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 Bruce 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 novel airborne measurements 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 in support of the United States Antarctic Program. Measurements will be made across three field seasons. 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

During 2026-27, SCARGO will conduct sampling between Christchurch, New Zealand; McMurdo Station; and the South Pole. The SCARGO instrumentation rack and air sampling hatch will be installed on different LC-130 aircraft based on the mission. The rack is a roll-on/roll-off crate that straps down in the forward cabin. Each week, SCARGO will nominally join two National Science Foundation (NSF) South Pole flights plus one NYANG MXWash (Rotator) mission or a third South Pole flight per week.

Two participants at a time from the five-member science team will be based at McMurdo Station from mid-November 2026 through early February 2027, with additional support staff from Earth Sciences New Zealand in Christchurch. Instrument assembly and testing, flight crew training, and all support activities will take place at McMurdo, where SCARGO will operate out of a Rac-Tent at Williams Field shared with the I-185-M Center for Oldest Ice Exploration project.

Deploying Team Members