Airborne Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS-II)

C.R. Webster(PI), L. Christensen, G.J. Flesch,
J. Landeros, A. Milam, K. Truong

Previous contributors: Katy Modarres, Ron Howe, Bob Herman, David Scott, Elisabeth Moyer

The ALIAS-II instrument is a 2-channel version of the ALIAS-I (ER-2) instrument, with identical electronics, dewar configuration, and instrument- and data processing- software, built in 1993 under funding from NASA’s High-Speed Research Program (HSRP) and Upper Atmospheric Research Program (UARP) to measure N2O, CH4, and H2O on the UAV Perseus in a nose-to-wing path.  The spectrometer was reconfigured in 1994 to fly on a lightweight balloon gondola. In this configuration, ALIAS-II measures HCl, CO, N2O and CH4, in a very clean, open path defined as the 64-meter (to 128-meter) open cradle optical cell (balloon). The instrument weighs about 65 lbs in its balloon configuration. ALIAS-II has made 11 balloon flights out of Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, Fairbanks, Alaska, Juarzerio del Norte, Brazil, and during the SOLVE mission out of Esrange, Sweden, to study the coupling of photochemistry and transport. 

"Airborne Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS-II) for in situ stratospheric measurements of N2O, CH4, CO, HCl, and NO2", DC Scott, RL Herman, CR Webster, RD May, GJ Flesch, Applied Optics, 38, 4609-4622, 1999.

"Tropical Entrainment Time Scales Inferred from Stratospheric N2O and CH4  Observations", RL Herman, DC Scott, CR Webster, RD May, EJ Moyer, RJ Salawitch, YL Yung, GC Toon, B Sen, JJ Margitan, KH Rosenlof, HA Michelesen, and JW Elkins, Geophys. Res. Letters, 25, 2781-2784, 1998.

Back to Top
     

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Ave
Mail Stop 183-401
Pasadena, CA 91109
Last updated: October 15, 2004 .

Go back to main home page http:// laserweb.jpl.nasa.gov