Cloud and Aerosol Measurements with the MASIN Twin Otter during ACCACIA Field Campaigns 2013

The Aerosol-Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA) project is funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council to study the processes that control the properties of low-level clouds (stratus and stratocumulus) in the Arctic – the sources of aerosol particles, their interactions with cloud microphysical properties, the radiative properties of the clouds, and the dynamic coupling with the lower atmosphere. The overarching objective of this study is to reduce the large uncertainty in the effects of aerosols and clouds on the Arctic surface energy balance and climate, in particular to determine the natural and anthropogenic sources of aerosol within the Arctic boundary layer and to quantify the feedbacks between clouds, aerosol, sea ice and the wider climate system.

Field campaigns took place during two periods, in March/April and July/August 2013 and involved two ships and two aircraft.

This presentation will focus on measurements carried out by the British Antarctic Survey's instrumented MASIN Twin Otter which was based at Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The aircraft is fitted with a range of instruments to observe core meteorological parameters, as well as sea ice characterising parameters and turbulent fluxes. External cloud probes CAPS-DPOL, CDP and 2DS, and an isokinetic inlet enable observations of cloud particles and aerosols. In this combination the instruments' measurements cover particles in the range from 0.3micron to 1mm.

This presentation will give an overview over the obtained measurements. Based on data from the two field campaigns and overall 17 flight missions we will highlight seasonal differences, and differences due to varying synoptic situations.