The CONCORDIASI program is the result of a joint USA-French initiative for atmospheric science in the Polar Regions. It aims at improving the meteorological, dynamical and chemical analysis and forecast over Antarctica. The measurements from Concordiasi will also advance our understanding of the dynamical and physical processes critical to the climate and weather of Antarctica and knowledge of the role of polar processes in the Earth System. Concordiasi is designed to make major contributions to the research goals of two major international programs; the WMO/ICSU-s International Polar Year (IPY) and the WMO-s The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) program.

CONCORDIASI consists of a measurement campaign over the Antarctic region utilizing stratospheric balloons as a research platform carrying several types of instruments and performing in situ, and remote measurements of the atmosphere. These measurements are performed in conjunction with operations of space borne instruments, in particular the IASI atmospheric sounder aboard the METOP satellite, and with radiosonde observations conducted from several Antarctic stations.

The CONCORDIASI project includes for most of the systems a full development period that requires full coordination between the participants. One important part of this effort is the "pre-Concordiasi" flight campaign that will take place from Mahé (Seychelles Islands) between March 31, 2009 and April 30, 2009 (for a full schedule click here). The main goals for this test campaing is to:

• Verify the proper operations of the driftsonde system for the CONCORDIASI campaign
• Verify the web interphase
• Verify the scheduling of sonde relasing during the flight and its proper release
• Verify the proper operation of the solar panel heating system
• Verify the thermal model for the gondola