SGER: Antarctic GPS Radio Occultation Profiling from Stratospheric Balloons

平流层高度的漂移平台提供了一个独特的机会来描绘南极大气，这可以增加我们对常规技术采样不佳地区的高层大气动力学的了解。例如，了解导致春季极地涡旋破裂的变化，对于了解二氧化碳(CO2)与臭氧诱导的南极气候强迫的影响非常重要。法国国家空间研究中心开发了一种平流层超压气球，该气球在20公里高度以恒定密度飞行，准备在2009年9月南极测量活动期间部署。哈斯的空中无线电掩星系统的改进版本将被开发用于气球有效载荷中。这个原型系统将在极地涡旋内平流层气球大约90天的旅程中每小时记录两个轮廓。这些探索性数据将为今后的活动铺平道路，这些活动将提供足够的数据，大大改进南极极地涡旋春季破裂的模型表示。这些数据将有助于改进同化其他先进卫星探测仪数据的方法，特别是红外大气探测干涉仪(IASI)。这笔赠款将促进与在法国的国际科学家的密切合作，这些科学家在平流层气球观测方面拥有独特的专门知识。这将对两国的科学活动具有共同的价值。

A drifting platform at stratospheric heights presents a unique opportunity to profile the Antarctic atmosphere that can increase our understanding of upper atmosphere dynamics in regions that are poorly sampled by conventional techniques. For example, understanding changes leading up to the breakup of the polar vortex in spring is important to understanding the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) versus ozone induced forcing of Antarctic climate. The Centre Nationale d'Etudes Spatiales, in France, has developed a stratospheric super-pressure balloon that flies at constant density at 20 km altitude for deployment during an Antarctic measurement campaign in September 2009. A modified version of Haase's airborne radio occultation system will be developed for incorporation into the balloon payload. This prototype system will record two profiles per hour for the approximately 90 day journey of the stratospheric balloon within the polar vortex. These exploratory data will pave the way for future campaigns that will contribute sufficient data to improve substantially model representations of the springtime breakup of the Antarctic polar vortex. These data will contribute to improved methods for assimilating other advanced satellite sounder data, in particular the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI).This grant will foster close collaboration with international scientists in France who have unique expertise in observations from stratospheric balloons. This will be of mutual value to both nation's scientific activities.