Welcome to the WHAFFFERS logo

The WHAFFFERS Campaign (W-band, HiSRAMS, AERI, FIRR2, FINESSE and FIRMOS Experiment on Remote Sensing) is an exciting one-month field study taking place from January 7 to February 14, 2025. This field campaign is an international collaboration and is participated by multiple instrumentation groups: McGill University, Imperial College London (ICL), National Research Council Canada (NRC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), and National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

Objectives

Forward Modelling

Radiative closure experiments investigating the consistencies between:

  • Atmospheric states modelled and measured at the surface, within the atmosphere, and at the top of the atmosphere
  • Cloud signatures measured by mid-infrared, far-infrared and microwave radiometers
  • Radiance measured by radiometers and atmospheric states measured by in situ + active sensors

Retrieval Assessments

  • Cloud properties: Test the feasibility of retrieving cloud properties using a joint (MW+IR) retrieval
  • Active-passive synergy: Explore improvements in accuracy compared to using individual sensors

Snow and Ice Surface Emissivity

  • Evaluate theoretical models of snow and ice surface emissivity
  • Provide ground-truth data for airborne (FIRR-2) and satellite measurements (PREFIRE)
  • Investigate temperature dependence and its implications for TOA (top-of-atmosphere) sensing

Participating Instruments

The campaign is centered on advancing remote sensing technologies and understanding atmospheric processes. A suite of cutting-edge hyperspectrometers and complementary instruments will be deployed:

  • McGill University: Three Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) units.
  • Imperial College London (ICL): The FarINfrarEd Spectrometer for Surface Emissivity (FINESSE).
  • National Research Council Canada (NRC): The High Spectral Resolution Airborne Microwave Sounder (HiSRAMS), operated onboard NRC aircraft.
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC): The FarInfraRed Radiometer version 2 (FIRR2), a prototype for the TICFIRE satellite.
  • National Research Council of Italy (CNR): The Far Infrared Radiation Mobile Observing System (FIRMOS).

These instruments will be complemented by additional remote sensors, in situ measurements onboard NRC aircraft, radiosondes, and ground-based systems deployed at McGill University's Gault site. The campaign makes use of the McGill Adaptable Earth Observation System (AEOS) network. Visit the AEOS website

🌟 Join Us on This Journey

We look forward to a successful campaign and invite everyone to follow our progress!