OWLETS-1: July 5, 2017 - August 3, 2017

OWLETS-2: June 6, 2018 - July 6, 2018

Coastal regions have typically posed a challenge for air quality researchers due to a lack of measurements available over water and water-land boundary transitions. Supported by NASA’s Science Innovation Fund (SIF), the Ozone Water-Land Environmental Transition Study (OWLETS) field campaign examined ozone concentrations and gradients over the Chesapeake Bay from July 5, 2017 – August 3, 2017, with twelve intensive measurement days occurring during this time period. OWLETS utilized a unique combination of instrumentation, including aircraft, TOLNet ozone lidars (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Tropospheric Ozone Differential Absorption Lidar and NASA Langley Research Center Mobile Ozone Lidar), UAV/drones, ozonesondes, AERONET sun photometers, and mobile and ship-based measurements, to characterize the land-water differences in ozone and other pollutants. Two main research sites were established as part of the campaign: an over-land site at NASA LaRC, and an over-water site at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. These two research sites were established to provide synchronous vertical measurements of meteorology and pollutants over water and over land. In combination with mobile observations between the two sites, pollutant gradients were able to be observed and used to better understand the fundamental processes occurring at the land-water interface. OWLETS-2 was completed from June 6, 2018 – July 6, 2018 in the upper Chesapeake Bay region. Research sites were established at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Hart Miller Island (HMI), and Howard University Beltsville (HUBV), with HMI representing the over-water location and UMBC and HUBV representing the over-land sites. Similar measurements were carried out to further characterize water-land gradients in the upper Chesapeake Bay. The measurements completed during OWLETS are of importance in enhancing air quality models, and improving future satellite retrievals, particularly, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, which is scheduled to launch in 2022.

OWLETS Project Page

Project DOI: 10.5067/SUBORBITAL/OWLETS/DATA001