Synonyms: 
ACT America 4

High Altitude Lidar Observatory

The NASA Langley High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is used to characterize distributions of greenhouse gasses, and clouds and small particles in the atmosphere, called aerosols. From an airborne platform, the HALO instrument provides nadir-viewing profiles of water vapor, methane columns, and profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, which are used to study aerosol impacts on radiation, clouds, air quality, and methane emissions.  When the water vapor, aerosol and cloud products are combined it provides one of the most comprehensive data sets available to study aerosol cloud interactions.  HALO is also configured to provide in the future measurements of the near-surface ocean, including depth-resolved subsurface backscatter and attenuation.
 

Instrument Type: 
Lidar
Measurements: 
water vapor profiles, methane columns and profiles, Aerosol Depolarization Ratio, Aerosol Scattering Ratio, Aerosol Backscattering, Aerosol Extinction
Aircraft: 
DC-8- AFRC, C-130- WFF, P-3 Orion - WFF, B200 - LARC, B-200 (UC-12B) - LARC, DC-8 - AFRC, Gulfstream V - JSC, Gulfstream III - LaRC
Point(s) of Contact: 
Amin R. Nehrir (PI)

Aircraft-based inversions quantify the importance of wetlands and livestock for Upper Midwest methane emissions

Yu, X., et al. (2021), Aircraft-based inversions quantify the importance of wetlands and livestock for Upper Midwest methane emissions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 951-971, doi:10.5194/acp-21-951-2021.

Seasonal characteristics of model uncertainties from biogenic fluxes, transport, and large‐scale boundary inflow in atmospheric CO2 simulations over North America

Feng, S., et al. (2019), Seasonal characteristics of model uncertainties from biogenic fluxes, transport, and large‐scale boundary inflow in atmospheric CO2 simulations over North America, J. Geophys. Res., 124, 14325-, doi:10.1029/2019JD031165.

ACT-America: The Story So Far

A NASA airborne science study looking at the transport of two major greenhouse gases in the eastern half of the U.S. just completed its fourth and next-to-last flight campaign. By measuring how weather systems move carbon dioxide and methane, Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America, or ACT-America, aims to improve our understanding of where the gases originate and where they're being absorbed.

ACT-America Aims to Tell Four-Season Greenhouse Gas Story

NASA scientists are once again on the hunt for greenhouse gases in the sky. Researchers for the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America, or ACT-America, study returned to the field last week to measure how weather systems transport carbon dioxide and methane through the atmosphere over the eastern part of the United States.

Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT-America)

ACT-America, or Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America, will conduct five airborne campaigns across three regions in the eastern United States to study the transport and fluxes of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane. Each 6-week campaign will measure how weather systems transport these greenhouse gases. The objective of the study is to enable more accurate and precise estimates of the sources and sinks of these gases.

NASA Flights to Track Greenhouse Gases Across Eastern US

Atmospheric Carbon and Transport–America, or ACT-America, is a multi-year airborne campaign that will measure concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in relation to weather systems. The study will gather real-time measurements from research aircraft and ground stations to improve the ability to detect and quantify the surface sources and sinks of the gases.

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