The Global Hawk Pacific (GloPac) campaign was the first to utilize NASA’s Global Hawk (GH) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) for Earth science research. The main objectives of GloPac were to study atmospheric chemistry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), to validate Aura satellite observations, and to demonstrate the capabilities of the GH. GloPac consisted of one deployment during April 2010 across the Northern Pacific and Arctic Oceans. During the campaign, the GH was equipped with remote and in situ instruments to collect measurements of aerosols and trace gasses in the UTLS. GloPac was funded through NASA’s Airborne Science, Upper Atmosphere Research, and Radiation Sciences programs.
The NOAA Frost Point Hygrometer (FPH) is a balloon-borne sensor that collects profile measurements of atmospheric water vapor. It uses the chilled-mirror principle to measure the frost or dew point temperature up to 28 km in the atmosphere. FPH takes measurements at 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
This data will be added in future versions.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Tropospheric Ozone
This data will be added in future versions.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
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 Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) is an in situ spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It can be utilized on both airborne and ground-based platforms to measure aerosol size distribution and concentration. UHSAS determines the particle size by detecting the peak light signals of the aerosol particles which are illuminated by a 1054 nm laser. UHSAS can sample particles within the 60 - 1000 nm size range and has a sampling frequency of 10 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.
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Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The Nucleation-mode Aerosol Size Spectrometer (NMASS) is an airborne, in situ spectrometer used to measure particle size distribution and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). NMASS consists of 5 parallel condensation nucleus counters (CNCs) that are used to sample particles within the 3 to 60 nm diameter range. It can be equipped on multiple types of aircraft and is ideal for sampling cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere. NMASS provides fast time response measurements at a temporal resolution of 10 Hz.
The Focused Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer (FCAS) is an in situ airborne optical particle counter designed by Particle Measuring Systems, Inc. FCAS measures the light scattered by the individual aerosol particles to determine the particle size distribution. It can detect aerosol particles in the size range of 0.06 to 2 μm and can operate at altitudes up to 20 km. Typically, FCAS provides measurements at a sampling rate of 10 seconds.
The Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) is a remote-sensing airborne spectrometer designed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It utilizes two thermally stabilized spectrometers to collect measurements of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde, and aerosols in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral range (310-900 nm). ACAM typically operates at a spatial resolution of 30 m and a temporal resolution of 10 Hz. Measurements from ACAM can be used for calibration and validation of observations from the Aura satellite.
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
