Speaker
Description
The Airborne Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder (A-SMLS) is an instrument designed to fly onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft, making wide-swath vertical profile observations of the composition of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (~10 – 20 km altitude) at 340 GHz. Observing a ~300km-wide swath ahead of the aircraft in a 2D raster scan (azimuth and elevation), A-SMLS is designed to measure water vapor, ozone, and carbon monoxide with a 10 x 10km horizontal resolution (across and along-track).
A-SMLS is well suited for deployment to study convective outflow, long-range pollution, and volcanic emission transport, as well as the exchange of air between the troposphere and stratosphere. As such, A-SMLS observations from the ER-2 will prove to be a valuable asset in future multi-instrumental field campaigns. For example, utilizing the wide swath to provide context for more detailed measurements by lower altitude aircraft.
A-SMLS was originally developed for the WB-57 and has now been adapted to fit the ER-2. Upgrades to the detector cooling system and adaptive mirror pointing control are in progress. The current expected performance of A-SMLS, as well as the latest development and upgrades to the instrument will be presented, in advance of planned flights later in 2023.
