Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements

1. Forward and Upward Facing Cameras Air Sample inlets Satcom Antenna Instrument Air Exhausts Turbulence Probe Cloud Physics Probes CVI Temperature and Ice/Water probes OH/HO2 inlet Microwave Radiometer Dropsonde Ejector Broad-band Radiometers Broad-band Radiometers Lidar Window Air Sample Inlets Rearward and Downward Facing Cameras Total and Liquid Water Content Probes Interferometer and Radiometer Blister Cloud Physics Probes FAAM Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements FAAM is the product of a partnership between the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Met Office. As one of the NERC Centres for Atmospheric Science, FAAM supports the UK Airborne Research Aircraft (UK ARA) for use by UK and international atmospheric research communities. FAAM’s modified BAe 146 aircraft is leased from BAE SYSTEMS and operated, by Directflight, from it’s home base (Cranfield) and research projects throughout the world. Aircraft/Meteorological Parameters Air and surface temperature Pitch, roll, and heading Static and pitot pressure Latitude & longitude Radar, pressure and GPS altitude measurement Turbulence Wind speed (3 components) Dew point and humidity Sea surface temperature Forward, rearward, down/upward cameras UHF/VHF/HF and satellite communications Radiation and Remote Sensing Broadband IR Broadband solar Narrow-band radiometry Microwave radiation Interferometry LIDAR (ozone, water vapour and aerosol profiling) Doppler Radar Cloud Microphysics & Aerosol Total water content Cloud liquid water content Cloud liquid and total water condensate Cloud particle size spectra (1–6,400 m diameter) Aerosol size spectra and composition Cloud condensation nuclei Condensation nuclei Aerosol light scattering Aerosol absorption of black carbon particles Aerosol capture & Filter sampling Ice particle concentration and asphericity Ice nuclei Cloud particle images and analysis Atmospheric Chemistry Water Vapour, Ozone, CO NO, NOx, NO2, NOy, NOy-HNO3, CO2, CH4, HOx & ROx Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) Hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxides Formaldehyde Hydrocarbons, halocarbons and OVOC J(O1D) and J(NO2) photolysis rates Whole air sampling The aircraft will be deployed for several projects during 2006 in the AMMA region DABEX (Dust and Biomass Experiment) - will investigate the radiative effect of dust and biomass aerosols emitted from the Sahara/Sahelian regions. The interaction of dust and biomass over this region has not yet been well-established, although the few aircraft measurements that do exist suggest that dust and biomass become mixed in March-April-May. DODO (Dust Outflow and Deposition to Ocean) – is a UK NERC SOLAS experiment which aims to deliver case study based predictions of dust deposition to the northern hemisphere Atlantic Ocean constrained by in situ aircraft measurements. It will describe how chemical and physical changes in the dust affect its long range transport, and how transport is affected by the properties of the dust. DODO will fingerprint dust sources using single particle characterisation and assess their main composition, including iron content. By assessing the climatological representativeness of the case studies it is hoped that we can gain deeper insight and understanding into the radiative impact of the dust over the Atlantic Ocean and its effect on sea surface temperatures in nutrient rich waters. AMMA UK/EU - planned as the main UK effort in the AMMA multinational collaboration based in subSaharan West Africa during the summer of 2006. The science areas are hugely multidisciplinary, including land surface and boundary layer studies, convective storm dynamics and microphysics, hydrological studies, aerosol transport and radiative interactions (including mineral dust and products of biomass burning), atmospheric chemistry and chemical transport, and synoptic dynamics. European AQUA Thermodynamic Experiment (EAQUATE) Objectives: To study the atmosphere, ocean and land surfaces with high resolution spectrometers on the FAAM 146, NASA Proteus aircraft and AQUA satellite platform in order to validate satellite measurements and enhance forecasts. Rain In Cumulus over Oceans (RICO) Objectives: To improve the understanding of trade-wind cumulus clouds & determine the dominant processes responsible for rapid onset of precipitation. Flown with NCAR C130 and University of Wyoming King Air. Intercontinental Transport of Ozone and Precursors (ITOP) Objectives: To study intercontinental transport and chemical transformation of pollutants in cooperation with NASA DC8, NOAA P3 and DLR Falcon aircraft as part of an international study of the fate of North American emissions. Aerosol Direct Radiative Impact EXperiment (ADRIEX) Objectives: To examine the radiative impact of industrial aerosols over the heavily polluted Northern Adriatic / Po Valley region and validate the direct radiative effect / aerosol optical depths from the GERB & SEVERI instruments onboard MSG2. Head Of Facility: Steve Ball • FAAM • Building 125 • Cranfield University • Bedfordshire • MK43 0AL • UK • +44 (0) 1234 754411 • swba@faam.ac.uk www.faam.ac.uk