TIME (UTC) REMARKS
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08:00 Takeoff under broken stratus.
08:09 Out of cloud at 8,550'.
08:19 Level at 15,000', winds 280deg at 15 m/s.
08:46 We appear to be in sulfate/pollution? layer of small particles
but high scattering
extinction.
08:49 Find balloon at 46 16.55S & 145 37.79E (231m, 980 Hpa)
Select #6 as target balloon because other balloons appear to be
in the water.
08:58 Start descent at 1,000'/min to end up about 7mi. north of balloon
#6.
09:27 Start 100' CW circle below occasional small Cu.
09:59 Start 500' CCW circle. More small Cu at south side of circle.
Low wind near 6m/s.
10:30 End 500' circle.
10:32 Start 1,500' CW circle at 1,500'
11:02 End 1,500' and reposition relative to balloon #6 located
at 46 35.82 S & 145
55.53 E at 10:35GMT.
11:09 Start 3,000' CCW circle.
11:38 End 3,000' circle and spiral up looking for inversion.
11:40 Cross inversion at 5,100' (high nuclei).
11:46 Start porpoising between 5,300' and 4,500' across inversion
from south to north.
11:55 End porpoise, turn at 5,200' and descend to 4,700' before
heading to south side of circle.
12:05 Start 5 min leg south at south side of circle to get sample
in high nuclei and high MSA region.
12:10 End leg and climb to 5,000' to return to circle pattern.
12:18 Start circle at 5,000', 7mi. north of balloon position
located at 46 54.44'S and 146 06.33'E at 12:00GMT.
12:48 End 5,000' circle above inversion.
12:48 Climb to 10,000' for lidar leg across circle.
12:58 Start lidar leg.
13:10 End lidar leg and descend to surface.
13:25 Start second stack of circles at 500' CW.
13:55 End 500' circle and climb to 1,500' for CCW circle.
13:58 Start 1,500' circle CCW, occasionally in cloud.
14:28 End 1,500' circle and climb.
14:31 Start 3,000' leg CW. Cu clouds nw present at this altitude
and they appear to be developing.
15:01 End 3,000' circle at 47.59 S and 146.30 E.
15:06 Porpoise inversion between 4,450' and 4,850'.
15:18 End porpoise and climb to 20,000'. Encounter aerosol layer
at 13,000'-18,000'.
15:35 Start 10 min calibration leg at 21,100'.
15:45 End calibration leg.
15:46 Descend through cloud to 15,500' to sample aerosol layer.
16:15 Start descent to Hobart, layer between 9,000'-14,000'.
16:32 Touchdown
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This mission was the second flight in the second Lagrangian as discussed previously for the first flight. After take-off and climbout we encountered a similar aerosol layer seen on the previous two flights and which we tried to stay in during the ferry. Upon approaching the research area all the balloons were successfully located but #0 and #8 were at the surface and presumably in the water. Only #6 was up aat 231m and we elected to fly our mission relative to that balloon. We started our circles at the most southern point on the circle. This point was positioned at about 7 mi north of balloon #6 for each circle. Later that balloon also dropped to the surface but we decided to stick with #6 once we had started. Calculation based upon subsequent balloon positions suggested that all were moving at about 7m/s. This was only about 20% less than the 9 m/s winds estimated by the C-130 at that time.
Circles were flown at 500', 800', 1,500' and 3000' in the boundary layer and at 5,000' above the inversion on the first stacks of circles. The 1000' and 5,000' circles and the lidar leg were deleted from the second stack due to time and fuel considerations. Towards the end of the second 3,000' circle there was evidence of increased cloud development, particularly on the southernmost portion.