It's only the second day of the campaign, but everyone is in a groove and working hard to make the most of their time at PEARL. Today's weather continued to be clear and chilly (-45°C in Eureka and -33°C at the Ridge Lab), with about 4 hours of sunlight at the PEARL Ridge Lab.
In the IR lab, Dan began the day by sending detailed information about yesterday's calibration cell test errors to Pierre and Joseph back in Toronto. A solution has not yet been found, but troubleshooting efforts are ongoing. Dan found spare calibration light sources. He may try installing the spares to see if this resolves the error. However, tests of the voltage in the connector showed no power to the light sources, so it is unclear whether the sources themselves are causing the problem. Thankfully, this issue does not impact the Bruker's ability to take measurements. Dan also adjusted the door to the Bruker's beamsplitter compartment. It was too loose, and preventing proper contact between the instrument and this critical component.
Once the sun rose late morning, Dan re-calibrated the suntracker following procedures written by Jonathan (at Dalhousie University). We're always grateful to have Jonathan's assistance. With the tracker working well, solar measurements could begin! Dan took 41 MIR measurements with the Bruker today and the spectra look good. Once the sun was mostly set around 3 pm, Dan started taking an inventory of materials in the Bruker storage cabinet. He also unpacked the Bruker's new computer, which will be installed during the campaign.
Sebastien began his day in the IR lab by taking 8 calibration background measurements with PARIS. Once sunlight was available, he took 11 solar measurements with PARIS. He also learned the basics of how to operate the Bruker from Dan.
Over in UV-Vis operations, Xiaoyi transferred SAOZ spectra to LATMOS. He also successfully mounted the SAOZ laptop to the CANDAC ftp. SAOZ continues to take measurements nominally. The UT-GBS finished its dark current measurements; Xiaoyi will check its DC output soon. The PEARL-GBS is not currently operating so Xiaoyi can upgrade its Labview code. He worked with Jonathan to add features to the PEARL-GBS's suntracker code. The frost on PEARL-GBS's dome is getting better; Xiaoyi left the heater running overnight again.
Paul sighted the SPS once the sun rose. SPS is again taking measurements normally.
ACE ozonesonde flights have not yet begun.
After dinner, the Eureka Weather Station's SPM (Station Program Manager), John MacIver, took the team on an inside tour of Eureka's facilities. Eureka is essentially a small town, with electricity, water, sewage, and transportation infrastructure. As they returned to the station, they crossed paths with Mike, the CANDAC operator, who was on his way out to run a few checks on instruments. Paul, Dan, and Sebastien joined him to see a new instrument installation near SAFFIRE and the airport. It's been a great evening of exploring Eureka!