So you want to measure water isotopes by plane... Here’s how to request NCAR’s flight-ready water isotopic analyzer
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) operates NSF’s Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF)—measurement platforms and instruments that you can request for conducting research. These facilities include eddy flux towers, radar, lidar, dropsondes, and two large aircraft, which can transport ready-to-fly trace gas analyzers, cloud and precipitation probes, and a water isotope measurement system. NCAR has recently invested in a new 5-Hz 0.5-LPM flow Picarro water vapor isotopic analyzer to support the scientific community’s needs. The analyzer can be configured to sample total water, water vapor, or—when paired with a counterflow virtual impactor—cloud condensate. This presentation briefly explains the key steps to requesting the aircraft and its instrumentation, demonstrates the unique performance characteristics of the 5-Hz isotopic analyzer, and also describes the opportunities that exist for you, as a new LAOF user, to conduct a “test” experiment aboard the aircraft before submitting a full facility request. Additional information can be found at the following urls:
https://www.eol.ucar.edu/laof-guidebook
https://www.eol.ucar.edu/request-lower-atmosphere-observing-facilities