TC4 ER-2 Science Flight: Aug 5, 2007

*Flight Report*

**Flight Scientists:** S. Platnick, P. Newman

**Sortie:** 07-9027

**Pilot:** Dave Wright

**Takeoff (MROC)**: 1255 UTC (7:00 AM local)

**Landing (MROC)**: 1740 UTC (11:30 PM local)

**Duration**: 4.7

**Objectives:**

-   Obtain coordinated overflights of cirrus outflow with the WB-57 and
    DC-8 for microphysical retrievals and radiative closure.

**Satellite Coordination:**

Terra overpass of San Jose at 1600 UTC (see map below, courtesy M.
Nordeen et al.). IASI (MetOp) overpass at 1527 UTC.

![](media/image1.png){width="4.861111111111111in" height="3.6in"}

**Flight Plan Summary (see RTMM maps):**

All three aircraft took off 45 min early due to delays in getting the
WB-57 towed out of its hangar. The racetrack was moved to an east-west
orientation in the Panama Bight at about 6.5°N in order to catch outflow
cirrus from a convective core at about 79°W. The ER-2 joined the DC-8 on
the racetrack at about 1350 UTC. On the first leg the ER-2 extended its
line about 80 km beyond the DC-8 line in order to overfly the core,
however CPL/REVEAL data indicated that cirrus tops on the order of 15 km
decreased to 13-14 km over what was thought to be the core.

The ER-2 broke off from the racetrack at the northeast point at about
1615 UTC and turned to the northwest to overfly a cell that had been
active over the Azuero Penninsula of Panama (CPL/REVEAL indicated \~15
km max tops along that run). Then the ER-2 turned to the west to overfly
a cell off the coast of the Panamanian-Costa Rican border that was
associated with lightening (and associated with a line of convection off
the coast that had been active all morning); CPL/REVEAL indicated strong
returns at \~15.5 km over the cell). Then the ER-2 returned to San Jose.

![](media/image2.png){width="5.99375in" height="4.63125in"}

blue line: ER-2 flight track

red line: DC-8 flight track

GOES IR image

*Flight track w/time code courtesy of NASA Ames Airborne Science &
Technology Facility, R. Dominguez et al.*

![](media/image3.png){width="5.9944444444444445in"
height="4.635416666666667in"}

**Comments:**

Pilot reported turbulence towards end of flight coming off the western
edge of the cell that was off the coast of the Panamanian-Costa Rican
border (contained lightening and associated with a line of convection
off the coast that had been active all morning). The turbulence was due
to autopilot trying to follow a sudden increase in temperature (from
-68° to -62°). CPL/REVEAL indicated strong returns at \~15.5 km over the
cell. Temperatures elsewhere in the flight were -70° to -71°.

**MODIS Terra QuickLook Imagery**

MODIS Rapid Response (courtesy J. Schmaltz, GSFC): RGB = 0.87, 1.6, 2.1
µm

*White clouds indicate liquid water, strong coral/redish color clouds
indicate ice, slightly redish clouds might indicate larger water
droplets and/or ice particles and/or cirrus overlying water clouds.*

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="5.988888888888889in"
height="4.5472222222222225in"}

MODIS Cloud Product Quicklooks (courtesy K. Strabala, Wisconsin CIMSS):
Cloud Top Pressure.

![](media/image5.png){width="6.0in" height="4.666666666666667in"}

**Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) Quicklook**

CPL shows 14-15 km cirrus tops throughout the flight (courtesy B. Hart,
M. McGill GSFC).

![](media/image6.png){width="6.388888888888889in" height="5.725in"}

**ER-2 Science Instrument Payload and Status:**

+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| ##### Instrument                  | #      | ###### Notes           |
|                                   | #####  |                        |
|                                   | Status |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # CPL                             | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Cloud Physics Lidar               |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # CRS                             | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Cloud Radar System                |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # EDOP                            | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| ER-2 Doppler Radar                |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # AMPR                            | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Advanced Microwave Precipitation  |        |                        |
| Radiometer                        |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # CoSSIR                          | **G**  | In cross-track         |
|                                   |        | scanning mode          |
| Compact Scanning Sub-mm wave      |        |                        |
| Imaging Radiometer                |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # MASTER                          | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| # MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator  |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| **S-HIS**                         | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Scanning High Resolution          |        |                        |
| Interferometer                    |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| **IR Radiometer**                 | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Broadband flux radiometer         |        |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| (nadir & zenith)                  |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| **SSFR**                          | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| ##                                |        |                        |
| ## Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer |        |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| #### (nadir & zenith)             |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| **MVIS**                          | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| video camera                      |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+
| # MTP                             | **G**  |                        |
|                                   |        |                        |
| Microwave Temperature Profiler    |        |                        |
+-----------------------------------+--------+------------------------+

## G = good; P = partial data collected; F = failure, no data