NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed (NAST)
Microwave Radiometers
(NAST-M)
54, 118 GHz*
[*183 & 425 GHz expected before
IHOP-02]
Electronics, Control, Navigation,
Processing, Recording
NASA ER-2
Infrared Interferometer
Sounder (NAST-I)
3.5 – 16 micron @ 0.25 cm-1
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NADIR 2.6 km IFOV
20 km Altitude
+/- 23 km Ground Coverage
Support NPOESS Sounding Instrument
Development &Validation (CrIS & ATMS)
Provide Mesoscale Earth Science Observations
(from field experiment campaigns, e.g. CAMEX-3,
WINTEX, CART site IOPs, and other flights of
opportunity, e.g. Wallops98/99)
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Serve as an EOS Validation Tool (AIRS, CERES,
MODIS, MOPITT,TES)
Serve as an engineering testbed (infuse new
technology to explore: enhancing airborne sounding;
optimizing space-based sounding performance; and other
measurements, e.g. GEO sounding & chemistry)
Far Infrared Sensor for Cirrus (FIRSC)
A Powerful New Technique for Characterizing Cirrus Properties
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Far IR Radiance Spectrum of Cirrus (Ice) Clouds
Polarizing Fourier Transform Spectrometer
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Team Members:
NASA Langley Research Center
Queen Mary and Westfield
College, London
University of Colorado
University of Oregon
British Meteorological Office
Flight International, Inc.
Results Validate Theory showing
Large “Mie” Scattering Cirrus
Signatures in the FIR
Enables Measurement of Cirrus
IWP, Size, and Shape for Climate
Modeling
Potential Proteus Payload
Primary Data Products
• Direct Products
• calibrated radiances (IR, Far-IR, & U-wave)
• Derived Products
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atmospheric temperature profiles
atmospheric water vapor profiles
surface temperature & emissivity
cloud properties (altitude, temp. & emiss., IWP/LWP, particle size)
tropospheric species column concentrations & some profiling
(e.g. ozone, carbon monoxide)
• atmospheric transport via H2O winds
• aerosol IR optical depth
Potential NAST/Proteus IHOP Flight
Objectives
• Overflight, mapping, and vertical radiance profiling over
DOE ARM CART ground-based facilities, spatially &
temporally coincident with other independent observations
– Tropospheric thermal and H2O spatial & temporal field characterization
– Validation intercomparisons with other independent ground-, balloon-,
aircraft-, and space-based observations (in-situ & passive/active remote)
– IR radiance measurement & forward model validation
– geophysical parameter retrieval algorithm validation
– synergistic retrieval studies (e.g., NAST-I + NAST-M, +FIRSC, + LASE, etc.)
– Advanced LEO & GEO sensor parameter estimation studies
• Secondary cloud & precipitation overflight interests
– NAST-M measurements over precipitation, preferably varying intensity & type
(i.e. solid/liquid) coincident with NEXRAD observations
– NAST-I/FIRSC coincident measurements over varying optical depth cirrus
(e.g. perpendicular to frontal boundaries) preferably over CART site central
facility radar
Summary
• NAST provides high spatial/spectral/temporal resolution radiance
measurements for observing atmospheric temperature, moisture, and
clouds
• NAST sounding data over the DoE ARM-site can be used to account for
time and space variability when comparing and interpreting other
measurements (e.g., ground-, balloon-, aircraft-, and space-based systems)
• Measured profiles of NAST radiances can be used to validate forward
radiative transfer models and provide high vertical resolution profiles of
atmospheric temperature and absorbing constituent profiles needed to
validate aircraft and satellite retrievals
• The NAST/Proteus team has participated in 3 recent experiments at the
SGP CART site (i.e., CIOP, WVIOP, & AFWEX), the last 2 focusing on
water vapor characterization
• NAST IHOP in-field participation support will be pursued through the
NPOESS IPO; additional funding needed to enable data analysis and
IHOP-unique activities studies/activities.