ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE
Science and Validation Workshop

13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID37: Calibration and Validation of EarthCARE Retrieved Products
Using Measurements from the UK Facility for Airborne AtmosphericMeasurements (FAAM)
Mroz K1 , Brindley H2 , Hogan R3 , Mason S3 , Stein T4, Westbrook C4
1National Centre for Earth Observation, 2Imperial College London, 3ECMWF, 4University of Reading

The FAAM Airborne Laboratory••••••

Based at Cranfield Airport at Cranfield University
Flying since January 2005
BAE-146-301 large research aircraftSpeed: 400-660 km/h
Altitude: from 30m over water(150m over land) to 10km (depending on payload)
FAAM is undergoing its mid-life upgrade - out of action from July 2024
until early 2025

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

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

The aircraft payload•••

The aircraft can carry up to 4
tonnes of scientific equipment
Meteorology: Temperature,Humidity, Pressure, Air motion,
CO2 and CH4 concentration
Remote sensing:Broadband Radiometers, Imaging Infrared Radiometer, ISMARInternational Sub-Millimetre Airborne Radiometer, Microwave Airborne
Radiometer Scanning System, Mini-Lidar

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

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

The aircraft payload• Cloud physics:
droplet counters, imaging probes
covering sizes from 3um to 6.5mm ,bulk ice and water content(Nevzorov & TWC probe)• Aerosol properties:
Particle Soot Absorption Photometer, Nephelometer, CloudCondensation Nuclei Counter, Condensation Particle Counter (0.03 to2.5um)
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

Mid-life upgrade (£49M)• Aerosol: AMS upgrade (higher res); aerosol lidar (upgrading downward
pointing, installing upward pointing); new aerosol inlets (allowing a larger
size range from 0.001 to 10 microns); potentially greater discrimination
on aerosol type from a couple of new spectrometers• Cloud: new Optical Array Probes - higher res. cloud particle data; new ice
microphysics measurement suite (not much detail on that).
• Radiation: UNIRAS (Far-mid infrared spectrometer), potentially areplacement for the SHIMS instrument (spectral hemispheric irradiancein the shortwave), possibly OSIRIS (14 channel radiometer, with polarizing
and angular capability, prototype of 3MI)ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

Objectives••••••

Collect measurements within clouds
At least 10 overpasses
Within 20 minutes of the EarthCARE trackat least 120 km long
prioritise runs beneath EarthCARE
Sample wide range of meteorologicalconditions
PCASP;• Piggyback on existing
CDP;
campaigns involving another CIP-15, CIP-100;
aircraft with radar onboard Nevzorov;CPR;
ATLID;MSI;
BBR

Broadband
radiometers

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

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

Conditions of particular interest• Continental aerosol – its properties derived primarily from ATLID• Broken cumulus and marine aerosol – drizzle free cumulus, low Z regime• Marine stratocumulus – CPR dominated by drizzle, ATLID penetrating
cloud tops
• Large-scale rain – evaluation of information content of Doppler data
• Snow above the melting layer – embedded supercooled layers causing
attenuation and affecting snow density – CPR Doppler sensitivity• Altocumulus – mixed phase cloud with supercooled layer on top• Cirrus – synergy of radar & lidar, consistency of forward models• Convective clouds – retrieval uncertainty in challenging conditions
ESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

Evaluation of the products
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Particle size distribution shape assumptions
Representative ice habits
Ice particles scattering properties assessment
Ice falling velocity parametrization
Large particle size regime (>1mm)
Distribution of the liquid cloud mass in the column (thickness/#layers)
Potential benefits of brightness temperature measurements assimilation

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

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM

Summary• The FAAM aircraft is a world-class research facility• The mid-life upgrade coincides with EarthCARE commissioning phase• The current proposal is to make opportunistic use of FAAM
• Potential 1-2 flights June 2024 from Cranfield, UK.
• Potential flights spring 2025 from UK and Ireland (to piggybackon CARES).
• Our team is open to explore options for using FAAM during an extended
campaign incorporating airborne system with EarthCARE equivalent
payloadESA-JAXA Pre-Launch EarthCARE Science and Validation Workshop | 13 – 17 November 2023 | ESA-ESRIN, Frascati (Rome), Italy

EVID37: EC product validation using FAAM