C-23 Sherpa
Short Brothers C-23 Sherpa

The Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) is a high-resolution spectrometer used in both airborne and ground-based applications. FTS measures the solar radiance reflected from the surface, which can be used to estimate atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4). It offers a spatial resolution of approximately 100m by 1000m and operates at a measurement frequency of 1 Hz during typical research flights.

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 operates at 1603 nm, while 1651 nm 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 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 advantages of merging passive and active remote sensors for measuring ocean salinity and soil moisture. Both the radiometer and radar in PALS operate across the L-band (1.41 GHz, 1.26 GHz) and S-band (2.69 GHz, 3.15 GHz) to measure brightness temperature and radar backscatter related to ocean salinity and soil moisture. Depending on the aircraft's altitude, PALS has a spatial resolution ranging from 600 to 1500 meters. Its design allows installation on various aircraft and is typically used to validate observations from the Aquarius and SMAP satellites.

The Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) imaging camera is an airborne infrared camera that measures radiance and produces thermal images. It is used to detect the thermal properties of various land surfaces, including vegetation, water, snow, and soil. FLIR operates within the 8-12 μm spectral range. At an altitude of 600 meters above ground level, it has a field of view of 110 meters by 30 meters.

The Programmable Flask Package (PFP) is an airborne whole-air sampler that includes twelve glass flasks for collecting air samples. These samples are analyzed to monitor chemical species such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons. Each flask is sampled for about 2 minutes and pressurized to 40 PSI. PFP can also be used for surface-based whole-air sampling.

Digital cameras provide imagery for research applications. Cameras are mounted 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 deployed at field sites to capture visual observations that monitor changes in land cover, vegetation, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other phenomena.

Video cameras capture footage of various phenomena for research. They are used on aircraft to provide continuous views of weather and terrain below the flight path. Video cameras are also employed to verify the aircraft's flight track. Additionally, they are deployed at field sites to monitor changes in vegetation, land cover, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other Earth science phenomena.