MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS)

1. Overfly the surface site at Inhaca Island (26° 02´ S, 32° 54´ E), paralleling the Terra orbital inclination of 11.4°.

Terra passed over Inhaca Island at 0816 UTC, coincident with the ER-2 overpass of the island, with a satellite viewing zenith angle q = 0.80°. The mission was coordinated with the CV-580 and JRA over Inhaca Island at the time of the Terra overpass, with JRA measuring CCN at low levels and the CV-580 flying radiation runs at multiple levels over the island making solar spectral flux and aerosol optical thickness measurements. The ER-2 then flew over Maputo Bay and north through Mozambique, before turning westbound and flying a long flight line down the Terra orbital track through Malawi and towards Inhaca Island. During the final part of the flight, the ER-2 flew west over southern Mozambique and turned south along a geological feature in the northern part of Kruger National Park, before turning back to Pietersburg.

The RC-10 camera was turned on for flights over Inhaca Island, northeastern Mozambique, Malawi, the Zambezi River, and northern Kruger National Park.

N/A

• No sites flown on this mission

The skies were largely cloud free, with only small scattered cumulus humilus clouds, near Maputo and Inhaca Island. Further north, in northeastern Mozambique, the ER-2 overflew extensive clouds before heading inland. Over southern Malawi and central Mozambique, the ER-2 pilot observed extensive clouds topping smoke that appeared to be a result of the smoke plumes themselves. During the overpass of Kruger National Park, the skies were quite clear and the geological feature readily apparent.

The circulation was dominated by a ridge of high pressure across the central parts of South Africa. A trough of low pressure developed along the west coast with another trough over the Mozambique channel. Aloft, an upper trough lay over the western interior. Early morning fog occurred over the northeastern areas of South Africa. A band of disturbed weather lay over the central interior where a few light showers were expected.

• AirMISR: not on aircraft; being repaired
• CLS: Lidar worked properly, but navigation data not recorded
• LAS: worked well
• MAS: worked intermittently, recording data during four periods of the mission only (Inhaca Island, the southern part of the over water pass, the northeastern pass of Mozambique, and a small section of smoke-cloud interaction just south of the Malawi border
• MOPITT-A: worked well
• SHIS: operated in scanning mode; worked well
• SSFR: worked well
• RC-10: worked well