MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS)

Objective and Summary:

• Fly repeated ground tracks of 261km in length over and near the SHEBA ice station (76°27.96';N, 167°30.1'W) and nearby sea ice of the Chukchi Sea. The bulk of the flight tracks over the Chukchi Sea were cloudy, with thick cirrus between 4-10km with underlying Arctic stratus on some occasions.

Coordinations:

• F-14 satellite (2146 UTC)
• NOAA-14 satellite (2219 UTC)

Key Flight Legs:

• After overflying the ARM site at point 1 (71°19.37'N, 156°34.9'W), the ER-2 flew a NW flight line from point 2 (75°37'N, 164°00'W) to point 3 (77°20'N, 168°00'W), then reversed course. The aircraft then flew a parallel track displaced 40km to the West with two round trip flight legs, between point 4 (75°27'N, 165°15'W) and point 6 (77°30'N, 170°10'W), overflying the SHEBA ice station (point 5). Each flight leg was 261km in length, all parallel, and on a heading of 330°/150°. Finally, the ER-2 flew a third flight line displaced 40km further West between point 7 (75°16'N, 166°30'W) and point 8 (77°20'N, 171°35'W). The return leg overflew the ARM site en route back to Ft. Wainright.
• The AirMISR was turned on for 8 acquisitions over the Barrow ARM site and flight legs in the vicinity of SHEBA, including acquisitions when the sun was in the plane of the ground track, and when the NOAA-14 and F-14 satellites passed over the area. The AirMISR operated at the following times with notes of observed clouds as seen by the instrument:
  • 2003.25-2019.25 (ARM–broken cirrus)
  • 2052-2053.5 UTC (eastern line)
  • 2116-2131 UTC (eastern line)
  • 2138.75-2154 UTC (SHEBA, F-14, central line; broken cloud)
  • 2207-2222 UTC (SHEBA, NOAA-14, central line)
  • 2232-2247 UTC (western line)
  • 2259.75-2315 UTC (western line)
  • 2352.75-0008 (ARM)

Pilot Report:

• The ER-2 pilot reported thick cirrus clouds over the ice up to the Northern extent of the flight lines at 77°N, where the clouds started to break up. The Brooks Range had thin to moderately thick cirrus over it on the way out and thin cirrus with some underlying altostratus on the return leg to Fairbanks.

Meteorology:

• Cirrus moved over the ice camp during the morning. Lower stratus occurred over the camp during the previous evening. Both cirrus and stratus were highly broken and covered the camp throughout the mission. Winds at the surface were 13kts from the Southeast and temperatures dropped from Monday's high of -2°C to -4°C during the night.
• The surface high-pressure system East of the camp was moving slowly to the East. The upper air ridge that kept the cloud cover away from the camp on Sunday was moving slightly to the East. Upper level winds and clouds were from the South.

Instrument Status:

• AirMISR (Airborne Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer): The scenes 1 & 2 failed, but all remaining scenes collected all 9 look angles
• AMPR (Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer): Worked well
• CLS (Cloud Lidar System): Worked well
• HIS (High-resolution Interferometer Sounder): Worked well
• MAS (MODIS Airborne Simulator): Worked well
• MIR (Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer): Worked well
• SSFR (Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer): Worked well