The pivotal goal of the campaign is the demonstration of the Conical Scanning Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer Hyperspectral (CoSMIR-H) instrument, a NASA Decadal Survey Incubation funded effort to develop hyperspectral sounding capability in the thermal microwave domain finalized to improve temperature and water vapor soundings. The focus of this campaign is on the Earth’s Planetary Boundary Layer thermodynamic fields, identified as Target Observables in the 2017 Decadal Survey. Part of the demonstration experiment of CoSMIR-H geophysical retrieval performance is a trade study aimed at informing the design of a future hyperspectral microwave space concept sensor funded by NASA ESTO, the Advanced Ultra-high Resolution Optical RAdiometer (AURORA) Pathfinder.
Occurring during the months of October and November 2024, WHyMSIE brings together multiple observing nodes – i.e., space, suborbital and ground - to enable a comprehensive and coherent picture of the PBL, from multiple spatial scales, providing a testbed to demonstrate novel technology and algorithms, particularly those based on passive-active data fusion approaches. In this respect, WH2yMSIE is a first step forward towards an intelligent, integrated and affordable PBL observing system. More broadly, it will enable signal/noise trade studies intended to inform future pathways to fill technology and uncertainty gaps in the current NASA and NOAA atmospheric sounding program of record.
This paper introduces the general scope of WHyMSIE, an overview of the field campaign design, its payload and intended science objectives. It concludes with preliminary demonstration results from the completed October-November 2024 science flights.
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