SUCCESS 04/06/96 Mission Daily Schedule

The ER-2 flew a Gulf coast mission over Atchafalaya bay, flying six legs along the LA coast and one leg over the CART site. Excellent data of short-term sediment transport in turbid coastal waters, using the MAS, were collected under reported clear skies over both the Gulf coast and the CART site.

Highlights

Flight Reports

ER-2 Flight: 96101

Date: April 9, 1996

Mission: MODIS Louisiana coastal zone turbidity

Mission Objectives

Monitor short term (hourly) sediment transport in turbid coastal waters in Atchafalaya Bay region, Louisiana coast (primary) using MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS). Monitor sea surface temperature in nearshore Gulf of Mexico including overpass of NOAA Buoy 92035 (secondary) using MAS and HIS (High resolution Interferometer Sounder).

Flight Summary

The ER-2 flew a Gulf coast mission over Atchafalaya bay, flying six legs along the LA coast and one leg over the CART site. Excellent data of short-term sediment transport in turbid coastal waters, using the MAS, were collected under reported clear skies over both the Gulf coast and the CART site.

Flight Track

Highlights

Excellent data collection over Atchafalaya Bay. Large turbidity gradients present for detecting water motions. High turbidity water extending southward from Bay region out onto the inner continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. In situ data collection (water samples, radiometric monitoring of reflectance) from boat teams supporting MAS radiometric measurements.

ARM CART site overpass on outbound and inbound.

Instrument Status

  • Modis Airborne Simulator (MAS): Operated. Good data collected.
  • Cloud Aerosol Lidar System (CALS): Not operated.
  • High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS): Data failure shortly after take-off.
  • Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer(MIR): Operated. Good Data.
  • Tilt Scan CCD Camera (TSCC): Operated - data quality unkown at this time.
  • Radiation Measuring System (RAMS): Not flown.
  • RC-10 Camera: Operated (false color infrared).

Additional Pilot Notes: Aircraft at approximately 55,000 feet on outbound CART overpass. CART overpass on return at approximately 17:44 - clear sky conditions over site.

 

CART site activity

 

Meteorology at the Central Facility

Weather Conditions from Site Operators Log
Light fog until 14:00 GMT. Thereafter light haze continues through the day. The afternoon is dominated by broken lenticular altocumulus with some cirrocumulus. Moderate winds of up to 10 mph mainly from the east .

 

Visiting Instruments at Central Facilities

 

 

 

CART Instrument Operations at Central Facilities

Key: O = operational, X = down or degraded

  • RASS, 50 MHz, (hourly): X
  • RASS, 915 MHz, (hourly): O
  • BSRN: X
  • SIROS: O
  • SMOS, (24 hrs): O
  • SWATS (24 hrs): O
  • EBBR, (24 hrs): O
  • WSI, (every 10 min.) X
  • MWR, (24 hrs): O
  • IRT: X
  • MPL, (24 hrs): O
  • BLC, (24 hrs): O
  • AERI, (24 hrs): X
  • SORTI, (daytime, sunny): O
  • Raman Lidar (daytime): X
  • 60M Temperature and Humidity: O
  • 25M Temperature and Humidity: O
  • 25M MultiFilter Radiometer: O
  • 25M Upwelling IR: O
  • 25M Upwelling Solar: O
  • 10M MultiFilter Radiometer: O
  • Aerosol System: X
  • Radiosondes, (Every 3 hrs, from 1:30 UTC): O

 

CART Instrument Operations at Boundary Facilities

There are four staffed Boundary Facilities, each having Balloon Borne Sounding Systems (BBSS) and MicroWave Radiometers (MWR). During the IOP period, sondes are launched every three hours round the clock, starting at 5:30 GMT (12:30 CST). The sites are listed below. Times listed following a site indicate questionable data or failed sonde launches. Weather conditions are recorded in the Boundary Facilities Site Operator's Log.

  • Hillsboro, KS (BF-1): Okay
  • Vici, OK (BF-4): Okay
  • Morris, OK (BF-5): Okay
  • Purcell, OK (BF-6): Okay

 

CART Instrumentation at Extended Facilities

There are numerous unstaffed Extended Facilities. The specific instrumentation at the extended facilities varies from site to site, but generally includes a flux station (either an Energy Balance Bowen Ration (EBBR) system or an Eddy Correlation (ECOR) system), a Solar and InfraRed Observing System (SIROS), and a Standard Meteorology Observing Station (SMOS) tower. For the locations of the Extended Facilities, and their suite of instrumentation, see the table and map of the Extended CART site. The comments below indicate specific data streams with identified problems.

  • Problem at Extended Facility
  • E1, ECOR
  • E2, SIROS
  • E4, SIROS
  • E12,SIROS
  • E13,SIROS
  • E14, SIROS
  • E15, EBBR, SIROS
  • E16, SIROS, ECOR
  • E26, EBBR

 

Key Comments/Observations related to flights