Today was a busy day all round. In addition to clocking up solar measurements with all the FTS instruments and the PEARL UT-GBS, there was a lot of packing up and data-writing to do. To add excitement to the mix, the network and our outside communications went down for unknown reasons last night, and kept Pierre and Paul busy this morning as they tried to get them up and running (successfully I might add – we were alive again around 10am). As if that wasn’t enough, a mechanism in the SPS froze up, requiring emergency surgery, and MAESTRO decided that after 3 weeks of working fine it was time to sulk, repeatedly stopping communicating with us. Fortunately by the end of the day everything was completely back to normal, working happily and kissed goodbye – and I was much more familiar with those UV-Vis instruments!
Tonight marks the end of the 2007 ACE Validation Campaign (intensive phase). Tomorrow Clive, Tom, Richard, Annemarie, Tobias, Rodica, Ashley, Pierre, Asan, Jessa and Graeme fly south, leaving Paul and I here with Ovidiu to look after PEARL and all the instruments. It has been a very successful campaign. Everyone is really pleased with how the instruments have worked and has been loaded up with data to keep them out of trouble for a while.
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all the people and groups who have made this campaign happen – the Canadian Space Agency, Environment Canada, CGCS and CANDAC for funding and logistic support; Kaley, Kim, Jim, Hans and all the people back at the Universities and Environment Canada who have been part of the project from afar; all of the team here at the Eureka Weather Station who have kept us fed, warm and happy; the met techs Bill, Dean and Kelly who have launched ozonesondes every evening for us; and Pierre and Paul for driving us to and from the lab, supporting us and helping with everything. I’d also especially like to thank the Validation Campaign team (and honorary members), who have been a fantastic group of people in every way. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to be stuck at the ends of the earth with! Thanks guys.
This will be my final daily report, though you may get the odd missive if things don’t get too busy over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading my ramblings and being part of the adventure!
I’m off to join the celebratory end-of-season BINGO. All the best,
Bec