ACEPOL Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) Remotely Sensed Data (ACEPOL_AircraftRemoteSensing_RSP_Data) are remotely sensed measurements collected by the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) onboard the ER-2 during the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which is a valuable resource for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.

ACEPOL Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP) Remotely Sensed Data (ACEPOL_AircraftRemoteSensing_AirHARP_Data) are remotely sensed measurements collected by the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP) onboard the ER-2 during ACEPOL. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which is a valuable resource for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.

ACEPOL_AircraftRemoteSensing_AirSPEX_Data are remotely sensed measurements collected by the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) onboard the ER-2 during ACEPOL. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which make them valuable resources for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.

ACEPOL High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) Remotely Sensed Data (ACEPOL_AircraftRemoteSensing_HSRL2_Data) are remotely sensed measurements collected by the High-Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL-2) onboard the ER-2 during ACEPOL. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which make them valuable resources for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.

SEAC4RS_AircraftRemoteSensing_RSP_ER2_Data are remotely sensed data collected by the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) onboard the ER-2 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEA4CRS) airborne field study. Data collection for this product is complete. Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) airborne field study was conducted in August and September of 2013. The field operation was based in Houston, Texas. The primary SEAC4RS science objectives are: to determine how pollutant emissions are redistributed via deep convection throughout the troposphere; to determine the evolution of gases and aerosols in deep convective outflow and the implications for UT/LS chemistry; to identify the influences and feedbacks of aerosol particles from anthropogenic pollution and biomass burning on meteorology and climate through changes in the atmospheric heat budget (i.e., semi-direct effect) or through microphysical changes in clouds (i.e., indirect effects); and lastly, to serve as a calibration and validation test bed for future satellite instruments and missions. The airborne observational data were collected from three aircraft platforms: the NASA DC-8, ER-2, and SPEC LearJet. Both the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft were instrumented for comprehensive in-situ and remote sensing measurements of the trace gas, aerosol properties, and cloud properties. In addition, radiative fluxes and meteorological parameters were also recorded. The NASA DC-8 was mostly responsible for tropospheric sampling, while the NASA ER-2 was operating in the lower stratospheric regime. The SPEC LearJet was dedicated to in-situ cloud characterizations. To accomplish the science objectives, the flight plans were designed to investigate the influence of biomass burning and pollution, their temporal evolution, and ultimately, impacts on meteorological processes which can, in turn, feedback on regional air quality. With respect to meteorological feedbacks, the opportunity to examine the impact of polluting aerosols on cloud properties and dynamics was of particular interest.

DEVOTE_AircraftRemoteSensing_UC12_RSP_Data are remotely sensed data collected via the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) onboard the UC-12 aircraft as part of the Development and Evaluation of satellite Validation Tools by Experimenters (DEVOTE) sub-orbital project. Data collection is complete.The Development and Evaluation of satellite Validation Tools by Experimenters (DEVOTE) project investigated aerosols and clouds with the specific goals of satellite validation and the improvement of satellite data retrieval algorithms. Conducted in September and October 2011, DEVOTE scientists collected measurements of aerosols and cloud optical and microphysical properties using airborne sensors over ground sites and along satellite overpasses to demonstrate the use of airborne platforms in future scientific measurement campaigns. These measurements were used to validate and improve satellite data retrieval algorithms from missions including the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission and the Aerosol, Cloud, Ecosystems (ACE) Decadal Survey mission.DEVOTE scientists conducted eleven science flights based at the NASA Langley Research Center throughout the campaign. The flight plans were specifically designed to coordinate with CALIPSO satellite overpasses and to fly over the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground network sites. The DEVOTE sampling strategy required two aircraft dedicated to remote sensing and in-situ observations, which flew in coordinated flight patterns. This was implemented through use of the NASA UC-12 and the NASA B-200 airborne platforms. The UC-12 had the following remote sensing payload: the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) instruments. The B-200 had an in-situ payload including the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph), the Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH), and Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) instruments for aerosol microphysical and optical properties.DEVOTE was partly funded through the Hands-On Project Experience (HOPE) initiative. HOPE was a NASA development program designed to offer early career scientist opportunities to design, implement, and analyze small missions offering hands-on experience. Opportunities are increasingly limited for principal investigators, program managers, and system engineers to obtain mission life cycle training, and HOPE provides opportunities to those early on in their career or who are transitioning to a different field. Thus, DEVOTE had a focus on providing hands-on training in the mission life cycle to early career scientists in addition to its primary objective of using cloud and aerosol data collected from airborne sensors to validate and improve satellite data retrieval algorithms. Additionally, the information obtained from DEVOTE research was used to prepare for the implementation of ACE.

DEVOTE_AircraftRemoteSensing_UC12_RSP_Data are remotely sensed data collected via the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) onboard the UC-12 aircraft as part of the Development and Evaluation of satellite Validation Tools by Experimenters (DEVOTE) sub-orbital project. Data collection is complete. The Development and Evaluation of satellite Validation Tools by Experimenters (DEVOTE) project investigated aerosols and clouds with the specific goals of satellite validation and the improvement of satellite data retrieval algorithms. Conducted in September and October 2011, DEVOTE scientists collected measurements of aerosols and cloud optical and microphysical properties using airborne sensors over ground sites and along satellite overpasses to demonstrate the use of airborne platforms in future scientific measurement campaigns. These measurements were used to validate and improve satellite data retrieval algorithms from missions including the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission and the Aerosol, Cloud, Ecosystems (ACE) Decadal Survey mission. DEVOTE scientists conducted eleven science flights based at the NASA Langley Research Center throughout the campaign. The flight plans were specifically designed to coordinate with CALIPSO satellite overpasses and to fly over the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground network sites. The DEVOTE sampling strategy required two aircraft dedicated to remote sensing and in-situ observations, which flew in coordinated flight patterns. This was implemented through use of the NASA UC-12 and the NASA B-200 airborne platforms. The UC-12 had the following remote sensing payload: the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) instruments. The B-200 had an in-situ payload including the Polarized Imaging Nephelometer (PI-Neph), the Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH), and Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) instruments for aerosol microphysical and optical properties. DEVOTE was partly funded through the Hands-On Project Experience (HOPE) initiative. HOPE was a NASA development program designed to offer early career scientist opportunities to design, implement, and analyze small missions offering hands-on experience. Opportunities are increasingly limited for principal investigators, program managers, and system engineers to obtain mission life cycle training, and HOPE provides opportunities to those early on in their career or who are transitioning to a different field. Thus, DEVOTE had a focus on providing hands-on training in the mission life cycle to early career scientists in addition to its primary objective of using cloud and aerosol data collected from airborne sensors to validate and improve satellite data retrieval algorithms. Additionally, the information obtained from DEVOTE research was used to prepare for the implementation of ACE.

SEAC4RS_AircraftRemoteSensing_RSP_ER2_Data are remotely sensed data collected by the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) onboard the ER-2 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEA4CRS) airborne field study. Data collection for this product is complete.Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) airborne field study was conducted in August and September of 2013. The field operation was based in Houston, Texas. The primary SEAC4RS science objectives are: to determine how pollutant emissions are redistributed via deep convection throughout the troposphere; to determine the evolution of gases and aerosols in deep convective outflow and the implications for UT/LS chemistry; to identify the influences and feedbacks of aerosol particles from anthropogenic pollution and biomass burning on meteorology and climate through changes in the atmospheric heat budget (i.e., semi-direct effect) or through microphysical changes in clouds (i.e., indirect effects); and lastly, to serve as a calibration and validation test bed for future satellite instruments and missions.The airborne observational data were collected from three aircraft platforms: the NASA DC-8, ER-2, and SPEC LearJet. Both the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft were instrumented for comprehensive in-situ and remote sensing measurements of the trace gas, aerosol properties, and cloud properties. In addition, radiative fluxes and meteorological parameters were also recorded. The NASA DC-8 was mostly responsible for tropospheric sampling, while the NASA ER-2 was operating in the lower stratospheric regime. The SPEC LearJet was dedicated to in-situ cloud characterizations. To accomplish the science objectives, the flight plans were designed to investigate the influence of biomass burning and pollution, their temporal evolution, and ultimately, impacts on meteorological processes which can, in turn, feedback on regional air quality. With respect to meteorological feedbacks, the opportunity to examine the impact of polluting aerosols on cloud properties and dynamics was of particular interest.

ACEPOL Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) Remotely Sensed Data (ACEPOL_AircraftRemoteSensing_CPL_Data) are remotely sensed measurements collected by the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) onboard the ER-2 during ACEPOL. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which make them valuable resources for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.

ACEPOL_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_Data are in situ meteorological and navigational measurements collected onboard the ER-2 during ACEPOL. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of aerosols on climate and air quality, measurements of aerosol chemical composition, size distribution, height profile, and optical properties are of crucial importance. In terms of remotely sensed instrumentation, the most extensive set of aerosol properties can be obtained by combining passive multi-angle, multi-spectral measurements of intensity and polarization with active measurements performed by a High Spectral Resolution Lidar. During Fall 2017, the Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar (ACEPOL) campaign, jointly sponsored by NASA and the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), performed aerosol and cloud measurements over the United States from the NASA high altitude ER-2 aircraft. Six instruments were deployed on the aircraft. Four of these instruments were multi-angle polarimeters: the Airborne Hyper Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (AirHARP), the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI), the Airborne Spectrometer for Planetary Exploration (SPEX Airborne) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The other two instruments were lidars: the High Spectral Resolution Lidar 2 (HSRL-2) and the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The ACEPOL operation was based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale California, which enabled observations of a wide variety of scene types, including urban, desert, forest, coastal ocean and agricultural areas, with clear, cloudy, polluted and pristine atmospheric conditions. The primary goal of ACEPOL was to assess the capabilities of the different polarimeters for retrieval of aerosol and cloud microphysical and optical parameters, as well as their capabilities to derive aerosol layer height (near-UV polarimetry, O2 A-band). ACEPOL also focused on the development and evaluation of aerosol retrieval algorithms that combine data from both active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) instruments. ACEPOL data are appropriate for algorithm development and testing, instrument intercomparison, and investigations of active and passive instrument data fusion, which make them valuable resources for remote sensing communities as they prepare for the next generation of spaceborne MAP and lidar missions.