2010

MERLIN: French-German climate satellite to be launched in 2014

The Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA) is highly engaged with the development of the French-German satellite mission MERLIN (Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission). Over three years it has to be demonstrated that regional emission structures of the atmospheric trace gas methane and their temporal variations can be determined by active remote sensing techniques with good accuracy. As an effective greenhouse gas methane is an important component in the context of global climate change.

Flight tracks of the DLR Falcon volcanic ash missions

Since April 19 altogether 17 flights were performed by the DLR Falcon research aircraft to survey and sample the emissions of the Eyjafjöll volcano on Iceland. The flight track data in ascii format are available for download.

Results of the first aircraft measurements in volcano ash clouds

Between 19 April and 3 May 2010 nine flights of the DLR research aircraft Falcon were performed to measure the volcano ash load over Europe due to the Icelandic Eyjafjalla eruption. Comprehensive results of the successful measurements and supplementary observations by DLR and its partners have been summarized in a report which is now available for download. The results are used to derive measures for a better organization of air traffic during volcano eruptions. In future, concentration limits for save aviation will be defined. Then, forecast systems not only have to predict the presence of an ash cloud, but also have to quantify the mass concentrations. This is much more difficult, as modelling experts of other institutions confirm. The necessity for the operation of an emergency aircraft is clearly evident, not only in the case of volcanic ash, but also for other hazards. Heavy damage to the European economy could be avoided as the actual case has shown.

DLR's research aircraft 'Falcon 20E' completes measurement flight successfully

Scientists from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) successfully completed a measurement flight of the volcanic ash cloud over Germany on 19 April 2010; the flight lasted more than three hours. A DLR's report for the German Federal Ministry of Transport regarding the measurement flight is available for download (PDF, 12 pages). DLR researchers have measured the volcanic ash cloud's height, coverage and composition. Image from LIDAR shows horizontal and vertical distribution of vulcanic ash during the flight with the DLR's 'Dassault Falcon 20E' flew from Oberpfaffenhofen to Leipzig, then via Hamburg to Bilthoven (Netherlands) and back to Oberpfaffenhofen via Stuttgart.

Towards a Generic Radiative Transfer Model for the Earth's Surface Atmosphere System

The ESA-Project ESASLight has been completed on 17 March 2010 after a duration of exactly two years. The aim of the project was to develop a user friendly toolbox for the simulation of current and future Earth observation instruments in the visible and infrared spectral regions. The project has been performed by the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA) in cooperation with the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) of Munich and the DLR Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF).

Pre-launch campaign in Iceland for the ADM-Aeolus satellite mission

Scientists from the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics travelled to Iceland for the last of a series of DLR-led technology demonstration campaigns for ESA’s meteorological satellite mission, ADM-Aeolus. Its closeness to Greenland and the Atlantic storm track region made the island a perfect base for the test flights with DLR's Falcon research aircraft.