Continued Development of an Airborne System for Direct Validation of Regional Carbon Flux Estimates (CARAFE)
Project Description
The overall objective of this project is to build a NASA airborne system for eddy covariance measurements of regional GHG fluxes and to use this system to obtain GHG flux data for a range of ecosystem states and land use regions. These flux measurements are needed to evaluate CO2 and CH4 top-down and bottom-up source/sink estimates, including: validation of top-level OCO-2 products and other space-based GHG missions, evaluation and improved parameterization of biogeochemical flux models, and application in airborne science campaigns of opportunity. Development of the payload, adaptation to the airframe, and coordination of the required expert team is necessary to mature the mission concept to a TRL 8-9 level for proposal to Earth Venture-Suborbital 3 (EV-S3) expected in 2017. We are aiming for a flight test in early calendar 2015 that will demonstrate our ability to make the measurements and prove science readiness for EV-S3 and other opportunities.
More »Anticipated Benefits
The innovative elements in the proposed work are: 1) to modify commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) instrumentation into a new capacity for direct airborne flux measurement and 2) to facilitate development of a GHG flux measurement facility that will provide a new tool for NASA Earth Sciences. Although the eddy covariance technique is well established, historically NASA has had limited involvement in these measurements. Adaption of relatively inexpensive instrumentation for GHG flux measurements is enabled by new commercial instruments using advanced laser detection methods (e.g., Los Gatos Research (LGR), Picarro Inc., etc.). While these instruments are relatively turn-key by design, implementation with airborne eddy covariance is a sophisticated endeavor requiring multiple experienced and specialized personnel – something that NASA is uniquely situated to provide.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Greenbelt, Maryland |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Maryland
