MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS)

After climbing to altitude, the ER-2 proceeded to waypoint A (25° 05´ N, 82° 13´ W) and flew over the western ground site en route to the NE towards waypoint B (26° 41´ N, 80° 26´ W) and beyond to the Atlantic coast. NPOL re-directed the ER-2 into a number of shortened flight lines oriented roughly SW-NE parallel to the A-B track but to the south over the Everglades. These tracks coincided with a convective cloud complex overflown by TRMM at 2013 UTC. One dropsonde was pickled into cirrus over the western Atlantic at 27° 20´ N, 79° 46´ W at 1811 UTC to support Proteus overflights of a flight track at the time of the AQUA overpass (1834 UTC). Four additional dropsondes were released over the Gulf of Mexico.

At 1700 UT strong NE flow @ 100-200 hPa was moving blow-off from Atlantic convection into Florida along a 100 nm stretch centered on Palm Beach. Convection in the Miami region decreased over the period from 1700-1830 as the ER-2 flew the AQUA satellite track from the SW to the NE. At 1930, a 50 nm long line of convection developed that was oriented roughly SW to NE cutting across the Tamiami Trail. This convection built over the period 1830 to 2030. The cirrus blow off from this system was then carried approximately westward.

AQUA Overpass @ 1834 (UTC); VZA = 14.72° (relative to ER-2 track)
TERRA Overpass @ 1704 (UTC); VZA = 67.86° (relative to ER-2 track))
TRMM Overpass @ 2013 (UTC); VZA = 5.62°, Heading = 63.6° (relative to ER-2 track))

Western Site: PARSL, Everglades National Park, Gulf Coast Visitor's Center
Location: 25° 50.0´ N , 81° 23.´4 W (25.83°, -81.39°)

Eastern Site: Kendall-Tamiami Airport
Location: 25° 39.3´ N, 80° 25.9´ W (25.66°, -80.43°)

• CoSSIR: Failed after 5 minutes.
• CPL: Operated; Failure of 1.064µm perpendicular polarization.
• CRS: Operated; good data.
• EDOP: Operated; good data.
• JLH: Operated; good data.
• MAS: Operated; good data.
• MMS: Operated; good data.
• MTP: Operated; good data.
• RAMS: Operated; good data.
• SSFR: Operated; good data.
• Vaisala Dropsonde: 5 dropped; good data
  
  

• Takeoff times (UTC): WB-57 (1400), Proteus (1215), Citation (1430), Twin Otter (1100), P-3B (1200)
• WB-57: In situ sampling along the southwest-northeast flight line underneath the ER-2 between 1845 and 2000 UTC, and again between 2013 and 2200 during the TRMM overpass, region, as adjusted by NPOL.
• Proteus: Remote sensing observations along east-west flight line just south of the western ground site, at an altitude of 10 km after the AQUA overpass that they underflew along the east coast of Florida.
• Citation: In situ sampling in lower regions of anvil over the western ground site and underneath the ER-2 and WB-57F between 1900 and 2200 UTC, primarily at 10 km altitude.
• Twin Otter: Low altitude observations along east-west flight line and TRMM overpass regions just south of the western ground site, at an altitude of ~4 km between 2000 and 2245 UTC.