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ARCTAS - Flight Summaries

DC-8, P-3, and B-200 research flights during the ARCTAS spring deployment1

 

Flight #

Location2

Date

Special features3

DC-8

 

 

 

3

Palmdale-Fairbanks

April 1

TES and MLS validation, Asian pollution

4

Fairbanks-Thule

April 4

OMI BrO validation

5

Thule-Fairbanks

April 5

Summit spiral, OMI BrO validation, North American plume

6

Fairbanks-Iqaluit

April 8

Prudhoe Bay overpass, P-3B intercomparison, Eureka spiral, OMI BrO validation

7

Iqaluit-Fairbanks

April 9

OMI validation, coordination with B-200, missed Barrow landing

8

Fairbanks local 1

April 12

Asian plume, missed Barrow landing, intercomparison with NOAA P-3

9

Fairbanks local 2

April 16

Asian plume, coordination with B-200

10

Fairbanks local 3

April 17

N. Pole flight, Asian and European plumes, missed Prudhoe Bay approach

11

Fairbanks-Palmdale

April 19

MLS/CALIPSO underflights, P-3 intercomparison, Asian pollution

P-3

 

 

 

3

Wallops-Yellowknife

March 31

CO structure at several altitudes over & S of Great Lakes. Arctic haze aerosols, incl dust.

4

Yellowknife-Fairbanks

April 1

CO & aerosol plume as predicted by models. Spiral & legs under CALIPSO, OMI track.

5

Fairbanks local 1

April 6

Spiral & legs under B-200 & CALIPSO, OMI. Square spiral & radiation legs. Albedo, BRDF at Elson Lagoon.

6

Fairbanks-Thule

April 8

DC-8 comparison in stairsteps. Spiral over Eureka during CALIPSO, OMI OP. Albedo, BRDF.

7

Thule-Fairbanks

April 9

Square spiral on CALIPSO, OMI track. BRDF & albedo, ice & cloud. AOD gradient & stack. CO & aerosol structure in predicted plume.

8

Fairbanks local 4

April 13

Cloud albedo & BRDF. In situ aerosol & CO in Asian transport episode to test models.

9

Fairbanks local 5

April 15

Comparison & radiation stack w NOAA P-3 under B-200. Cascade impactor. Albedo, BRDF at Elson Lagoon with surface-based meas. Zero ozone over open leads. 6 special albedo sites. Radiation leg on CALIPSO, OMI track.

10

Fairbanks-Moffett Field

April 19

DC-8 comparison on CALIPSO, OMI track. Steps in DC-8 lidar curtain. Square spiral during CALIPSO, OMI OP. Aerosol gradients predicted by models.

B-200

 

 

 

 

Barrow local

April 3

CALIPSO Validation over Arctic Ocean NW of Barrow

 

Barrow local

April 4

Coordinated pattern with Convair-580, multiple passes over ARM NSA site, extensive clouds

 

Barrow local

April 6

CALIPSO Validation SW of Barrow, Coordination with P-3, Dust layers in upper troposphere

 

Barrow local

April 8

Two-flights; Coordinated with Convair-580, DOE ISDAC “Golden Day”, extensive low cloud over Barrow, aerosol layers aloft

 

Barrow local

April 9

CALIPSO Validation over western Alaska, Coordinated flight with DC-8 under CALIPSO track and near Barrow, Flight along northwest coast of Alaska, several aerosol layers, ice/aerosol over Barrow

 

Barrow local

April 10

CALIPSO Validation NW of Barrow, extensive aerosol/ice over Barrow and along CALIPSO track

 

Barrow local

April 12

Coordinated CALIPSO track with DC-8 and NOAA P-3 SW of Barrow, considerable biomass burning smoke

 

Barrow to Fairbanks

April 13

Coordinated with NASA P-3 and CALIPSO track over western Alaska, extensive clouds along most of track, coordinated with Convair-580 near Barrow

 

Fairbanks local

April 15

Coordinated with NASA P-3 and NOAA P-3 west of Fairbanks and with CALIPSO track over central Alaska, elevated smoke layers through most of flight

 

Fairbanks-Nome-Barrow

April 16

Two flights; coordination with DC-8 and CALIPSO track over western Alaska; elevated Asian pollution/smoke layers

 

Barrow local

April 17

CALIPSO validation NW of Barrow; DC-8 coordination east of Barrow; aerosol/ice over Barrow

 

Barrow local

April 19

CALIPSO Validation NW of Barrow; coordination with Convair-580 and NOAA P-3 near Barrow; extensive Siberian smoke layers sampled with other aircraft over ARM NSA site

DC-8, P-3, and B-200 research flights during the ARCTAS summer deployment4

 

Flight #

Location5

Date

Special features6

DC-8

 

 

 

16

Palmdale-Cold Lake

June 26

California fire plumes, OMI validation, HIAPER intercomparison

17

Cold Lake local 1

June 29

Siberian fire plume, pyroconvective outflow, Saskatchewan fires

18

Cold Lake local 2

July 1

Near-field evolution of Saskatchewan fire plumes

19

Cold Lake local 3

July 4

Near-field evolution of Saskatchewan fire plumes, Californian and Siberian fire plumes, TES validation

20

Cold Lake local 4

July 5

Saskatchewan fire plumes, biogenic emissions

21

Cold Lake-Thule

July 8

Siberian fires and Asian pollution

22

Thule local

July 9

MOPITT validation over Summit, intercomparison with DLR Falcon, Siberian fires and Asian pollution

23

Thule-Cold Lake

July 10

P-3 intercomparison, Alberta oil sands emissions

24

Cold Lake-Palmdale

July 14

California fire plumes

P-3

 

 

 

11

Moffett Field - Local

June 22

Power plant plume, CAR circles, ship plume, AERONET, Terra, sonde, smoke.

12

Moffett-Los Angeles-Moffett

June 24

19 ship plume crossings. Profiles under Terra & Aqua. Ocean BRDF (calm & 50-kt winds). Fire plumes & pollution plumes.

13/147

Moffett Field-Cold Lake

June 26

Lake Tahoe smoke radiation study in DC-8 lidar curtain & under Terra. Lake albedo & BRDF. Central Valley smoke gradient legs.

15

Cold Lake local 1

June 28

Sampled many fire plumes (incl. pyrocumulus) in many stages of development under B-200.

16

Cold Lake local 2

June 29

Fire plumes. Albedo, BRDF over lake & land. Ft. McMurray plume. DC-8 comparison scrubbed by clouds.

17

Cold Lake local 3

June 30

CALIPSO, OMI underflight w AOD & in situ. Black & white smoke. In situ & radiation under B-200. BRDF over smoke pall. Asian pollution w dust as predicted by models.

18

Cold Lake local 4

July 2

Radiation work under B-200. Aerosol evolution in downwind transport. Pyrocumulus.

19

Cold Lake local 5

July 3

Ft McMurray AERONET spiral in regional biomass haze. MODIS-MISR-MOPITT spiral. B-200 + CALIPSO, OMI spiral. Radiation stack. Forest BRDF. Fresh smoke sampling + downwind evolution. Radiation-AOD-in situ ramp.

20

Cold Lake local 6

July 6

Radiation profiles & legs under Terra. BRDF of blue & muddy water. Cloud edges under B-200. Dense smoke spirals under B-200. Radiation stacks. CAR in cloud. PyroCu outflow.

21

Cold Lake local 7

July 7

Radiative forcing efficiency of Asian/Siberian plume. Aerosol effects on MODIS-Terra cloud sensing. Tests of model aerosol, CO, & O3 predictions. Radiation stacks. CAR circles over AERONET. In situ-AATS-AERONET spiral.

22

Cold Lake local 8

July 9

Spirals & radiation legs under Terra-MISR. Radiation legs + stacks in fire plumes under B-200 + CALIPSO, OMI. Black & white smoke.

23

Cold Lake local 9

July 10

DC-8 intercomparison under B-200. Cloud edge work. Ft. McMurray sampling. Camsell & Viking fires—greatest CO, AOD>4.

24

Cold Lake-BWI-Wallops

July 14

 

B-200

 

 

 

 

Yellowknife local

June 28

Extensive clouds along CALIPSO Validation track; coordination with NASA P-3 over fires near Lake Athabasca

 

Yellowknife local

June 29

Coordination with DC-8 over fires and smoke near Lake Athabasca; elevated aerosol layers also observed

 

Yellowknife local

June 30

CALIPSO Validation and coordination with NASA P-3 along CALIPSO track and over fires/smoke between Lakes Athabasca and Reindeer; Asian pollution and dust

 

Yellowknife local

July 2

Two flights; Coordination with NASA P-3 over fresh and aged smoke; CALIPSO Validation on second flight

 

Yellowknife local

July 3

CALIPSO Validation and NASA P-3 coordination along CALIPSO track; extensive aerosollayers along track

 

Yellowknife local

July 6

Two flights; first flight around Yellowknife found no fresh smoke; second flight was coordination with P-3 for fires/smoke near Lake Athabasca

 

Yellowknife-Cold Lake-Edmonton

July 7

Two flights: Asian/Siberian smoke over Alberta

 

Edmonton local and Edmonton-Yellowknife

July 8

Two flights; Asian/Siberian smoke over western Alberta/eastern British Columbia; CALIPSO Validation over northern Alberta

 

Yellowknife local

July 9

CALIPSO Validation; coordination with NASA P-3 along CALIPSO track an in area of dense smoke

 

Yellowknife local

July 10

CALIPSO validation; coordination with NASA P-3 and DC-near Yellowknife

1 Flights were typically 8 h in duration for the DC-8 and 8 h for the P-3.

2 Palmdale, California (35N, 118W), Wallops, Virginia (38N, 75W), and Moffett Field California (37N, 122W) were the aircraft home bases.

3 All flights in the spring deployment targeted pollution layers from mid-latitudes. The DC-8 flights featured extensive vertical profiling from 0.45 km altitude to the stratosphere.

4 Flight durations were typically 8 h for the DC-8 and 8 h for the P-3

5 Palmdale, California (35N, 118W) and Moffett Field California (37N, 122W) were the aircraft home bases.

6 All flights in the summer deployment targeted biomass burning plumes. The DC-8 flights featured extensive vertical profiling from 0.45 km altitude to the stratosphere.

7 Flight 13 was from Ames to Edmonton, Alberta (Canadian customs) and flight 14 was from Edmonton to Cold Lake.