European Facility For Airborne Research

EUFAR is organising three training courses in June/July 2017 as part of its Education and Training activity. 

EASI - Exploring Air Sea Interaction via airborne data

• Lead Researcher: Dr. Alessadra Lanotte (CNR, ISAC, Italy)
• When: 25 June - 4 July 2017
• Where: Shannon (Ireland)
• Planned visit to: Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station
• Student flights: 4 flights with instrumented aircraft ATR42 (operated by SAFIRE) from Shannon airport

Objective

The primary goal of the EASI summer school is to teach and train participants on the use of a research aircraft, and on the experimental possibilities it opens for atmospheric sciences research. This implies providing them with a complete overview of the airborne and remote sensing experimental techniques, and on specific features of collection and analysis of airborne measurements. In addition, EASI aims to transfer consolidated knowledge on and recent advancements in specific topics related to air-sea interaction, and near coastal boundary layer structure and dynamics.

RS4forestEBV - Airborne remote sensing for monitoring essential biodiversity variables in forest ecosystems

• Lead Researcher: Prof. Andrew Skidmore (University of Twente, the Netherlands)
• When: 3 - 14 July 2017
• Where: Bavarian Forest National Park (3 - 9 July 2017) and DLR Oberpfaffenhofen (10 -14 July 2017)
• Instrumented aircraft: Twin Otter aircraft operated by NERC

Objective

Forest management requires the use of comprehensive remote sensing data which enable the monitoring of biodiversity changes. Biophysical and biochemical vegetation parameters can characterise changes in biodiversity through changes in ecosystem structure and function.

In this training course, special skills will be presented required for processing the new generation of airborne hyperspectral, thermal, LiDAR and RADAR data for retrieving essential biodiversity variables in forest ecosystems.
The ground data collection that will be performed during the summer school at the Bavarian Forest National Park aims to provide participants with knowhow on tools (field spectroscopy, thermal spectrometry and terrestrial LIDAR) and measurement techniques to collect different vegetation variables. In addition, an airborne campaign for concurrent acquisitions of hyperspectral, thermal and LiDAR data will be organised during the summer school if weather conditions allow.

• The school will enable the participants to achieve the following learning objectives:
• To map different vegetation parameters using hyperspectral visible/NIR /SWIR/ thermal and LiDAR data
• To understand the advantage of each data source and the best combinations of them for retrieving vegetation parameters
• To understand data processing chains
• To understand the challenge of collecting and integrating forest field data with remote sensing imagery

Furthermore, during the second week, participants will be able to attend certain sessions of the ICARE 2017 conference that will be held simultaneously at DLR (10-13 July).

STANCO - School and Training on Aircraft New and well-established techniques for Atmospheric Composition Observation

• Lead Researcher: Dr. Piero Di Carlo (University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Italy)
• When: 26 June - 6 July 2017
• Where: University of Cambridge & Cranfield airport (UK)
• Student flights: 3 - 4 flights with instrumented aircraft BAe146 (operated by FAAM) from Cranfield airport

Objective

The main objective is to provide participants with an overview on measurement techniques, data analysis and specifics of the airborne measurements of species relevant in atmospheric trace gases. Emphasis will be on new instruments and emerging techniques for aircraft observations. The lectures will include an introduction on atmospheric composition focusing on pollution transport, vertical distribution of atmospheric compounds and links between air pollution and climate changes.

Air pollution and climate changes are global problems and the species responsible of these environmental issues are emitted essentially by the same processes: fossil fuel burning. Observations of these compounds on aircraft platforms are worthwhile because usually most of them have high dependence with the altitude and a big horizontal variability. Moreover, aircraft allow in-situ measurements that help to identify and track emission plume of atmospheric trace gases.
The lectures will cover the technical, engineering and safety aspects of the airborne measurements, not specific issues of one particular aircraft but the general aspects related to most aircraft platforms used for atmospheric studies. Other lectures will focus on general aspects of the atmospheric composition, trace gases transport and chemistry.