C-HARRIER airborne campaign

This project, funded by NASA, and led by Dr. Liane Guild of NASA Ames, uses a novel configuration of high fidelity radiometers for rapid deployment and collection of ocean color data from airborne platforms. C-AIR (ARC) and C-AERO (GSFC) 19-channel radiometers (15 Hz and 30 Hz data acquisition rate, respectively) are relevant for calibration and validation of high altitude airborne and satellite data products and aquatic algorithms. The radiometers are also used in research applications to derive water-leaving radiance and with their targeted channels (aligned with PACE, MODIS, and MERIS), support aquatic algorithms (e.g., CDOM, PFTs, Chl-a, TSS). Spectral shape validation with in-water companion instruments (e.g., C-OPS) provide robust alignment. Further, the radiometers feature ten decades of dynamic range with expanded spectral range spanning the short-wave infrared (SWIR) and ultraviolet. The radiometers have been shown to provide higher signal-to-noise (SNR) measurements compared to legacy airborne or satellite imaging spectrometers, which enables measurement of dark aquatic targets while do not saturatinge with sun glint andover bright land targets. The high sampling rate of the radiometers enables the discretization and removal of glint contamination, and a synthetic dark correction technique improves the measurement of SWIR wavelengths. These technological advances enable high-quality measurement of an expanded spectral range (i.e., UV to SWIR), appropriate for augmenting measurements obtained by airborne and satellite imaging spectrometers , in order to improve atmospheric correction and algorithm development for aquatic remote sensing. This particular project flew the radiometers over the coasts of Monterey Bay, Clear Lake, and San Luis Reservoir in California to test application on a dynamic range of water types for validtion of water quality algorithms and demonstrate potential for a rapid response system.