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Artist's concept of ACRIMSAT in orbit

Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIMSAT)

The purpose of the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor III (ACRIM III) instrument is to study total solar irradiance, which is the sun's combined energy output at all wavelengths. The ACRIM III instrument package is flying on a spacecraft called ACRIMSAT. The spacecraft was launched on December 20, 1999 as a secondary payload on a Taurus launch vehicle. ACRIM III, third in a series of long-term solar-monitoring tools built for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will continue to extend the database first created by ACRIM I, which was launched in 1980 on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) spacecraft. ACRIM II followed on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) in 1991.
Artist's concept of AMSR-E

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E)

The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) is a twelve-channel, six-frequency, total power passive-microwave radiometer system. It measures brightness temperatures at 6.925, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89.0 GHz. Vertically and horizontally polarized measurements are taken at all channels. The Earth-emitted microwave radiation is collected by an offset parabolic reflector 1.6 meters in diameter that scans across the Earth along an imaginary conical surface, maintaining a constant Earth incidence angle of 55° and providing a swath width array of six feedhorns which then carry the radiation to radiometers for measurement. Calibration is accomplished with observations of cosmic background radiation and an on-board warm target. Spatial resolution of the individual measurements varies from 5.4 km at 89.0 GHz to 56 km at 6.9 GHz.
Artist's concept of AIM in orbit

Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)

The AIM satellite mission is designed to explore Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), also called noctilucent clouds, to find out why they form and why they are changing.
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AERONET equipment

AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET)

The program provides a long-term, continuous and readily accessible public domain database of aerosol optical, mircrophysical and radiative properties for aerosol research and characterization, validation of satellite retrievals, and synergism with other databases. The network imposes standardization of instruments, calibration, processing and distribution.
CPL logo

Airborne Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL)

The Cloud Physics Lidar is an airborne lidar system designed specifically for studying clouds and aerosols using the ER-2 High Altitude Aircraft. Because the ER-2 typically flies at 65,000 feet (20 km), its instruments are above 94% of the earth's atmosphere, thereby allowing ER-2 instruments to function as spaceborne instrument simulators. The Cloud Physics Lidar provides a unique tool for atmospheric profiling and is sufficiently small and low cost to include in multiple instrument missions.
Logo image for Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer

Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR)

The Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) is a passive microwave airborne imager covering the 6-100 GHz bands that are essential for observing key Earth System elements such as precipitation, snow, soil moisture, ocean winds, sea ice, sea surface temperature, vegetation, etc.
thumbnail of Asynch I/O schematic

Application Controlled Parallel Asynchronous Input/Output (Asynch I/O)

An MPI-based Parallel Asynchronous I/O (PAIO) software package that enables applications to balance compute and I/O resources directly
Image of Aqua Satellite

Aqua

Aqua (Latin for water) is a NASA satellite mission designed to collect information about Earth's water cycle. Aqua's six instruments collect a variety of global data on ocean evaporation, atmospheric water vapor, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, sea ice, land ice, and snow cover on the land and ice. Additional variables that Aqua measures include radiative energy fluxes; aerosols; vegetation cover on the land; phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans; and air, land, and water temperatures. Aqua was launched on May 4, 2002.
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Artist Concept of Aquarius satellite

Aquarius

Aquarius is a focused satellite mission to measure global sea surface salinity which launched on June 10, 2011. Its instruments will measure changes in sea surface salinity equivalent to about a "pinch" (i.e., 1/6 of a teaspoon) of salt in 1 gallon of water. By measuring sea surface salinity over the globe with such unprecedented precision, Aquarius will answer long-standing questions about how our oceans respond to climate change and the water cycle. For example, monthly salinity maps will give clues about changes in freshwater input and output to the ocean associated with precipitation, evaporation, ice melting, and river runoff. Aquarius data will also be used to track the formation and movement of huge water masses that regulate ocean circulation and Earth's climate.
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ARCTAS aiplanes on Fairbanks runway

Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS)

The Arctic is undergoing significant environmental changes related to global climate change. Now, NASA is extensively studying the role of air pollution in this climate-sensitive region as part of the ARCTAS field campaign, the largest airborne experiment ever to do so.
Logo image for Atmospheric Lidar for Validation, Interagency Collaboration and Education

Atmospheric Lidar for Validation, Interagency Collaboration and Education (ALVICE)

ALVICE (Atmospheric Lidar for Validation, Interagency Collaboration and Education) is a ground based mobile lidar that is a roving transfer standard within the Network for the Detection for Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). The lidar measurements are water vapor mixing ratio, aerosol backscatter, extinction, depolarization, cloud liquid and ice water and rotational Raman temperature measurements. In addition to these lidar-based measurements additional equipment is carried in the trailer to provide balloon borne measurements (Vaisala RS-92 and Cryogenic Frostpoint hygrometer), surface reference measurements of pressure, temperature and RH as well as total column water using GPS.
Logo image for Atmospheric Radiation Measurements

Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM)

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility is a U.S. Department of Energy scientific user facility for the study of global climate change by the national and international research community.
ASR program logo

Atmospheric System Research (ASR DOE)

The U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric System Research is an observation-based research program created in October 2009 to advance process-level understanding of the key interactions among aerosols, clouds, precipitation, radiation, dynamics, and thermodynamics, with the ultimate goal of reducing the uncertainty in global and regional climate simulations and projections.
sample of Aura data

Aura

Aura (Latin for breeze) was launched July 15, 2004. Aura is part of the Earth Science Projects Division, a program dedicated to monitoring the complex interactions that affect the globe using NASA satellites and data systems. Aura's four instruments study the atmosphere's chemistry and dynamics. The satellite's measurements will enable scientists to investigate questions about ozone trends, air quality changes, and their linkage to climate change. Aura's measurements will provide accurate data for predictive models and provide useful information for local and national agency decision support systems.
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Cropped photo of aircraft wing in flight

Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR)

The Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) was conceived and developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to study cloud radiative properties at selected wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared, and to acquire imagery of cloud and Earth surface features. In the early years the focus was on measurements of the angular distribution of scattered radiation deep within a cloud layer. In later years, the focus shifted to the bidirectional reflectance properties of various surfaces (ocean, sea ice, vegetation, etc.).
CRS logo

Cloud Radar System (CRS)

The CRS is a 94 GHz (W-band; 3 mm wavelength) Doppler radar developed for autonomous operation in the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft and for ground-based operation. It will provide high-resolution profiles of reflectivity and Doppler velocity in clouds and it has important applications to atmospheric remote sensing studies. The CRS was designed to fly with the Cloud Lidar System (CLS), in the tail cone of an ER-2 superpod. There are two basic modes of operation of the CRS: 1) ER-2 with reflectivity, Doppler, and linear-depolarization measurements, and 2) ground-based with full polarimetric capability.
Artist's concept of CloudSat in orbit

Cloud Satellite (CloudSat)

CloudSat uses advanced radar to "slice" through clouds to see their vertical structure, providing a completely new observational capability from space. Earlier satellites could only image the uppermost layers of clouds. CloudSat is among the first satellites to study clouds on a global basis. It will look at their structure, composition and effects. This is a cooperative mission with Canada. CloudSat measurements have applications in air quality, weather models, water management, aviation safety, and disaster management.
Photo of CALIPSO instrument

Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO)

CALIPSO will provide the next generation of climate observations, drastically improving our ability to predict climate change and to study the air we breathe. The CALIPSO satellite was developed to help scientists answer significant questions and provide new information about the effects of clouds and aerosols (airborne particles) on changes in the Earth's climate. Understanding these components will provide the international science community with a more comprehensive data set that is essential for a better understanding of the Earth's climatic processes. Accurate climate model predictions will provide international and national leaders accurate information to make more informed policy decisions about global climate change.
Logo image for Coastal Observation Mission

Coastal Observation Mission (CoastalObs)

The CoastalObs Project is a collaborative effort between NASA Goddard’s Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences in Greenbelt, Maryland and Wallops Island, Virginia, NOAA and a number of governmental, academic and nonacademic partners. The program’s main focus is to monitor the physical and biogeochemical state of the Virginia coastal ocean region through the development, deployment and use of various ocean observation tools.
Logo image for Combined Radar/Radiometer (ComRAD) Instrument System

Combined Radar/Radiometer (ComRAD) Instrument System (ComRAD)

The Combined Radar/Radiometer (ComRAD) is a ground-based microwave instrument system mounted on a 19-m hydraulic boom truck. This instrument package is an outgrowth of a network analyzer-based L, C, and X band polarimetric radar system developed jointly by NASA/GSFC and George Washington University which has provided reliable calibrated radar data in soil moisture field campaigns across the United States since the early 1990s.
Image of CIRC logo

Continual Intercomparison of Radiation Codes (CIRC)

A reference source for GCM-type radiative transfer (RT) code evaluation. Contributes to the improvement of solar and thermal RT parameterizations.
CR-AVE logo

Costa Rica-Aura Validation Experiment (CR-AVE)

The Costa Rica Aura Validation Experiment (CR-AVE) is a mission designed to explore the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) and to provide information for comparison to satellite observations. The tropical region between 30 N and 30 S comprises half of the Earth's surface, yet is relatively unsampled in comparison to the mid-latitude of the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, observations above typical aircraft altitudes (40,000 feet or 12 km) are even less frequent, making the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere one of the most sparsely sampled regions of our atmosphere.
Photo of Disdrometer

Disdrometer and Radar Observations of Precipitation facility (DROP)

Home based at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), DROP provides ground-based measurements of hydrometeor properties including size, number concentration, shapes, fall speeds, and water contents for both liquid (e.g., rain) and frozen (e.g., snow) hydrometeors. DROP instrument assets include the following: 5 Two Dimensional Video Disdrometers (2DVDs), 24 Parsivel Disdrometers, >100 Tipping Bucket Raingauges, including a high density autonomous network being deployed on the Delmarva Peninsula, 3 Micro Rain Radars, 9 Pluvio weighing gauges, 7 Yankee Environmental Hot Plate sensors, and Snow Video Imagers. These assets are combined with WFF polarimetric radar assets (e.g, NPOL) measurements to provide detailed physical characteristics of precipitation in the atmospheric column.
Photo of D3R on trailer

Dual-frequency Dual-polarized Doppler Radar (D3R)

The D3R is a fully polarimetric, scanning weather radar system operating at the nominal frequencies of 13.91 GHz and 35.56 GHz covering a maximum range of 30 km.
Earth Observatory logo

Earth Observatory

NASA's Earth Observatory is an interactive Web-based magazine where the science-attentive public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climatic and environmental change. The site is also designed to be useful to public media and educators. Any and all materials published on the Earth Observatory are freely available for re-publication, re-use, or re-broadcast (except in rare cases where copyright is indicated).
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  • Last Updated: 05/23/2013