SOLVE II: The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III) Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment

SOLVE II is an international field campaign designed to measure ozone and other atmospheric gases in the Arctic using aircraft, large and small balloons, ground-based instruments and satellites. The instruments will examine the processes controlling ozone levels at mid- to high latitudes.

The mission will also acquire data needed to validate the third Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III) satellite measurements that will be used to quantitatively assess high-latitude ozone loss.

Scientists will also work toward ensuring that measurements from other current Earth-observing satellites are accurate. They will take measurements of the stratosphere using a large suite of instruments aboard three aircraft: NASA's DC-8, the Russian M55 Geophysica, and the German DLR Falcon.

Contacts:
David Steitz, NASA Headquarters Public Affairs, Washington, D.C., (202) 358-1730
Elvia Thompson, NASA Headquarters Public Affairs, Washington, D.C., (202) 358-1696
Cynthia M O'Carroll, NASA GSFC Public Affairs, Greenbelt, MD, (301) 614-5563

1. Validate measurements from NASA’s SAGE III satellite instrument.
2. Determine the rate of the polar ozone loss in early to mid-winter.
3. Improve the understanding of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs).
4. Increase the understanding of the chemistry of ozone loss.
5. Study meteorological impacts on polar ozone levels.

Partners

NASA researchers will work in close collaboration with the VINTERSOL (Validation of International Satellites and study of Ozone Loss) campaign sponsored by the European Commission and national agencies. More than 350 scientists from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland will participate in this joint effort.

When

During the winter of 2002-2003: The DC-8 phase of this Arctic campaign will run from January 8 through February 6, 2003. Flights of large balloons will augment the aircraft campaign, extending the measurement period from late November 2002 to late March 2003.

Where

Scientists will make measurements in the Arctic high-latitude region of Kiruna, Sweden, the site of the first international effort, SOLVE I, and the Third European Stratospheric Experiment on Ozone (THESEO 2000), during the winter of 1999-2000.

Additional information on the SOLVE II campaign can be found at:

• http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020930solve.html
• http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/stories/solve/
• http://www-sage3.larc.nasa.gov/
• http://www.ozone-sec.ch.cam.ac.uk/