Field Experiments
SSEC has a long history of participation in earth science field experiments, including environmental satellite, aircraft, and groundbased field campaigns. The primary focus of our efforts in the following field experiments fall under three areas:
- Assess the accuracies of current/new meteorological in situ/remote sensing technologies
- Evaluation of potential environmental satellite instrumentation on aircraft platforms
- Validation and calibration of current research and operational satellites
- Development and improvement of tools for paleoclimatic and geophysical research
These efforts focus on both the science and the engineering that are involved. The results of our scientific work in these field experiments provide information and insight into weather, climate, and other aspects of Earth's global environment. The corresponding instrument development that is involved in many of these field experiments improves our measuring capability, thereby advancing our understanding of our environment and creating new opportunities for scientific exploration through new instrument technology.
Field Experiment Lists:
Atmospheric and Earth Science Field Experiments
Dotted underlines indicate abbreviations and acroymns that you can see definitions for by hovering your cursor over the underlined text| Date | Experiment | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | JAIVEx | Texas, US | The Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment is an international calibration / validation campaign in support of the NPOESS and MetOp series of operational satellites. |
| NASA TC4 | San Jose, Costa Rica | To investigate the structure, properties and processes in the tropical Eastern Pacific. | |
| 2006 | GIFTS EDU | Utah, US | |
| WVSS-II Validation | Kentucky, US | Deployment of AERIbago instrument suite to validate new water vapor laser diode sensors mounted on UPS aircraft | |
| 2005 | TROPEX | North Atlantic ocean | To obtain special data sets of GOES RS AMV to assimilate and test for improvements in the Navy NOGAPS model tropical cyclone forecasts during the 2005 and 2006 North Atlantic seasons, and to conduct predictability, targeting, and data assimilation research. |
| TAMDAR Validation | Tennessee, US | Deployment of AERIbago instrument suite to validate new water vapor sensors mounted on Mesaba airline SAAB 340 aircraft | |
| TCSP | Costa Rica | Study of the dynamics and thermodynamics of precipitating cloud systems, including tropical cyclones using NASA-funded aircraft and surface remote sensing instrumentation. | |
| WVSS-II Validation | Kentucky, US | Deployment of AERIbago instrument suite to validate new water vapor laser diode sensors mounted on UPS aircraft | |
| AVE 2005 | Texas, US | Validation campaign for the Aura satellite. | |
| 2004 | S-HIS Tahoe | California, US | Assess Terra MODIS thermal infrared L1B radiometric performance |
| INTEX 2004 | |||
| ADRIEX 2004 | Italy | Study optical and physical properties of anthropogenic aerosol pollution; investigate the consistency between measured/modelled radiances from a variety of platforms; and determine the direct radiative forcing of anthropogenic tropospheric aerosols and gases | |
| EAQUATE 2004 | Italy and UK | Study the atmosphere using aircraft and ground based instruments, demonstrating the benefit of these measurements in validating hyperspectral satellite sounding observations. | |
| MPACE 2004 | Alaska, US | Advance our understanding of the dynamical and processes in mixed-phase arctic clouds, including cloud microphysical processes and radiative transfer through these clouds. | |
| AVE 2004 | Texas, US | Validation campaign for the Aura satellite. | |
| 2003 | THORPEX | Hawaii, US | Improvements in short range (up to 3 days), medium range (3-7 days) and extended range (two week) weather predictions |
| GWINDEX-3 | Eastern North Pacific Ocean/West Coast North America | To demonstrate improved quantity and quality of cloud-motion winds using 7.5 minute rapid-scan visible and infrared imagery from GOES-10. Part of the PACJET and THORPEX experiments. | |
| ATReC | NE US / NE Canada | Improvements in short range (up to 3 days), medium range (3-7 days) and extended range (two week) weather predictions. Part of the THORPEX experiment. | |
| 2002 | CRYSTAL-FACE | Florida, US | Improvement in quantitative precipitation, convective initiation, and atmospheric boundary layer prediction through measurement of 4-D water vapor fields |
| IHOP | Oklahoma / Kansas, US | Improvement in quantitative precipitation, convective initiation, and atmospheric boundary layer prediction through measurement of 4-D water vapor fields | |
| Texas 2002 | Texas, US | To assess MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) L1B and science products from the Terra and Aqua satellites | |
| GWINDEX-2 | Eastern North Pacific Ocean/West Coast North America | Satellite Weather Products for North Pacific Field Experiment. Part of the PACJET and THORPEX experiments. | |
| 2001 | GRACE (CAMEX-4) |
Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and east coast of the US | Satellite rapid scan wind products in support of CAMEX-4 |
| TX 2001 | Texas, US | EOS Terra Satellite Validation | |
| GWINDEX | Eastern North Pacific Ocean/West Coast North America | Satellite Weather Products for North Pacific Field Experiment. Part of the PACJET and THORPEX experiments. | |
| AFWEX | Oklahoma, US | Validation of Upper Level Tropospheric Water Vapor Measurements | |
| WVIOP 2000 | Oklahoma, US | Understand Accuracies and Limitations of Atmospheric Water Vapor Measurements | |
| SHIS Safari | South Africa | EOS Terra Satellite Validation | |
| 2000 | WISC-T2000 | Wisconsin | EOS Terra Satellite Validation |
| 1999 | KWAJEX | Kwajalein Island, South Pacific | TRMM Satellite Validation with SHIS |
| WINTEX | Wisconsin, US | Advanced Satellite Sounder Instrument Evaluation | |
| WSRP | North Pacific | Satellite Weather Products for North Pacific Field Experiment | |
| 1998 | CAMEX-3 | Andros Island, Bahamas | Hurricane field study |
| FIRE-ACE | Alaska, US | Study Role Arctic Clouds on Radiation Budget | |
| CALJET/NORPEX 98 | North Pacific | Satellite Weather Products for North Pacific Field Experiment | |
| 1997 | WVIOP 97 | Oklahoma , US | Understand Accuracies and Limitations of Atmospheric Water Vapor Measurements |
| FASTEX | Northern Atlantic | GOES Satellite Information Used For Prediction of Atlantic Storms | |
| WINCE | Wisconsin, US | Winter Cloud Study | |
| 1996 | WVIOP 96 | Oklahoma, US | Understand Accuracies and Limitations of Atmospheric Water Vapor Measurements |
| SUCCESS | Oklahoma/Kansas, US | Aircraft Contrail Cirrus Study | |
| 1995 | FROST | Antarctica | Study the meteorology of Antarctica; determine the strengths and weaknesses of operational forecasts over Antarctica and surrounding areas; assess the value of new forms of satellite data |
Paleoclimatic and Geophysical Science Field Experiments
| Date | Experiment | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ICDS / Eclipse Drills | Summit, Greenland | Evaluation and improvement of Eclipse drills for collecting ice cores |
| 2001-2003 | ICDS / SPRESSO | South Pole, Antarctica | Development of hole reamers for emplacement of in-ice seismometers |
| 2001-2002 | ICDS / RAM Drill | McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica | Development of new rapid-air-movement drill for fast production of deep seismic shot holes |
