ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE
Science and Validation Workshop
13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

PERCUSION (former EC-TOOC)
Airborne EarthCARE-like payload for preparation and validation
Silke Groß1, Florian Ewald1, Martin Wirth1, Sabrina Zechlau2, Julien Delanoë3, Lutz Hirsch4,Bernhard Mayer2, Bjorn Stevens4
1DLR, 2LMU, 3Latmos, 4MPI

Airborne platform: HALO (German)

Combined active and passive
remote sensing measurements
Instrumentation:

Vertical structure and horizontal
distribution of aerosols and clouds(+ turbulence and humidity)

HSRL-Lidar (WALES) + WV DIAL
Cloud-Profiling Radar (MIRA35)
Hyper-Spectral Imager (specMACS) / VELOX
Microwave Radiometer (HAMP)ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Target classification mask and aerosol typing

Ceccaldi et al., 2013; Marinou et al., 2019
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Groß et al., 2013, 2015

Synergistic retrieval

Cazenave et al., 2019; Aubry et al., in preparation

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Ewald et al., 2021

Closure study
Radar-Lidar vs. specMACS – 1 October 2016

Good agreement of simulated and measured
spectral radiance at 1900 nm
Ewald et al., 2021
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Validation strategy
Campaign period – August to November 2024

Campaign locations▪ Germany: Dedicated validation flights▪ Barbados: ITCZ, Trades▪ Cape Verde: ITCZ, Trades
Campaign duration:
9 weeks of active measurements▪ ~246 flight hours (incl. transfer)▪ ~ 5-6 flights / 50 flight hours fromOberpaffenhofen (5-6 underpasses)▪ ~ 10 flights / 100 flight hours from Barbados(8-10 underpasses)▪ ~ 10 flights / 96 flight hours from Cape
Verde (9-10 underpasses)
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Measurement strategy

Co-located measurements(HSRL at 532 nm / CPR at 35 GHz)
+specmacs(HSRL at 355 nm / CPR at 95 GHz)
In-situ

Evaluation of EarthCARE data products

Coordinated measurement:▪ Possibility of coordinated flights with ATR42 (radar+ lidar + in-situ) and/or additional in-situ aircraft
measurements▪ Coordination with ground-based (mobile) sites is
aspired (e.g. Mindelo, TROPOS; Barbados, MPI-M;
Antikythera; NOA)
▪ Ship-borne measurement on METEOR
Measurement strategy:▪ Dedicated (coordinated) underflights with systems
at different wavelengths, resolution and sensitivity▪ Overpasses over ground-based stations▪ Characterization of the general situation

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Coordinated flights with ATR42 (French) – MAESTRO
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RASTA looking up and down 6 antennas (Doppler W-band)
HRSL LNG new generation (new laser, new acquisition) 2 pointing directions
Sideward looking W-band Doppler radar (BASTAir)
Sideward looking 355 raman (aWALI) or 355 nm backscatter lidar (ALiAS)
Large in-situ payload→ See MORECALVAL – Julien DelanoëESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Validation of synergistic retrieval
Example: Combined HALO, SAFIR and FAAM BAe146 flight

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Validation strategy in tropics / sub-tropics▪ It is planned to have co-locatedflights with French ATR out of Cape
Verde. (MORECALVAL – J. Delanoë)→ ATR will be equipped with radarlidar + in-situ payload▪ Measurements will be supported by
shipborne measurements (BOWTIE –Julia Windmiller)→ Each flight will incorporate an
EarthCARE underflight

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

Summary▪ EarthCARE-like measurements on HALO over sub-tropical/tropical North-Atlantic Ocean (Cape Verde and Barbados) andout of Oberpfaffenhofen in summer/fall 2024
Sub-tropics/Tropics:▪ Co-located flights with French ATR equipped with radar-lidar + in-situ payload out of Cape Verde▪ Supported by shipborne measurements▪ Ground-based measurements in Mindelo (TROPOS) and Barbados (MPI-M)
Europe:▪ Dedicated validation flights▪ Overpasses over ground stations (e.g. ACROSS – Antikythera; Vassilis Amiridis / Eleni Marinou)▪ Characterization of general measurement situation

ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy