KA-20251008a

KA-20251008a#

cirrus cb_anvil ec_under

Crew#

Job

Name

PI

Robert Oscar David

Instrument operator

Sorin Ghemulet

Instrument operator

Tim Carlsen

EarthCARE target scenarios

Cb Anvil Cirrus: Straight legs through cirrus outflow in Arctic deep convection.

Flight summary

During the research flight on 8th October 2025, we targeted Cb Anvil Cirrus between 7.0 and 7.6 km altitude underneath EarthCARE (orbit #7743C). The convection was stronger than expected, so we did not sample in the mid-level mixed-phase regime as originally planned, but instead within the cirrus outflow covering temperatures between -35°C and -38°C. We flew straight legs at different altitudes underneath EarthCARE and overall sampled 10 million ice crystals.

Track#

../_images/KA-20251008a_7743C.png

Flight track for KA-20251008.#

Flight path (dashed line) superimposed on the MSI-RGR-1C product on 8th October 2025. The ATLID ground track is shown in yellow, while the EC leg (for correlative observations) is shown as a continuous line.

Conditions#

During the EC leg we measured high altitude cirrus clouds in the cumulonimbus anvil outflow region over the ocean right west of Lofoten Islands.

Flight video#

Video cutting and editing in progress…

Events#

Time (UTC)

Comment

12:53

Takeoff Kiruna

14:00

Start ec_leg

14:16

EarthCARE overpass (orbit #7743C)

14:43

End ec_leg

15:30

Landing Kiruna

Execution#

  • Takeoff KRN: 12:53 UTC (14:53 LT)

  • 12:56 UTC: anti-ice on

  • 13:14 UTC: all cameras go (for a while now)

  • 13:25 UTC: looks like embedded showers and Cb ahead, quite some convection, will arrive @FL250 at WP1 and assess the situation

  • 13:42 UTC: nose-cone temperature Hawkeye is negative

  • 13:53 UTC: try FL240

  • 14:00 UTC: Temperatures Hawkeye: window -8°C, arm -11°C, laser +18°C (was colder before)

  • 14:00 UTC: Start ec_leg, on track now

  • 14:04 UTC: going up

  • 14:18 UTC: go up to FL240, WP1, turn

  • 14:21 UTC: going back on lack

  • 14:24 UTC: WP1, turn on track again

  • 14:28 UTC: WP2, will stay at this FL for way back to WP1

  • 14:35 UTC: on leg but North of WP2 still

  • 14:37 UTC: WP2

  • 14:43 UTC: WP1, turn home

  • Landing KRN: 15:30 UTC (17:30 LT)

Impressions#

  • 13:07 UTC: entering cloud, TAS188, -20°C, FL190, 2DS-H saw some ice

  • 13:09 UTC: big spike on FCDP, entering cloud again

  • 13:11 UTC: TAS200, FL220, right above cloud

  • 13:11 UTC: sun pillar reflection on cloud below

  • 13:12 UTC: TAS206, -29°C, FL240, aggregated Bullet rosettes (B-Rs, see photo)

  • 13:14 UTC: alt capture, TAS220, -31°C, FL250

  • 13:22 UTC: TAS226, -32°C

  • 13:25 UTC: TAS224

  • 13:37 UTC: TAS230, -37°C, FL250

  • 13:39 UTC: going right over anvil right now

  • 13:40 UTC: TAS227, -38°C, FL250

  • 13:41 UTC: a bit bumpy, red on radar ahead

  • 13:45 UTC: TAS232, -40°C, FL250, lots of ice on 2DS, a little on FCDP

  • 13:48 UTC: TAS220, -40°C, FL250

  • 13:49 UTC: still right on top of cloud, lots of ice

  • 13:51 UTC: hold, try to go down a little to assess

  • 13:53 UTC: TAS225, -41°C, FL250, lots in 2DS-V and 2DS-H (before it was mainly 2DS-H for a while)

  • 13:55 UTC: TAS240, -37°C, FL240, lots of ice

  • 13:55 UTC: TAS240, -34°C, FL230

  • 13:58 UTC: TAS230, -33°C, FL220, both channels see ice, anvil cirrus

  • 14:00 UTC: TAS224, -32°C, FL220

  • 14:01 UTC: TAS224, ice again

  • 14:02 UTC: TAS227

  • 14:05 UTC: TAS224, -35°C, FL230, looks like close to cloud top

  • 14:07 UTC: some smaller ice

  • 14:08 UTC: TAS220

  • 14:09 UTC: TAS225, -36°C, FL230, lots of ice (millions of crystals!)

  • 14:12 UTC: TAS229, FL230

  • 14:13 UTC: TAS231, -35°C, FL230, not much ice right now, now back in cloud, big ice (2DS-H), nothing on 2DS-V

  • 14:16 UTC: TAS228, -35°C, FL230, ec_meet, heaps of ice, also some in FCDP

  • 14:20 UTC: TAS229, -37°C, FL240, a few smaller crystals

  • 14:21 UTC: seem to be right at top of cloud, going back on leg, lots of ice

  • 14:23 UTC: TAS229, -37°C, FL240

  • 14:24 UTC: WP1, in cloud, turn on track again

  • 14:25 UTC: TAS231, -37°C, lots of ice

  • 14:26 UTC: a bit in FCDP, lots of ice still, nice big B-Rs

  • 14:28 UTC: WP2, TAS220, -38°C, FL240, big ice

  • 14:30 UTC: TAS226, FCDP sees something, 2DS-H sees something, but nothing in 2DS-V, bumpy

  • 14:33 UTC: TAS221, -38°C, FL240

  • 14:36 UTC: TAS221, -38°C, FL240

  • 14:37 UTC: WP2, can see the sun shine through, lots of ice, crystals in 2DS-H, not in 2DS-V

  • 14:38 UTC: TAS224, -38°C, FL240, something in FCDP, nothing in 2DS

  • 14:39 UTC: ice again + FCDP

  • 14:40 UTC: out of cloud, about to enter again

  • 14:41 UTC: no more cloud ahead, 2min until WP1

  • 14:42 UTC: TAS227, -38°C

  • 14:43 UTC: WP1, TAS225, -39°C, turn home

  • 14:46 UTC: TAS223, -38°C, FL240, still in cloud, trying to stay in cloud on way home, lots of ice

  • 14:48 UTC: TAS225, -38°C, FL240, right at cloud top

  • 14:49 UTC: TAS220

  • 14:51 UTC: TAS228, -38°C, FL240

  • 14:52 UTC: 10 million particles on 2DS!

  • 14:53 UTC: TAS228, -38°C, FL240, clear-sky ahead

  • 14:55 UTC: end mission to transfer data

  • 14:56 UTC: instruments off

Instrument status & quicklooks#

Instrument

Operational

Comment

FCDP

✅

None

2D-S

✅

None

CPI

❌

camera connection issue

CAS-DPOL

❌

CAPS computer failure

CIP

❌

CAPS computer failure

LWC Hotwire

❌

CAPS computer failure

Gopros

✅

None
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