The BOREAS RSS-18 team collected ground-based sunphotometer data in support of AVIRIS remote sensing activities at the SSA. The following information was compiled by staff members of the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Information System (BORIS) as part of their data documentation efforts.

The BOREAS RSS-11 team operated a network of five automated (Cimel) and two hand-held (Miami) solar radiometers from 1994 to 1996 during the BOREAS field campaigns. The data provide aerosol optical depth measurements, size distribution, phase function, and column water vapor amounts over points in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The data are useful for the correction of remotely sensed aircraft and satellite images. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files.

The BOREAS RSS-12 team collected both ground and airborne sunphotometer measurements for use in characterizing the aerosol optical properties of the atmosphere during the BOREAS data collection activities. These measurements are to be used to: 1) measure the magnitude and variability of the aerosol optical depth in both time and space; 2) determine the optical properties of the boreal aerosols; and 3) atmospherically correct some remotely sensed data acquired during BOREAS. These data cover selected days and times from May to September 1994 and were taken from one of two ground sites near Candle Lake in the SSA. The data described in this document are from the field sunphotometer data.

The BOREAS RSS-12 team collected both ground and airborne sunphotometer measurements for use in characterizing the aerosol optical properties of the atmosphere during the BOREAS data collection activities. These measurements are to be used to: 1) measure the magnitude and variability of the aerosol optical depth in both time and space; 2) determine the optical properties of the boreal aerosols; and 3) atmospherically correct remotely sensed data acquired during BOREAS. This data set contains airborne tracking sunphotometer data that were acquired from the C-130 aircraft during its flights over the BOREAS study areas. The data cover selected days and times from May to September 1994.

Contains the data collected in 1994 by the AMS suite A instrument set operated by SRC and provided to BORIS.

Contains the data collected in 1996 by the AMS suite A instrument set operated by SRC and provided to BORIS.

The BOREAS RSS-03 team collected and processed helicopter-based measurements of atmospheric conditions to estimates of aerosol optical thickness and atmospheric water vapor. The automatic sun-tracking photometer for helicopters was deployed during all three IFC's of 1994 at numerous tower and auxiliary sites in both the NSA and SSA. Seven spectral channels (440, 540, 613, 670, 870 and 1030 am) were chosen to span the visible and NIR wavelengths and to avoid gaseous absorption. One additional channel, 940 nm, was selected to measure the water column abundance above the helicopter platform.

The BOREAS RSS-16 team used satellite and aircraft SAR data in conjunction with various ground measurements to determine the moisture regime of the boreal forest. RSS-16 assisted with the acquisition and ordering of NASA JPL AIRSAR data collected from the NASA DC-8 aircraft. The NASA JPL AIRSAR is a side-looking imaging radar system that utilizes the SAR principle to obtain high-resolution images that represent the radar backscatter of the imaged surface at different frequencies and polarizations. The information contained in each pixel of the AIRSAR data represents the radar backscatter for all possible combinations of horizontal and vertical transmit and receive polarizations (i.e., HH, HV, VH, and VV). Geographically, the data cover portions of the BOREAS SSA and NSA. Temporally, the data were acquired from 12-Aug-1993 to 31-Jul-1995. The level-3b AIRSAR CM data are in compressed Stokes matrix format, which has 10 bytes per pixel. From this data format, it is possible to synthesize a number of different radar backscatter measurements. The data are stored in binary image-format files.

As part of the BOREAS Follow-on, an extended period of data collection was supported in the NSA because of the continued efforts at the NSA-OBS site. This data set contains near-surface meteorological data collected and averaged over 15 minute intervals from two sites in the NSA, the SRC tower at the Thompson airport (YTH) and a temporary walkup wooden tower at the Old Black Spruce (OBS) tower site.

Satellite and aircraft SAR data used in conjunction with various ground measurements to determine the moisture regime of the boreal forest. The NASA JPL AIRSAR is a side-looking imaging radar system that utilizes the SAR principle to obtain high-resolution images that represent the radar backscatter of the imaged surface at different frequencies and polarizations. The information contained in each pixel of the AIRSAR data represents the radar backscatter for all possible combinations of horizontal and vertical transmit and receive polarizations (i.e., HH, HV, VH, and VV).