TRACE-P DC-8 Status Updates |
Status |
Flight summary, DC-8 flight 15 -
Yokota local 3 -
03/27/2001.
Take-off time 8:36 am local (2336Z on 0326); flight duration 9.4 hours Title: Convective outflow and stratospheric influence Objectives: (1) to sample high- and mid-level outflow from intense convective activity and convergence developing over SE Asia and China; (2) to sample a tropopause depression wrapped around the jet stream; (3) to sample dust outflow from northern China. Execution: The DC-8 conducted two extended walls along the Asian coast, one at 133-139E and one at 125E. After take-off from Yokota (36N, 139E), we flew SW to (23N, 133E) for our first wall to sample outflow from deep convection and convergence over Asia, and from there headed W to (25N, 125E) where we set up the second wall headed north into the Yellow Sea (37N, 125E). The purposes of this second wall were to sample convective outflow at all levels south of 30N, a depression of the tropopause around the jet stream at 30-32N, and dust outflow further north. We then backtracked to (33N, 125E), returning to Yokota around Korea and through the Sea of Japan. Results: The objectives were in general met and the flight yielded some surprises. The first wall SW out of Yokota showed considerable Asian outflow at all levels as well as stratospheric filaments at the higher levels. Above 10Kft the outflow appeared to be of convective and mainly biomass burning origin (up to 200 ppb CO, high CH3CN, low C2Cl4, low SO2). Below 10Kft the outflow was mostly industrial (up to 300 ppb CO, high C2Cl4) and appeared to reflect post-frontal boundary layer outflow as well as weak convergent lifting over eastern Asia. Ozone showed complicated correlations with CO and CO2 in these profiles. During the W leg at our southernmost point we saw boundary layer outflow up to 5 Kft capped by clean tropical air; climbing up for a leg at 33Kft at (24N, 132E) we sampled outflow from a nearby marine thunderstorm (NO up to 600 pptv, high CH3OOH/H2O2, low ozone, high methylnitrate, low aldehydes, etc) superimposed first on clean tropical air but then later on biomass burning outflow. On our wall heading north at 125E we saw considerable outflow at all levels south of 30N and then ran a constant-altitude leg at 33Kft where we observed the sharp stratospheric intrusion at 30-32N forecast from the models. Profiling down to the boundary layer over the Yellow Sea yielded considerable outflow structure, again as forecast, with pollution layers in the free troposphere (convergent lifting over eastern China). This pollution outflow in the free troposphere over the Yellow Sea was in contrast to previous flights in the region where the pollution was confined to the boundary layer and was strongly capped by clean subsiding air. Flying back to Yokota we observed additional pollution layers as well as a dust layer at 10-15Kft over Japan. Boundary layer air over Yokota was highly polluted, with over 400 ppm CO2. Flight summary, DC-8 flight 14 - Yokota local 2 - 03/24/2001. Take-off time 8:20 am local (2320Z on 0321); flight duration 9.0 hours Title: Convective outflow Objectives: (1) to sample high-altitude outflow from intense convective activity developing over SE Asia, China, and the western Pacific; (2) to conduct a high-altitude intercomparison with the P-3, (3) to conduct a MOPITT validation experiment. Execution: The intercomparison between the two aircraft consisted of a level leg at 17Kft with the two planes flying in parallel (2000' apart) for 30 minutes. This leg was conducted upon take-off from Yokota along a (33N, 137-140E) track. We then flew SE to (24N, 150E) for a MOPITT underpass spiral from 35 to 0.5Kft and to sample expected convective outflow. From there we flew SW to (21N, 140E) and then NW to (26N, 135E) where we headed N, downstream of a thunderstorm developing to our W. We conducted a spiral up at (29N, 135E) to sample outflow from the storm but were restricted to 27Kft by ATC. We were able to climb to 33Kft at (31N, 135E) and from there headed to Yokota with a slow in-progress descent. Results: The objectives were met and the flight yielded several surprises. The intercomparison was a success: both aircraft managed to operate at the same speed, air was dry, and skies were clear. There was quite a bit of structure in ozone, anticorrelated with H2O (stratospheric influence?), and a transition in air mass was seen over the course of the intercomparison leg. On the leg SE toward the MOPITT underpass we sampled structures indicative of stratospheric filaments, aged Asian outflow in the lower free troposphere, and deep convective outflow. At 35Kft at the MOPITT underpass point we found the strongest pollution influence sampled so far in the mission in the upper troposphere (CO 200 ppbv with O3 80 ppbv, HCHO 200 pptv). This pollution reflected a combination of industrial and biomass burning influences (high C2Cl4, high CH3CN) and appeared from satellite imagery to originate from deep convection over eastern China. The MOPITT underpass spiral was conducted under clear skies with high-CO layers at 35Kft, 7 Kft, and 12 Kft. In the boundary layer at (24N, 150E) there was a surprising level of pollution influence (O3 50 ppbv, CO 140 ppbv). Climb to 29 Kft at 21N indicated again high levels of pollution associated with convective outflow, presumably over eastern China. Further vertical profiling on the way back to Yokota indicated surprisingly high levels of pollution at all levels, with CO frequently above 200 ppbv. Meteorological Summary DC-8 Yokota Local # 3 27 March 2001
Meteorological Summary DC-8 Yokota Local # 2 24 March 2001
Relevant Cloud Featues
Meteorological Summary
DC-8 Hong Kong Local # 4
Relevant Cloud Patterns
Meteorological Summary DC-8 Hong Kong Local # 1
Relevant Cloud Patterns
Meteorological Summary
DC-8 Okinawa to Hong Kong
Relevant Cloud Patterns
Meteorological Summary
DC-8 Hong Kong - Okinawa Overnight
Meteorological Summary
DC-8 Guam to Hong Kong
Relevant Cloud Features
Meteorological Summary
DC-8 Kona to Guam
Middle troposphere-Subtropical highs continued
to dominate the
area.
Upper troposphere-Continued high pressure over the area. The jet stream was centered near 35oN-well north of the flight track.
Meteorological Summary DC-8 Dryden to Kona
Relevant Flow Patterns
Middle troposphere-The closed low near California
was better
defined than near the surface. Split flow
was evident over the eastern
Pacific, with ridging to the north and troughing
to the south. Closed low
pressure was located just southwest of Hawaii.
Subtropical highs were
located southeast of Hawaii and west of Hawaii,
with its ridge line
extending all the way to Southeast Asia.
Upper troposphere-The split flow pattern and closed flow near California continued. The only major anticyclone was midway between Hawaii and Southeast Asia. It dominated the flow over the western tropical Pacific. The jet stream was well north of the flight area-near 35oN.
Cloud Patterns
Flight summary, DC-8 flight 14 - Yokota local 2 - 03/24/2001. Take-off time 8:20 am local (2320Z on 0321); flight duration 9.0 hours Title: Convective outflow Objectives: (1) to sample high-altitude outflow from intense convective activity developing over SE Asia, China, and the western Pacific; (2) to conduct a high-altitude intercomparison with the P-3, (3) to conduct a MOPITT validation experiment. Execution: The intercomparison between the two aircraft consisted of a level leg at 17Kft with the two planes flying in parallel (2000' apart) for 30 minutes. This leg was conducted upon take-off from Yokota along a (33N, 137-140E) track. We then flew SE to (24N, 150E) for a MOPITT underpass spiral from 35 to 0.5Kft and to sample expected convective outflow. From there we flew SW to (21N, 140E) and then NW to (26N, 135E) where we headed N, downstream of a thunderstorm developing to our W. We conducted a spiral up at (29N, 135E) to sample outflow from the storm but were restricted to 27Kft by ATC. We were able to climb to 33Kft at (31N, 135E) and from there headed to Yokota with a slow in-progress descent. Results: The objectives were met and the flight yielded several surprises. The intercomparison was a success: both aircraft managed to operate at the same speed, air was dry, and skies were clear. There was quite a bit of structure in ozone, anticorrelated with H2O (stratospheric influence?), and a transition in air mass was seen over the course of the intercomparison leg. On the leg SE toward the MOPITT underpass we sampled structures indicative of stratospheric filaments, aged Asian outflow in the lower free troposphere, and deep convective outflow. At 35Kft at the MOPITT underpass point we found the strongest pollution influence sampled so far in the mission in the upper troposphere (CO 200 ppbv with O3 80 ppbv, HCHO 200 pptv). This pollution reflected a combination of industrial and biomass burning influences (high C2Cl4, high CH3CN) and appeared from satellite imagery to originate from deep convection over eastern China. The MOPITT underpass spiral was conducted under clear skies with high-CO layers at 35Kft, 7 Kft, and 12 Kft. In the boundary layer at (24N, 150E) there was a surprising level of pollution influence (O3 50 ppbv, CO 140 ppbv). Climb to 29 Kft at 21N indicated again high levels of pollution associated with convective outflow, presumably over eastern China. Further vertical profiling on the way back to Yokota indicated surprisingly high levels of pollution at all levels, with CO frequently above 200 ppbv. Flight summary, DC-8 flight 13 - Yokota local 1 - 03/21/2001. Take-off time 8:20 am local (2320 Z on 0320); flight duration 9.4 hours Title: Frontal lifting and dust outflow Objectives: (1) to characterize the lifting of Asian outflow by a cold front, (2) to sample convective outflow from SE Asia in the upper troposphere (3) to sample dust and pollution outflow near the China coast, (4) to sample the stratosphere subsiding on the north side of the jet stream, (5) to conduct a MOPITT validation experiment in background tropical air. Execution: We flew from Yokota (36N, 139E) SW to cross an active cold front (vertical profiling) and conducted a MOPITT validation spiral from 35 to 0.5 Kft at (22N, 130E). We then flew NW to (30N, 125E), re-crossing the front with vertical profiling, and conducted a N return leg into the Yellow Sea to (35N, 125E) to sample dust and pollution outflow. From there we climbed to cruise altitude and returned to Yokota. Results: All objectives were met. On the climb up from Yokota we sampled the "high-ozone layer" (90 ppbv O3, flat CO, depressed CO2, high HCHO, PAN, nitriles) which appears to originate from aged biomass burning (although exact origin is still a mystery). Fresher biomass burning outflow, most likely of SE Asian origin, was sampled at 31Kft on the SW leg from Yokota to (22N, 130E). Crossing of the front at (36N, 136E) was conducted under particularly active conditions below 10Kft, with considerable structure in the frontal cloud outflow reflecting fresh lifting of Asian pollution (high CH3OOH/H2O2 ratio, high C2Cl4, high nitriles, considerable fine structure in CO, CO2, CH4, N2O). Continuing SW, as we got in the boundary layer at 1Kft we returned on the cold side of the front (CO over 300 ppbv, acetone over 1 ppbv). This boundary layer outflow was capped at 5Kft, as seen in previous flights; above that altitude we were on the warm side of the front with clean air and little structure. Our MOPITT spiral (delayed 30 min because of ATC) was conducted in a relatively featureless atmosphere with only a modest boundary layer enhancement of CO. On our flight NW we re-crossed the front at 26N, sampling lifted Asian pollution at 12 Kft (CO up to 210 ppb, CO2 above 382 ppmv), and we then hit considerable Asian pollution behind the front heading north in the boundary layer, including in particular a well-defined crossing of the Shangai plume at 30N (CO up to 1240 ppbv, O3 up to 140 ppbv, HCHO 8 ppbv, Acetone 6 ppbv, HCN 2 ppbv, PAN 6 ppbv, high SO2, CH4 up 10-15%, etc). There was strong evidence of dust associated with this plume (yellow aerosol filters!). The pollution was capped at 5Kft by a dry subsiding air mass with low CO. Heading further north into the Yellow Sea we identified dust layers mixed with pollution using the DIAL depolarization signal and conducted boundary layer sampling in a mixture of pollution and dust. The dust-pollution mix was in contrast to the "clean" dust layer sampled on the Okinawa-Yokota transit. Climibing up on our return leg from the Yellow Sea we entered the stratosphere at 29Kft and stayed there for most of our return to Yokota.
Meteorological Summary DC-8 Yokota Local Number 1
Henry Fuelberg
Relevant Cloud Patterns
The area off the China Coast had few clouds but was very hazy. Winds at 1000 ft were from 290 deg at ~10 kt. The stratosphere was penetrated during the flight leg at 37,000 ft. This region was in the left rear quadrant of the jet streak where subsiding motion is expected. Meteorological Summary DC-8 Transit from Kadena AFB to Yokota AFB Henry Fuelberg Relevant Flow Features
Surface-A developing wave cyclone was located just off the
northeast coast of Japan. It was moving toward
the northeast. A cold front extended southwestward, east of Kadena (it had
passed the previous late afternoon), and through the Taiwan Strait.
Only weak high pressure was behind the front.
Middle troposphere-Conditions were similar to those of the
previous flight day. The subtropical high was
located just northeast of the northern Philippines, and a short wave trough was
between Korea and Japan. There was westerly flow over the entire
flight area. Upper troposphere-The polar jet stream was not as well defined as the day before. The subtropical jet stream was strong, but not as strong as the previous week. The center of the jet stream was over southern Japan. Westerly flow dominated the area. Relevant Cloud Conditions
Upon leaving Kadena, deep convection was evident far south
of the area. These storms marked the leading edge of
the cold front that had passed Kadena the previous afternoon.
The Taiwan Strait contained extensive clouds due to the
frontal zone. In some areas, there was a solid overcast,
preventing a penetration of them. These clouds had tops of ~4,000 ft, and
bases of ~1,000 ft. When flying at 1,000 ft in the Strait, we skirted the
bases of these clouds. Cirrus clouds also were extensive in the
Strait. Much of the cirrus appeared to be diffused contrails. Many
commercial jets were observed to emit long contrails which spread out with
time.
During our first excursion to 1,000 ft, the front was
intersected at an altitude of ~3,000 ft. Above the front
winds (e.g., 5,000 ft) were from the southwest, below the front they were from the
northeast. As the DC-8 continued deeper into the cold air, streamlines
suggest that the air was farther removed from the Asian Coast. This
is supported by the smaller observed values of some chemical species.
The wind shift described above also was observed during
our descent to 1000 ft that occurred near 0517 Z.
Extensive stratocumulus blanketed this location, with bases and tops of 2200
and 3600 ft, respectively The boundary layer run near 0700 Z was relatively cloud
free. A volcano was observed near 0750Z. Meteorological Summary DC-8 Transit from Hong Kong to Kadena AFB Henry Fuelberg Relevant Flow Features
Surface-A developing wave cyclone was located near Shanghai.
An anticyclone was centered just east of Tokyo. The
wave cyclone intensified during the day and moved eastward. Its associated
cold front also swept toward the east, passing Kadena between 0700 - 0800
Z-just before our landing. Surface winds over most of the area were
from the south or east. However, winds behind the front were from the north.
Middle troposphere-The subtropical high was located over the
northern Philippines. A short wave trough was just west
of the Yellow Sea. Westerly winds dominated the flight area.
Upper troposphere-Westerly flow continued over the flight area. The polar and subtropical jet streams continued to be clearly separated over the area. The axis of the polar jet stream passed over northern Japan. The subtropical jet stream was located near 30N. Its area of maximum speeds (the jet streak) was over the Shanghai area. This location is somewhat farther west than on the previous several days. Relevant Cloud Features
The MOPITT validation area near 20N, 123E was virtually
cloud free. Only isolated small cumulus were present.
Some cirrus were located south of the spiral points, but these clouds never were
overhead.
The boundary layer run near 0411 Z had only scattered
cumulus clouds with bases of 1800 ft and tops of 2400 ft.
Clouds increased greatly shortly after the third boundary layer run. During the ascent, a deep cloud layer with tops near 15,000 ft was encountered. Some of the clouds appeared convective shortly after our turn to the west near 0615 Z. A few isolated tall towers were noted near 0652 Z. These towers probably were associated with the surface position of the cold front.
Flight summary, flight 12 DC-8 Okinawa - Yokota 1 - 03/18/2001. Title: Formosa strait and China outflow Objectives: (1) to sample boundary layer outflow from China to the Formosa strait; (2) to sample different types of Asian outflow during transit from Taiwan to Yokota. Execution: We flew from Okinawa (26N, 128E) SW to (23N, 118E), at the southern end of the Taiwan strait, setting up for a spiral at that SW point and a return wall. A solid stratus deck prevented us from extending the spiral below 4Kft where most of the outflow was forecast. We stopped the spiral at that altitude and returned NE to (25N, 121E - midway in the Formosa strait) where we found a break in the clouds and spiraled down to 1 Kft before continuing to head NE. We then continued on a roughly NE track to Yokota (36N, 139E) with extensive profiling and three spirals. Results: The objectives were met and the flight brought some new perspectives on Asian outflow. The boundary layer leg in the Formosa strait showed for many gases the highest concentrations seen by the DC-8 so far in the mission (CO up to 520 ppbv, CO2 up to 394 ppmv, elevated CH4, N2O, 3.3 ppbv HCHO, 1 ppbv CH3CHO, high acetone, etc). The transit from Taiwan to Yokota showed (1) strong post-frontal boundary layer ouflow (CO ~ 250 ppbv), (2) a layer with CO in excess of 400 ppbv at 10Kft, and no biomass burning tracers, possibly due to westerly transport from the Szechuan Basin; (3) biomass burning enhancements at 18 Kft (characterized by high O3 and nitriles); (4) dust outflow at 8 Kft (seen by DIAL as layer of depolarizing aerosol, and characterized in a 15-min leg in situ). The dust layer contained high concentrations of large particles, very low peroxides, low HO2, but otherwise everything was flat. Descent to Yokota indicated layers of extremely high ozone (up to 165 ppbv) with flat or depressed CO and CO2; biomass burning? Stratosphere? These layers will probably be a recurring theme in our sorties from Yokota. Flight summary, DC-8 flight 11 Hong Kong - Okinawa 2 - 03/17/2001. Title: MOPITT validation and China outflow Objectives: (1) to conduct a MOPITT validation experiment in a relatively uniform column (away from major Asian influence); (2) to sample China outflow forecast in the lower free troposphere at 25-30N. Execution: We flew from HK SE to (20N, 123E) for the MOPITT validation experiment, which consisted of two successive spirals above the same point bracketing in time the satellite overpass. We then went E and NE to (30N, 139E) to sample a forecast gradient of increasing China outflow going north, and then W and S into Okinawa (26N, 128E), to remain in that outflow. As usual, extensive in-progress vertical profiling was conducted. Results: The objectives were met and the flight yielded some surprises. The MOPITT validation spot was in clear sky with only a few scattered low clouds; the spiral extended from 0.5 to 33Kft. CO was flat at 90 ppbv above 10Kft, and was enhanced below 10Kft with values of typically 130 ppbv (max. 150 ppbv). On vertical profiles for the rest of the flight we consistently encountered at 23-28Kft a "mystery layer" with high ozone (80-100 ppbv), flat CO, depressed CO2, and high PAN. At 30N this mystery layer had ozone up to 120 ppbv with flat but relatively high CO (160 ppbv), depressed CO2, high benzene, nitriles, PAN, low HNO3. relatively high NO. Our best guess was that this mystery layer represented African biomass burning outflow, but it could have been a soup of different tropical influences. Below 20Kft Asian pollution outflow was observed, with maximum in free troposphere and increasing with latitude. This Asian outflow contained high PAN, high C2Cl4, high N2O, only modest O3 enhancement (60 ppbv), and little HCHO enhancement. A possible source, on the basis of the chemical forecasts, is outflow from the high-elevation Szechuan Basin in central China. At our NE waypoint (30N, 139E) the CO concentration reached 330 ppbv and CO2 reached 386.4 ppmv, the highest observed in the mission so far. The strong Asian influence extended down to the surface, an unexpected result in view of the forecast onshore flow there. At 2.5 km the depolarization of the lidar return signal indicated the presence of high concentrations of non-spherical particles. Flight summary, DC-8 Hong Kong local 4 - 03/13/2001. Title: Aged Asian outflow Objectives: (1) to sample aged Asian outflow slowly transported southeastward in the lower troposphere over the western Pacific around a weak high pressure system, (2) to sample strongly subsiding air with stratospheric influence capping this Asian outflow, (3) to sample upper tropospheric outflow from biomass burning in southeast Asia. Execution: We flew an extended wall from HK east to (22N, 136E) with extensive low-altitude sampling on the eastern half of the wall . On the return we extended the wall south to (18N, 114E), with focus on high altitudes, in order to sample the biomass burning outflow. Results: The flight was a success. Aged Asian pollution was consistently observed below 5Kft on the extended wall; this pollution was characterized by CO up to 190 ppbv, O3 up to 70 ppbv, high C2Cl4, high PAN, high sulfate (but low SO2), moderately high HCHO. Above 5 Kft the aircraft sampled strongly subsiding air with occasional evidence of stratospheric influence and some aged pollution layers at altitudes below 15 Kft (though not as strong as below 5 Kft). On the return the aircraft sampled combustion plumes in the upper troposphere (31-39 Kft) with high and correlated CO (up to 140 ppbv), CO2, O3, and aerosol (including a large non-volatile component); these plumes were probably of biomass burning origin although no confirmation of this was available from the flight data. Flight summary, DC-8 Okinawa-Hong Kong 03/10/2001 Title: China outflow to Yellow Sea Objectives: (1) to sample boundary layer outflow from China to the Yellow Sea around a surface High over the western Pacific; (2) to sample frontal and convective outflow along the transect from the Yellow Sea to Hong Kong Execution: The DC-8 headed NW and then N from Okinawa (26N, 128E) well into the Yellow Sea (38N, 125E) with extensive profiling in the boundary layer It then flew along a N-S transect back to Hong Kong (22N, 114E), mostly at high altitude but with a vertical profile and a long boundary leg getting into Hong Kong Results: The flight was a success (1) Extensive pollution was observed in the Yellow Sea, with considerable structure At 32-34N and below 5Kft CO concentrations approached 500 ppbv and CO2 was in excess of 380 ppmv Further N the air below 5Kft was cleaner, as expected from the shift in surface winds (now blowing from N Korea) but a highly polluted layer was sampled at 8 Kft (2) The transect S into Hong Kong identified strong biomass burning pollution plumes from 20 to 30N and at 28-32 Kft altitude (CO in excess of 200 ppbv), and a pollution layer of considerable latitudinal extent was also observed at 10 Kft Flight summary, DC-8 Hong Kong-Okinawa 1 03/09/2001 Title: chemical evolution of frontal outflow Objective: (1) to sample the aged frontal outflow band that had been previously sampled as fresh frontal outflow on the 0307 flight; (2) to do laundry in Okinawa Execution: The frontal outflow sampled on 0307 was forecast to have been transported along a SW-NE axis over the following two days, resulting in a band of aged pollution over the western Pacific The DC-8 flew east from Hong Kong to (20N, 150E) to sample aged free tropospheric outflow transported S ahead of this band and to reach the clean air ahead of the front at the easternmost waypoint; it then flew NW to Okinawa (26N, 128E) to cross and characterize this frontal band Results: The flight was a success (1) Biomass burning pollution plumes were sampled extensively on the eastbound leg west of 135E Further east, cleaner conditions were found, and the easternmost point was at the frontal transition On the NW leg to Okinawa, the polluted frontal band (with CO up to 300 ppb) was encountered at 140-142E, as expected; behind this band and into Okinawa the conditions were much cleaner, with strongly subsiding air in the free troposphere Free washing machines in Okinawa afforded astronomical savings over hotel prices for laundry in Hong Kong Flight summary, Hong Kong Local 1 03/07/2001. Title: China outflow and frontal crossing Objectives: (1) to sample fresh pollution advected to the western Pacific from China in the boundary layer behind a cold front, (2) to cross the front and sample lifted pollution and clean air ahead of the front. Execution: Both aircraft went around Taiwan and headed north. The P-3 remained close to the China coast, on a track extending up to 28N and returning along the same track. The DC-8 headed north to (31N, 125E) and from there east to (30N, 140E) to cross the front; it then returned to Hong Kong on a SW track, remaining ahead of the front. Results: The objectives were met. (1) High levels of fossil fuel and biomass burning pollution were sampled extensively behind the front, both in the boundary layer and in free tropospheric layers presumably lifted over China ahead of the front. Strong pollution outflow was observed from 17Kft to 28Kft at 30N, with CO levels in excess of 270 ppbv. Very dry subsiding layers were also observed. The DC-8 crossed the front and sampled clean air ahead of the front, with isolated pollution layers in the free troposphere again from frontal uplift. Air ahead of the front south of 24N was consistently clean. P-3B observations included upper tropospheric conditions (15Kft) representative of tropical air to begin the flight (CO-70s, O3-20s). Polluted conditions were first encountered around 10Kft at 22N (CO-300s, O3-90s). In the frontal region, cloud modulation of composition was recorded with changes in CO of 75% and doubling of NOy in and out of convective cells. CO values to the north behind the front were in the high 200-300 range. On the return to Hong Kong a well defined pollution layer only 1000 ft in thickness was encountered at 9Kft. Values in this layer for CO were double those encountered in the boundary layer and ozone values were almost quadrupled compared to BL values. On the last boundary layer leg, a ship plume was encountered that lasted 15 seconds with enhancements in NOy, particles, SO2, and CO2 as well as a significant titration of ozone. Flight summary, Guam-Hong Kong transit 03/04/2001. Title: Asian outflow: frontal, convective, and South China Sea Objectives: (1) to intercompare instruments on the two aircraft; (2) to sample a variety of outflow patterns including post-frontal boundary layer outflow off the China coast, biomass burning outflow convected to the upper troposphere, and boundary layer outflow to the South China Sea. Execution: The intercomparison experiment was conducted in the boundary layer out of Guam. The DC-8 and the P-3 flew parallel to each other (separated by 2000') for 20 minutes at 0.5Kft and then remained parallel as they climbed to 10Kft at a rate of 500'/min. The P-3 then flew WNW from Guam to the strait between the Philippines and Taiwan (20N, 121E) and conducted a southerly leg to (16N, 115E) to sample outflow over the South China Sea. The DC-8 flew NW to (27N, 126E) to cross a cold front moving across the western Pacific, and then S to overfly the P-3 and provide DIAL coverage. Results: All objectives were met. (1) The intercomparison was successfully conducted, in clear skies with broken shallow cumuli. The first half of the intercomparison was done in a homogeneous air mass but the second half showed significant gradients that will need to be investigated (aged ship plume?). (2) Complex pollution outflow of biomass burning origin was observed in the upper troposphere along the DC-8 NW leg. (3) The frontal crossing experiment was successful, showing a sharp contrast in the lower troposphere between clean air ahead of the front and highly polluted air behind the front off the coast of China. The polluted post-frontal boundary layer outflow was capped by a strong subsidence inversion at 7Kft and filaments of stratospheric air were observed at higher altitudes. (4) Strong northerly outflow to the South China Sea was observed in a highly polluted layer extending up to 8Kft. Flight summary, Kona-Guam transit 02/27/2001. Title: Asian pollution subsidence and MOPITT tropical validation Objectives: (1) to sample aged Asian pollution subsiding in the tropics, (2) to conduct a MOPITT tropical validation, (3) to intercompare instruments on the DC-8 and P-3 aircraft. Execution: The intercomparison, planned as a boundary layer run out of Kona with the two aircraft flying parallel tracks, had to be canceled because of lack of clearance. The DC-8 followed a straight flight track from Kona to Guam, with extensive vertical profiling. A MOPITT validation experiment was conducted at (18N, 175W, 2235 UTC) with a spiral from 31Kft to 0.5Kft above a broken cumulus deck (tops at 6Kft) in a strongly subsiding atmosphere. Results: Our first two objectives were met. (1) We observed and sampled repeatedly a layer of Asian pollution at 8-12Kft (CO up to 210 ppbv, ozone up to 80 ppbv) with background air above and below. This pollution was in a strongly subsiding layer on top of the trade wind inversion, and appeared to contain both fossil fuel and biomass burning influence. Through mapping with DIAL it was determined to extend from 170W to 162E. The layer was predicted in the chemical forecast where it was due to Asian outflow transported rapidly to the central Pacific, and then strongly subsiding and stagnating west of Hawaii, although the observed layer extended further west than forecast. Formaldehyde was elevated (up to 700 pptv), in contrast to the Asian plumes sampled on the Dryden-Kona flight, reflecting presumably the stronger photochemical activity. (2) the MOPITT validation experiment was a success. Skies were 100% clear above 6Kft. Although the aircraft ceiling was 31Kft, DIAL observations showed very clean air above. The dominant feature of the profile was the strong layer of Asian pollution at 8-12Kft. Flight summary, Dryden-Kona transit 02/26/2001 Title: Aged Asian pollution and MOPITT mid-latitudes validation Objectives: (1) to sample aged Asian fossil fuel and biomass burning pollution plumes, forecast to have been lifted frontally to the middle/upper troposphere and transported in less than 4 days across the Pacific at mid-latitudes; (2) to conduct a MOPITT validation experiment for this air mass. Execution: The MOPITT validation experiment was conducted at (40N, 132W, 2005 UTC) above a solid stratus deck with tops at 3.5Kft. The DC-8 arrived in position at cloud top at 1945 UTC and spiraled up to 35Kft, arriving there at 2007 UTC. It then spiraled back down along the same track to 0.5K to demonstrate the stationarity of the vertical profile. From there the DC-8 flew W and then SW to Hawaii, with four full vertical profiles along the way. Results: Our objectives were met. (1) We observed considerable Asian pollution influence from 40N to Hawaii; the location of the plumes was consistent with the model forecast although CO concentrations were higher than predicted, often exceeding 200 ppbv. By successive vertical profiling at different latitudes we observed a range of photochemical processing of Asian pollution, with ozone concentrations in excess of 100 ppbv at the low latitudes. There was evidence that this pollution represented a combination of fossil fuel and biomass burning (high PAN, high C2Cl4, high cyanides, high SO2, high non-volatile aerosol), with stronger contribution from the latter at low latitudes. (2) the MOPITT validation experiment was a success. Skies were 100% clear above a solid stratus deck. The two spirals successfully demonstrated the stationarity of the air mass. The profile showed a large Asian pollution CO enhancement from 12 to 24Kft with values up to 270 ppbv. The top altitude reached by the aircraft (35Kft) corresponded to the tropopause, as indicated by in situ and lidar ozone, although CO there was still relatively high (120 ppbv). 2/20/01 - Test Flight #2 was successfully completed on 2/16 as scheduled Takeoff time was 10:10am under clear bright skies toward LAX and the SW The initial climb was to 39Kft for 36 minutes, followed by a downward spiral to 1Kft for 30 minutes, followed by a 15Kfpm climb to 10Kft for 30 minutes, followed by a 15Kfpm climb to 18Kft for 30 minutes, followed by a 15Kfpm climb to 28Kft, followed by a spiral down to landing at EAFB Total time was 43 hours Blake was absent from the flight Early in the flight, all but three instruments and ICATS indicated they were ready to proceed Sandholm was able to operate throughout the full 30 minute leg at 1Kft without being stopped by pit heating problems However, chiller temperature continued to rise as the plane ascended to 10Kft and had to be cutoff before reaching 10Kft Operation resumed just prior to reaching 18Kft and thereafter It appears that the 1Kft level will need to be followed by a high altitude cooling leg as was used during P/T B Fried again noticed that his flow was too low at altitudes above 30Kft He is pursuing several hardware changes prior to the next flight Anderson continues to have computer problems and one element of his new spectrometer continues inoperative Sachse continues to have difficulty with his lasers A vibration sensitivity has appeared in addition to finding a loose optic element The post mission summary indicated that about half the instrumentation are working well Apel has some post mission work; Anderson needs computer and probe work; Fried needs to work on flow above 30Kft; Talbot has a few data acquisition bugs; Sachse needs to work DACOM vibration sensitivity and get lasers fully operational; Sandholm needs to make NO detection as good as possible and then optimize NO2 with the remaining energy; Heikes needs some computer work; and ICATS needs to get analog parameter graphics plot operational and clean up a few other items
ICATS has yet to demonstrate the APT system and post mission data
delivery
The TF #3 plan will have takeoff at about 1450 on 2/20 in order to
provide
for about 90 minutes of post-sunset data The flight levels
will be
generally the same as TF #2 with longer durations at constant
altitude
Daily 1:15 PM all-hands meetings have continued under the leadership of Darrell Winfield All days have been one-1/2 shift with work planned on 2/10 and 2/11 Lab work by PI teams continues beyond one shift as each team determines it is appropriate Many of the PI teams elected to return home during the laser calibration activities which took place during most of the week As a result of the 2/1 and 2/2 flight tests, the Apel inlet was determined to need structural reinforcing to eliminate vibrations Early in the week a cracked plane belly panel was identified and the planned RVSM certification test was delayed from 2/5 until 2/9, which was of no consequence because the time was more fully used for laser calibration tests Also, during this week it was discovered that there was some plane gas tank seepage which required repair The RVSM certification flight was completed 2/9 and the repaired Apel inlet was certified as being acceptable The analysis of the RVSM certification is underway and results are expected about 2/20 The plane fuel tank seepage was in repair during the weekend of 2/11 The ICATS track plot capability was demonstrated during the 2/9 flight test The Sachse and Sandholm instruments seem to need to most work to complete their readiness for deployment A laser lens was broken and considerable work must be repeated Sandholm has yet to see a NO2 signal Browell concluded planned laser calibrations and determined that one more calibration test was needed prior to deployment Due to the now-routine closure of EAFB on Sundays, it has been decided that all planes will return on Monday 4/9 This choice was chosen over return two days early on Friday 4/6 in order to maintain some flexibility for having coordinated flights with the ACE Asia C-130 operating out of Iwakuni, Japan All PI Teams returned to DFRC for the two-hour Plane Safety Briefing on 2/12 At the daily meeting it was learned that the plane gas tank seepage problems had been repaired During the meeting, there was a briefing by Steve Davis about expected conditions at the Hong Kong Airport The most difficult part involved conducting planned laboratory operations, since the available space in the terminal area could not accommodate hazardous materials Selecting an alternate available space also does not seem apealing due to the difficulty of getting equipment and laboratory haz materials through rigid security checkpoints to move from the plane to the lab space The possibility of using the C-130 for a haz materials lab appears appealing because these materials would never need to leave the plane or pass through security checkpoints However, there are some operations which need uninterrupted power for extended periods which can not be accommodated in the plane Final arrangements will undoubtedly need to await the arrival of T/P personnel on-site to conduct final arrangements In the meantime, haz mat cargo and equipment to be used with them is being separately packaged so it can be most easily moved upon arrival Also during the daily meeting, there was a discussion with the Science Team about the proposed Test Flight #1 profile Several changes were discussed and given to the navigator to incorporate A review of instrument status revealed: 1) Anderson's new spectrometer probe was returned from the vendor and required further testing prior to installation on the plane and would not be included on TF #1, 2) Sachse has one dewar out and plans to fly with only one and 3) Sandholm is still working to get ready The TF #1 takeoff time was 10:20 am under clear bright skies toward LAX and the SW The initial climb was to 39kft for about 60 minutes, followed by a downward spiral to 1kft for 30 minutes, followed by a climb to 25kft for 50 minutes followed by a spiral down to landing at EAFB Total time was 4 hours The majority of instruments indicated all was working fine during the early part of the flight Sandholm experienced heating problems, similar to that of prior missions, due to time at 1kft He requests such future low level legs be limited to 20 minutes ICATS generally performed satisfactorily with a few minor items to fix Fried noticed flow problems at 39kft, but performed satisfactorily at lower altitudes Half of the instruments reported no problems The others noted varying problems, some of which should be fixed for the next flight It was determined after the flight that the Apel inlet plumbing seemed to be losing the seal for cabin pressure due to heat cycling of the teflon insert and was removed for repairs Sachse still working to fix the lasers Fried working to deal with high altitude flow problems Anderson working to get spectrometer probe operational again and deal with computer which won't boot reliably Apel awaiting reinstallation of inlet and CCB decision re-seal validation Sandholm working to achieve NO2 signal Blake plans not to be aboard since he is in lab analyzing cans from TF #1 Brune determined that a radio antenna located in front of his inlet needed to be moved There are many reasons to delay the flight and also many to continue with the planned flight The Operational Readiness Review was successfully completed on 2/15 with no significant issues 2/3/01 - Daily 1:15
pm all-hands meetings have continued under the leadership of Darrell
Winfield All days have been one and _-shift, with work planned
on 2/3 and 2/4 Lab work by PI teams continues beyond one shift
as each team determines it is appropriate 1/26/01 - Daily 1:15 pm all-hands meetings have continued under the leadership of Darrell Winfield All days have been one and 1/2-shift, with work planned on 1/27 and 1/28 Lab work by PI teams continues beyond one shift as each team determines is appropriate Nine of the experinent teams have been on-site at sometime during the week All racks and inlets are onboard The Apel team arrived 1/22 and uploaded on 1/24 Each team continues final rack preparations as needed Brune installed a measurement of opportunity for NO and NOx with no significant difficulty The ICATS rack is ready for their go-no go flight test on 2/1 Ali Aknan and John Barrick will operate the Project Data System during that flight to insure ICATS provides the required functionalities The ICATS Ground Operations Go/No Go Review was held 1/22 and was approved to continue preparations, even though it was not complete and flight worthy at that review as planned The Sandholm lasers have been uploaded and NO appears near completion, while NO2 needs much more work, as expected The Sachse DLH instrument will arrive 2/4 in plenty of time for installation prior to the first test flight Eleven work tasks remain for various sheet metal and related work for the PIs and plane DIAL completed significant modifications for its power handling black boxes during the week DIAL was found to be continuing to trip the plane circuit breakers when it powered up(due to large initial spike) Even though this was not new behavior, a Discrepancy Report was issued, requiring a fix Several fixes were required before the circuit breakers did not trip The fix requires a special operational procedure(Mission Manager institutes time delay, which wll be acceptable for this mission, but additional fixes will be required for future missions to remove the man from the loop Significant work remains to develop a transport plan for Blake's snakes The plan is shaping up to be a mix of routine courier, FEDEX, USAF cargo transport and C-130 transport Care is being exercised to insure the PI believes that replacement of the courier approach to save money does not introduce unknown or unacceptable risk, and thereby dilute PI responsibility for success The number of snakes available will not permit delays due to customs or lost cargo Couriers under the control of the PI take multiple snakes aboard as excess baggage and personally deal with transport to and from the plane and customs Replacement of the courier approach requires incresaed reliance on commercial transportation and puts the snakes in the hands of persons not familiar with, or especially committed to, the hardware The Hazardous Materials CCB was completed with no problems The site visit to Hong Kong and Okinawa was completed and a debrief conference call will be held 1/29 Okinawa support is committed for three visits Hong Kong support of the aircraft is now committed as is PI laboratory workspace It remains to be seen how we will deal with hazardous materials restrictions in this workspace The Tech Brief (Mission summary and status of preparations for management and participants) will be held on 1/29 The all-up electrical power check will be on 1/30 Rollout, weight and balance will be on 1/31 The Engineering Check Flight will be on 2/1 in the morning and the ICATS Go-No Go test flight will be in the afternoon A Pilot Prof Flight Test will be on 2/2 In summary, rack and inlets upload was completed as planned by 1/25; however, PIs continue to make final installations and adjustments NO delays are anticipated for the test flights next week Next week will begin flights of the plane with the result that PIs will have less time to work in the plane There are no current problems which would appear to jeporidize on-time deployment 1/24/01 -
Daily 1:15 pm all-hands meetings have continued under the leadership
of
Darrell Winfield All days have been one shift, with work
planned on 1/20
and 1/21 Lab work by PI teams continues beyond one
shift as each team
determines is appropriate All necessary funding for DFRC and WFF have been turned into PRs ,
approved
through all the LaRC system and are now awaiting transfer on 1/24 as
506 authority 1/12/01 - Darrell began daily 1:15pm all-hands meetings on 1/8 All days have been one-shift for plane access so far Lab work by the PI teams continues beyond one shift as each team determines is appropriate One shift plane access and extended lab work is planned by several of the PI teams for both weekend days and the 1/15 holiday Eight of the 14 instrument teams are on-site Five more arrive next week Thirteen of the 17 racks are onboard; 10 are locked down Two of the four remaining racks are inhouse and the other two arrive next week Teams associated with the two racks left onboard after AFWEX have had no need to be on site so far and will be inhouse next week Seven of the fifteen inlets/probes/spectroradiometers/lidars are in final position The ICATS rack is locked down and electrical compatibility tests with the airplane are beginning and will be fully underway 1/16 The light weight GA Tech racks fabricated at Wallops were determined by DC-8 inspection to be unflightworthy and the racks used on prior GTE missions were substituted for TRACE P use A list of 34 tasks associated with upload has been created and
additional machining/sheet metal personnel are being added to the
work force
The capability for realtime display of CO2 and CH4 has been added
to that for O3, CN, CO, NO and cryo H2O Cloud camera
videotaping requirements have been established
A DFRC funding plan has been agreed to There are no significant issues associated with the transition to the new DC-8 support contractor on 1/1 Next week continues rack upload and completion is planned by 1/25 In summary, the DC-8 and PI teams have made significant integration progress to this week There currently is no obvious reason why the schedule for test flights or deployment will not be met |
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