, and Reynolds number. Measurements of all parameters are typically collected at a rate of 20 Hz.
This description will be added in a future version
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Droplet Distribution
The Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) is an in-situ airborne cloud probe manufactured by SPEC Inc. FCDP measures the concentration and size of cloud droplets by detecting the amount of light scattered by the particles. It measures particles within the diameter size range of 1.5-50 microns and has a typical measurement frequency of 1 Hz.
The Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) is an in situ airborne hygrometer developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses tunable diode laser absorption to measure water vapor in the atmosphere. DLH operates in the near-infrared region at around 1.4 μm and has a measurement frequency of 100 Hz. It can provide accurate measurements of water vapor even while flying through clouds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Relative Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
The Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) is an airborne radiometer developed by the Ames Atmospheric Radiation Group. It provides remotely sensed measurements of solar spectral irradiance in the troposphere. SSFR operates across the 300-2150 nm wavelength range and has a spectral resolution of 8-12 nm. It has a typical data collection rate of 1 Hz and has a radiometric accuracy of 3%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
The Picarro gas concentration analyzer is an in situ airborne or ground-based sensor manufactured by Picarro, Inc. It uses Wavelength-Scanned-Cavity Ring Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) to measure trace gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapor. For carbon dioxide measurements, the laser within Picarro operates at 1603 nm wavelength and 1651 nm wavelength for methane and water vapor measurements. Picarro has a typical sampling time of 2.5 seconds. Depending on the model, Picarro can also provide measurements of carbon isotopes for gas concentrations.
The Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) is a style of instrument used for measuring trace gases in the atmosphere. The DOAS technique is used to identify and quantify trace gases using their narrow band absorptions. DOAS is a remote sensing spectrometer. It has a high temporal resolution. The DOAS technique has been in use since the 1980’s.
The Whole Air Sampler (WAS) is an airborne in-situ instrument that collects samples of air for analysis of trace gases, such as nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), Halocarbons, Alkyl Nitrates, and various sulfur compounds that are present in the troposphere. Air samples collected via the WAS then undergo gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine which gasses are present in the sample. The WAS collects samples every minute, which enables scientists to get a clear picture of the chemical composition of the environment as research aircraft pass through.
The NOAA Dual-Beam UV-Absorption Ozone Photometer (NOAA-O3) is an in situ optical balloon-borne and airborne instrument that measures ozone concentrations in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. It operates at the 254 nm wavelength allowing it to calculate the ozone number density due to the accurate ozone absorption cross section at that wavelength. It has a sampling rate of 2 Hz and a horizontal resolution of 100 to 200 meters at typical research flight speeds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (UCATS) is an in situ airborne instrument suite that measures trace gases in the atmosphere. It consists of three separate instruments: a three-channel gas chromatograph (GC), a dual-beam ozone photometer (OZ), and a tunable diode laser (TDL) spectrometer. The GC measures nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) every 70 s and measures hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) every 140 s. The OZ sensor operates at 254 nm and provides ozone measurements every 10 seconds. The TDL spectrometer operates at 1370 nm and provides water vapor measurements every 1 s. UCATS was designed to be operated on UAS, but it has been deployed on piloted aircraft as well.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) is an airborne microwave radiometer developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and later modified by NCAR. It measures thermal emissions from oxygen molecules in the atmosphere to prove temperature profiles above, below, and at flight level. It operates between 55 to 59 GHz and provides profiles every 17 seconds with 4 km horizontal spacing. MTP has a vertical resolution of 150 m near the aircraft.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Aerosol Ice Interface Transmission Spectrometer (AIITS) is an airborne light scattering spectrometer developed by the University of Hertfordshire in collaboration with the University of Manchester. It measures forward scattering patterns and backscatter polarization ratio of particles in the size range of 1-100 μm to provide 2D images. These measurements can be used to determine particle size, number concentration, particle shape, liquid water/ice content, and other particle properties. AIITS operates at 532 nm wavelength and can reach rates up to 300 Hz for forward scattering measurements and up to 5000 Hz for backscatter polarization ratio measurements. AIITS is typically used for aerosol and ice crystal measurements within cirrus clouds.
The Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) is a style of instrument used for measuring trace gases in the atmosphere. The DOAS technique is used to identify and quantify trace gases using their narrow band absorptions. DOAS is a remote sensing spectrometer. It has a high temporal resolution. The DOAS technique has been in use since the 1980’s.
GHOST is a novel, compact shortwave-infrared grating spectrometer, designed for remote sensing of tropospheric columns of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from an airborne platform
Earth Science > >
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Droplet Distribution
This description will be added in a future version
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The NOAA Water instrument is a two-channel, closed-path, tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer developed to measure both water vapor and enhanced total water content (sum of water vapor and inertially enhanced condensed phase) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. It was originally designed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, but it can fly on any high-altitude aircraft. The detection cells within the instrument are operated at a constant temperature, pressure, and flow conditions to maintain a constant sensitivity to ingested water regardless of the environment that is being sampled. Calibration of the instrument can also be completed periodically on-board to ensure the instrument remains stable during flight.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
The Picarro gas concentration analyzer is an in situ airborne or ground-based sensor manufactured by Picarro, Inc. It uses Wavelength-Scanned-Cavity Ring Spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) to measure trace gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapor. For carbon dioxide measurements, the laser within Picarro operates at 1603 nm wavelength and 1651 nm wavelength for methane and water vapor measurements. Picarro has a typical sampling time of 2.5 seconds. Depending on the model, Picarro can also provide measurements of carbon isotopes for gas concentrations.
The Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer (SSFR) is an airborne radiometer developed by the Ames Atmospheric Radiation Group. It provides remotely sensed measurements of solar spectral irradiance in the troposphere. SSFR operates across the 300-2150 nm wavelength range and has a spectral resolution of 8-12 nm. It has a typical data collection rate of 1 Hz and has a radiometric accuracy of 3%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
The Whole Air Sampler (WAS) is an airborne in-situ instrument that collects samples of air for analysis of trace gases, such as nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), Halocarbons, Alkyl Nitrates, and various sulfur compounds that are present in the troposphere. Air samples collected via the WAS then undergo gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine which gasses are present in the sample. The WAS collects samples every minute, which enables scientists to get a clear picture of the chemical composition of the environment as research aircraft pass through.
The NOAA Dual-Beam UV-Absorption Ozone Photometer (NOAA-O3) is an in situ optical balloon-borne and airborne instrument that measures ozone concentrations in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. It operates at the 254 nm wavelength allowing it to calculate the ozone number density due to the accurate ozone absorption cross section at that wavelength. It has a sampling rate of 2 Hz and a horizontal resolution of 100 to 200 meters at typical research flight speeds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) is an in situ airborne hygrometer developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses tunable diode laser absorption to measure water vapor in the atmosphere. DLH operates in the near-infrared region at around 1.4 μm and has a measurement frequency of 100 Hz. It can provide accurate measurements of water vapor even while flying through clouds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Relative Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter across three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to derive cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m.
The Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) is an in-situ airborne cloud probe manufactured by SPEC Inc. FCDP measures the concentration and size of cloud droplets by detecting the amount of light scattered by the particles. It measures particles within the diameter size range of 1.5-50 microns and has a typical measurement frequency of 1 Hz.
The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is an in situ airborne instrument used for measuring atmospheric state parameters. MMS provides high-resolution and accurate measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and wind direction/speed immediately around the plane. Additional parameters can be derived such as potential temperature, true airspeed, turbulence dissipation rate, and Reynolds number. Measurements of all parameters are typically collected at a rate of 20 Hz.
The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (UCATS) is an in situ airborne instrument suite that measures trace gases in the atmosphere. It consists of three separate instruments: a three-channel gas chromatograph (GC), a dual-beam ozone photometer (OZ), and a tunable diode laser (TDL) spectrometer. The GC measures nitrous oxide (N2O) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) every 70 s and measures hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) every 140 s. The OZ sensor operates at 254 nm and provides ozone measurements every 10 seconds. The TDL spectrometer operates at 1370 nm and provides water vapor measurements every 1 s. UCATS was designed to be operated on UAS, but it has been deployed on piloted aircraft as well.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
