Project Title

Collaborative Research: Southern Ocean Carbon Gas Observatory (SCARGO)

Summary

Event Number:
O-404-M
NSF / OPP Award 1839218

Program Director:
Dr. David Porter

ASC POC/Implementer:
Marissa Goerke / Randolph Jones

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Britton B Stephens
stephens@ucar.edu
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Boulder, Colorado

Project Web Site:
https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/scargo

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: Christchurch, McMurdo Station, South Pole Station, and LC-130s

Description

The Southern Ocean plays a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle, yet there is great uncertainty regarding air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide in the region. This project will conduct a novel airborne measurement program called the Southern Ocean Carbon Gas Observatory (SCARGO), which will map distributions of carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and water vapor in the polar troposphere and enable estimates of austral summer air-sea fluxes. SCARGO will leverage an observational platform of opportunity: the New York Air National Guard (NYANG) LC-130 aircraft operating each austral summer from McMurdo Station supporting the United States Antarctic Program. Analysis and modeling activities will quantify Southern Ocean air-sea carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, and water vapor exchange based on the observations, including the intraseasonal evolution and interannual variability of the fluxes.

Field Season Overview

SCARGO will conduct sampling between Christchurch, NZ; McMurdo Station; and the South Pole. The SCARGO instrumentation rack and air sampling hatch will be installed on different LC-130 aircraft, depending on the mission. The rack is a roll-on/roll-off crate that will strap down in the forward cabin. SCARGO will nominally join two National Science Foundation (NSF) South Pole flights per week, plus one NSF intercontinental mission or one NYANG MX Wash (Rotator) mission per week. Two participants at a time (six total) will be based at McMurdo Station for the season, with additional support staff from Earth Sciences New Zealand based in Christchurch. Instrument assembly and testing, training of flight crews, and support staff will be at the Christchurch hangar before deployment. At McMurdo, SCARGO will operate out of a Rac-Tent at Williams Field.

Deploying Team Members