During the past decades the Arctic climate is undergoing warming which impacts the local ecosystem and human infrastructure. To better understand the Arctic climate system and improve projections for the future, three aircraft will jointly observe various atmospheric processes over the North Atlantic near Spitsbergen during the HALO-(AC)³ campaign in March and April 2022.

Researchers from our group visited Bremerhaven for an exciting two-day safety training in preparation for this campaign. We learned, how to avoid dangerous encounters with polar bears which actually spend most of their lifetime on the sea ice beneath the aircraft. Additionally, an exhausting sea survival training demonstrated the use of life rafts and other equipment in case of an emergency landing. During the training huge waves and a thunderstorm were imitated, including flashes, rain and thunder in a complete dark surrounding.

Moreover, the first instrument belonging to our institute is already mounted below the aircraft Polar 5! It is a radar called MiRAC-A which will detect clouds below the aircraft. The Polar 5 will be equipped with several remote sensing instruments from different institutions. Our working group will additionally install the microwave radiometer HATPRO. Updates on this installation, the calibration of the instruments and the test flights will follow!

Do you want to follow the upcoming activities in the Arctic and learn more about the HALO-(AC)³ campaign? Then follow our AWARES blog and the HALO-(AC)³ website, where updates and interesting background information on the project are provided.

To stay up to date, check Twitter for the latest information! #HALOAC3 #AC3TR #MiRACradar #polar5 #Svalbard