2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

Spring Phase
During the spring, aircraft deployed to
Fairbanks and Barrow, AK to examine arctic
haze associated with long-range transport
of pollution from mid-latitudes. During this
phase of the mission, NASA aircraft, along
with partner aircraft from NOAA and
DOE, documented polluted arctic airmasses
of North American, Asian, and European
origin. Flights were guided by forecasts from
chemical transport models, were integrated
with satellite overpasses by NASA’s Aura,
Aqua, CALIPSO, and Terra satellites, and
were supplemented by ground observations
at numerous Arctic research sites (e.g.,
Canadian and U.S. ozonesonde stations,
Aeronet sites, Summit Greenland station,
etc.). The data collected will improve future
satellite monitoring of Arctic change and
will aid the development of models that are
better equipped to predict future changes
in the arctic associated with atmospheric
composition and climate. A notable early
scientific result from the spring mission is the
apparent discrepancy in satellite observations
of BrO by Aura’s OMI instrument. Aircraft
observations of BrO and ozone exhibit
concentrations and distribution patterns
that indicate the need to reexamine satellite
assumptions governing the retrieval of this
important indicator of springtime halogen
chemistry, which is a major driver of nearsurface
ozone variability.
Summer Phase
During the summer phase, the three aircraft
and a portable ground station called NATIVE
deployed to Cold Lake, Alberta and to
Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories.
The summer flights documented the impact
of boreal fires at high northern latitudes
by sampling near-field and downwind
emissions from Canadian wildfires, as well
as long-range transport of smoke and trace
gases from fires in Siberia and Northern
California. Observations were coordinated
with partner aircraft from Germany and
France, which were based in Greenland, to
Figure 5
Dr. Henry Fuelberg of Florida State University presents
the daily weather brief from the University of Alaska in
Fairbanks.
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