Co-ordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics - CAST.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Hertfordshire
Department Name: School of Physics, Astronomy and Maths
Abstract
Please see Lead application form.
Planned Impact
Please see Lead application form.
Organisations
Publications
Cotton R
(2012)
The effective density of small ice particles obtained from in situ aircraft observations of mid-latitude cirrus
in Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
Harris N
(2017)
Coordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics (CAST)
in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Hesse E
(2012)
Modelling diffraction by facetted particles
in Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
Hesse E
(2015)
Modelling light scattering by absorbing smooth and slightly rough facetted particles
in Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer
Hirst, E
(2013)
The Aerosol Ice Interface Transition Spectrometer: A new particle phase detector for UTLS investiation
in ATTREX Science Meeting
Ulanowski Z
(2014)
Incidence of rough and irregular atmospheric ice particles from Small Ice Detector 3 measurements
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
| Description | Our role in this consortium project has been the development of an advanced wing-mounted probe to be carried on the NASA Global Hawk atmospheric research aircraft (and later on the UK FAAM aircraft. The instrument, AIITS (Aerosol Ice Interface Transition Spectrometer) is capable of providing detailed information about the size, shape and concentration of atmospheric particles, such as ice crystals, droplets, mineral particles, and biological particles such as pollens or spores down to micrometre sizes. Such information is critical to improving understanding of cloud radiative properties, the largest source of uncertainty in climate modelling (IPCC). |
| Exploitation Route | The AIITS instrument will provide climate researchers for many years to come with a valuable tool for analysing atmospheric cloud and aerosol. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| URL | http://blogs.herts.ac.uk/research/tag/coordinated-airborne-studies-in-the-tropics/ |
| Title | AN IMPROVED LOW COST APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF A FLUID-BORNE PARTICLE |
| Description | An apparatus for the detection of a fluid-borne particle (10) in an optically defined particle sensing zone, the apparatus comprising: i) a scattering chamber (40); ii) a means for providing a sample of fluid (34), containing the fluid-borne particle, in the form of a flow through the optically defined particle sensing zone;iii) A means for generating a beam of radiation (12) through the optically defined particle sensing zone;iv)a single reflector or refractor (14) means having a primary focus (16) within the optically defined particle sensing zone and a secondary focus (20) located outside the beam of radiation; v) a detector means comprising a first photosensitive detection area (26) a second photosensitive detection area (29); vi) a means for deriving area from the radiation detected by the first photosensitive detection area and second photosensitive detection area of the detection means wherein the single reflector or refractor means is adapted to direct radiation scattered from the fluid borne particle passing through the beam of radation within the optically defined particle sensing zone to the detection means located at the secondary focus of the single reflector or refractor means and the optically sensing zone comprises a first and a second zone. |
| IP Reference | WO2012056217 |
| Protection | Patent granted |
| Year Protection Granted | 2012 |
| Licensed | Yes |
| Impact | The particle detection technology developed for the NERC Airborne Particle Classifier project is now being exploited in the NERC Network of Sensors project 'High density sensor network system for air quality studies at Heathrow airport', (Universities of Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Manchester, Imperial, plus NPL and CERC). This project will see more than 70 of the Hertfordshire particle detectors positioned in a ground-breaking project around the perimeter of Heathrow airport to undertake long-ter |
| Description | Meeting, Boulder, Colorado, United States, 20/07/15 - 23/07/15, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of paper entitled: , 'AIITS: Preliminary light scattering data from Tropical Tropopause Layer cirrus' Composition and Transport in the Tropical Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere' to the meeting. The data were the first of their type to be reported and therefore generated significant interest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Presentation at the XVII International Conference on Clouds & Precipitation , Manchester, UK. 25-29 July 2016. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Review of data recorded by the AIITS instrument and possible interpretations with consequences for climate modelling and ultimately impact on. global warming. Paper presented entitled: 'Characterization of ice particles in TTL cirrus using 2D light scattering. Authors: Zbigniew Ulanowski, Paul Kaye, Edwin Hirst, Chris Stopford, Eric Jensen, James Dorsey, Richard Greenaway, Georg Ritter, Evelyn Hesse, Troy Thornberry, Andrew Rollins, Neil Harris, Martin Gallagher, Sarah Woods, Paul Lawson. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.meeting.co.uk/confercare/iccp2016/ |
| Description | RCUK at AAAS Conference, Washington |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | RCUK were exhibiting at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington DC, February 2016, the world's largest general scientific meeting. An instrument developed by the University of Hertfordshire was selected by Research Councils UK to showcase British technological expertise at the AAAS. UH's AIITS instrument, developed by the Particle Instruments Research Group in the School of Physics Astronomy and Mathematics, was selected as a primary exhibit. AIITS is a wing-mounted 'cloud-probe' specifically designed and built by UH for under NERC support for NASA's Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to aid research into climate change . |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://cadrek12.org/events/2014/01/15/american-association-advancement-science-2016-aaas-annual-meet... |
| Description | Royal Society Summer Exhibition (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The week-long Royal Society Summer Exhibition was held in July 2014. The NERC 'CAST' project was one of 22 exhibits and occupied a 4x4m stand. On display was a section of the FAAM aircraft fuselage showing how atmospheric research scientists conduct their research, and atmospheric measurement instruments including the SID (Small Ice Detector) probes built by the University of Hertfordshire team. Some 15,000 visitors saw the exhibit over the week, including school children, industrialists, politicians, and the general public. Major press coverage including TV and radio. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://sse.royalsociety.org/2014 |