September 16th to October 17th, 1991

An aircraft based study of interactions between sea ice and the atmospheric boundary layer was conducted in early autumn 1991 in the marginal ice zone north of Svalbard (15°E ,78°N). The aircraft was equipped with turbulence and radiation instruments and carried a high resolution Line Scan Camera ( LSC) to record digital images in the visible range of the ice and new ice (nilas) concentration. Seventeen flights, under a range of different synoptic and ice conditions, were conducted with flight patterns arranged to study low-level turbulence over different ice conditions, radiative fluxes below and above clouds and convective structures downstream of the ice edge. 

This report outlines the scientific objectives and describes the instrumentation and the experimental phase. It comprises a catalogue of all flights and presents examples of typical features measured during the campaign. 

Reports on Polar Research 105 '92 

February 28th to March 25th, 1993

REFLEX II was a winter study of interactions between the sea ice coverad ocean and the atmospheric boundary layer in the marginal ice zone north of Svalbard (15°E ,78°N). The experiment was based on fligths of the aircraft Polar 2 and Polar 4. It was conducted simultaneously with the experiment ARKTIS 93, which comprised the missions of two other aircraft, of RV POLARSTERN and two other ships. 

The polar aircraft were equipped with basic meteorological and radiation instruments. Polar 2 also carried scanning cameras in the visible and thermal infrared to detect the ice and new ice (nilas) concentrations and the surface temperture with a spatial resoluton of 4 m². A turbulence probing system and a laser altimeter on the same aircraft provided coincident data on the surface structure and on turbulence fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer. Polar 4 was equipped with a dropsonde system. 

A total of 23 flights on 12 days were performed under prevailing very cold weather conditions. The fligths were arranged to study the effects of different ice conditions on the low-level turbulence and the radiation flux regime over sea ice in the presence of low clouds. The surface structure was recorded by the cameras in the regions, where on the same day SAR-scenes of the ERS-I were obtained. Forcing and validation data sets for mesoscale modelling work were achieved by tightly coordinated aircraft missions over the marginal ice zone. 

This report briefly outlines the scientific objectives and describes the instrumentation and the experimental phase. It comprises a catalogue of all flights and presents examples of typical features measured during the campaign. 

Reports on Polar Research 133 '94 

June 16th to July 30th, 1995

REFLEX III completed a series of aircraft based experiments in the marginal ice zone north of Svalbard. A summer campaign REFLEX took place from 15 June to 30 July 1995 and focussed on studying the low-level arctic stratus over sea ice. The experiment was carried out in cooperation with GKSS, Geesthacht, and AWI-Potsdam. 

The aircraft instrumentation comprised four cloud particle probes, a sun-photometer, Eppley radiometers, colour line scanners and the turbulence probe Meteopod. 

In the first 4 weeks Polar 4 flew single missions for cloud physics, sun-photometer, radiation studies and some line scanner recordings. In the last three weeks Polar 2 equipped with the turbulence probe was also available and 5 synchronised missions were flown. 

Reports on Polar Research 218 '97  ( click for the full report )