NASA- ESPO TC4
Two Columns
TC4; One Pager
NASA's TROPICAL COMPOSITION, CLOUD AND CLIMATE COUPLING ( TC4 ) Mission
Purpose:
The region of the Earth’s atmosphere between 14 and 18 km (46,000 - 59,000 feet) plays a key role in both climate change science and atmospheric ozone depletion. This layer, the tropical tropopause transition layer or TTL, is one of the coldest points in the Earth's atmosphere, with temperatures below -100˚F (-73˚C). Many facets of the chemical, dynamical, and physical processes occurring in the TTL are not well understood. Identifying and quantifying such processes are essential to understanding climate change, ozone depletion, and tropospheric chemistry.The TC4 Costa Rica campaign will explore this layer using 7 NASA satellites and 3 NASA aircraft. The campaign will focus on understanding the composition of the TTL and analyzing the impact of the deep clouds that penetrate the atmosphere up into this layer.
Satellite observations provide crucial information on the overall processes occurring in the region but often do not capture the spatial and temporal variations necessary to fully understand how processes operate. More detailed information is required to adequately treat processes such as cloud formation in global climate models. By using ground-based measurements and instrumented aircraft in a stacked formation coordinated with satellite observations, TC4 will be able to obtain this detailed 3-D picture.
Scope:
Three NASA aircraft (DC-8, WB-57 & ER-2) will be flown from the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica during the TC4 campaign. They will carry over 66 highly specialized instruments that will collect both in-situ and remote-sensing data.The campaign will also include several ground-based components. A C-band radar at the airport in Costa Rica will provide local weather data. A large S-Band Polarimetric radar and an atmospheric research trailer will be based in Las Tablas, Panama. Extensive balloon sonde launches will be conducted at both ground sites. The Ticosonde balloon program in Costa Rica will employ local meteorology students from the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional and the Universidad de Costa Rica.
Over 200 scientists, engineers, and mission / support personnel will be based in Costa Rica and Panama from mid-July through mid-August, 2007. This large international experiment will unite researchers from 8 NASA centers, over 14 universities, and more than 20 U.S. and international agencies.
Sponsors:
TC4 is sponsored by the NASA Earth Science Division Atmospheric Composition Focus Area through its Research and Analysis Programs and Satellite Missions. |
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| NASA's ER-2 equipped with remote sensing instruments similar to the satellites will be used to fly above the clouds. | NASA's WB-57 equipped with in situ instruments will be used to penetrate the mid to upper level clouds. |
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| NASA's DC-8 equipped with remote sensing and in-situ instruments will be used to provide chemistry and cloud measurements, including the TTL and stratosphere for Aura validation. | NASA's Polarization (NPOL) radar will collect data and provide weather information for the research missions over the Panama Bight. |
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| University of Oklahoma's Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Training (SMART) radar will provide local weather data in San Jose for aircraft support. | Penn. State University's Nittany Atmospheric Trailer and Integrated Validation Experiment (NATIVE) will also collect data from Las Tables, Panama. |
ESPO News:
NOVICE: ESPO is supporting the NOVICE instrument development mission out of Ellington Field TX during September '08.
ARCTAS: The ESPO led ARCTAS mission (Spring and Summer, 2008) has completed very successfully. The NASA DC-8, P-3 and B-200 flew a combined total of 55 sorties and 538 flight hours including the California Air Resource Board CARB study from Palmdale, CA and Ames Research Center.
ESPO is looking forward to supporting the DFRC based NASA Global Hawk development and related UAS missions in 2009.
