The goal of this study is to sample as much of the atmosphere in the Pacific Basin as possible. Sampling from the North Pole down to the South Pole will give scientists a fantastic longitudinal snapshot of the Earth's atmosphere.
This easily lends itself for comparison studies of the atmospheric gases in the northern hemisphere to those in the southern hemisphere. Additionally, the three-year window of this study will allow for sampling in every season in both hemispheres giving researched a complete and comprehensive picture of our atmosphere.
Britt Stephens, an NCAR scientist and HIPPO co-principal investigator, describes the field project's flight path and how the flights will help researchers determine carbon dioxide's influence in different regions of the globe.
Phase V Flight Plan
The HIPPO V mission is broken down into 13 Research Flights (RF) over a one month period. The flight plan is as follows:
RF01 :: Local Research Flight
RF02 :: Local Research Flight
RF03 :: Boulder, Colorado to Anchorage, Alaska
RF04 :: Anchorage, Alaska to Northern Polar Region #1, return to Anchorage
RF05 :: Anchorage, Alaska to Kona, Hawaii
RF06 :: Kona, Hawaii toRarotonga, Cook Islands
RF07 ::Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Christchurch, New Zealand
RF08 :: Christchurch, New Zealand to Southern Polar Regions, return to Christchurch
RF09 :: Christchurch, New Zealand to Rarotonga, Cook Islands
RF10 :: Rarotonga, Cook Islands to Kona, Hawaii
RF11 :: Kona, Hawaii to Anchorage, Alaska
RF12 :: Anchorage, Alaska to Northern Polar Region #2, return to Anchorage
This easily lends itself for comparison studies of the atmospheric gases in the northern hemisphere to those in the southern hemisphere. Additionally, the three-year window of this study will allow for sampling in every season in both hemispheres giving researched a complete and comprehensive picture of our atmosphere.
