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Community Airborne Platform Remote-sensing Suite (CAPRIS)

5th International Conference on Mesoscale Meteorology and Typhoon

Boulder, CO2 November 2006

Jim Moore, Wen Chow Lee, Eric Low, VivekShane Mayor, Scott Spuler

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Community Airborne Platform Remote-sensing Suite (CAPRIS)

Improve scientific understanding of the biosphere…

Observational needs of broad scientific communities in climate, atmospheric chemistry, physical meteorology, mesoscale meteorology, biogeochemistry, larger scale dynamics, oceanography and land surface processes

Long Term View of EOL Facilities

A replacement for ELDORA airborne Doppler radar Upgrade C-130 to state-of-the-art airborne platform and

infrastructure Fill NCAR G-V remote sensing instrumentation gaps on cloud

microphysics, water vapor, ozone and clear air winds Commitment to phased-array technology, and eye-safe lidars Optional comprehensive ground-based instrument suite

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Motivation for CAPRISData assimilation, validation and developing and testing

parameterization schemes

Community models - WRF, WACCSM and MOZART

Validation of measurements from spaceborne platforms

CloudSat, GPM Improve our ability to understand and predict atmospheric and

surface processes

Project climate change High impact weather Foresee components of atmospheric chemistry and

biogeochemistry that affect society Land surface processes

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Potential Scientific Advancements: Weather

•Describe precipitation process from water vapor transport to quantitative precipitation estimate

•Understand factors that control hurricane intensity change

•Characterize convective initiation and transformation of fair weather cumuli into deep convection

Potential Scientific Advancements: Chemistry

•Transport of ozone and water between troposphere and stratosphere e.g., Doppler LIDAR, forward pointing WV observation

•Impact of convection on chemical composition of UTLS region e.g. DC3

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• Observe radiation effect due to deep convective clouds and cirrus ice clouds

• Validate satellite-based products (CloudSat, GPM)

Potential Scientific Advancements: PBL studies

• Resolve spatial variation of turbulent fluctuations of water vapor and ozone

• Measure entrainment rate of air from free atmosphere into the PBL

Potential Scientific Advancements: Biogeosciences

• Resolve PBL constituent fluxes (e.g. CO2, O3, water vapor)

• Examine scales of land surface processes (e.g. in hydrology) and biomass

Potential Scientific Advancements: Climate

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Instrument SciencePolarimetric airborne centimeter Doppler Radar – C, X bands

Hurricane, severe storms, Convection initiation, tropical meteorology. Kinematics and microphysical processes.

Pod based dual-wavelength, dual-polarization, millimeter wave Doppler radar – W, Ka Bands

Cloud and drizzle microphysics, ice microphysics, and cloud radiation properties

H2O Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), O3 DIAL, Doppler Wind Lidar (UTLS and PBL systems) CO2 DIAL, Vegetation Canopy Lidar

Climate change, fluxes and transport of water vapor, ozone, and pollutants from boundary layer to UTLS, gravity waves

CAPRIS Instruments and Science

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CAPRIS Radar Design Considerations

• Develop an airborne and ground-based suite of remote sensors. Integrate phased-array technology and eye-safe lidar technology

• Reduce X-band radar beam attenuation common to all existing airborne Doppler radars. Add microphysical characterization of the hydrometeors.

• Aim for compact design to install on multiple aircraft, including other C-130s and G-V (global sampling). HALO?

• Integrate multi-sensor approach on a single research platform in conjunction with in situ sensors.

• Pursue a modular design approach which allows PIs to pick and choose the optimum combination of remote sensing instruments.

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CAPRIS ConfigurationsCM-Radar• Four active element

scanning array (AESA) conformal antennas

– C band side-looking– X band top, bottom

looking• Dual Doppler • 4 x resolution due to

simultaneous fore and aft beams from all four antennas

• Dual polarization H,V linear

X-B

and

For

eX-B

and Aft

C-Band ForeC-Band Aft

MM-Radar• Dual polarization H,V linear• Dual wavelength• Pod-based scanning• Doppler

UV O3 DIAL/Clear air wind• 0.24-0.30 μm; 0.28-0.30 μm• 5 km range, 100 m for DIAL• 25 km range and 250 m for wind• Molecular scattering• Conical scanning

H2O DIAL/Aerosol• 1.45 µm, eye safe• 4.4 km range, 300 m

resolution• Up, down, or side

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CAPRIS Configurations -- Airborne

CM-Radar• Four active element scanning array

(AESA) conformal antennas– C band side-looking– X band top, bottom looking

• Dual Doppler (V, σv)• 4 x resolution of current system due

to simultaneous fore and aft beams from all four antennas

• Dual polarization H,V linear– ZH, ZDR, KDP, LDR, RHOHV

MM-Radar• Dual polarization H,V linear

– ZH, ZDR, KDP, LDR, RHOHV

• Dual wavelength (W,Ka)• Pod-based scanning• Doppler (V, σv)

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Lower X-band

Upper X-band

Starboard C-band

Port C-band

W, Ka band Pod

C-130 front view

Possible CAPRIS Radar Positions on C-130

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CAPRIS Configurations – Ground BasedCM-Radar• Re-package airborne system into

two rapidly scanning mobile truck-based Radars: X and C bands

– Re-configure both C band AESA’s into single flat aperture (for improved sensitivity and beamwidth) to be mechanically scanned in azimuth

– Configure X-band similarly

• Dual polarization H,V linear• Form multiple receive beams (3-5)

for higher tilts

MM-Radar• Re-package pod based radar into

compact seatainer• Mobile, truck-based or shipped w/o

truck• Mechanically scanned, azimuth and

elevation• Dual wavelength (W and Ka)• Dual polarization

Rapid DOW; Courtesy CSWR

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Examples of Combined Measurements

Murphey et al. (2006)

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Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment

O3, aerosols affect radiative

forcing

Air pollutants vented from PBL

Pollutants rained out

• From Mary Barth and Chris Cantrell’s DC3 report

X-B

and

For

eX-B

and Aft

C-Band ForeC-Band Aft

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We are gathering specifications for the following 6 lidars:

1. Water vapor DIAL (aerosol backscatter)2. Ozone DIAL (aerosol backscatter)3. UV Rayleigh Doppler (UT/LS winds)4. IR Heterodyne Doppler (PBL winds)5. Carbon Dioxide DIAL6. Vegetation Canopy Lidar

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Water VaporCAPRIS Priority: Range-resolved profiles (vertical & horizontal) of water vapor over the widest range of climates and altitudes. Versatility requires eye-safety. Suggested approach: tunability 1450 – 1500 nm.

Above: Water vapor absorption band heads and eye-safety.Courtesy: Scott Spuler, NCAR EOL

Above: water vapor mixing ratio below DLR Falcon.From 940 nm H2O DIAL in 2002 IHOP. Courtesy: C. Kiemle, DLR

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OzoneCAPRIS Priority: Range-resolved vertical profiles of ozone over a wide range of environments and altitudes (e.g. urban air quality and UT/LS studies). Suggested approach: Tunability 260 - 310 nm

34”56”

48”

Photos provided by Mike Hardesty & Chris Senff, NOAA

Tuningrange

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UT/LS Winds

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Speed (m/s)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

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Alti

tude

(km

)

SondeLidar (1km)Lidar (0.18 km)Atten. Lidar (0.18km)

0 60 120 180 240 300 360

Direction (deg)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Alti

tude

(km

)

SondeLidar (1km)Lidar (0.18 km)Atten. Lidar (0.18km)

CAPRIS Priority: Range-resolved profiles (vertical) of horizontal and vertical velocities above and below aircraft in “Aerosol-free” regions of the UT/LS. Suggested approach: UV direct-detection and VAD scans from rotating holographic optical element.

Diagrams and data provided by Bruce Gentry, NASA Goddard

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IR Heterodyne DopplerCAPRIS Priority: high-resolution, eddy-resolving, velocities in the aerosol-rich lower troposphere. Suggested method: Heterodyne Doppler lidar at 1.5 or 2.0 microns.

Data example courtesy Mike Hardesty, NOAA HRDL on DLR Falcon during I-HOP

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CO2 DIALCAPRIS Priority: Coarse resolution vertical profiles of CO2. Resolution: 10-minute, 500 m, 1 ppm in 340 ppm background. Suggested method: DIAL at 1.6 or 2.0 microns. 0.3% accuracy required. Extremely difficult.

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Vegetation Canopy Lidar• Goal: Estimate biomass,

canopy structure, and roughness

• Large surface foot-print

• Very high-speed (GHz) digitizers to resolve distribution of canopy matter (foliage, trunks, branches, twigs, etc.)

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UV O3 DIAL/Clear air wind

• Housed in standard 20’ seatainer for ease of portability

• Both instruments share BSU and aperture

H2O DIAL/Aerosol• Housed in standard 20’ seatainer for ease of portability• Full hemispherical coverage via beam steering unit (BSU)• Larger telescope for increased sensitivity

Potential CAPRIS Lidar Ground Based Deployment

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Summary• CAPRIS will meet observational needs of several different scientific

disciplines to help address key scientific questions.

• Will fill the gap in current NCAR Aircraft instrumentation

• All of the instruments will be built so that they are suitable for both airborne and ground-based deployment

• Modular approach– Configure airborne platform for interdisciplinary research

• Will modernize Lower Atmosphere Observing Facility remote sensors using the proven technology (phased array, polarization diversity and eye-safe Lidar technology)

• No instrument suite currently exists on an airborne platform that can tackle the wide range of atmospheric problems outlined here

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Assistance from our Community

•A unique opportunity to advise in the development of a diverse instrument suite

•Comments on the concept and design

•Recommend individuals/groups to contact

•Provide critical review of Prospectus draft

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Questions and Comments

For further information, contact:Jim Moore (jmoore@ucar.edu)

Visit the website:http://www.eol.ucar.edu/development/capris/