The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds Mission: Concept, Scientific Objectives, and Data Products

Abstract The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds (HAWC) mission is an observing system, with a planned launch around 2031, that is being developed by the Canadian Space Agency to provide collocated global measurements of aerosols, water vapor, and thin ice clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with vertical coverage that extends into the troposphere in the polar regions. The mission is the Canadian contribution to NASA’s Atmospheric Observing System (AOS), a satellite constellation will include multiple instruments to monitor aerosols, clouds, and precipitation as part of Earth System Observatory (ESO). The HAWC mission includes three innovative Canadian instruments: the Aerosol Limb Imager (ALI), the Thin Ice Clouds and Far Infrared Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument, and the Spatial Heterodyne Observations of Water (SHOW) instrument. ALI and SHOW will provide limb profiles of aerosol and water vapor with high spatial resolution (vertical and along track) and high sensitivity to fine aerosols and dry conditions. TICFIRE will provide nadir measurements of infrared radiation, thin ice cloud content, and cloud microphysical properties. These coordinated measurements will help build a more comprehensive picture of high-altitude aerosols, clouds, and water vapor in the atmosphere. In this paper, we present the HAWC concept and discuss the primary science objectives and requirements of the mission. The instrument payloads and data products are introduced, and synergies between HAWC and other AOS instruments are identified. Significance Statement Improving our understanding of Earth’s climate system requires reducing uncertainties in key climate variables and processes. The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds (HAWC) observing system will provide the first ever collocated satellite observations of aerosols, water vapor, thin cloud microphysical properties, and longwave radiation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with coverage that extends into the middle stratosphere and includes lower-tropospheric altitudes at the poles. The observing system will provide a unique perspective that will be used to reduce uncertainties in these key climate variables, improve physical process understanding, and facilitate model validation in one of the most poorly understood regions of the atmosphere.

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Publication Details

Journal
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
Published
2025-05-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-23-0309.1
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.11
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The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds Mission: Concept, Scientific Objectives, and Data Products

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The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds Mission: Concept, Scientific Objectives, and Data Products

Hugo Beltrami, Aldona Wiacek, Landon Rieger, Alejandro Di Luca, Colin Goldblatt, Christopher E. Sioris, Kimberly Strong, R. J. Sica, Patrick Grenier, Jason N. S. Cole, Zen Mariani, John R. Gyakum, Jean‐Pierre Blanchet, Rachel Chang, Adam Bourassa, Danahé Paquin‐Ricard, Paul J. Kushner, Yann Blanchard, Daniel Zawada, W. E. Ward, Zhipeng Qu, Parisa A. Ariya, Andrew H. MacDougall, Jeffery Langille, Francesco S. R. Pausata, D. A. Degenstein, Kaley A. Walker, Christopher G. Fletcher, Xun Wang, Matthew Toohey, Susann Tegtmeier, Julie M. Thériault, Ivy Tan, Chris Anthony McLinden, Hind A. Al‐Abadleh, Norman T. O’Neill, Mengistu Wolde, Yi Huang, Scott A. Braun
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Abstract The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds (HAWC) mission is an observing system, with a planned launch around 2031, that is being developed by the Canadian Space Agency to provide collocated global measurements of aerosols, water vapor, and thin ice clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with vertical coverage that extends into the troposphere in the polar regions. The mission is the Canadian contribution to NASA’s Atmospheric Observing System (AOS), a satellite constellation will include multiple instruments to monitor aerosols, clouds, and precipitation as part of Earth System Observatory (ESO). The HAWC mission includes three innovative Canadian instruments: the Aerosol Limb Imager (ALI), the Thin Ice Clouds and Far Infrared Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument, and the Spatial Heterodyne Observations of Water (SHOW) instrument. ALI and SHOW will provide limb profiles of aerosol and water vapor with high spatial resolution (vertical and along track) and high sensitivity to fine aerosols and dry conditions. TICFIRE will provide nadir measurements of infrared radiation, thin ice cloud content, and cloud microphysical properties. These coordinated measurements will help build a more comprehensive picture of high-altitude aerosols, clouds, and water vapor in the atmosphere. In this paper, we present the HAWC concept and discuss the primary science objectives and requirements of the mission. The instrument payloads and data products are introduced, and synergies between HAWC and other AOS instruments are identified. Significance Statement Improving our understanding of Earth’s climate system requires reducing uncertainties in key climate variables and processes. The High-Altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor, and Clouds (HAWC) observing system will provide the first ever collocated satellite observations of aerosols, water vapor, thin cloud microphysical properties, and longwave radiation in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with coverage that extends into the middle stratosphere and includes lower-tropospheric altitudes at the poles. The observing system will provide a unique perspective that will be used to reduce uncertainties in these key climate variables, improve physical process understanding, and facilitate model validation in one of the most poorly understood regions of the atmosphere.

Bulletin of the American Meteorological SocietyVol. 106(11)
University of New Brunswick (CA), Western University (CA), Dalhousie University (CA), Goddard Space Flight Center (US), Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA), Université de Sherbrooke (CA), University of Waterloo (CA), Université du Québec à Montréal (CA), University of Toronto (CA), St. Francis Xavier University (CA), University of Victoria (CA), University of Saskatchewan (CA), National Research Council Canada (CA), McGill University (CA), Saint Mary's University (CA), Wilfrid Laurier University (CA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
1.11
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