Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport (STRAT)

Beginning in May 1995, the NASA ER-2 has flown with instruments to investigate the movement of long-lived trace gases in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere. By increasing our understanding of such motions, the Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport (STRAT) experiment should increase our ability to determine whether certain gases in aircraft exhaust get into the prime ozone production region in the tropics.

The STRAT flights are out of NASA Ames Research Center and Barbers Point Naval Air Station. STRAT deployments have been successfully staged in May 1995, October-November 1995, January-February 1996, July-August 1996, and September 1996. The final regular deployment of STRAT is scheduled to take place in December 1996.

Some sights from the mission

Here are some pictures taken during the STRAT mission.

The Official NASA web page for the STRAT experiment is maintained by the Earth Science Division Project Office at NASA Ames Research Center.

STRAT Investigators

ER-2 Instruments

J. Anderson and P. Winnberg (Harvard): High-altitude OH experiment (HOx)
E. Atlas (NCAR) Whole Air Sampler (WAS)
K. Boering (Harvard): High-sensitivity fast-response CO2 instrument
T. Paul Bui (NASA Ames): ER-2 meteorological measurement system
J. W. Elkins (NOAA Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Lab) and D. W. Fahey (NOAA Aeronomy Lab): Four-channel Airborne Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (ACATS-IV)
D. W. Fahey (NOAA Aeronomy Lab): NOy
B. Gary (NASA JPL): Microwave temperature profiler
E. Hintsa, E. Weinstock, and J. Anderson (Harvard): Water vapor and ozone
M. Lowenstein (NASA Ames): Airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer (ATLAS)
C.T. McElroy (Atmospheric Environmental Service, Environment Canada): Composition and photodissociative flux measurement (CPFM or UV-VIS)
M. Proffitt (NOAA Aeronomy Lab) and J. Margitan (NASA JPL): Dual-beam UV-absorption ozone photometer
R. Stachnik (NASA JPL): Submillimeterwave Limb Sounder (SLS)
C. Webster (NASA JPL): Aircraft (ER-2) laser infrared absorption spectrometer (ALIAS) for in situ stratospheric measurements of N2O, CH4, CO, HCL, and NO2
J. C. Wilson (U. Denver): ER-2 condensation nucleus counter II (ER-2 CNC II)
J. C. Wilson (U. Denver): Focused cavity aerosol spectrometer II9 FCAS II)

Balloon and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Instruments

J. W. Elkins (NOAA Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Lab) and D. W. Fahey (NOAA Aeronomy Lab): Lightweight Airborne Chromatograph Experiment (LACE)
M. Lowenstein (NASA Ames): Argus, an atmospheric tracer instrument
J. Margitan (NASA JPL): Balloon dual-beam UV I ozone photometer
G. Toon (NASA JPL): Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) MkIV baloon interferometer
C. Webster (NASA JPL): Aircraft laser infrared absorption spectrometer (ALIASiII) for in situ stratospheric measurements of N2O, CH4, CO, HCL, and NO2 from a balloon platform
S. Wofsy (Harvard): High altitude fast-response CO2 instrument
S. Wofsy (Harvard): Lightweight dual-channel NO/NOy

Satellite Instruments

M. P. McCormick (NASA Langley): Stratospheric aerosol and gas experiment (SAGE) II/III
R. B. Pierce (NASA Langley): Halogen occultation experiment (HALOE)--data analysis in support of NASA STRAT campaign
Y. M. Timofeyev (St. Petersburg, Russia), V. V. Ivanov (Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow), and R. Furrer (Free University of Berlin): Atmospheric sensors on the MIR space station's Priroda module: DOPI (double pedulum interferometer) FTIR-spectrometer, ISTOK-I multichannel infrared spectroradiometer, and OZONE-MIR four-channel scanning diffraction spectrometer

Theoretical Investigations

R. J. Atkinson and D. W. Waugh (CRC-SHM, Monash U., Melbourne): CRC-SHM participation in STRAT: analysis, modeling and prediction of transport and photochemistry in the lower stratosphere
M. Hitchmann (U. of Wisconsin): Dynamical studies using STRAT data
M. Ko (AER, Cambridge, MA): The implications of modified transport rates in model predictions
M. McElroy (Harvard): Utilization of the STRAT data for the validation of assessment models
A. O'Neill (U. of Reading, UK): Comparisons between STRAT aircraft measurements and GCM dynamics and chemistry
L. Pfister (NASA Ames) and H. Selkirk (Space Physics Research Inst., Sunnyvale, CA): Meteorological support and analysis for STRAT
R. A. Plumb: Large-scale stratospheric transport processes
R. Salawitch (NASA JPL): Theoretical studies of stratospheric chemistry and transport using aircraft data
M. Schoeberl (NASA GSFC): Meteorological analysis for STRAT
S. Strahan (NASA GSFC): Flight planning and constituent modeling using the GEOS-I data assimilation system

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Last Updated: 2002-05-01
Web Curator: Leslie R. Lait (SSAI)
Responsible NASA organization/official: Dr. P. K. Bhartia, Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch/Head