JPL's Atmospheric Laser Spectroscopy Group in Sweden
by Katy Modarress

SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

The SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE) is a measurement campaign designed to examine the processes controlling ozone levels at mid- to high latitudes. Measurements will be made in the Arctic high-latitude region in winter using the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft, as well as balloon platforms and ground-based instruments. The mission will also acquire correlative data needed to validate the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III satellite measurements that will be used to quantitatively assess high-latitude ozone loss. SOLVE is co-sponsored by the Upper Atmosphere Research Program (UARP), Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP), Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP), and Earth Observing System (EOS) of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) as part of the validation program for the SAGE III instrument.

The campaign took place in Kiruna, Sweden at the Arena Arctica and Esrange, which lie within the arctic circle.  The Arena Arctica housed both the ER-2 and DC-8 plane, and the ballooning team members were at Esrange.  The ALIAS instrument, which flew on the ER-2 aircraft, played a critical roll in the campaign by measuring concentrations of HCl, NO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and CO in the stratosphere.

Arena Arctica where Chris Webster, Greg Flesch, and Katy Modarress supported ALIAS on the ER-2 aircraft,
and Bob Herman supported JPL Water on the ER-2, and (!) DC-8 aircraft.
1. Chris outside of the Arena Arctica hangar doing preflight adjustments to ALIAS.
2. The ER-2 plane on the runway.
3. The ER-2 plane taking off.
4. The right super pod on the ER-2 plane, which holds ALIAS and JPL Water, during a flight.
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5. Outside of the Arena Arctica, with a miniscule looking Katy Modarress.
6.  Inside the Arena Arctica as the hangar door is opening.

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7.  Chris Webster putting the QC laser into ALIAS before the mission.
8.  Greg Flesch fine tuning the ALIAS precision instrument.

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Esrange where David Scott, Bob Herman, Chris Webster, and Greg Flesch supported ALIAS-II on the ER-2 aircraft.
1.  Bob Herman beside the payload gondola.
2-4.  OMS balloon during fill.
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KIRUNA, SWEDEN
Kiruna is Sweden's most northerly municipality and its largest in area.  At 20,000 square kilometers, it is half as large as Switzerland. Once upon a time, Kiruna was listed in every geography book as the world's largest town in area. Now it has to be content with being the next largest, having been bested by an Australian counterpart. But still, if you collected all the people in the world inside Kiruna's borders, each would have four square meters to stand in. The whole municipality has 26,000 inhabitants, of whom 80% live in the town of Kiruna.

Kiruna has the world's biggest, most modern underground iron ore mine.  Mining is large-scale and highly automated. During 1999, 20 million tons of crude ore will be extracted from the ore body. That's about 55 thousand tons per day.  Below is the a picture taken from the Scandic Ferrum  hotel of the mine.  It is the mountain in the background at the top of the picture.

Lying at the heart of the last true wilderness in Europe, Kiruna has more than 6,000 lakes.  We attempted to walk across one of the lakes that had frozen over, Chris wasn't so lucky!  Greg got a good laugh out of it though.

Ice Hotel
Imagine a hotel which is built from scratch every year. A new design, new suites, a brand new reception - in fact everything in it is crisp and new.  Well, there is such a hotel; the Ice Hotel, situated on the shores of the Torne River, in the old village of Jukkasjärvi.  Covering a total of 3,500 m², the Ice Hotel includes an Ice Chapel, the hotel itself, an ice art exhibition hall, a cinema and last but not least, the world famous ‘Absolut Ice Bar’.   We were lucky enough to have the time to visit the Ice Hotel during our trip.
1. Greg at the Absolute Ice Bar.
2.Chris, Greg, Katy, and Bob at the Ice Bar.
3. Greg at the Ice Chapel.
4. Chris, the "ALIAS King" on his ice thrown.

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