ALICE - Airborne tool for methane isotopic composition and polar meteorological experiments

ALICE项目的目标是- 四轴飞行器与气象有效载荷和空中探测系统的实现- 冬季在南极沿海研究站附近的海冰和海水上方部署该系统- 在第一个项目年，将实现、测试和鉴定配备气象和空气取样有效载荷的四旋翼飞行器的概念，以便在南极恶劣条件下部署，并进行广泛的测试，涉及空气传播系统的处理和空气样品的处理，从玻璃瓶的排空到实验室中用质谱仪进行的最终分析。典型的飞行模式包括上升到1000米的高度，观察参数温度和湿度，以及表面温度，实时数据下行，然后决定在接近表面、接近逆温和下降过程中逆温以上的各种高度进行空气探测的高度。在第二个项目年，大气边界层将从南极海岸观测站频繁地进行上升研究（可能是智利基地总统爱德华多·弗雷·蒙塔尔瓦，日本基地昭和或英国基地哈雷）（4月至9月），根据卫星数据，预计届时南极海洋的甲烷浓度会增加。在进行大气观测和空气取样的同时，国际合作伙伴还监测大气和海洋甲烷浓度，并对海水和海冰进行取样，以便在实验室进行甲烷同位素分析。对高分辨率数据进行了质量检查，并将其纳入当地气象测量数据，特别是无线电探空仪数据，在项目第三年，对获得的气象数据集进行了分析。跨学科评估有助于了解海洋，海冰和大气的相互作用，特别是极地地区的甲烷循环。高分辨率廓线提供了关于不同天气尺度和海冰条件下大气层结和小尺度时空变化的信息。这些数据将用于验证一个大气模型，该模型是为调查沿海冰穴附近的小规模过程而设计的。将与合作伙伴密切合作，采用跨学科方法进行数据解释，将观测到的大气特性与地球化学甲烷循环联系起来，通过同位素分析确定甲烷浓度增加的原因。气象数据将为遥感甲烷观测提供验证工具。

The goals of the project ALICE are - the realization of a quadrocopter with meteorological payload and an air probing system- the deployment of the system above sea ice and ocean water near a coastal Antarctic research station in winter- the investigation of the small-scale structure and variability of the atmospheric boundary layer, and the origin of polar methane emissions by analysis of methane isotopesDuring the first project year, the concept of the quadrocopter with meteorological and air sampling payload will be realized, tested and qualified for deployment in the harsh Antarctic conditions, and undergo extensive testing concerning the handling of the airborne system and the treatment of the air samples from evacuation of the glass bottles to the final analysis with a mass spectrometer in the laboratory. A typical flight pattern includes the ascent up to an altitude of 1000 m, observing the parameters temperature and humidity, as well as the surface temperature, with the real-time data downlink, and then deciding the altitudes for taking air probes at various altitudes close to the surface, near the inversion, and above the inversion during the descent.During the second project year, the atmospheric boundary layer will be investigated with frequent ascents from a coastal Antarctic station (possibly the Chilean Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, the Japanese base Syowa or the British base Halley) in austral winter (April to September), when an enhanced methane concentration is expected in the South Polar Ocean based on satellite-derived data. Parallel to the atmospheric observations and the air sampling, the atmospheric and oceanic methane concentration is monitored by international collaboration partners, and probes of ocean water and sea ice are sampled for analysis concerning methane isotopes in the laboratory. The high resolution data are quality checked and embedded in the context of the local meteorological measurements and especially the radiosonde data.During the third project year, the obtained meteorological data set is analysed. The interdisciplinary evaluation contributes to the understanding of the interactions of ocean, sea ice and atmosphere, especially the methane cycle in the polar regions. The high-resolution profiles provide information about the atmospheric stratification and small-scale spatial and temporal variability under different synoptic-scale and sea ice conditions. The data will be used for the validation of an atmospheric model which is designed for investigating small-scale processes near a coastal polynya. The data interpretation will be performed in close cooperation with the partners in an interdisciplinary approach to link the observed atmospheric properties to the biogeochemical methane cycle, to determine the origin of the enhanced methane concentration via isotopic analyses. The meteorological data will serve to provide a validation tool for remote sensing methane observations.