NASA ER-2 Aircraft Research Articles

Storm-Associated Microwave Radiometric Signatures in the Frequency Range of 90–220 GHz

Radiometric measurements were made by a millimeter-wave imaging radiometer (MIR) at the frequencies of 89, 150, 183.3 +/- 1, 183.3 +/- 3, 183.3 +/- 7, and 220 GHz aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft at an altitude of about 20 km over two rainstorms: one in the western Pacific Ocean on 19 January 1993 and another in southern Florida on 5 October 1993. These measurements were complemented by nearly simultaneous observations by other sensors aboard the same aircraft and another aircraft flying along the same path. Analysis of data from these measurements, aided by radiative transfer and radar reflectivity calculations of hydrometeor profiles, which arc generated by a general cloud ensemble model, demonstrates the utility of these frequencies for studying the structure of frozen hydrometeors associated with storms. Particular emphasis is placed on the three water vapor channels near 183.3 GHz. Results show that the radiometric signatures measured by these channels over the storm-associated scattering media bear a certain resemblance to those previously observed over a clear and fairly dry atmosphere with a cold ocean background. Both of these atmospheric conditions are characterized by a small amount of water vapor above a cold background. Radiative transfer calculations were made at these water vapor channels for a number of relative humidity profiles characterizing dry atmospheres over an ocean surface. The results are compared with the measurements to infer some characteristics of the environment near the scattering media. Furthermore, radiometric signatures from these channels display unique features for towering deep convective cells that could be used to identify the presence of such cells in storms.

A comparison of measurements from ATMOS and instruments aboard the ER‐2 aircraft: Halogenated gases

We compare volume mixing ratio profiles of N2O, CFC‐11, CFC‐12, CCl4, SF6, and HCl in the mid‐latitude lower stratosphere measured by the ATMOS Fourier transform spectrometer on the ATLAS‐3 Space Shuttle Mission with in situ measurements acquired from the NASA ER‐2 aircraft during Nov 1994. Good agreement is found between ATMOS and in situ correlations of [CFC‐11], [CFC‐12], and [SF6] with [N2O]. ATMOS measurements of [CCl4] are 15% high compared to ER‐2 data, but agree within the systematic uncertainties. ATMOS observations of [HCl] vs [N2O] are within ∼10% of ER‐2 data for [HCl] > 1 ppbv, but exceed in situ measurements by larger fractional amounts for smaller [HCl]. ATMOS measurements of [ClONO2] agree well with values inferred from in situ observations of [ClO], [NO], and [O3]. The sum of [HCl] and [ClONO2] observed by ATMOS, supplemented by a minor contribution from [ClO] estimated with a photochemical model, is consistent with the levels of inorganic chlorine inferred from in situ measurements of chlorine source gases.

Refractive indices of aerosols in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

A new instrument for simultaneously measuring aerosol diameter from 0.4–10 µm and the refractive index between 1.30–1.60 has recently been flown on the NASA ER‐2 aircraft during a stratospheric measurement campaign. Average stratospheric refractive indices varied from 1.40 to 1.42 over a latitude range from 70°S to 50°N and from 1.34 to 1.46 over a vertical range from 4–20 km. The measured stratospheric refractive indices do not agree well with theoretical predictions and vertical profiles suggest the presence of non‐spherical or absorbing particles in the altitude range of 7–9 km.

Cirrus Cloud Properties Derived from High Spectral Resolution Infrared Spectrometry during FIRE II. Part II: Aircraft HIS Results

Abstract During FIRE II, cirrus clouds were observed in the wavelength range 3–19, µm with two High Resolution Interferometer Sounders as described in the Part I companion paper. One, known as AC-HIS, was mounted on the NASA ER-2 aircraft in order to look down on the clouds; these results are described in the Part II companion paper. The other, GB-HIS, also known as the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), was ground based. The AERI observations have been simulated, assuming scattering from spherical ice particles, using a single-layer doubling model for the cloud, for two atmospheric windows at 700–1250 and 2650–3000 cm−1. The second of these windows is affected by scattered sunlight, which has been included in the calculations. The sensitivity of the cloud signal to quantities such as the ice water path (IWP) and effective radius (reff) have been determined. Using the cloud model, best fits have been derived for IWP and reff, for both windows individually and together. Possible errors in ...

Cirrus Cloud Properties Derived from High Spectral Resolution Infrared Spectrometry during FIRE II. Part III: Ground-Based HIS Results

During FIRE II, cirrus clouds were observed in the wavelength range 3–19, µm with two High Resolution Interferometer Sounders as described in the Part I companion paper. One, known as AC-HIS, was mounted on the NASA ER-2 aircraft in order to look down on the clouds; these results are described in the Part II companion paper. The other, GB-HIS, also known as the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), was ground based. The AERI observations have been simulated, assuming scattering from spherical ice particles, using a single-layer doubling model for the cloud, for two atmospheric windows at 700–1250 and 2650–3000 cm−1. The second of these windows is affected by scattered sunlight, which has been included in the calculations. The sensitivity of the cloud signal to quantities such as the ice water path (IWP) and effective radius (reff) have been determined. Using the cloud model, best fits have been derived for IWP and reff, for both windows individually and together. Possible errors in these derivations have been investigated.

In Situ Measurements of OH and H02in the Upper Troposphere and Stratosphere

Recent aircraft and balloon borne measurements of OH and HO_2 are reviewed. The authors demonstrate the ability of the laser-induced fluorescence technique to provide accurate, high signal to noise ratio measurements of OH throughout the upper troposphere and stratosphere. HO_2 is measured as OH after gas phase chemical titration with nitric oxide. The addition of the HO_x measurement capability to the suite of instruments aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft has provided a wealth of new information about the processes that determine the concentration of ozone in the lower stratosphere. These simultaneous, in situ measurements provide a unique test of our understanding of the mechanisms that control the odd-hydrogen chemistry of the lower atmosphere.

New fast response photofragment fluorescence hygrometer for use on the NASA ER-2 and the Perseus remotely piloted aircraft

We have developed an in situ instrument to measure water vapor on the NASA ER-2 as a prototype for use on the Perseus remotely piloted aircraft. It utilizes photofragment fluorescence throughout the stratosphere and the upper to middle troposphere (mixing ratios from 2 to 300 ppmv) with simultaneous absorption measurements in the middle troposphere (water vapor concentrations ≳5×1014 mol/cc). The instrument flew successfully on the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the 1993 CEPEX and SPADE campaigns. The 2σ measurement precision for a 10 s integration time, limited by variation in the background from scattered solar radiation, is ±6% and the data were tightly correlated with other long-lived stratospheric tracers throughout the SPADE mission. Its accuracy is estimated to be ±10%, based on laboratory calibrations using a range of water vapor concentrations independently determined by both standard gas addition techniques and by absorption. This accuracy is confirmed by in-flight absorption measurements in the troposphere. The fast response time of the instrument, limited by the 4 Hz data sampling rate, was demonstrated when the ER-2 flew across its own exhaust plume. Improvements to the instrument planned for the Perseus aircraft are described which include the addition of an in-flight water vapor addition system, significant reduction in solar background, and weight reduction.

Behavior of an Inversion-Based precipitation Retrieval Algorithm with High-Resolution AMPR Measurements Including a Low-Frequency 10.7-GHz Channel

A microwave-based, profile-type precipitation retrieval algorithm has been used to analyze high-resolution passsive microwave measurements over an ocean background, obtained by the Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) flown on a NASA ER-2 aircraft. The analysis is designed to first determine the improvements that can be gained by adding brightness temperature information from the AMPR low-frequency channel (10.7 GHz) to a multispectral retrieval algorithm nominally run with satellite information at 19, 37, and 85 GHz. The impact of spatial resolution degradation of the high-resolution brightness temperature information on the retrieved rain/cloud liquid water contents and ice water contents is then quantified in order to assess the possible biases inherent to satellite-based retrieval. Careful inspection of the high-resolution aircraft dataset reveals five distinctive brightness temperature features associated with cloud structure and scattering effects that are not generally detectable in current passive microwave satellite measurements. Results suggest that the inclusion of 10.7-GHz information overcomes two basic problems associated with three-channel retrieval. Intercomparisons of retrievals carried out at high-resolution and then averaged to a characteristic satellite scale to the corresponding retrievals in which the brightness temperatures are first convolved down to the satellite scale suggest that with the addition of the 10.7-GHz channel, the rain liquid water contents will not be negatively impacted by special resolution degradation. That is not the case with the ice water contents as they appear ti be quite sensitive to the imposed scale, the implication being that as spatial resolution is reduced, ice water contents will become increasingly underestimated.

Aircraft-borne, laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the in situ detection of hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals

The odd-hydrogen radicals OH and HO2 are central to most of the gas-phase chemical transformations that occur in the atmosphere. Of particular interest is the role that these species play in controlling the concentration of stratospheric ozone. This paper describes an instrument that measures both of these species at volume mixing ratios below one part in 1014 in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The hydroxyl radical (OH) is measured by laser induced fluorescence at 309 nm. Tunable UV light is used to pump OH to the first electronic state (Ã 2Σ+(v′=1) ← X̃2Π3/2 (v″=0)) near 282 nm. The laser light is produced by a high-repetition rate pulsed dye-laser powered with all solid-state pump lasers. HO2 is measured as OH after gas-phase titration with nitric oxide. Measurements aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft demonstrate the capability of this instrument to perform reliably with very high signal-to-noise ratios (≳30) achieved in short integration times (< 20 sec).

Active and passive microwave remote sensing of precipitating storms during CaPE. Part I: Advanced microwave precipitation radiometer and polarimetric radar measurements and models

The Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR), an across-track scanning, four-channel (10.7, 19.35, 37.1, 85.5 GHz) total-power radiometer system, was instrumented aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft during the 1991 CaPE (Convection and Precipitation/Electrification) project in central Florida. At a 20 km flight altitude, the AMPR provides fine-scale microwave imagery of Earth surfaces and its atmosphere, and is well-suited for diverse hydrological applications. During overflights of precipitation, coincident ground-based radar measurements were taken with the NCAR CP-2 dual-frequency, dual-polarization radar system. After remapping the radar data into a format compatible with the AMPR scanning geometry, the radar-derived profiles of rain, melting, and frozen hydrometeors are compared against the AMPR equivalent blackbody brightness temperature (TB) imagery. Microwave radiative transfer modeling procedures incorporating the radar-derived hydrometeor profiles were used to simulated the multifrequency AMPR imagery over both land and ocean background ER-2 flights. Within storm cores over land, columnar ice water paths up to 20 kgm−2 gradually depressed the 85 GHzTB as low as 100 K. The presence of tall vertical reflectivity columns encompassing > 20 kgm−2 columnar ice water path often produced 37 GHzTB<85 GHzTB directly over the core. Over ocean, the 10 GHz channel provided the clearest correlation with the rainfall amounts, whereas the 19 GHz channel saturated near 260 K past 10–15 mm hr−1 rain rate as determined by radar. Scattering by ice and melting ice at 37 GHz producedTB ambiguities over both raining and clear-ocean regions. Sensitivity to the columnar mixed phase region via the intermediate frequencies (19 and 37 GHz) is demonstrated and explained with the radar-derivedTB modeling. By superimposing vertical profiles of cloud liquid water (which this radar cannot measure) upon the radarinferred hydrometeor structure, additional information on the location of the peak cloud water and its amount relative to the vertical ice structure can be noted, along with a possible inference of the dominant ice particle size within the upper storm core.

Calibration Results forNOAA-11AVHRR Channels 1 and 2 from Congruent Path Aircraft Observations

A method for using congruent atmospheric path aircraft-satellite observations to calibrate a satellite radiometer is presented. A calibrated spectroradiometer aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft at an altitude of 19 km above White Sands (New Mexico) was oriented to view White Sands at the overpass time of the NOAA-11 AVHRR instrument along the same view vector as the satellite instrument. The data from six flights between November 1988 and October 1990 were transformed into corresponding estimates of AVHRR channel radiance at the satellite (derived from the aircraft measurements), and average counts (from the AVHRR measurements), both averaged across the footprint of the spectroradiometer. Prelaunch measurements of the AVHRR spectral response profiles are assumed, and the radiance spectrum measured by the spectroradiometer was adjusted to satellite altitude using the LOWTRAN-7 computer code. Results show reduced gains in both channel 1 (0.65 micron) and channel 2 (0.85 micron), compared to prelaunch values, with little further reduction in gain after 200 days in orbit. Results for the gain ratio (channel 1/channel 2), which is important for the calculation of the normalized vegetation index, show constant in-orbit values 5 percent above the prelaunch value.

Remote Sensing Cloud Properties from High Spectral Resolution Infrared Observations

A technique for estimating cloud radiative properties (i.e., spectral emissivity and reflectivity) in the infrared is developed based on observations at a spectral resolution of approximately 0.5 cm−1. The algorithm makes use of spectral radiance observations and theoretical calculations of the infrared spectra for clear and cloudy conditions along with lidar-determined cloud-base and cloud-top pressure. An advantage of the high spectral resolution observations is that the absorption effects of atmospheric gases are minimized by analyzing between gaseous absorption lines. The technique is applicable to both ground-based and aircraft-based platforms and derives the effective particle size and associated cloud water content required to satisfy, theoretically, the observed cloud infrared spectra. The algorithm is tested using theoretical simulations and applied to observations made with the University of Wisconsin's ground-based and NASA ER-2 aircraft High-Resolution Infrared Spectrometer instruments.

Data processing and calibration for tunable diode laser harmonic absorption spectrometers

Data processing and calibration methods are described for tunable diode laser absorption spectrometers which produce harmonic absorption spectra as raw data for measuring gas mixing ratios down to parts-per-trillion levels at a variety of pressures. The methods, which take advantage of modern computer speed, memory, and data storage capabilities, are applicable to the detection of weakly absorbing gases in quantitative industrial monitoring, in addition to aircraft and balloon atmospheric measurements for which they were designed. Algorithms for calibration and data analysis, including rejection of erroneous spectra, variation of effective integration time, spectral alignment prior to averaging, and plotting and archiving of results, have been tested on actual stratospheric laser spectra recorded by the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS) spectrometer in numerous flights of NASA's ER-2 aircraft.

Comparisons of the NASA ER-2 Meteorological Measurement System with Radar Tracking and Radiosonde Data

Measurements of aircraft longitude, latitude, and velocity, and measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and horizontal wind from the meteorological measurement system (MMS) on board the NASA ER-2 aircraft were compared with independent measurements of these quantities from radiosondes and radar tracking of both the ER-2 and radiosonde balloons. In general, the comparisons were good and within the expected measurement accuracy and natural variability of the meteorological parameters. Radar tracking of the ER-2 resolved the velocity and position drift of the inertial navigation system (INS). The rms errors in the horizontal velocity components of the ER-2, due to INS errors, were found to be 0.5 m s−1. The magnitude of the drift in longitude and latitude depends on the sign and magnitude of the corresponding component velocity drift and can be a few hundredths of a degree. The radar altitudes of the ER-2 and radiosondes were used as the basis for comparing measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and horizontal wind from these two platforms. The uncertainty in the MMS horizontal wind measurement is estimated to be ±2.5 m s−1. The accuracy of the MMS pressure and temperature measurements were inferred to be ±0.3 hPa and ±0.3 K.

The 27–28 October 1986 FIRE Cirrus Case Study: Retrieval of Cloud Particle Sizes and Optical Depths from Comparative Analyses of Aircraft and Satellite-based Infrared Measurements

Infrared radiance measurements were acquired from a narrow-field nadir-viewing radiometer based on the NASA ER-2 aircraft during a coincident Landsat 5 overpass on 28 October 1986 as part of the FIRE Cirrus IFO in the vicinity of Lake Michigan. The spectral bandpasses are 9.90–10.87 μm for the ER-2–based radiometer and 10.40–12.50 μm for the Landsat thematic mapper band. After adjusting for spatial and temporal differences, a comparative study using data from these two instruments is undertaken in order to retrieve cirrus cloud ice-crystal sizes and optical depths. Retrieval is achieved by analysis of measurement correlations between the two spectral bands and comparison to multistream radiative transfer model calculations. The results indicate that the equivalent sphere radii of the cirrus ice crystals were typically less than 30 μm. Such particles were too small to be measured by the available in situ instrumentation. Cloud optical depths at a reference wavelength of 11.4 µm ranged from 0.3 to 2.0 for this case study. Supplemental results in support of this study are described using radiation measurements from the King Air aircraft, which was also in near coincidence with the Landsat overpass.

Determination of the Optical Thickness and Effective Particle Radius of Clouds from Reflected Solar Radiation Measurements. Part II: Marine Stratocumulus Observations

A multispectral scanning radiometer has been used to obtain measurements of the reflection function of marine stratocumulus clouds at 0.75, 1.65 and 2.16 μm. These observations were obtained from the NASA ER-2 aircraft as part of the First ISCCP [International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project] Regional Experiment (FIRE), conducted off the coast of southern California during July 1987. Multispectral images of the reflection function were used to derived the optical thickness and effective particle radius of stratiform cloud layers on four days. In addition to the radiation measurements, in situ microphysical measurements were obtained from the University of Washington Convair C-131A aircraft. In this paper we compare remote sensing results with in situ observations, which show a good spatial correlation for both optical thicknesses and effective radius. These comparisons further show systematic differences between remote sensing and in situ values, with a tendency for remote sensing to overestimate the effective radius by ∼2–3 μm, independent of particle radius. The optical thickness, in contrast, is somewhat overestimated for small optical thickness and underestimated for large optical thicknesses. An introduction of enhanced gaseous absorption at a wavelength of 2.16 μm successfully explains some of these observed discrepancies. Marginal probability density functions of optical thickness, liquid water path and effective radius have been derived from our remote sensing results. The joint probability density function of liquid water path and effective radius shows that the effective radius increases as the liquid water path increases for optically thin clouds, in contrast to optically thick clouds for which the effective radius decreases with increasing liquid water path.

Aircraft Overflight Measurements of Midwest Severe Storms: Implications an Geosynchronous Satellite Interpretations

The instrumented NASA ER-2 aircraft overflew severe convection with IR V features for the first time in the midwest United States during May 1984. Measurements taken by the ER-2 were: visible and IR imagery, high-frequency passive microwave (92, 183 GHz) imagery, nadir lidar backscattered return, and flight altitude information. The May 7 and May 13, 1984 cases are analyzed in detail and the various data sources are combined and compared with GOES imagery. The high resolution aircraft IR imagery shows that thermal couplets are considerably more pronounced than in GOES imagery. In one of the cases (May 7, 1984) the minimum cloud-top IR temperature was located upshear of the overshooting cloud top in the lidar height field. The IR temperatures in the downshear anvils were as much as 5 C warmer than the ambient air temperatures, implying that the upwelling IR radiance comes from about 0.5-1.0 km below the cloud top. The in situ ER-2 measurements of temperature and air velocity 3-4 km above the overshooting tops showed very intense temperature and vertical velocity, perturbations. These perturbations are suggestive of lee waves generated by the overshooting tops or a cold dome above the squall line possibly due to tropopause lifting by the storms.

N2O as a dynamical tracer in the Arctic vortex

We report N2O measurements obtained by the ATLAS instrument from 14 flights of the NASA ER‐2 aircraft during the 1989 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE) field campaign. In the altitude range expected for ozone loss N2O has a long photochemical lifetime, making it an excellent tracer of lower stratospheric air motions. As in the southern hemisphere, the zonal wind speed maximum and large gradients of potential vorticity and N2O identify the vortex edge. N2O profiles inside the vortex indicate net descent relative to outside the vortex and to the summer polar lower stratosphere. Descent of the N2O profile daring the Arctic night relative to the summer profile is comparable to the downward shift in the vertical profile observed in the 1987 Antarctic winter vortex. Winter profiles at the poles are very similar above the 435 K potential temperature surface, but divergent below.

In Situ Northern Mid-Latitude Observations of ClO, O 3 , and BrO in the Wintertime Lower Stratosphere

In order to test photochemical theories linking chlorofluorocarbon derivatives to ozone(O(3)) depletion at high latitudes in the springtime, several related atmospheric species, including O(3), chlorine monoxide(ClO), and bromine monoxide (BrO) were measured in the lower stratosphere with instruments mounted on the NASA ER-2 aircraft on 13 February 1988. The flight path from Moffett Field, California (37 degrees N, 121 degrees W), to Great Slave Lake, Canada (61 degrees N, 115 degrees W), extended to the center of the polar jet associated with but outside of the Arctic vortex, in which the abundance of O(3) was twice its mid-latitude value, whereas BrO levels were 5 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) between 18 and 21 kilometers, and 2.4 pptv below that altitude. The ClO mixing ratio was as much as 65 pptv at 60 degrees N latitude at an altitude of 20 kilometers, and was enhanced over mid-latitude values by a factor of 3 to 5 at altitudes above 18 kilometers and by as much as a factor of 40 at altitudes below 17 kilometers. Levels of ClO and O(3) were highly correlated on all measured distance scales, and both showed an abrupt change in character at 54 degrees N latitude. The enhancement of ClO abundance north of 54 degrees N was most likely caused by low nitrogen dioxide levels in the flight path.

Comparison of High-Altitude Remote Aircraft Measurements with the Radar Structure of an Oklahoma Thunderstorm: Implications for Precipitation Estimation from Space

The present NASA ER-2 aircraft observations of an isolated group of thunderstorms over Oklahoma, encompassing passive radiometry in the visible, IR, and microwave portions of the spectrum obtained above the storm top, is compared with coincident data from two Doppler radars as well as aircraft-gathered in situ cloud top particle data. Reflectivity cores are found to be nearly colocated with cold anomalies in the microwave brightness temperature field. Theoretical considerations suggesting that microwave frequencies are sensitive to the deeper layer of large ice particles in the storm's convective region are supported.