NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: remote sensing, weather data, aircraft

Objective(s): Acquire new knowledge needed to improve weather and climate forecasts in the polar regions through a better understanding of key physical processes and an improved representation of those processes within numerical weather and climate prediction systems.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 6096. Acquire new knowledge needed to improve weather and climate forecasts in the polar regions through a better understanding of key physical processes and an improved representation of those processes within numerical weather and climate prediction systems. Cal/val of the planned AOS observations during its preparatory phase and EarthCARE observations during its post-launch phase via an aircraft field campaign. Observations from Calipso and Cloudsat of optically thin cloud statistics will be used to generate a climatology of optimal time periods to plan flights. Typically, these form almost persistently every month during Polar Night, which is ideal for FIRR-2 (TICFIRE) observations. During the campaign, observations of nearby clouds’ horizontal and vertical extension will be analyzed to select optimal conditions for flight trajectories. Underpass flights with EarthCARE will also be conducted (the number of which will depend on ESA’s contribution to PONEX). Clear-sky flights will also be required for FIRR-2 and ALI observations. The NRC Convair-580 can attain altitudes of ~7.3 km. This is above many Arctic thin ice clouds. As such, the plan is to fly above clouds and remotely sense them with nadir-pointing cloud radar, FIRR-2, and radiometers and the limb-viewing ALI instrument. Then, the plane will fly at select cloud-bearing altitudes, as dictated by observations aloft, and perform potentially multiple level flights along a fixed trajectory. To finish, it will return to ~7.3 km to perform a second remote sensing run thereby bracketing the in-situ sampling period. ECCC media will manage communications via Twitter and its home web page to promote the campaign (before, during, and after) and communicate details with the wider public. The campaign website is publicly accessible and provides a detailed contact list (https://ponex.hiwr.ca/) for anyone requesting more information. This web page will be updated regularly. The University partners (University of Toronto, Wilfred Laurier University, UQAM, etc.) are currently investigating potential outreach opportunities in Inuvik that could coincide with the campaign activities via direct communication(s) with the local schools. Wilfred Laurier University and UQAM already have NWT research licenses to operate the Trail Valley Creek research site, which will be collaborating in the PONEX campaign; the communications and network that WLU and UQAM have already established in Inuvik will be leveraged to assist with the PONEX campaign's communications efforts. ECCC operates an upper air weather station at Inuvik with several contractors from the local community that operate the facility, who will help act as liaisons with the wider community. ECCC is in the process of establishing approvals with NavCanada to use and operate in and around the Inuvik airport for the period of the campaign. Local NavCanada contacts at Inuvik are being obtained in order to establish close communications regarding the campaign activities. ECCC has received approval from Transport Canada to operate in and around the inuvik airport with local contacts established. Finally, ECCC will communicate with HTC of Inuvik to see whether there are any comments or concerns via: Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee - Patricia Rogers E-mail: inuvikhtc@hotmail.com Phone: 1(867)777-3671 The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: September 01 - March 31, 2026