Aircraft Measurements of Atmospheric Turbulence and Energy Fluxes

SOFIA program data from the 1992 ASTEX campaign investigates energy transfer between the ocean and atmosphere. Coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations were used to study heat, humidity, and momentum fluxes at scales up to 50 km. The dataset was produced by a French research consortium including CRPE, LA, CMM, IFREMER, and LMD.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived heat and momentum flux estimates using in-situ aircraft measurements of wind, temperature, and humidity.
• Analyze the relationship between mesoscale oceanic structures and spatial inhomogeneity in atmospheric boundary layer fluxes.
• Study the physical processes determining marine stratocumulus cloud life cycles using turbulence data from fast-response sensors.
• Parameterize energy transfer mechanisms in climate models using coordinated observations from the Fokker F27 aircraft during the June 1992 field period.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated, multi-instrument field campaign combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations.
• Includes turbulence measurements from fast-response sensors for wind, temperature (INSU probe), and humidity (Lyman-alpha meter).
• Focuses on a specific, intensive field-observation period from June 1 to June 28, 1992.

Limitations

• Dataset is temporally stale, with the last update recorded in June 1992.
• Specific row count, column details, and sample data are unavailable for assessing volume and structure.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the eastern North Atlantic Ocean region studied during the ASTEX campaign.

Provenance

Source

LARC_ASDC via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Aircraft-based measurements from a Fokker F27 equipped with a nose-boom sensor package for turbulence and mean state observations.

Time Range

Primary data collection during the ASTEX intensive field-observation period, June 1-28, 1992.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean.