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BOREAS

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was a large-scale international interdisciplinary experiment conducted in the northern boreal forests of Canada. Its goal was to improve our understanding of the interactions between boreal forests and the atmosphere, in order to clarify their roles in global change. BOREAS aimed to improve our knowledge of atmospheric, biochemical and ecological processes at work, to develop models of these processes and make use of new satellite information. All this will improve our ability to model the climate system, and help scientists to better anticipate the effects of global change. The BOREAS field studies occurred in north central Canada (Manitoba and Saskatchewan). There were 85 science teams organized into six disciplinary groups: airborne flux and meteorology, hydrology, remote sensing, terrestrial ecology, tower fluxes, trace gas biochemistry and staff science. The 1994 and 1996 BOREAS field campaigns put over 300 scientists and technicians into the field, supported by eleven research aircraft. Research technicians provided infrastructure support (i.e. installed towers, instrumentation, transportation, etc.), collected and analyzed field samples (snow surveys, soil moisture samples, biological and chemical samples, etc.), operated equipment on board aircraft and provided computer support. More information about the BOREAS experiment and its preliminary findings can be obtained at http://boreas.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Field studies of heterogeneous vegetated regions, such as western Canada (Saskatchewan), involving ground, aircraft and satellite data collection has led to the development of snow cover monitoring using passive microwave remote sensing from satellites. Research technicians assist in the development of new remote sensing methods by collecting extensive ground-based snow cover information, designing and coordinating aircraft flight patterns and assisting in the analysis using computer and GIS systems. Passive microwave data are presently being used to infer the snow covered area and snow water equivalent by federal and provincial water resource agencies who use the information to monitor snow conditions, plan for ground surveys and prepare runoff forecasts. Research technicians play an important role in ongoing research by participating in a series of field programs in different regions of Canada (i.e. CRYSYS - Use of the Cryospheric System to Monitor Climate Change in Canada; CAGES - the Canadian GEWEX Enhanced Study {GEWEX is the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment}); and in the development of surface soil moisture remote sensing techniques (i.e. REBEX IV - the Fourth Radiobrightness Energy Balance Experiment; MERMOZ II - the Second Montreal Experiment of Regional Model and Ozone). For more information see http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/CRYSYS/.

Automatic acoustic snow depth sensor

Without a doubt one of the most successful instruments to be developed at the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) is the automatic acoustic snow depth sensor. With increased automation at Canadian environmental observing stations and the establishment of unmanned stations at remote locations, the MSC has a requirement for an inexpensive automatic snow depth sensor. In response to this requirement, a research scientist , an instrument development technician and a research technician joined forces to design and develop an automatic acoustic snow depth sensor, using commercially available ultrasonic measurement technology. The sensor was licensed in 1987 to Campbell Scientific Canada (Edmonton, Alta.) who have since sold over 1500 units world wide.

Hand-held passive microwave radiometer calibration chamber

Small portable hand-held passive microwave radiometers (HHR) are valuable instruments for understanding the varying atmospheric and surface effects on passive microwave emissions from the earth's surface and contributing to our ability to scale these measurements up to satellite coverage. These instruments are at the leading edge of radiometry technology. Like most special purpose instruments, their usefulness is only as good as our ability to calibrate the measurements to some known standard. Normally, two point calibrations are performed on these instruments using the sky (an infinite blackbody) and room temperature provided by a cryogenic target consisting of eccosorb foam. In order to provide an additional reference point an improved and modified Solheim calibration chamber was designed using eccosorb foam, an aluminum-lined styrofoam cooler filled with liquid nitrogen and surrounded with dry nitrogen. This device provides an improved calibration and therefore more accurate measurements with HHR units.

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