KA-20251014a

KA-20251014a#

mpc liquid altostratus ec_under

Crew#

Job

Name

PI

Tim Carlsen

Instrument operator

Sorin Ghemulet

Instrument operator

Robert Oscar David

EarthCARE target scenarios

Altostratus mixed-phase clouds: Porpoising through entire mixed-phase cloud deck.

Flight summary

During the research flight on 14th October 2025, we targeted altostratus mixed-phase clouds between 6.1 and 7.0 km altitude underneath EarthCARE (orbit #7836C/D). We sampled in the mixed-phase regime at temperatures between -22°C and -25°C. We porpoised through the cloud reaching above cloud top and below cloud base, sampling many small, liquid droplets and ice crystals. We spiraled before the start of the EC leg and continued porpoising until returning to WP1, resulting in a long time window of potential correlative observations.

Track#

../_images/KA-20251014a_7836C.png

Flight track for KA-20251014a.#

Flight path (dashed line) superimposed on the MSI-RGR-1C product on 14th October 2025. The ATLID ground track is shown in yellow, while the EC leg (for correlative observations) is shown as a continuous line.

Conditions#

The altostratus clouds moved into the EC track right on time for the overpass, and we managed to first sample a vertical profile before starting the leg, followed by about an hour of porpoising through the altostratus deck. The closest correlative observations were performed on the southbound leg, whilst the impressions from the instruments indicate quite stable conditions when sampling the same cloud deck on the northbound leg later on.

Flight video#

Video cutting and editing in progress…

Events#

Time (UTC)

Comment

12:47

Takeoff Kiruna

13:27

Start ec_leg

13:43

EarthCARE overpass (orbit #7836C/D)

14:29

End ec_leg

14:47

Landing Kiruna

Execution#

  • Takeoff KRN: 12:47 UTC (14:47 LT)

  • 12:48 UTC: FCDP+2DS work

  • 12:54 UTC: entering hold, climbing

  • 13:05 UTC: FCDP stopped (no space on disk)

  • 13:07 UTC: FCDP started again

  • 13:11 UTC: going down to FL220 again

  • 13:16 UTC: up to FL230 to get above cloud again

  • 13:19 UTC: going towards EC track now

  • 13:23 UTC: going up, start porpoising

  • 13:27 UTC: WP1, start ec_leg (data before profiles in vicinity of WP1 also valuable)

  • 13:43 UTC: ec_meet

  • 13:47 UTC: WPD

  • 13:54 UTC: WP2, get back on track northbound now

  • 13:56 UTC: back on track

  • 14:29 UTC: WP1 again, end ec_leg

  • 14:29 UTC: stop instruments, data transfer

  • Landing KRN: 14:47 UTC (16:47 LT)

  • Campaign is a wrap!

Impressions#

  • 12:56 UTC: -3°C, FL130

  • 13:00 UTC: -13°C, FL170

  • 13:01 UTC: see particles, big crystals, TAS192, -16°C, FL190

  • 13:04 UTC: TAS196, -22°C, FL210, cloud base, now also particles in FCDP

  • 13:05 UTC: -23°C, FL216, lots of liquid and small crystals

  • 13:06 UTC: TAS202, -25°C, FL227, cloud top

  • 13:07 UTC: second layer above, trying to reach it, lots of layers

  • 13:09 UTC: TAS208, -28°C, FL243, lots of crystals falling from above

  • 13:11 UTC: no more reachable layers above, TAS224, -30°C, glory visible

  • 13:13 UTC: TAS245, -25°C, FL232, at cloud top, going down towards FL210

  • 13:14 UTC: TAS235, -24°C, FL220, lots on FCDP, small crystals 2DS

  • 13:15 UTC: TAS238, -22°C, FL210

  • 13:18 UTC: glory

  • 13:20 UTC: TAS216, alt capture FL230

  • 13:21 UTC: TAS234, lots of particles

  • 13:22 UTC: super small crystals in 2DS-V

  • 13:23 UTC: TAS225, -23°C, FL210, alt capture

  • 13:25 UTC: -24°C, FL220, going down again

  • 13:26 UTC: TAS234, -22°C, FL210, bigger crystals below, going up again

  • 13:28 UTC: 45 kt crosswinds

  • 13:30 UTC: TAS229, -25°C, FL230, going down again, lots of liquid + small crystals

  • 13:31 UTC: TAS234, -24°C, FL220

  • 13:32 UTC: TAS230, -22°C, FL210, going up again

  • 13:34 UTC: TAS218, -24°C, FL220, going down again

  • 13:35 UTC: TAS232, -22°C, FL210, 2DS-H stuck for a while (something on optics), going up again

  • 13:38 UTC: TAS220, -23°C, FL220

  • 13:39 UTC: TAS233, -22°C, FL210, little bit of cloud below

  • 13:40 UTC: small particles in FCDP, TAS217, -23°C, FL220, going down again

  • 13:41 UTC: TAS231

  • 13:42 UTC: TAS227, -22°C, FL210

  • 13:43 UTC: ec_meet, in cloud

  • 13:44 UTC: TAS220, -25°C, FL220, above cloud now

  • 13:45 UTC: in cloud again

  • 13:46 UTC: TAS233, below cloud but see falling crystals, going up again

  • 13:46 UTC: TAS234, -22°C, FL210, mainly FCDP (small), some small crystals

  • 13:47 UTC: TAS220, -24°C, FL220, a few high clouds above our layer

  • 13:48 UTC: TAS224, -24°C, FL230, some ice on winglets, going down again

  • 13:49 UTC: -24°C, FL220, see ice falling below cloud, going up again

  • 13:52 UTC: TAS221, -24°C, FL230, going down again

  • 13:53 UTC: in cloud, will turn quick to get back on track

  • 13:54 UTC: above cloud

  • 13:55 UTC: glory

  • 13:56 UTC: TAS225, -22°C, FL210, northbound on track now

  • 13:58 UTC: -22°C, FL217

  • 13:59 UTC: going up again, still similar cloud situation, lots of small particles in FCDP, and a few small ice crystals in 2DS-V

  • 14:01 UTC: TAS220, -24°C, FL220

  • 14:02 UTC: TAS225, -25°C, FL225

  • 14:03 UTC: TAS216, -22°C, FL220

  • 14:05 UTC: -22°C, FL210

  • 14:08 UTC: TAS221, -25°C, FL225, glory all the time above cloud, going down again

  • 14:10 UTC: TAS218, -23°C, FL220

  • 14:11 UTC: TAS227, -22°C, FL210

  • 14:13 UTC: TAS218, -24°C, FL219, going down again, cloud deck seems pretty stable so far (compared to southbound leg)

  • 14:15 UTC: TAS216, -23°C, FL210, going up again

  • 14:16 UTC: a few larger crystals below cloud in 2DS-V

  • 14:17 UTC: TAS219, FL220

  • 14:19 UTC: TAS222, -25°C, FL220, lots of crystals in 2DS-V + big ones + lots in FCDP

  • 14:20 UTC: a thin layer below our layer now

  • 14:21 UTC: TAS210, -23°C, FL210

  • 14:22 UTC: lots of crystals in 2DS-V

  • 14:23 UTC: going up again

  • 14:24 UTC: cloud deck a bit more broken now

  • 14:25 UTC: TAS218, -22°C, FL210

  • 14:28 UTC: TAS217, -25°C, FL220, above cloud

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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