MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) Summary

Southern African Regional Science Initiative (August-September 2000)

NASA GSFC Science Meeting, 24 may 2001

S. Platnick, M. D. King, G. T. Arnold

Instrument Summary:

Imager, ER-2 platform, 50 spectral bands (VIS-IR), 50 m nadir spatial resolution, 37 km swath.

Calibration: shortwave radiometric: Ames call lab, standard lamp, panel, 30 inch integrating sphere; IR radiometric: onboard blackbodies; spectral: Ames cal lab).

L1B (calibrated, geolocated) data in HDF format, data tapes available from NASA Goddard DAAC.

Engineering maintenance, characterization – High Altitude Branch Airborne Science Data Facility at NASA Ames Research Center (Jeff Myers, Michael Fitzgerald, Pavel Hajek, Pat Grant).

Documentation:

Instrument descriptions and reference materials: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/MAS

SAFARI Quicklook imagery, ER-2 flight summaries: http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/MAS/safarihome.html

SAFARI Shortwave Calibration History/Status:

Field calibration, V0.1 (Aug., Sept. 2000): pre-deployment 30 inch sphere lab calibration with typical deployment optical degradation fit (linear vs. number of flights). Selected MAS flight tracks processed to L1B in the field.

Preliminary calibration, V0.2 (Feb. 2001): due to concern that calibration suffered a sudden (non-linear) hit on ferry flight to Pietersburg, a constant post-deployment lab calibration was applied to all processed data until degradation curve further understood. L1B tapes generated and distributed for 20, 25 August; 1, 7, 11, 13, 14, 21 September flights (distributed to GSFC, Swap, Annegarn).

Final calibration, V1.0 (starting late May 2001): various analyses of 20-inch field hemisphere source calibrations determined that ferry flight hit unlikely, using standard linear fit between pre- and post-deployment lab calibrations. L1B data now being processed by Ames (anticipated finished by July 1).

Flight Summaries: (table 1)

Science Applications:

Atmosphere: Cloud detection and retrievals, aerosol retrievals, cloud/aerosol interaction studies; In situ validation (CV-580, C130, JRB); MODIS radiometric and retrieval validation.

Land: studies over SAVE, tower, and AERONET sites; fire detection, burn scar overflights; surface mineral characterization, MODIS validation; etc.

Collaborations:

Cloud validation and indirect effect (CV-580: Hobbs, C130: Francis, Haywood, Osborne, JRB: Piketh, Bruntjes, Swap), Cirrus cloud validation, thermodynamic phase, smoke (S-HIS: Revercomb, Knuteson), Surface emissivity, mineral characterization (S-HIS: Revercomb, Knuteson).

Contacts:

Calibration

shortwave: Tom Arnold (arnold@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov)

IR: Chris Moeller (chrism@ssec.wisc.edu)

Aerosol science: Charles Ichoku (ichoku@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov)

Cloud science: Steve Platnick (platnick@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov)

table 1. MAS and ER-2 SAFARI 2000 flight summary.

ER-2 Mission		Date	Aircraft coordination	Satellite coordination	MAS status	Comments
1 (00-147)	Aug 17		JRB	Terra Landsat 7	no port 3	Overflight of Skukuza SMART site and underflight of Terra over the Mozambique Channel for MOPITT validation
2 (00-148)	Aug 20		JRA JRB	Terra Landsat 7	+	Overflight of Madikwe GR prescribed fire and underflight of Terra over Madikwe (JRA) and Selibe-Phikwe (JRB)
3 (00-149)	Aug 22		CV-580 JRA JRB	Terra Landsat 7	+	Overflight of Limpopo River, the entire length of Kruger National Park, Durnacol coalmines, Witbank power stations, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Rustenburg platinum mines. Overflew Skukuza SMART site and underflew Terra; coordinated with CV-580 (Skukuza), JRA (Satara prescribed fire), JRB (Johannesburg, Rustenburg, and Witbank)
4 (00-150)	Aug 24		CV-580 JRA	Terra Landsat 7	P (fail after 1 hr)	Overflight of Inhaca Island and underflight of Terra through Mozambique and Malawi; overflight of geologic feature of northern Kruger Park late in flight
5 (00-151)	Aug 25			Terra Landsat 7	+	Overflight of Kaoma prescribed burn and underflight of Terra; overflight of AERONET sunphotometer sites at Sowa Pan, Kaoma, Zambezi, Mongu airport, Senanga, and Maun Tower
6 (00-152)	Aug 27			Terra Landsat 7	+	Overflight of Sowa Pan during Terra overpass; overflight of Maun Tower, Okavango Delta, and Kalahari transect sites at Okwa River and Tsane
7 (00-153)	Aug 29			Terra TOMS	P (fail after 4 of 5 hrs.)	Overflight of Skukuza during TOMS overpass; overflight of Witbank, Pilansberg, Messina copper mine, Venetia diamond mine, and geological formations from Phalaborwha to Madikwe
8 (00-154)	Aug 31				–	Flight aborted due to MAS failure just after Skukuza (before Terra overpass)
9 (00-155)	Sept 1			Terra	+	Night flight over fires in Zambia. Terra (21:15Z) in clear scenes on return.
10 (00-156)	Sept 4				+	AirMISR mapping of Sowa Pan; Maun, Okwe R. and Tshane. M-L Thabazimbi;.
11 (00-157)	Sept 6		CV-580		+	Mongu Tower and airfield overflights with CV-580 doing BRDF (tower) and profiling (airfield). Ward fire at Kaoma.
12 (00-158)	Sept 7		CV-580, JRA	Terra TOMS	+	Timbavati controlled burn with 580 sampling plume and Terra overpass; Sukuza overflight and Tom line; aged smoke plume scenes from Timbavati fire too.
13 (00-160)	Sept 11		CV-580, C130	Terra	+	First flight to the Namibian coast. Stratus along northern coast. Overpass of Walvis Bay and Kuiseb River Canyon.
14 (00-175)	Sept 13		CV-580, C130	Terra	+	Stratus along the Namibian coast north to the Angolan border, 3 overpasses of Etosha National Park (ENP).
15 (00-176)	Sept 14		C130	Terra TOMS	+	Flight to Angolan stratus, overpass of Brandenberg area and southern ENP.
16 (00-177)	Sept 17		JRA	Terra	+	Maun tower site, burn scar in NE Namibia, power plants & industrial sites near Johannesburg (Annegarn runs), T-M lineament.
17 (00-178)	Sept 21			Terra	+	Mozambique Channel stratocumulus off Beira (designed for coordination w/JRB).
18 (00-179)	Sept 23			Terra	+	Skukuza tower, Malibamatso River Catchment.
19 (00-180)	Sept 25			Terra	+	Mozambique run, over land under Terra overpass, back over water; Inhaca Island, Skukuza tower, the Annegarn runs.

+ Successful

P Partially successful data acquisition

– No data