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Field Campaigns
The ITSC is responsible for data management of many NASA projects. The collaborative effort between Earth Scientists at the Global Hydrology and Climate Center and IT researchers at the ITSC has resulted in unique solutions to the collection, archive, management and dissemination of science data. Since 1994, the Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC) has been the national archive for lightning data from the LIS and OTD instruments. In addition, the GHRC maintains data for NASA's series of Convection and Moisture Experiments (CAMEX), atmospheric data from passive microwave sensors in orbit as well as on-board airplanes, and in situ data. The GHRC also managed data from the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study carried out in summer 2002.
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ARCTAS will take place as two 3-week aircraft deployments, in spring and summer 2008. It will involve the NASA DC-8 as an in situ platform for detailed atmospheric composition. Two other aircraft, the NASA P-3 and the NASA B-200 are focusing more closely on aerosols and radiation. The P-3 serves as a remote sensing platform generally flying constant altitude transects in the middle to upper troposphere. The B-200 is a profiling aircraft for examining radiative fluxes and in situ aerosol properties. The spring (April 1 – 22) deployment in Fairbanks, Alaska will target anthropogenic pollution including arctic haze, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, and sunrise photochemistry including halogen radicals. The summer deployment (June 26 – July 14) in Cold Lake, Alberta will target boreal forest fires, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, and summertime photochemistry. |
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TC4 - The NASA TC4 (Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling) mission investigates the structure, properties and processes in the tropical Eastern Pacific. A-train satellite observations provide crucial information on the spatial and temporal variations of this region; however, carefully planned TC4 aircraft observations are required both to validate satellite data and to provide critical observations not available from the satellites. High altitude aircraft will collect tropopause data while the medium altitude aircraft provides profiles and structure measurements of the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. |
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NAMMA - The NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign is a field research investigation sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This mission is be based in the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in west Africa. Commencing in August 2006, NASA scientists employ surface observation networks and aircraft to characterize the evolution and structure of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and Mesoscale Convective Systems over continental western Africa, and their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets. NASA also made extensive use of its orbiting satellites (including Aqua, TRMM, and the recently-launched Cloudsat/CALIPSO) and modeling capabilities to improve its forecasts and flight plans. Dr. Edward Zipser of the University of Utah is the Chief Mission Scientist.
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TCSP is an Earth science field research investigation sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The field phase was conducted during the period July 1-27, 2005 out of the Juan Santamaria Airfield in San Jose , Costa Rica . The TCSP field experiment flew 12 NASA ER-2 science flights, including missions to Hurricanes Dennis and Emily, Tropical Storm Gert and an eastern Pacific mesoscale complex that may possibly have further developed into Tropical Storm Eugene. The P-3 aircraft from the NOAA Hurricane Research Division (HRD) flew 18 coordinated missions with the NASA research aircraft to investigate developing tropical disturbances. Additionally, the Aerosonde uninhabited aerial vehicle flew 8 surveillance missions and the Instituto Meteorologico Nacionale (IMN) of Costa Rica launched RS-92 balloon sondes daily to gather humidity measurements and provide validation of the water vapor measurements. |
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ACES - The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) represents an exciting new technology that can contribute in significant and unique ways to lightning and storm observations. In turn, these measurements can be linked to global scale processes (e.g., global water and energy cycle, climate variability and prediction, atmospheric chemistry) to provide an improved understanding of the total Earth system. |
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CAMEX-4 -
The Convection And Moisture EXperiment (CAMEX) is a series of field research investigations sponsored by the Earth Science Enterprise of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The fourth field campaign in the CAMEX series (CAMEX-4) is scheduled for 16 August - 24 September, 2001 and is based out of Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Florida.
CAMEX-4 is focused on the study of tropical cyclone (hurricane) development, tracking, intensification, and landfalling impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. The primary aircraft used during CAMEX-4 are the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 research airborne platforms. These instrumented aircraft will fly over, through, and around selected hurricanes as they approach landfall in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and along the east coast of the United States. The NASA aircraft will investigate upper altitude regions of the hurricane not normally sampled. |
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CAMEX-3 is a series of field research investigations sponsored by the Earth Science Enterprise of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The third field campaign in the CAMEX series (CAMEX-3) was based at Patrick Air Force Base , Florida from 6 August - 23 September, 1998. CAMEX-3 successfully studied Hurricanes Bonnie, Danielle, Earl and Georges. CAMEX-3 collected data for research in tropical cyclone development, tracking, intensification, and landfalling impacts using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. |
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