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Completed TRL 9 (started at 4, targeting 9)
We propose to develop and flight test new instruments to measure highly resolved in situ atmospheric aerosol optical spectra throughout the troposphere. New commercially available components (i.e., novel broadband light and 18-bit thermoelectrically cooled spectrometer) provide crucial improvements over currently implemented components, enabling the development of instrumentation suitable for airborne platforms. After completing this project, the LARGE team will have demonstrated new measurement capabilities that will benefit atmospheric science, improve calibration/validation for hyperspectral remote sensors, and enable more detailed atmospheric aerosol corrections for ocean color retrievals. We anticipate that the final choice for the SpEx-2 optical cell might delay our project as it may require custom fabrication by third parties, but we can use the large SpEx optical cell for the ground PACE-PAX deployment to demonstrate the newer components and data acquisition. Preliminary laboratory tests with prototype SALAD components indicate that we will be ready for the earliest flight opportunity in October 2023 (Eco-Demonstrator).
Upon project completion, we will deliver a flight-tested SALAD instrument and ground-tested SpEx-2 instrument. Operational SALAD and SpEx-2 instruments will be utilized to support relevant upcoming airborne deployments for the Tropospheric Composition Program (TCP, Lefer), Radiation Sciences Program (RSP, Maring), and FireSense programs (Falkowski). Failure to fund this project would result in missed near-term flight opportunities to test these novel solutions that have the promise of complementing and/or replacing aging existing technology. The spectral range and resolution of remote aerosol sensors have long outpaced comparable in situ atmospheric measurement capabilities, we aim to better align those approaches advancing science objectives and improving retrieval capabilities.
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