The Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) campaign aimed to better understand how deep convection and large-scale dynamics from intense thunderstorms with overshooting tops affect the composition and chemistry of the lower stratosphere over the central United States. DCOTSS included one testing period and two deployments during the boreal summer of 2021-2022. The NASA ER-2 was equipped with various chemical and meteorological instruments to collect profile measurements in the outflow regions of thunderstorms with overshooting tops. Additionally, balloon and radar data from the NEXRAD network were collected to complement airborne observations. DCOTSS was one of the Earth Venture Suborbital-3 (EVS) campaigns.
The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) is a network of high-resolution, S-band radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United States Air Force. NEXRAD measures the magnitude of the returned energy to provide reflectivity, velocity, and spectrum width observations, which can be processed to create mosaic maps of precipitation. NEXRAD radars typically operate with a 0.9-degree beamwidth, 0.25 to 1 km spatial resolution, and a maximum range of 230 to 460 km. Currently, over 160 NEXRAD radars are operating across the United States and some overseas locations.
The Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) is a laser ionization mass spectrometer operated by NOAA. PALMS provides in situ measurements of aerosol particles and their chemical composition by using a UV laser pulse (193 nm) to generate ions. These ions are then analyzed with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to produce the mass spectrum of each particle, which can be used to classify individual aerosol particles. PALMS has an aerosol size range of 0.2 to 3 microns and typically collects data at about 1 to 10 Hz. It can be used for either airborne or laboratory aerosol measurements.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Chemical Composition
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols
The Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) is an in situ airborne instrument used to measure atmospheric state parameters. MMS provides high-resolution, accurate measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and wind direction and speed immediately around the plane. Additional parameters that can be derived include 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 includes 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 seconds and detects hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) every 140 seconds. The OZ sensor operates at 254 nm and provides ozone measurements every 10 seconds. The TDL spectrometer operates at 1370 nm and offers water vapor measurements every 1 second. UCATS was designed for operation on UAS, but it has also been deployed on piloted aircraft.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
The Compact Airborne Formaldehyde Experiment (CAFE) is an in situ airborne instrument that measures formaldehyde (CH2O). It uses non-resonant laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to measure CH20 in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. CAFE uses a laser at 355 nm wavelength to excite CH20 and detect the fluorescence in the 420-550 nm range. It has a typical sampling rate of 1 Hz and achieves a precision of 160 pptv at zero pptv CH20.
Harvard Water Vapor (HWV) is an in situ airborne hygrometer developed at Harvard University that measures water vapor mixing ratios in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. HWV includes two instruments with different methods for detecting water vapor: the Lyman-α photo-fragment fluorescence instrument (LyA) and a tunable diode laser direct absorption instrument (HHH -Harvard Herriott Hygrometer). By combining both instruments, HWV can identify and reduce systematic errors during flight. It provides measurements of water vapor mixing ratio from 1 to 1000 ppmv at 1 Hz and with an accuracy of 5%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles > Water Vapor Mixing Ratio Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Digital cameras are used to provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are used on aircraft to collect aerial imagery for mapping and surveying, environmental monitoring, cloud observations, agriculture, geological studies, and other Earth science applications. They are also used at field sites to capture visual observations to monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.
The Integrated Cavity Output Spectrometer (ICOS) is an airborne in situ spectrometer developed by Harvard University. It is a mid-infrared (6.7 μm) spectrometer that measures the primary isotopologues of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. It has been integrated onto NASA’s WB-57 aircraft for field investigations of water vapor. It has an average data acquisition rate of 1 Hz and a measurement precision of 0.14 ppbv in 4-second averages for water vapor.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The Rapid OZone Experiment (ROZE) is an airborne in situ instrument that measures ozone levels in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. It employs the incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) technique to determine ozone concentrations in the sampled volume. ROZE utilizes a light-emitting diode (LED) in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum at 265 nm. ROZE operates with a measurement sampling rate of 10 Hz and an accuracy of 6.2%.
The Printed Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS) is an in situ spectrometer that measures particle size and concentration. POPS can be mounted on UAVs or balloons to gather vertical aerosol particle profiles. Operating at a typical wavelength of 405 nm, POPS provides measurements roughly every second and detects particles from 140 nm to 3000 nm in size.
Earth Science > Human Dimensions > Public Health > Environmental Health Factors > Particulate Matter Concentrations
The Compact Airborne NO2 Experiment (CANOE) is an in situ analyzer developed at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It uses non-resonant laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere. A 532 nm laser detects the fluorescence from NO2 molecules to determine the concentration. CANOE provides measurements at a rate of 1 Hz.
The Harvard Halogens Instrument (HAL) is an in situ airborne fluorescence analyzer developed by Harvard University. It uses chemical titration-resonance fluorescence to detect chlorine monoxide (ClO) and thermal dissociation-chemical titration-resonance fluorescence to detect chlorine nitrate (ClONO2). HAL operates at the 118.9 nm wavelength and reports data every 35 seconds. It measures ClO and ClONO2 mixing ratios with a precision of 3 pptv and 10 pptv, respectively.
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, while 1651 nm wavelength is used 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 Whole Air Sampler (WAS) is an airborne in-situ instrument that collects air samples for analyzing trace gases, such as nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), halocarbons, alkyl nitrates, and various sulfur compounds found in the troposphere. Air samples collected by the WAS are then analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify the gases present. The WAS collects samples every minute, allowing scientists to get a clear picture of the environment's chemical composition as research aircraft pass through.
Radiosondes are a balloon-borne instrument package used to collect profile measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds. These sensors are connected to a radio transmitter that sends the measurements to a ground receiver typically operating in the 400-406 MHz range. They typically provide measurements at 1-6 seconds, depending on the type and manufacturer of the radiosonde. Radiosondes are used for weather forecasting, ground truth satellite data, atmospheric research, and input for weather prediction models.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds
Ozonesondes are in situ balloon-borne instruments used to measure ozone concentration profiles. An ozonesonde consists of an electrochemical ozone sensor connected with a meteorological radiosonde to collect ozone, temperature, pressure, and humidity measurements as it ascends through the atmosphere. It provides ozone profile measurements at a resolution of 100 to 150 m. Ozonesondes have a typical measurement rate of 0.1 Hz and can collect profiles up to around 35 km.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature > Vertical Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The NOAA Frost Point Hygrometer (FPH) is a balloon-borne sensor that collects profile measurements of atmospheric water vapor. It employs the chilled-mirror principle to determine the frost or dew point temperature up to 28 km in the atmosphere. FPH takes measurements with a vertical resolution of 5-10 m and a temporal resolution of 1-2 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Dew Point Temperature
