The 1996 Subsonic Aircraft: Contrail and Cloud Effects Special Study

During April 1996 NASA, in conjunction with the DOE, will sponsor a multi-aircraft field campaign to better understand the microphysical and radiative properties of cirrus clouds, the origins of ice nuclei and cloud condensation nuclei in the upper troposphere, and the possible role that the commercial subsonic aircraft fleet might play in altering cloud or aerosol properties. The NASA ER-2 aircraft will be used as a remote sensing platform, while the NASA DC-8 aircraft will be used as an in situ measurement platform. In situ observations will include a full set of size distribution measurements from nano-meter to millimeter sizes, ice water content measurements, gas phase and condensed phase chemical measurements, ice crystal optical phase function measurements, lidar observations of cloud top and cloud base, and atmospheric state measurement. The ER-2 will have lidar, microwave ice water path measurements, as well as visible and infrared spectral measurement. In this presentation the highlights of the mission will be presented. The goal will be to address fundamental questions such as the mode of nucleation of cirrus clouds, the composition of the nuclei on which cirrus form, the degree to which aircraft impact cirrus cloud properties.