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European AQUA Thermodynamic Experiment
Atmospheric Composition
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2004-09-04 2004-09-19 - 4
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The Campaign
The European AQUA Thermodynamic Experiment (EAQUATE) was a field investigation focused on validating satellite-based atmospheric soundings and improving retrievals of temperature, water vapor, and radiative properties. EAQUATE included a single deployment over Italy and the United Kingdom during the boreal fall of 2004. The Proteus and FAAM Airborne Laboratory aircraft collected remote sensing and in situ measurements of trace gases, aerosols, cloud properties, water vapor, and temperature. Ground-based lidar and radiometers also collected additional measurements. EAQUATE supported the validation of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua satellite.
2004-09-04 — 2004-09-19
Italy, United Kingdom
boreal fall
N: 59°N
S: 36°N
W: 10°W
E: 19°E
no campaign DOI available
- Overview of the EAQUATE campaign
Additional Notes
Repositories
data center outside NASA
SATELLITE VALIDATION
HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGERY
RADIANCE
TRACE GASES
WATER VAPOR
TEMPERATURE
AQUA
Slide 1 of 4
Scaled Composites Proteus
5 Campaigns · 10 Instruments
The NPOESS Aircraft Sounder Testbed - Microwave (NAST-M) is an airborne microwave radiometer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It measures brightness temperature, which can be used to retrieve atmospheric water vapor profiles. It consists of two radiometers: one operating across eight channels between 50 and 57 GHz and the other across nine at 118 GHz. In 2003, NAST-M was upgraded with two additional radiometers at 183 and 425 GHz to enhance water vapor retrievals and detect small hydrometeors. NAST-M has a spatial resolution of 2.6 km and a cross-track swath width of 100 km at a flight altitude of 20 km. Its typical integration time is 100 ms.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Microscale Measurement of Atmospheric Pollution Sensor (MicroMAPS) is an airborne infrared radiometer originally designed to match the capabilities of the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellite (MAPS) sensor. It is a gas filter correlation infrared radiometer operating at 4.67 μm to detect trace atmospheric gases. It is primarily used to detect carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxide (N2O), but it can also detect methane (CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). MicroMAPS has a spatial resolution of 53 m per km of flight altitude and a spectral resolution of 0.1 nm.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Trace Gases/trace Species
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Methane
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Nitrogen Compounds > Nitrogen Dioxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Sulfur Compounds > Sulfur Dioxide
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Infrared Radiance
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Nitrogen Compounds > Nitrous Oxide
The NPOESS Aircraft Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I) is an airborne infrared interferometer operated and maintained by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses Fourier transform spectroscopy to measure brightness temperature and radiance. NAST-I operates in the 3.7-16.1 µm spectral range with a spectral resolution of 0.25 cm-1. It has a spatial resolution of 2.6 km and a cross-track swath width of 46 km at a flight altitude of 20 km. A complete scan cycle for NAST-I takes approximately 12.2 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Atmospheric Temperature Indices
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Trace Gases/trace Species
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Infrared Radiance
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Far Infrared Sensor for Cirrus (FIRSC) is a passive airborne remote infrared spectrometer that uses Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) to measure the infrared radiance of cirrus clouds. FIRSC operates across two channels spanning 10-35 and 80-135 per centimeter. It has a field of view of 0.03 radians, a footprint of less than one kilometer, and a scan time of 4 seconds.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Tropospheric/high-level Clouds (observed/analyzed) > Cirrus/systems > Cirrus Cloud Systems
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Infrared Radiance
The Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) is an airborne cross-track scanning interferometer developed by the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It measures emitted thermal radiation between 3.3 and 18 microns with high spectral resolution. These measurements are used to derive atmospheric profiles of temperature and water vapor under clear-sky conditions. S-HIS has a spatial resolution of 2 km and a swath width of 40 km at an altitude of 20 km at nadir. It operates at a sampling frequency of 0.5 seconds and has an absolute radiance accuracy of 0.2 K.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Atmospheric Emitted Radiation
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
FAAM Airborne Laboratory
Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements Airborne Laboratory
2 Campaigns · 16 Instruments
The Johnson-Williams Cloud Water Meter (CWM) is an airborne hot-wire probe developed by Johnson-Williams, Inc. The CWM measures the liquid water content (LWC) of clouds by detecting resistivity changes caused by cloud droplets evaporating from an exposed heated wire. It measures LWC from 0 to 6 grams per cubic meter and operates at airspeeds between 50 and 150 meters per second. The device operates on a constant current and typically records data at 2 Hz.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Liquid Water/ice
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics
Generic-Atmospheric State (Gen-AtmsState) refers to non-specific instruments on a platform that measure atmospheric state parameters. These are typically in situ sensors that measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed and direction. Types of atmospheric state instruments include thermometers, hygrometers, barometers, and anemometers.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Surface Temperature > Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Upper Level Winds > Wind Direction
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Upper Level Winds > Wind Speed
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Atmospheric Pressure Measurements
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Surface Winds > Wind Direction
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Surface Winds > Wind Speed
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds
The Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) is a high-resolution spectrometer used in both airborne and ground-based applications. FTS measures the solar radiance reflected from surfaces, which can be used to estimate atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4). It provides a spatial resolution of approximately 100m by 1000m and operates at a measurement frequency of 1 Hz during typical research flights.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Methane
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Carbon Dioxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Trace Gases/trace Species
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation
The Dual-frequency Extension to In-flight Microwave Observing System (Deimos) is an airborne passive microwave radiometer developed by the UK Met Office. It measures brightness temperature at 23.8 and 50.1 GHz to study clouds, precipitation, and surfaces, including sea, land, and ice. It has a scan period of 3 seconds and a half-power beamwidth of 10 degrees. Deimos is typically used on the FAAM Airborne Laboratory alongside the Microwave Airborne Radiometer Scanning System (MARSS).
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Nevzorov Probe is an in situ airborne hot-wire probe that measures clouds' liquid water content (LWC) and total water content (TWC). It determines LWC and TWC by detecting heat loss from its two sensors caused by evaporation of cloud water and convective heat transfer. Operating at a constant temperature of 90 degrees Celsius, it can measure LWC and TWC in the range of 0.005 to 3 grams per cubic meter. The Nevzorov Probe provides measurements every second with an accuracy of 10%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Liquid Water/ice
Dropsondes, also called dropwindsondes, are instruments deployed from aircraft. They are equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and sensors that record vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Dropsondes enable researchers to gather vertical profiles in remote areas and during severe weather. Typically, dropsondes have a vertical resolution of 5 meters and measure wind speed and direction every 0.25 seconds, while temperature, pressure, and humidity are recorded every 0.5 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Wind Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Wind Profiles > Wind Velocity/speed Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Wind Profiles > Wind Direction Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Shortwave Spectroradiometer (SWS) is a radiometer that measures absolute spectral radiance in the visible and near-infrared. It includes two Zeiss spectroradiometers that measure spectral radiance to determine cloud optical depth, particle size, and water path. One spectroradiometer operates in the 300-1100 nm range at a spectral resolution of 8 nm, while the other operates in the 900-2200 nm range at a resolution of 12 nm. SWS has a sampling frequency of 1 Hz. The Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility operated a ground-based SWS, and the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) operated an airborne version as part of the airborne laboratory.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Visible Wavelengths > Visible Radiance
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Infrared Wavelengths > Infrared Radiance
The Counterflow Virtual Impactor (CVI) is an in situ airborne instrument that samples cloud droplets by removing them from the surrounding air through inertial impaction. It is typically deployed with additional sensors to measure cloud particle concentration, cloud liquid water, and water vapor in the sampled droplets. The CVI can detect cloud droplets as small as 7 microns in diameter and has a typical time response of 1 second.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Liquid Water/ice
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Droplet Concentration/size
Video cameras capture footage of various phenomena for research. They are used on aircraft to provide continuous views of weather and terrain below the flight path. Video cameras are also employed to verify the aircraft's flight track. Additionally, they are deployed at field sites to monitor changes in vegetation, land cover, clouds, air quality, glaciers, and other Earth science phenomena.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Visible Wavelengths > Visible Imagery
Chilled Mirror Hygrometers (CMHs) are in situ sensors that directly measure dew point temperature by condensing water vapor onto a chilled mirror surface. The mirror's temperature is lowered with thermoelectric coolers until water vapor from the sample gas condenses as dew or frost. The mirror's temperature is then measured with a platinum resistance thermometer (PRT) to determine the dew point and humidity. CMHs have been used on both airborne and ground-based platforms and serve as the NIST-traceable reference standard for calibrating other sensors.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Surface Temperature > Dew Point Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Dew Point Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature > Dew Point Temperature
Rosemount Temperature Probes are in situ airborne temperature sensors manufactured by Rosemount, Inc. They provide atmospheric temperature measurements and are typically used to collect flight-level meteorological observations. Rosemount Temperature Probes consist of temperature transmitters, thermocouple sensors, resistance temperature detectors, and other temperature sensors.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Generic-Microphysics Probes (Gen-Microphysics) are non-specific cloud probes on a platform used to measure cloud microphysics. These are typically in situ probes that measure the physical properties of clouds. These measurements can include particle size distribution, droplet growth, cloud optical thickness, liquid water content, droplet concentration, and cloud condensation nuclei.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Optical Depth/thickness
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Droplet Concentration/size
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Droplet Growth
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Liquid Water/ice
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Particle Size Distribution
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Condensation Nuclei
The Lyman-alpha Hygrometer is an in situ hygrometer designed for deployment on airborne or ground-based platforms. It measures water vapor absorption at the Lyman-alpha wavelength (121.6 nm) of atomic hydrogen to determine the total water content in the atmosphere. It has a detection limit of 0.1 ppmv and a typical data acquisition rate of 1 second. The Lyman-alpha hygrometer provides water vapor measurements with 6% accuracy and 5% precision.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles > Water Vapor Mixing Ratio Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Total Precipitable Water
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Broadband Radiometers (BBR) are modified versions of the Kipp & Zonen CM-22 pyranometers and CG-4 pyrgeometers, adapted for use on airborne platforms with specialized instrument housings and signal amplification. BBR measures solar irradiance in the 0.2-3.6 μm wavelength range and infrared (IR) irradiance in the 4.5-42 μm range. These measurements can be used to determine net irradiance, radiative forcing, absorption, and albedo. It has a typical sampling rate of 1 Hz and a hemispheric field of view.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Absorption
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Radiative Forcing
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Albedo
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Radiative Flux
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation
Field Site
Stationary
79 Campaigns · 175 Instruments
The Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) is a high-resolution spectrometer used in both airborne and ground-based applications. FTS measures the solar radiance reflected from surfaces, which can be used to estimate atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4). It provides a spatial resolution of approximately 100m by 1000m and operates at a measurement frequency of 1 Hz during typical research flights.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Methane
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Carbon Dioxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Carbon And Hydrocarbon Compounds > Carbon Monoxide
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry > Trace Gases/trace Species
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Chemistry
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation > Solar Irradiance
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Radiation
Ceilometers are ground-based remote-sensing instruments that measure cloud ceilings and vertical visibility. They use a laser or another light source to detect backscatter from clouds, precipitation, and aerosols. Ceilometers provide precise, detailed measurements in all weather conditions and are cost-effective to operate. They are commonly used in boundary-layer and cloud research.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Properties > Cloud Base Height
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Air Quality > Visibility
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Properties > Cloud Ceiling
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Backscatter
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Properties
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Altitude > Planetary Boundary Layer Height
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Backscatter
The Raman Lidar (RL) is a ground-based lidar system operated by the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility. It detects Raman backscatter at 355 nm to provide profiles of water vapor, temperature, and aerosol and cloud optical properties. It also detects Raman backscatter from water vapor at 408 nm and from molecular nitrogen at 387 nm to help derive aerosol optical properties and water vapor mixing ratios. It has a range resolution of 7.5 m, a time resolution of 10 seconds, and a pulse repetition frequency of 30 Hz. RL can deliver profile measurements from approximately 200 m to 10 km above ground level.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Backscatter
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Extinction
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Properties
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles > Water Vapor Mixing Ratio Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Optical Depth/thickness
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Depolarization Ratio
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Aerosol Backscatter
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Optical Depth/thickness
Microwave radiometers (MWRs) are ground-based instruments manufactured by Radiometrics Corporation and operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Research Facility. MWRs measure brightness temperature at 23.8 and 31.4 GHz to determine column amounts of atmospheric water vapor and liquid water. MWRs have a field of view (FOV) ranging from about 5.9 to 4.5 degrees, depending on the channel, and typically provide sky-view observations with a time resolution of 20 seconds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics > Cloud Liquid Water/ice
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Total Precipitable Water
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Microphysics
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Generic-Radiometers refer to non-specific radiometers on a platform. These are typically passive microwave radiometers that measure brightness temperature. Radiometers can be used to retrieve temperature and water vapor profiles, soil moisture content, ocean salinity, precipitation and cloud properties, and vegetation.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Balloon Launch Site
94 Campaigns · 23 Instruments
Radiosondes are balloon-borne instrument packages that measure pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind profiles. These sensors are connected to a radio transmitter that sends the measurements to a ground receiver, usually operating in the 400-406 MHz range. They typically record data every 1-6 seconds, depending on the radiosonde type and manufacturer. Radiosondes are used for weather forecasting, ground-truthing satellite data, atmospheric research, and as inputs for weather prediction models.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Wind Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature > Vertical Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Atmospheric Pressure Measurements
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature > Upper Air Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds
Events
1 Deployment
2 IOPs
UK Met Office
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
Jonathan P. Taylor
Currently unavailable
data center outside NASA
NASA, NERC