The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX) was a NASA field campaign that aimed to support data validation of the PACE satellite. PACE-PAX consisted of one deployment in September 2024 over Southern and Central California and its nearby coastal regions. NASA ER-2 was equipped with remote sensing sensors and CIRPAS Twin Otter was equipped with in situ sensors to collect measurements of ocean, aerosol, and cloud properties. Supplementary ground-based and shipborne measurements were also collected. PACE-PAX was funded through NASA’s Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program.
The Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) is an airborne push-broom spectrometer developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). PRISM was designed to help provide the necessary spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution needed to characterize events across coastal zones that satellite observations could not offer. The spectrometer within PRISM operates in the near ultraviolet to near-infrared range (350-1050 nm) to collect imagery across coastal ocean regions. PRISM also consists of a two-channel radiometer that operates in the short wave infrared (1240 and 1640 nm) wavelengths to provide accurate ocean color measurements. It has a high temporal resolution (167 Hz) and can fly below cloud flight altitudes allowing it to resolve spatial features down to 30 cm.
The Pushbroom Imager for Cloud and Aerosol Research and Development (PICARD) is an airborne imaging spectrometer operated by the Airborne Sensor Facility (ASF) at Ames Research Center (ARC) with science and management support from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It provides visible near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) imagery to support atmospheric research and validate satellite retrievals. PICARD operates across 205 spectral bands over a wavelength range of 400-2500 nm. It has a pixel spatial resolution of 5- 50 m and a swath width of 2-16 km, depending on altitude. PICARD has a frame rate of 6.25-100 Hz, depending on integration time, and a field of view of 50 degrees.
The Airborne Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary EXploration (SPEX Airborne) is a polarimeter that flies aboard NASA’s ER-2 aircraft. It was created to test the capabilities of the spaceborne SPEX instrument by studying the effects of aerosols on climate and air quality based on measurements taken aboard an aircraft. SPEX Airborne provides hyperspectral and multiangle measurements of radiance and the degree of linear polarization at nine equidistant viewing angles in the visible wavelength range of 400-760 nanometers.
The Airborne Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP) is a remote passive polarimeter developed by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). AirHARP provides measurements of the microphysical properties of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere. AirHARP operates across four spectral channels (440, 550, 670, and 870 nm) and has a wide swath and fine angular resolution. AirHARP can provide imagery at 60 viewing angles at the 670 nm channel and 20 viewing angles at the other three channels. The multi-angle imaging capabilities of AirHARP make it ideal for cloud and aerosol research applications.
The Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) is an airborne, passive polarimeter developed by SpecTIR Corporation. It measures total radiance and linear polarization across 9 spectral bands in the visible and infrared wavelengths (410-2250 nm). These measurements can be used to derive aerosol and cloud properties. RSP has a time resolution of 0.8 seconds, a field of view of 14 mrad, and a horizontal resolution of about 100 m at an altitude of 5 km.
The Second Generation High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2) is an airborne lidar developed by the NASA Langley Research Center. HSRL-2 measures aerosol backscatter at the 355, 532, and 1064 nm wavelengths and aerosol extinction at the 355 and 532 nm wavelengths. It has a horizontal resolution of 1-2 km and a vertical resolution of 15 m, and it takes measurements roughly every 0.5 seconds. It replaced the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL).
Condensation Particle Counters (CPCs) are in situ sensors that measure aerosol particle concentration. CPCs measure aerosol concentration by condensing fluid onto the particles, allowing them to grow to more detectable sizes for optical scattering. Typically, CPCs can detect particles with a size range of 7 nm-3 μm, can measure particle concentrations up to 100,000 particles/cc, and can provide measurements at 1-second intervals. CPCs are manufactured by TSI Incorporated and can be deployed on airborne, shipborne, and ground-based platforms.
The Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) is an in situ airborne photometer manufactured by Radiance Research. It uses Beer's Law to measure the change in light transmission of aerosol particles. These measurements can be used to derive aerosol absorption and extinction. PSAP operates across three wavelengths (467, 530, and 660 nm) and has a temporal resolution of 1 second. It is typically deployed on aircraft, but it can be deployed on other platforms such as ships and vehicles.
The Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) is an in situ airborne instrument suite that measures aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical properties such as size distribution, number concentration, and scattering and absorption coefficient. LARGE consists of multiple instruments including the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS), Particle-Into-Liquid Sampler (PILS), Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP), and additional cloud and aerosol sensors. The LARGE instruments operate across the 450-700 nm wavelength range, can detect particles in the size range between 0.003-20μm, and have a measurement frequency of 1 Hz. It is typically used for airborne measurements, but it also can be deployed on ground-based platforms such as vehicles.
The Passive-Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP) is an in situ airborne optical spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the light scattered by particles to determine the aerosol size distribution and concentration in the 0.1 to 3.0 μm size range. PCASP operates at the 632 nm wavelength and has a typical sampling rate of 10 Hz.
The Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) is an in situ airborne optical array probe manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. CIP records cloud particle images by capturing the shadow of the particles as they pass through the laser. It also provides information on the particle size distribution and cloud liquid water content. CIP has a typical resolution of 25 μm and can measure particles in the size range of 12.5 μm - 1.55 mm.
The Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) is an in situ airborne spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It combines the Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP), the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), and the Hotwire Liquid Water Content (LWC) Sensor into one instrument. CAPS measures the size distribution of aerosol, cloud, and liquid droplets for particles between the sizes of 50-1600 μm at a time resolution of 1 Hz. It can also record images of cloud particles and provide measurements of temperature, pressure, and LWC.
If instrument model information is not available, can use this instrument entry for temperature, pressues, wind speed, wind direction, humidity
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The King Probe is an airborne cloud probe developed by Warren King (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and manufactured by Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) and Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT). The King Probe provides measurements of cloud liquid water content (LWC) by measuring the heat released when water droplets are vaporized. The King Probe operates at a constant temperature (~100 C) and has a data output rate of 1 to 10 Hz. It is typically used in cloud microphysics and aircraft icing studies.
Nephelometers are in situ airborne or ground-based optical sensors. They measure the total scattering and backscattering of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Nephelometers operate across three wavelengths: 450 nm, 550 nm, and 700 nm, and have a typical time resolution of 1 Hz.
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 Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) is an in situ airborne instrument suite that measures aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical properties such as size distribution, number concentration, and scattering and absorption coefficient. LARGE consists of multiple instruments including the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS), Particle-Into-Liquid Sampler (PILS), Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP), and additional cloud and aerosol sensors. The LARGE instruments operate across the 450-700 nm wavelength range, can detect particles in the size range between 0.003-20μm, and have a measurement frequency of 1 Hz. It is typically used for airborne measurements, but it also can be deployed on ground-based platforms such as vehicles.
The AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) is a federated network of ground-based remote sensing aerosol sensors established by NASA and the PHOtométrie pour le Traitement Opérationnel de Normalisation Satellitaire (PHOTONS) in 1993. Each AERONET site consists of a CIMEL Electronique sunphotometer that provides measurements of sun irradiance and sky radiances. These measurements can be used to retrieve aerosol properties such as aerosol optical depth and extinction. The sunphotometers operate across nine wavelengths (340, 380, 440, 500, 675, 870, 937, 1020, and 1640 nm) and provide aerosol measurements approximately every 15 min. AERONET sites are located across the world, making it possible to map around 90% of the Earth’s surface.
The High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) is an in situ ground-based analyzer that is used to separate and identify components within a sample of air or mixture. It achieves this by injecting a liquid within the sample causing different flow rates for each component as they flow out of the column. As each component exits the column, their concentrations are measured at a high resolution. In Earth science research, HPLC is typically used to determine various trace species in the atmosphere such as formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). HPLC is commonly used for laboratory analysis and ground-based measurements, but it can be used for airborne measurements as well.
The AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) is a federated network of ground-based remote sensing aerosol sensors established by NASA and the PHOtométrie pour le Traitement Opérationnel de Normalisation Satellitaire (PHOTONS) in 1993. Each AERONET site consists of a CIMEL Electronique sunphotometer that provides measurements of sun irradiance and sky radiances. These measurements can be used to retrieve aerosol properties such as aerosol optical depth and extinction. The sunphotometers operate across nine wavelengths (340, 380, 440, 500, 675, 870, 937, 1020, and 1640 nm) and provide aerosol measurements approximately every 15 min. AERONET sites are located across the world, making it possible to map around 90% of the Earth’s surface.
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The High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) is an in situ ground-based analyzer that is used to separate and identify components within a sample of air or mixture. It achieves this by injecting a liquid within the sample causing different flow rates for each component as they flow out of the column. As each component exits the column, their concentrations are measured at a high resolution. In Earth science research, HPLC is typically used to determine various trace species in the atmosphere such as formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). HPLC is commonly used for laboratory analysis and ground-based measurements, but it can be used for airborne measurements as well.
