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Instrument

AVAPS
Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System

The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is an airborne system that utilizes dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ profiles of atmospheric state parameters. It provides profile measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity at a sampling frequency of 0.5 s and measurements of atmospheric winds at a frequency of 0.25 s. AVAPS has a vertical resolution of about 10 m and has the capability to allow for dropsonde launches every 20 s. AVAPS was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, but it can be deployed on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.

AVAPS being installed during HS3
NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Instrument Details

Multi
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure > Atmospheric Pressure Measurements
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 Temperature > Upper Air Temperature > Vertical Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds > Wind Profiles > Wind Direction Profiles
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Full Column Profile
0.25 s, 0.5 s
10 m
N/A
Currently unavailble

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External Link10.5067/HS3/AVAPS/DROPSONDE/DATA202
External Linkhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/OLYMPEX/AVAPS/DATA101
External Link10.5067/CAMEX-3/DROPSONDE/DATA101
External Link10.5067/IMPACTS/AVAPS/DATA101