Campaign for Atmospheric and Mesospheric Studies

Campaign for Atmospheric and Mesospheric Studies
Name	Campaign for Atmospheric and Mesospheric Studies
Abbreviation	CAMS
Formation	21st century
Purpose	Atmospheric science, mesospheric research, remote sensing
Headquarters	unspecified
Region served	global
Affiliations	National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Space Agency

Campaign for Atmospheric and Mesospheric Studies is a coordinated research initiative focused on the upper troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and lower thermosphere. It integrates observational programs, modeling centers and airborne platforms to investigate atmospheric composition, dynamics and coupling processes. The initiative brings together agencies, universities and observatories to support targeted field campaigns, instrument development and data synthesis.

Overview

The program connects National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Space Agency, National Science Foundation, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and academic groups from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich and University of Tokyo. It leverages platforms including ER-2 (aircraft), WB-57, DC-8, HALO (aircraft), Fibre-reinforced polymer-derived stratospheric balloons and satellite missions like Aura (satellite), Suomi NPP, Aqua (satellite), MetOp and Jason-3. Coordination occurs via meetings at venues such as American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union, Royal Society symposia and workshops hosted by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Scientific Objectives

Objectives include quantifying trace gas distributions, studying mesospheric dynamics and gravity wave propagation, and assessing radiative forcing and ozone chemistry. Research topics engage communities around ozone layer studies linked to Montreal Protocol, stratosphere–troposphere exchange examined alongside El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and mesospheric coupling relevant to solar cycle variability and geomagnetic storm effects. Goals prioritize synergy with modeling efforts at centers like European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique.

Instrumentation and Methodology

Instrumentation spans in situ sensors, lidar, radar, mass spectrometers and spectrophotometers. Airborne payloads include tunable diode laser absorption spectrometers developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cavity ring-down systems from University of Bristol, and chemical ionization mass spectrometers built by teams at University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ground-based networks employ microwave radiometers like those at Mauna Loa Observatory, sodium lidars similar to systems at Arecibo Observatory and meteor radars akin to arrays near Kiruna and Tromsø. Satellite retrievals draw on instruments such as the Microwave Limb Sounder, Ozone Monitoring Instrument and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, with validation against radiosonde launches from Wallops Flight Facility, Barrow, Alaska, Payerne and Zhongshan Station.

Field Campaigns and Operations

Field campaigns are staged in polar, midlatitude and tropical regions, integrating shipborne, airborne and surface observations. Notable campaigns operate from bases like McMurdo Station, Ny-Ålesund, Palmer Station, Cape Verde, Darwin, Northern Territory and Mauna Kea. Operations coordinate logistics involving Kennedy Space Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Woomera Test Range and research vessels such as RV Polarstern and RV Investigator. Campaign planning aligns with international efforts like International Quiet Sun Year-era studies, Stratosphere–troposphere Processes And their Role in Climate experiments and coordinated observations during sudden stratospheric warming events.

Key Findings and Contributions

The program has advanced understanding of mesospheric chemistry, gravity wave momentum flux, and stratospheric ozone recovery signals following policy actions like the Montreal Protocol. Results refined parameterizations used at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, improved satellite retrievals for Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment and informed assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion. Studies have identified links between mesospheric anomalies and solar proton events, characterized transport during volcanic eruption plumes such as from Mount Pinatubo and resolved finescale tracer filamentation observed during campaigns near Haleakala and La Reunion.

Collaborations and Funding

Collaborations span international agencies, university consortia and private laboratories including Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and OHB SE. Funding sources include national research councils such as the Natural Environment Research Council, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Canadian Space Agency and philanthropic foundations associated with institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Program governance involves steering committees drawing membership from American Meteorological Society, Royal Meteorological Society and advisory panels connected to Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.

Data Management and Accessibility

Data products follow community standards for archiving, with repositories hosted by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, European Space Agency data portals and institutional archives at PANGAEA and World Data Center. Datasets include Level 1 radiances, Level 2 retrievals and model output archived for reuse in portals such as Zenodo and integrated via services including Copernicus and GEOSS. Standardized metadata practices reference formats promoted by Committee on Data for Science and Technology and ensure DOIs for campaign datasets used in publications appearing in journals like Journal of Geophysical Research, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Nature Geoscience and Science.

Category:Atmospheric science