ALEXIA - Analysis Linking Arctic Methane, Carbon Release, Heat Fluxes and Sea Ice from Local to Sub-Regional Scales by Airborne Measurements
Final Report Abstract
The project ALEXIA enabled the participation of the helicopter borne slingload HELiPOD in the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition in 2020 to gain atmospheric, surface and radiation data in the Central Arctic. For this purpose, the existing HELiPOD sonde was technically and scientifically overhauled: As most sensors are sensitive to temperature fluctuations and require constant operating conditions, the whole system was insulated and actively heated. For Arctic conditions, a new battery with management system was applied. The electric system and data acquisition of the HELiPOD were newly developed with state-of-the-art technology. Finally, the HELiPOD was equipped with around 60 multidisciplinary sensors to link the Earth System Compartments Atmosphere, Sea ice and Biogeochemistry, with sensors covering the research fields of atmospheric dynamics, trace gases, aerosol, radiation, and surface properties. The HELiPOD was operated directly from the research vessel Polarstern during five flights, on 10 May 2020, 30 June 2020, 1 July 2020, and twice on 22 July 2020. It extended the observations of the Central Observatory at the drifting Polarstern and the Distributed Observatory within a radius of a few hundred m to distances up to 65 km. The atmospheric measurements are in good agreement with the other observations, and add properties like boundary layer height at different distances. On 22 July 2020, the atmospheric boundary layer above Polarstern was characterized by a surface-based inversion with increased wind speed in the lowermost 150 m and clean air masses that originated from Greenland. Aerosol observations on Polarstern showed a particle size dominated by the Aitken mode with a mean size of 50 nm, which was present until the evening hours of the same day. A homogeneous aerosol distribution was also observed along horizontal flights with HELiPOD nearby Polarstern during the afternoon. However, ultrafine aerosol particles with size of 5 to 10 nm occurred sporadically, mainly during a transect in direction back to Polarstern, hypothesizing a strong local source or impact of released ultrafine particles due to open sea ice fractions. From a digital elevation model of the sea ice surface, surface roughness maps were created along the flight track. Surface type fractions calculated from camera images revealed the decrease of the white ice/snow fraction from almost 100% in May to around 60% in July, associated with an increase of the melt pond and open water fraction.
Publications
-
Adapting the helicopter borne probe HELi- POD to the MOSAiC expedition – Technical challenges and system overview,Arctic Science Summit Week, Online/ Lisboa, 19.-26.April 2021
Asmussen, M.O.,Pätzold, F.,Bretschneider, L., Bärfuss, K., Bollmann, S., Schlerf, A., Nowak, S., Brandt, B., Rausch T., Harm-Altstädter, B., Schwarting, T. & Lampert, A.
-
Atmosphere sea ice exchange processes observed during MOSAiC expedition obtained by the helicopter borne probe HELiPOD, Arctic Frontiers, Tromsö, 1.-4. Februar
Asmussen, M.O.,Pätzold, F., Sachs, T. & Lampert, A.
-
High spatial variability of aerosol particles observed with unmanned aerial systems at the coastal Arctic site Ny-Ålesund, Arctic Science Summit Week, Online/ Lisboa, 19.-26.April
Asmussen, M.O., Harm-Altstädter, B., Schön, M., Wehner, B., Bretschneider, L., Pätzold, F., Bärfuss, K., Bange, J. & Lampert, A.
-
Observational case studies of spatially distributed aerosol particles measured with the helicopter borne system HELiPOD during MOSAiC, International Aerosol Conference, hybrid (Athens and online), 4-9 September
Harm-Altstädter, B., Bollmann, S., Bärfuss, K., Schlerf, A., Pätzold, F., Bretschneider, L., Asmussen, M. O., Pilz, C., Käthner, R., Wehner, B. & Lampert, A.
-
Overview of the MOSAiC expedition: Atmosphere. Elem Sci Anth, 10(1).
Shupe, Matthew D.; Rex, Markus; Blomquist, Byron; Persson, P. Ola G.; Schmale, Julia; Uttal, Taneil; Althausen, Dietrich; Angot, Hélène; Archer, Stephen; Bariteau, Ludovic; Beck, Ivo; Bilberry, John; Bucci, Silvia; Buck, Clifton; Boyer, Matt; Brasseur, Zoé; Brooks, Ian M.; Calmer, Radiance; Cassano, John ... & Yue, Fange
-
Overview of the MOSAiC expedition: Snow and sea ice. Elem Sci Anth, 10(1).
Nicolaus, Marcel; Perovich, Donald K.; Spreen, Gunnar; Granskog, Mats A.; von Albedyll, Luisa; Angelopoulos, Michael; Anhaus, Philipp; Arndt, Stefanie; Belter, H. Jakob; Bessonov, Vladimir; Birnbaum, Gerit; Brauchle, Jörg; Calmer, Radiance; Cardellach, Estel; Cheng, Bin; Clemens-Sewall, David; Dadic, Ruzica; Damm, Ellen; de Boer, Gijs ... & Wendisch, Manfred
-
Wind and turbulence characteristics along the flight paths of the helicopter-borne probe HELipOD during the MOSAiC Expedition, AGU Fall Meeting, December
Asmussen, M.O., Pätzold,F., Bretschneider, L., Sperzel, T., Jäkel, E., Wiekenkamp, I., Sachs, T. & Lampert, A.
-
Helicopter-borne solar broadband irradiance measurements from the MOSAiC expedition. PANGAEA, 2023
Sperzel, T.R., Jäkel, E., Lampert, A., Birnbaum, G., Pätzold, F., Neckel, N., Rosenburg, S., Fuchs, N. & Wendisch, M.
-
HELiPOD – revolution and evolution of a helicopter borne measurement system for multidisciplinary research in demanding environments, Elem. Sci. Anth., 11, 1.
Pätzold, F., Bretschneider, L., Nowak, S., Brandt, B., Schlerf, A., Asmussen, M.O., Bollmann, S., Bärfuss, K., Harm-Altstädter, B., Hecker, P, Wehner, B., van der Wall, B.G., Sachs, T., Huntrieser, H., Roiger, A. & Lampert, A.
-
Investigating the horizontal and vertical variability of aerosol particles affected by a shallow atmospheric boundary layer observed with two airborne systems during MOSAiC, Arctic Science Summit Week (Vienna and online), 17-24 February
Harm-Altstädter, B., Pilz, C., Pätzold, F., Bretschneider, L., Bollmann, S., Schlerf, A.,Asmussen, M. O., Bärfuss, K., Käthner, R., Wehner, B. & Lampert, A.
-
Observations of spatially distributed aerosol particles measured with HELiPOD and BELUGA during MOSAiC on 22 July 2020, European Aerosol Conference, Malaga, Spain, 3-8 September
Harm-Altstädter, B., Pilz, C., Bollmann, S., Pätzold, F., Bretschneider, L., Bärfuss, K., Käthner, R., Wehner, B., Jurányi, Z., Herber, A. & Lampert, A.
-
Observations of the spatial distribution of aerosol particles based on the helicopter-borne system HELiPOD during MOSAiC in 2020, 2nd MOSAiC Science Conference, Boulder, 13-17 February
Harm-Altstädter, B., Asmussen, M. O., Pilz, C., Pätzold, F., Bretschneider, L., Käthner, R., Wehner, B. & Lampert, A.
-
Surface albedo measurements and surface type classification from helicopter-based observations during MOSAiC. Scientific Data, 10(1).
Sperzel, Tim R.; Jäkel, Evelyn; Pätzold, Falk; Lampert, Astrid; Niehaus, Hannah; Spreen, Gunnar; Rosenburg, Sophie; Birnbaum, Gerit; Neckel, Niklas & Wendisch, Manfred
-
Surface type classifications from helicopter-borne imagery during the MOSAiC expedition, PANGAEA, 2023
Sperzel, T.R., Jäkel, E., Lampert, A., Birnbaum, G., Pätzold, F., Neckel, N., Rosenburg, S., Fuchs, N. & Wendisch, M.
-
HELiPOD and MOSAiC, Arctic Science Summit Week, Edinburgh, 21 to 9 March
Pätzold, Falk
-
Multidisciplinary observations of two flights with the helicopter borne probe HELiPOD during MOSAiC, PANGAEA, 2024
Pätzold, F., Bärfuss, K. Bretschneider, L., Schlerf, A., Bollmann, S., Asmussen, M.O., Schwarting, T., Rausch, T., Harm-Altstädter, B., Käthner, R., Pilz, C., Wehner, B., Sperzel, T.R. Jäkel, E., Düsing, S., Herber, A., Wiekenkamp, I., Sachs, T., Wendisch, M. & Lampert, A.
