C-23 Sherpa
Short Brothers C-23 Sherpa

The Fourier Transformation Spectrometer (FTS) is a high-resolution airborne and ground-based spectrometer. FTS measures the solar radiance reflected from the surface, which can be used to derive measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere. It has a spatial resolution of around 100m x 1000m and a measurement frequency of 1 Hz for typical research flight conditions.

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 Passive Active L- and S-band Sensor (PALS) is a combined airborne polarimetric radiometer and radar developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It was designed to evaluate the benefits of combining remote passive and active sensors for ocean salinity and soil moisture measurements. Both the radiometer and radar within PALS operate across the L- (1.41 GHz, 1.26 GHz) and S-band (2.69 GHz, 3.15 GHz) frequencies to measure brightness temperature and radar backscatter of ocean salinity and soil moisture. PALS has a spatial resolution ranging from 600 to 1500 m depending on the altitude of the aircraft. PALS can be equipped on many different aircraft due to its design and is typically used for validation of Aquarius and SMAP satellite observations.

The Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) imaging camera is an airborne infrared camera that measures radiance and provides thermal imagery. It is used to detect thermal properties on various land surfaces such as vegetation, water, snow, and soil. FLIR operates across the 8-12 μm spectral range. It has a field of view of 110m by 30m at an altitude of 600m above ground level.

The Programmable Flask Package (PFP) is a type of whole air sampler. This instrument consists of twelve glass flasks that can be filled with air. The samples collected by the PFP are sent to NOAA’s Global Monitoring Division and INSTAR’s Staple Isotope Lab where they are tested for trace gases. This instrument is used to monitor multiple types of trace gases.

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.

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