MICROWAVE TEMPERATUREPROFILER (MTP)

Boon Lim, Michael Mahoney*, Richard Denning and Jordan Tanabe

Jet Propulsion LaboratoryContact : bhlim@jpl.nasa.gov

In Memoriam

• Dr. Michael ‘MJ’ Mahoney passed away in early September in his home in Altadena

• Cause of death is unknown• He was in between deployments

for SEAC4RS in Houston supporting the MTP of course

• He was 67 years old, and had been PI for the MTP for over 15 years

• http://mtp.mjmahoney.net/www/

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Mr. MTP at GLOPAC

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MJ before

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MJ Graduation

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MJ Hero Shot

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MTP Brief History

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• Original airborne system funded by NASA's Aviation Safety program for detection of clear air turbulence (CAT) in early 1980s

• Airborne system designed for the ER-2 for the Stratospheric Troposheric Exchange Project (STEP) based in Darwin, Australia in 1987

• MTP to date has flown on 9 different airborne platforms, participated in over 60 campaigns and logged over 5500 flight hours

• MTP serves the Upper Atmospheric Composition Observations (UACO) community

MTP Concept of Operations• Microwave radiometer measures the 55 GHz oxygen complex• Instrument scans through 10 step positions and over 3 different

frequencies• Allows for vertical scanning of the atmosphere in front of the aircraft

above and below the flight line• Vertical resolution is highest close to the aircraft and degrades further

away from the aircraft (typical retrieval range is ±8 km)

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HornAntenna

CalibrationTarget

Chain Motor

Radiometer

Reflector

MTP on the Global Hawk

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Comm Computer- Sends status and data packets to ground for real time data processing and display-Reads IWG1 UDP packets and reformats in ER-2 Nav Data Recorder RS-232 format to send to Data UnitData Unit-PC-104 computer that runs code that controls the Sensor Unit- Stores data that it receives from the Sensor Unit and also sends it to the Comm ComputerSensor Unit- Under control of the Data Unit, it scans from near zenith to near nadir making brightness temperature measurements at three frequencies. It also observes a reference target (white box) for calibration purposes. Measurements are sent to the Data Unit.

MTP and ATTREX

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Coldpoint

Tropopause

Schematic of the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) from ~13-18 km. T structure of the TTL controls H20 flow.

Soundings from Padang, Indonesia, on 2010-08-07,-08, and -15 showing typical (cyan), cold point (yellow) and isothermal (magenta) TTL

Isentropes Mountain Lee Wave

• 30km long mountain lee wave (Dornbrack et al. 2002)

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ATTREX-2

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Real Time Display

• Demonstrated on ATTREX and SEAC4RS• Data and full profiles are available on the MTS in ‘real time’ (2

minute delay) even with the low data rate comms

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Instrument Status

• RFI continues to degrade data• Evident at Edwards (low level) and Ellington (high level)• Mainly tracking radars, levels at Ellington highest ever seen• Only during takeoff, RFI at Edwards continues if we stay on

the range

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Internal Aircraft Noise

• Low level noise present on the data during ATTREX-2• New switching power supply box installed in zone 28• Currently dealing with this issue in processing• If possible move this box? • Provide better shielding?• Has to be debugged in the field

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MTP in Transition

• MJ and I had planned for a gradual 4 year transition period• We had about 1 month (!)• Coming up to speed quickly with the software (SEAC4RS data

delivered)• Currently preparing for ATTREX, including looking at

previously processed data• I need your help! Please come say hi!

– If you have ever used the MTP data– If you have ever thought about using the MTP data– If you have suggestions on features you would like to see– If you have trouble with using the data– If you want to talk microwave radiometry or retrieval algorithms

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HIPPO

• Hiaper Pole to Pole Observations• Measured cross sections of atmospheric concentrations pole to pole 5 times from 2009 – 2011• CTC from HIPPO-V from Alaska to Hawaii

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