Co-ordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics - CAST
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The unique research capability of the Global Hawk, with ultra-long flights possible in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, provides a major new opportunity to advance atmospheric science. In response to the NERC/STFC/NASA collaborative initiative, we have assembled an experienced UK team that proposes to execute a research programme covering fundamental science and technology development, which, by working with the Global Hawk, will radically enhance our future research capabilities.
The Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) is a crucial region for chemistry/climate interactions. Building on work we have already done in this area , we will collaborate with NASA's ATTREX programme to study the TTL over the Pacific Ocean and South East Asia, with new measurements and analysis. We will address fundamental questions related to atmospheric composition, radiation and transport. The TTL controls the transport of water vapour, the crucial radiative gas, into the stratosphere; we will advance understanding of the role of sub-visible cirrus in water vapour processes. The TTL is also the main route by which very short-lived halogen species, which represent a large uncertainty in future stratospheric ozone evolution, enter the stratosphere. We will improve knowledge of the budgets of these gases and of their chemical transformation and transport through the TTL, including the role of convective transport into the TTL and the subsequent routes for transport from the TTL to the lower stratosphere. Improving representation of these processes in global chemistry/climate models is a key aim.
In order to study these processes, The FAAM BAe-146 will be deployed in Guam in Jan/Feb 2014. It will fly coordinated flights with the Global Hawk which will make measurements in the same period in the TTL over the West Pacific. Detailed involvement in all phases of the collaborative missions with ATTREX will enhance the UK potential for future research using the Global Hawk, including advanced capability in mission planning and methodologies for complex, real-time data analysis. The aircraft measurements will be interpreted in conjunction with ground-based and balloon-based measurements of very short-lived halogen species and ozone, using a complementary group of regional high resolution models, global composition models and a global cirrus model.
We will develop and test two new instruments and new software for the payload/mission-scientist interface, which are ideally suited for the capabilities of the Global Hawk. One new instrument will allow quantification in the TTL of the important physical properties of sub- and super-micron sized particles, allowing new information about clouds and radiation. We will develop a new short-wave IR spectrometer to measure greenhouse (CO2, CH4, and H2O) and other (CO) gases in the lower atmosphere by remote sensing, taking advantage of the very long flights in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Both instruments will be flight-tested in CAST.
As well as addressing the specifics of this call, CAST addresses the central vision of the Technology theme: "to engage scientists, technologists, computer specialists and engineers working both within the NERC community and outside it, identifying that in many cases it will only be through developing new partnerships that the most challenging innovations in technology can be enabled" (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/themes/tap/documents/tap-technologies-2009.pdf). CAST brings new technology expertise in machine learning into the NERC community and strengthens the links between NERC scientists and the technology groups at Hertfordshire and the Astronomy Technology Centre.
The Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) is a crucial region for chemistry/climate interactions. Building on work we have already done in this area , we will collaborate with NASA's ATTREX programme to study the TTL over the Pacific Ocean and South East Asia, with new measurements and analysis. We will address fundamental questions related to atmospheric composition, radiation and transport. The TTL controls the transport of water vapour, the crucial radiative gas, into the stratosphere; we will advance understanding of the role of sub-visible cirrus in water vapour processes. The TTL is also the main route by which very short-lived halogen species, which represent a large uncertainty in future stratospheric ozone evolution, enter the stratosphere. We will improve knowledge of the budgets of these gases and of their chemical transformation and transport through the TTL, including the role of convective transport into the TTL and the subsequent routes for transport from the TTL to the lower stratosphere. Improving representation of these processes in global chemistry/climate models is a key aim.
In order to study these processes, The FAAM BAe-146 will be deployed in Guam in Jan/Feb 2014. It will fly coordinated flights with the Global Hawk which will make measurements in the same period in the TTL over the West Pacific. Detailed involvement in all phases of the collaborative missions with ATTREX will enhance the UK potential for future research using the Global Hawk, including advanced capability in mission planning and methodologies for complex, real-time data analysis. The aircraft measurements will be interpreted in conjunction with ground-based and balloon-based measurements of very short-lived halogen species and ozone, using a complementary group of regional high resolution models, global composition models and a global cirrus model.
We will develop and test two new instruments and new software for the payload/mission-scientist interface, which are ideally suited for the capabilities of the Global Hawk. One new instrument will allow quantification in the TTL of the important physical properties of sub- and super-micron sized particles, allowing new information about clouds and radiation. We will develop a new short-wave IR spectrometer to measure greenhouse (CO2, CH4, and H2O) and other (CO) gases in the lower atmosphere by remote sensing, taking advantage of the very long flights in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Both instruments will be flight-tested in CAST.
As well as addressing the specifics of this call, CAST addresses the central vision of the Technology theme: "to engage scientists, technologists, computer specialists and engineers working both within the NERC community and outside it, identifying that in many cases it will only be through developing new partnerships that the most challenging innovations in technology can be enabled" (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/themes/tap/documents/tap-technologies-2009.pdf). CAST brings new technology expertise in machine learning into the NERC community and strengthens the links between NERC scientists and the technology groups at Hertfordshire and the Astronomy Technology Centre.
Planned Impact
Policy makers, atmospheric scientists and the general public makers will be among the long term beneficiaries of this research. The work relates to two major policy questions; the control of halogenated substances, regulated under the Montreal Protocol, and climate change, the topic of the Kyoto Protocol. Our science will inform the international assessment processes and will be of direct interest to government departments, chiefly DECC and DEFRA.
The general public has a keen interest in global change, in general, and ozone depletion, in particular. It remains extremely important to engage with the public, to provide latest scientific evidence related to these issues, to counter the increasing levels of misinformation being propagated. We will engage with these various groups in a number if ways: through formal and informal meetings, through the peer-reviewed literature and through our web pages. Nearly all PIs give popular lectures on environmental change issues at e.g. schools and will continue to do so. We also often speak to the media.
There is a large number of people in science, the private sector and government who are interested in understanding the capabilities that can be developed for atmospheric observation from UAVs as well as what the potential uses are. CAST will inform and engage with this community in order to share the experience from CAST and to learn from the experience of others. This has the potential to develop a real UK presence in the field of UAV use and research.
CAST will provide career development for PhD students and PDRAs through involving them in the planning and implementation of field campaigns and presentations of results at project meetings, international conferences and in the peer-reviewed literature. In addition all people involved in CAST will learn about the planning and uses for UAVs.
The general public has a keen interest in global change, in general, and ozone depletion, in particular. It remains extremely important to engage with the public, to provide latest scientific evidence related to these issues, to counter the increasing levels of misinformation being propagated. We will engage with these various groups in a number if ways: through formal and informal meetings, through the peer-reviewed literature and through our web pages. Nearly all PIs give popular lectures on environmental change issues at e.g. schools and will continue to do so. We also often speak to the media.
There is a large number of people in science, the private sector and government who are interested in understanding the capabilities that can be developed for atmospheric observation from UAVs as well as what the potential uses are. CAST will inform and engage with this community in order to share the experience from CAST and to learn from the experience of others. This has the potential to develop a real UK presence in the field of UAV use and research.
CAST will provide career development for PhD students and PDRAs through involving them in the planning and implementation of field campaigns and presentations of results at project meetings, international conferences and in the peer-reviewed literature. In addition all people involved in CAST will learn about the planning and uses for UAVs.
Publications
Humpage N
(2018)
GreenHouse gas Observations of the Stratosphere and Troposphere (GHOST): an airborne shortwave-infrared spectrometer for remote sensing of greenhouse gases
in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Harris N
(2017)
Coordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics (CAST)
in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Feng L
(2018)
Surface fluxes of bromoform and dibromomethane over the tropical western Pacific inferred from airborne in situ measurements
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Butler R
(2018)
Quantifying the vertical transport of CHBr<sub>3</sub> and CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> over the western Pacific
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Description | We have developed a new spectrometer (called GHOST) for greenhouse gas remote sensing from unmanned aerial vehicle. This instrument uses innovative, cutting-edge technology and it has been designed from scratch. It is the only instrument worldwide that measures simultaneously total columns of CO2, CH4 and CO. The instrument has been successfully deployed on the NASA Global Hawk during several science flights from NASA Armstrong over the Pacific Ocean. A specific highlight was the underflight of the Japanese GOSAT and the NASA OCO-2 mission during one of the flights. |
Exploitation Route | The unique GHOST instrument developed in this project provides a valuable resource for monitoring of greenhouse gases emissions from a range of airborne platforms with allows a number of new applications, for example GHOST has been used to observe city-scale emissions or a fire plume (together with Kings College London) from the NERC ARSF aircraft. GHOST is also serving as a technology demonstrator for future space applications and a new concept based on GHOST called Tropical Carbon Mission has had been proposed to ESA (as part of its EE9 call) and to the UK Space Agency. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Environment |
Description | The instrument technology developed in this project is of significant interest to the UK Space Agency and to ESA as a predecessor for potential space mission in the area of carbon. This project has already led to follow-on funding from the UK Space Agency (CEOI) to use the instrument for airborne demonstrator over UK targets in the context of a potential bilateral carbon mission with France. We have also obtained funding from the UK Space Agency to develop a proposal for a ESA Earth Explorer 9 (EE9) call based on the technology developed in the is project. Due to budget limitations of the call, this has not been further proceeded but the mission had been proposed instead to UKSA as a bilateral mission. |
First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Environment |
Description | CEOI-ST Call for Mission and Technology Preparation Activities for ESA Earth Explorer |
Amount | £62,680 (GBP) |
Organisation | UK Space Agency |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2016 |
End | 06/2016 |
Description | Demonstrating Multi-View Spectroscopy for Greenhouse Gas remote Sensing |
Amount | £323,730 (GBP) |
Organisation | UK Space Agency |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2017 |
End | 11/2018 |
Description | UKSA-CNES Bilateral Carbon Mission: Support Study |
Amount | £500,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | UK Space Agency |
Department | Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2014 |
End | 12/2015 |
Description | Consortium for a Satellite Mission Proposal (TCM) |
Organisation | Airbus Group |
Department | Airbus Operations |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | This is a partnership that aims at the development of a future satellite mission in the area of CO2. The technology for this mission is based on the GHOST instrument (developped for the NERC CAST project) which I led. My role in the partnership is on the link between instrument and the science data |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have made contributions to a wide range of aspect incl. a number of satellite system aspect and the science exploitation. |
Impact | This partnership is multi-disciplinary and includes engineering, aerospace, earth observation and carbon cycle science. The main outcome so far are two projects funded by the UKSA (CEOI) with a third proposal being submitted. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Consortium for a Satellite Mission Proposal (TCM) |
Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
Department | RAL Space |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is a partnership that aims at the development of a future satellite mission in the area of CO2. The technology for this mission is based on the GHOST instrument (developped for the NERC CAST project) which I led. My role in the partnership is on the link between instrument and the science data |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have made contributions to a wide range of aspect incl. a number of satellite system aspect and the science exploitation. |
Impact | This partnership is multi-disciplinary and includes engineering, aerospace, earth observation and carbon cycle science. The main outcome so far are two projects funded by the UKSA (CEOI) with a third proposal being submitted. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Consortium for a Satellite Mission Proposal (TCM) |
Organisation | Selex ES |
Department | SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | This is a partnership that aims at the development of a future satellite mission in the area of CO2. The technology for this mission is based on the GHOST instrument (developped for the NERC CAST project) which I led. My role in the partnership is on the link between instrument and the science data |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have made contributions to a wide range of aspect incl. a number of satellite system aspect and the science exploitation. |
Impact | This partnership is multi-disciplinary and includes engineering, aerospace, earth observation and carbon cycle science. The main outcome so far are two projects funded by the UKSA (CEOI) with a third proposal being submitted. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Consortium for a Satellite Mission Proposal (TCM) |
Organisation | UK Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is a partnership that aims at the development of a future satellite mission in the area of CO2. The technology for this mission is based on the GHOST instrument (developped for the NERC CAST project) which I led. My role in the partnership is on the link between instrument and the science data |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have made contributions to a wide range of aspect incl. a number of satellite system aspect and the science exploitation. |
Impact | This partnership is multi-disciplinary and includes engineering, aerospace, earth observation and carbon cycle science. The main outcome so far are two projects funded by the UKSA (CEOI) with a third proposal being submitted. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Consortium for a Satellite Mission Proposal (TCM) |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is a partnership that aims at the development of a future satellite mission in the area of CO2. The technology for this mission is based on the GHOST instrument (developped for the NERC CAST project) which I led. My role in the partnership is on the link between instrument and the science data |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have made contributions to a wide range of aspect incl. a number of satellite system aspect and the science exploitation. |
Impact | This partnership is multi-disciplinary and includes engineering, aerospace, earth observation and carbon cycle science. The main outcome so far are two projects funded by the UKSA (CEOI) with a third proposal being submitted. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Engineers deliver instrument to study 'greenhouse gases' from a NASA unmanned aircraft |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Press release related to the delivery of the GHOST instrument to NASA for installation on the UAV Global Hawk. This has been picked up eg by local media (Leicester Mercury). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2014/december/engineers-deliver-instrument-to-stud... |
Description | GHOST - GreenHouse Observations of the Stratosphere and Troposphere |
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 | Handout on GHOST have been created and distributed at the ISIC stand during the Farnborough airshow Raised interest by participants (space industry) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | GreenHouse Observations of the Stratosphere and Troposphere (GHOST): a novel shortwave infrared spectrometer developed for the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
Results and Impact | The presentation has led to an article in Proc. SPIE 9242, Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere XIX; and Optics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems XVII, 92420P (October 17, 2014); doi:10.1117/12.2067330 - |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1918505 |
Description | Planet Earth Article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Article in NERCs Planet Earth magazine the development of the GHOST instrument that has been flown on the NASA Global Hawk; a high altitude unnamed vehicle. The article is aimed a the general public with an interest in environmental science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.nerc.ac.uk/planetearth/stories/1824/ |
Description | Royal Society Summer Exhibition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The CAST (including GHOST) exhibition sparked large interest and has led to lively dicussions. - |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://sse.royalsociety.org/2014/tropical-storms/ |