Flight Summary Report
Author: Dr. Michael King
Mission Scientist: Dr. Michael King
ER-2 Pilot: Jan Nystrom
Takeoff: 2010 (UTC)
Landing: 0140 (UTC)
Duration: 5:30 (h:mm)
Objective and Summary:
- Overfly the ARM site and open water West of Barrow, flying roughly parallel to
the coast, then continue on to SHEBA (76°31.5'N, 167°56.03'W) and fly two
ground tracks of 260km in length with North-South heading.
- Overfly SHEBA (76°31.5'N, 167°56.03'W) and fly two ground tracks of 260km in
length with North-South heading.
- Return flight flown parallel to NOAA-14 ground track (heading 327.54°).
Coordinations:
- F-14 satellite (2112 UTC)
- NOAA-14 satellite (2349 UTC)
Key Flight Legs:
- The ER-2 take-off was delayed by 70 minutes in order to match the NOAA-14
overpass time on the return leg.
- After overflying the ARM site at point 1 (71°19.37'N, 156°34.9'W), the ER-2
flew a SW flight line off shore and paralleling the coast to a location of
about 70°N, 163°W. The aircraft then flew Northward to point 2 (75°00'N,
167°56.03'W) to begin two North-South overpasses over the SHEBA ice station
(point 2 to point 3 and back to point 2). Each flight leg was 260km in length.
After returning to point 2, the aircraft flew a 380km leg at a heading of
327.54° to parallel the NOAA-14 flight track. The return leg overflew the ARM
site enroute back to Ft. Wainwright.
- The AirMISR was turned on for 6 acquisitions: over the ARM site, on the coastal
flight leg, twice over SHEBA, on the NOAA-flight leg, and once again over the
ARM site on the return. The AirMISR operated at the following times with pilot
notes regarding observed clouds:
- 2112-2135 (ARM site - low thin scattered clouds)
- 2137-2146 UTC (Coastal leg - scattered broken)
- 2250-2259 UTC (SHEBA - overcast multiple layers)
- 2311-2320 UTC (SHEBA - overcast)
- 2345-2354 UTC (NOAA-14 - broken clouds)
- 0010-0019 UTC (ARM - overcast)
Pilot Report:
- The ER-2 pilot reported broken clouds over the coastal leg with some clear sky
to the Western end of the leg, and possibly to the beginning of the leg.
Multilayer clouds were reported during the SHEBA overpass.
Meteorology:
- The ship reported freezing rain, cloud layers at 2-3.5 and 4.5-5.5km, with some
cirrus at 9km. Winds at the surface were 20 kts from the East with a surface
temperature of -5C. The surface high pressure system moved East near the
Canadian Islands. The upper air ridge over the Beaufort Sea weakened slightly,
but is still minimizing cloud cover in the Beaufort Sea. Surface and upper
level winds were forecast to be Southerly at both Barrow and SHEBA.
Instrument Status:
- AirMISR (Airborne Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer): runs 1-4 collected all 9 look angles, run 5 data gathered at all angles but only three (+70.5, + 60, +45.6) with correct angles, run 6 failed
- 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
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